Film Funds

Balkan Network Group

North Macedonia FIlm Agency

Veronika Buchkovska

Contact Person for International Communications

Studied at the Faculty of Philology in Skopje – English major. She is part of the Film Industry Department at the North Macedonia Film Agency since 2011. Has overseen the promotion of national film production both nationally and internationally and has been in charge of monitoringfilm festival realization. Has extensive experience of organizing events of various formats, ranging from one-day training sessions/workshops to international conferences, and festivals.

She has actively participated in the organization/co-organization of an EAVE Producer’s Workshop, Giffoni Film Days, Giffoni Macedonia, SNOWE-Women in Film workshop, General Assembly of the Board of Directors of Eurimages – North Macedonia, MakeCoProDox Forum, Less-Is-More Pre-writing workshop, First Cut Lab Balkans, industry focus programmeshighlighting Macedonian and regional film production at major film festivals, and numerousyoung audience-oriented events and film education initiatives…

She is a co-author of the Facts and Figures brochure (2019-2023) and a major contributor to the publication of the annual Macedonian Film Production catalogue (since 2012.)

Currently holding the position of a national representative at the European Audiovisual Observatory and European Film Promotion, member of the SEE (South-East European) Cinema Network, member of the European Film Commissions Network (EUFCN), member of the Creative Europe MEDIA Committee and the Balkan Network.

Slovenian Film Center

Nika Gričar

Head of Film Development

Nika Gričar graduated in cultural studies with a master’s degree in political science. She has been collaborating with the Slovenian Film Center (SFC) for the past six years, where she was Head for the development of film culture (2019-2020), and since December 2021 she works as the Head of the development of film projects and minority co-productions. In cooperation with the SFC, she published two studies on gender equality in the national film program; was the editor of the special edition on Slovenian cinematography on the 30th anniversary of independent Slovenia and was coordinating the industry program of the Slovenian Film Festival. Before that, she worked with film festivals, film educational organizations and production companies as a production assistant and organizer of film distribution. She assisted Dr. Vesna Čopič in the design of the law on the status of artists in Mauritius within the framework of UNESCO. In collaboration with Kinodvor, she prepared a chronology and research on the 90-year history of the cinema at Kolodvorska 13, today’s city cinema Kinodvor. She is European Graduate in Documentary Production through EURODOC international program (2019).

Croatian Audiovisual Center

Christopher Peter Marcich

Chief Executive of Croatian Audiovisual Center

Chris was appointed CEO of the Croatian Audiovisual Center (HAVC) on 1 May 2019.

He has been President of the Board of AGICOA, the association of audiovisual producers and their collective rights management groups since 2013.

Upon deciding to divide his time between Brussels and Croatia for personal reasons, Chris was appointed President for International at the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in January 2015 to assist with a transition within the MPA. He was responsible for coordination of the MPA’s international offices (EMEA, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Brazil & Mexico).

Chris joined the MPA in 1995. From 1995 through 2014 he served as President in charge of MPA’s regional office for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The office’s principal areas of activity include work on legislative and regulatory issues related to the media sector at the European and national levels.

Prior to joining the MPA Chris spent sixteen years working in the U.S. Government on international trade issues as a negotiator and shaping U.S. trade policy. When he left the Government in 1995, he was the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe, responsible for trade relations with the region. Prior to that, Chris was appointed to the newly created position of Assistant US Trade Representative for Trade and Environment, pioneering efforts to integrate health and environmental principles with those of international commerce.

Chris holds Croatian and U.S. citizenships, holds a Master’s degree from Georgetown University, and speaks English, Croatian and French and has working knowledge of Italian and Spanish.

Morana Ikic Komljenovic

Little Red Dot, CEO, Representative of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC)

Producer, storyteller, and audio-visual expert with 20+ years of professional experience. She led one of the most successful documentary productions in Croatia, Fade In, and gained international experience as a co-producer and acquisition manager at Taskovski Films. She frequently collaborates with the Creative Europe Desk – MEDIA Office Croatia, Croatian audiovisual Centre, and Euroimages. She is a member of the EAVE expert network. and an active member of the Managing Board of the Filmmakers Association of Croatia. She is a proud carrier of both ALBERT certification trainee program and GREEN FILM program and an advocate of sustainability, inclusion, and diversity.

Greek Film Center

Yianna Sari

Director, Department of Promotion – Hellas Film

Yianna Sarri graduated in 2000 with a BA and MA in Communication Studies and Film Studies from Coventry University and City University in the UK. In 2000 she started working for the production company KINO. Since 2003, she began working as a programer at Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival and Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. In 2010, she was appointed Head of Agora for both festivals. Yianna was also Head of Program at the Greek Film Festival in Berlin. In March 2022, she started collaborating with Drama International Short Film Festival and she created the Short Film Hub. Yianna is a programmer and film festival expert. In September 2023 she was appointed director of promotion Hellas Film at the Greek Film Centre. Comment end

Kosovo Cinematography Center

Blerta Zeqiri

Director

Blerta Zeqiri is a highly esteemed Kosovar director with over two decades of experience in the film industry. She is a member of the prestigious European Film Academy since 2012 and has been honored as a “Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature” by the French government. Throughout her career, Blerta’s films have received acclaim at more than 200 film festivals worldwide, earning her over 30 esteemed awards.

Notably, her groundbreaking short film, KTHIMI, made history as the first Kosovar film to be accepted into the renowned Sundance Film Festival in 2012. It received the festival’s top prize. Blerta is also credited as the pioneer behind Kosovo’s first film focused on LGBT rights. Her film, MARTESA, has garnered positive reviews from international media and enjoyed great success with audiences in Kosovo.

In 2023, Blerta was appointed as the Director of the Kosovar Cinematography Center for a four-year term. Her exceptional talent, extensive industry experience, and creative vision make her an invaluable asset to the cinematic landscape of Kosovo and beyond.

National Film Center Bulgaria

Gergana Dakovska, National Representative of Eurimages

Graduated in Film Critics at the National Theater and Film Academy. Assistant Director in Boyana Film Studios to leading Bulgarian directors as Rangel Valchanov, Zako Heskia, Nikola Rudarov and others. Script editor in Interfilm Studio – author and script editor of more than 50 documentary films. Editor and author in “7 plus” press group. Deputy editor in chief of the magazine “Sacrament”. General manager/owner (together with SBS Scandinavian Broadcasting System) of TV2, one of the 4 national terrestrial broadcasting programs. Head of International Relations at the National Council for Radio and Television. Chief expert responsible for co-productions (1996 – until now) at the Bulgarian Natioanl Film Center. Bulgarian National Representative in the Board of Eurimages Fund at the Council of Europe (1999 – until now). Member of the Executive Committee of SEE CN. Member of the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers (2004-2007 member of the Managing Board; Vice Chairman of the Guild of Scriptwriters). Member of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists. Member of Selection Committees: Bulgarian National Television, Sofia Film Fest, Media Program.