In the event’s grand finale, the jury announced the winners of the TV Writing Contest after a busy day of discussions on the television industry and networking
Zagreb, 9 December 2022 – In the grand finale of NEM Zagreb 2022, the winners of the TV Writing Contest were announced at the prize-giving ceremony before all the competition finalists and the audience waiting to learn the names of the winners of both the scripted and unscripted competitions. Representatives from production companies, national television channels and other television industry stakeholders such as Beta Film, Rai, Zig Zag Productions, Script Angel, Nova TV, Telekom Srbija, Joyrider, RTV Slovenija, CineLink Industry Days and the creative branch of the Sarajevo Film Festival, as well as Krisztina Gallo and Danna Stern as independent members of the jury, selected the most promising young authors and projects showing great potential for further development and investment.
The winners of scripted category are Milena Džambasović and Matija Dragojević (Serbia) with period drama “Wool”.
“When I started to develop the story and when I got in touch with Matija, the first thing that came to mind was NEM. It is a good step to see how potential partners will react to such a story. At NEM Zagreb, I got everything I wanted – not only the award, but all the accompanying events – Workshop, panels, people I met. I think this kind of market allows you to get in touch with people you would otherwise have a hard time reaching. The project continues to develop as far as the script is concerned, and now we will certainly catch this wave of people who are interested in the project”, said Milena Džambasović.
The finalists of the scripted category are:
The winners of the unscripted category are Hrvoje Osvadić and Jasna Nanut (Croatia) s with the game show “The Dream Pension”.
“What is interesting is that I was at NEM Zagreb three years ago with the comedy series “Playing the Tiger”, which I am also developing, and from which “The Dream Pension” was born, so it all somehow connected nicely. NEM is the only and most important event of its kind in Croatia. It is very important that there is a platform of this kind, to connect us authors – a place where we can present and promote our projects”, said Jasna Nanut after the win.
The finalists of the unscripted category are:
Mediavision Marketing and TV Industry Agency, the event organizer, provided great prizes for the competition winners that included an award of 3 000 Euros, participation in a writing workshop, participation fee for one television industry event, and participation fee and joint conference table at NEM Dubrovnik 2023 TV market planned for June 2023.
The value of participating in the TV Writing Contest does not stop there, as all projects accepted in the competition and contact details of all the authors will remain available to jury members for future projects and cooperation.
One of the segments of the last day program, the panel TV Writing – How to Bring out the Best from CEE? proved to be one of the most interesting for all writers, irrespective of their level of professional experience. Focusing on the process of writing and the creative challenges of script writing, the professionals were happy to share tips on how to become part of the world of writing for television, explaining why even the best script does not always make it to the actual production. As the panel host, Hayley McKenzie, Founder & CEO, Script Angel, introduced the other speakers that included
„Great stories are all around but the industry is not an equal playfield. Having opportunities like this, talking to anyone who can help you move your project forward is crucial“, said Danna Stern.
„I work mostly in Eastern Europe and what I found to often be problematic is the pilot episode. Creators have brilliant ideas, but often they are not good at selling the show. We are not just talking about the pitching, but the pilot too. If the pilot doesn’t work, the buyers won’t be interested“, said Leonid Godik.
„Try to be confident in your ideas, listen to other people from the industry – and take 10 percent from each conversation“, explained Denis Karam.
Sanja Božić Ljubičić, CEO and Owner, Mediatranslations, Mediavision and Pickbox, and Amra Bakšić Čamo, Film Producer, SCCA/pro.ba had a one-on-one interview about Originals from Bosnian and Herzegovinian Production.
At the Spanish TV Fiction by Conecta, a presentation about the television industry in Spain, Alba Perez, Conecta Fiction & Entertainment Programme Coordinator, Inside Content, discussed the trends in one of the most growing and interesting television markets in the world.
Senior year students from Film and Television Production Department of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade spoke about their take on making low-budget films and television productions, while Francesco Gorgoni, Head of Creative Team, Casta Diva, explained how the ideas for original formats are created in his presentation Casta Diva – A New Player in Formats Adaptions and Creation of Original IP.
The final day of NEM Zagreb 2022 started with a networking session over morning coffees hosted by Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT), and the second edition of the successful event ended with a cocktail party at the Oleander Terrace hosted by the Mediavision agency,
More information available from NEM Zagreb 2022 and NEM Dubrovnik 2023 official web pages.
