Tuesday, 14th July, 10 – 11am, Kino Valli
Language: English
This year’s edition of the Work in Progress pitching programme will be held before a three-member international jury. The pitching is aimed at all Croatian and minority feature projects in the postproduction phase that are scheduled to finish within the next year. All selected finalists participate in the workshop for pitching preparation mentored by Vanja Jambrović. The best projects selected by the jury will receive two prizes: a prize in the amount of 6,000 EUR sponsored by Brijuni Rivijera and postproduction picture processing in the amount of 10,000 USD by the Color Grading Academy.
JURY
Stefan Ivančić
Stefan Ivančić is a film director, producer, and programmer. His short films have been screened at festivals such Cannes, Rotterdam, FID Marseille, San Sebastián, Visions du Réel, and others. Stefan is the producer of the feature film The Load (2018), directed by Ognjen Glavonić, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival, and the film Wind, Talk to Me (2025), directed by Stefan Đorđević, which was selected for the Tiger Competition at International Film Festival Rotterdam. He programmes for the Locarno Film Festival and the Belgrade Auteur Film Festival. He is a member of the European Film Academy.
Luis Renart
Luis Renart is the managing director of Bendita Film Sales, international film sales and distribution agency dedicated to a carefully curated catalogue of award-winning films. Under his leadership, the agency is developing and distributing films that have been recognised and awarded at the most prestigious festivals, including Locarno, Venice, Berlin, San Sebastián, and Karlovy Vary. Before Bendita Film Sales, he built his experience in the Madrid agency Latido Films and working with numerous Catalan film and television production companies, where he gained a deeper understanding of the international film market. He holds a degree in law, and also has a diploma in filmmaking and film production from the Centro de Estudios Cinematogràfics de Catalunya and a master’s degree in film industry management from the University Carlos III of Madrid.
Tina Tišljar
Tina Tišljar earned her master’s degree in film production at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb. She produced award-winning student films and worked in the organisation of a number of film festivals in Zagreb. After four years at the Department of Promotion at the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, she started working as a producer at the production company Eclectica in 2018. Her first feature film Celebration premiered at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
MENTOR FOR PITCHING PREPARATION
Vanja Jambrović
Vanja Jambrović graduated in Comparative Literature and Philosophy from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb and in Production from the Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb. Since 2009, she has been producing films at Restart. The films she has produced were shortlisted for the European Film Awards three times: Fiume o morte! by Igor Bezinović (2026), Valerija by Sara Jurinčić (2024) and Srbenka by Nebojša Slijepčević (2019). Fiume o morte! went on to win the European Film Award for Best European Documentary in 2026 and also received the Tiger Award and the FIPRESCI Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Among other major achievements are three Heart of Sarajevo awards for Best Documentary Film: for Valerija (2024) by Sara Jurinčić, Museum of the Revolution by Srđan Keča (2022) and Srbenka (2018), as well as the Doc Alliance Award for Srbenka, presented by the network of leading European documentary film festivals. Her projects have been supported by numerous international institutions, including Eurimages and the Sundance Institute. She teaches at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb and has served as a mentor at international programmes and workshops including Documentary Campus Masterschool, Eurodoc, Ex Oriente, BDC Discoveries, Slow Pitch ZagrebDox and Circle Women Doc Accelerator.
PROJECTS
Man vs. Flock – Tamara Kotevska
Five Days at Sea – Ivana Škrabalo
First Week of August – Filip Mojzeš
Rozalina – Saša Poštić
MAN VS. FLOCK, Tamara Kotevska
The feature-length fiction film Man vs. Flock tells a heartbreaking story of the loss of roots and heritage through the eyes of Temelko, a stubborn elderly villager and the last remaining farmer in the village of Češinovo in North Macedonia. He refuses to sell his land for the construction of the New Silk Road, even after all the other villagers have sold theirs and left the village. His solitary struggle against the “great aggressive herd” (a Chinese construction corporation) gradually becomes a deeply personal battle with members of his own family.
Tamara Kotevska was born in a North Macedonian town of Prilep, with no film family background. Her debut feature, Honeyland, made history at Sundance 2019, winning three major awards and becoming the first film ever nominated for both Best Documentary and Best International Feature at the Academy Awards. Known for a unique style of blending observational cinema with cinematic narrative, her recent
film, The Tale of Silyan had a premiere at Venice Film Festival 2025 with amazing world renewed film critics’ coverage and received the Venice Film Festival’s Muse Award. From the festival it was acquired by National Geographic and chosen for a double Academy Award campaign. It secured over ten Grand Prix honors, including 2 of the main IDA awards (best film and best cinematography). At the moment, her debut fiction feature in the final cut – Man vs. Flock, has already garnered early recognition: the GRAND PRIX at Les Arcs Film Festival for film in post-production. At the moment, the film is looking for final post-production partners, distributors and festival programers interested for the premiere of her first fiction film.
FIVE DAYS AT SEA, Ivana Škrabalo
Toma and Maša are a couple whose relationship has seen happier days. It is summer, and they travel to a remote island to spend their holiday with Maša’s friend Jagoda. The first thing Maša tells her friend is that she is pregnant but that she is not yet ready to tell Toma. Although she understands the situation rationally, emotionally she is completely overwhelmed. Meeting Jagoda’s new boyfriend unsettles her even further. A former sailor and a frequently troublesome alcoholic, he subtly flirts with her. Caught in the turmoil of her own indecision, Maša ultimately breaks out of her passivity by embarking on an affair with a younger local man.
Ivana Škrabalo graduated in Architecture and Film Directing in Zagreb. She has extensive experience working on Croatian and international film productions in the field of production design. She has received the Golden Arena Award twice for her work as a production designer. Her short films Soft Creatures and You Dreamt You Were Happy have been screened and awarded at numerous international and Croatian film
festivals. Ivana is currently in post production on her debut feature film.
FIRST WEEK OF AUGUST, Filip Mojzeš
The First Week of August is a family drama about the summer holiday of an upper-middle-class couple, Zoran and Ivana, a journalist who, after experiencing severe psychological trauma, unexpectedly and violently lashes out at their ten-year old son, David, as she gradually begins to lose control over his behaviour. As the holiday unfolds, deeper fractures in Zoran and Ivana’s relationship come to light, eventually spilling over into their interactions with the neighbouring family of four. In a desperate attempt to fit back into the confines of “normality,” Ivana struggles to balance the conflicting roles of mother, wife, and high-profile media personality.
Filip Mojzeš is a Croatian filmmaker, screenwriter, and director whose work explores themes of alienation, violence, and fractured human relationships. His films are predominantly minimalist, driven by atmosphere and focused on the inner lives of their characters rather than plot-driven narratives. Born in Zagreb in 1989, he studied Film Directing at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb before continuing his education at film.factory in Sarajevo, where he was mentored by acclaimed Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr. His last four short fiction films all premiered in the Competition Programme of the Sarajevo Film Festival, establishing a consistent and notable presence at one of the region’s leading platforms for emerging European filmmakers. Following their premieres, the films enjoyed successful festival runs and were screened at numerous Croatian and international film festivals.
ROZALINA, Saša Poštić
Rozalina, a woman in her fifties, is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and decides to stop passively waiting for the disease to progress. Wearing her red cowboy boots, she sets off on an unplanned journey from Karlovac to Zagreb in search of the son she abandoned many years ago. Caught between self-destructive impulses and a manic need to make amends, Rozalina attempts to reconnect with the grown man who refuses to acknowledge her as his mother. Their encounter leaves no room for forgiveness, instead exposing the emotional void that has accumulated over the years.
Saša Poštić is a Croatian film director, screenwriter, and film educator, born in Karlovac in 1992. He is a member of the Croatian Film Directors’ Guild and the Blank Film Incubator, where he leads filmmaking workshops. He has also taught fiction filmmaking workshops as part of the Dr. Ante Peterlić School of Media Culture and currently conducts fiction and documentary filmmaking workshops at the Medika Film Studio. Poštić works as a cinematographer, editor, sound recordist, and assistant director on numerous film and television productions, including documentary series for Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) and other production companies. He is the author of several award-winning short fiction films, including Rockets (2021), Animal (2021), Talk to You Later (2022), Skummy (2023), and Bonebreaker (2023). His films have been screened at major festivals such as the Zagreb Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival, Sofia International Film Festival, Pula Film Festival, and the Croatian Film Days.
