Pitch Perfect: How CEE Drama Projects Are Breaking Through Internationally?
In the ever-evolving landscape of European television and streaming, fiction projects from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are increasingly finding their footing on the global stage. Thanks in no small part to the dedicated co-production forums and pitching platforms that champion regional voices. Events like Series Mania’s Forum, Berlinale Co-Pro Series, CineLink Drama in Sarajevo, the emerging Media Play in Sofia and others have become important stops on the development calendar for producers seeking financing, partnerships, and visibility. These sessions serve not only as launchpads for compelling new narratives but also as essential meeting points where creative ambition intersects with market realities.
Other major events that will take place later this year, focusing on supporting and showcasing CEE scripted projects, include the Heart of Europe International TV Festival and Forum, organized by TVP, which takes place from September 30-October 3 in Warsaw; NEM Zagreb which is slated for December 2025 in Zagreb; the TV Beats Co-Financing Market, part of the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event drama series strand TV Beats which takes place November 17-18; the Serial Killer International Festival of TV and Web Series taking place September 23-28 in Brno; also the Hypewriter pitch contest organized by Paprika Studios and RTL Hungary is usually held in October. The Pitch Copro Series 2025, part of Conecta Fiction & Entertainment, will also feature one CEE series this year – Fake News Factory from North Macedonia. The project comes from and was presented at the Series Killer TV Days conference, in collaboration with NEM Zagreb and is based on the same story as another project from North Macedonia called Las Veles, presented at Media Play Sofia 2025.
For creators from the CEE region—often navigating limited domestic funding and fragmented markets—such platforms offer vital exposure and access to international networks. They also foster a culture of collaboration that is increasingly shaping the future of European storytelling through co-productions. Whether a series is born in Budapest, Tallinn or Belgrade, the pathway to screens across Europe and beyond is increasingly routed through these curated events, where stories are shaped, champions are found, and deals begin to take form.
For the 11th time, the Berlinale Co-Production Market invited producers, editors, distributors and other series financiers to pitches and meetings at Co-Pro Series on February 18 and 19. Ten new, selected drama series projects were pitched and met with co-production and financing partners. The selected Projects for Co-Pro Series 2025 included only one title from CEE: Our People (Autor: Miro Šifra; Regie: Tereza Nvotová), Nutprodukcia, Slovakia, Nutprodukce & Czech Television, Czech Republic which was selected in cooperation with Series Mania. The crime miniseries will bring the mosaic-told story of the murder-for-hire of journalist Ján Kuciak, which shook the whole of Slovakia. The individual views are connected precisely by the execution and subsequent investigation of the murder, and they also follow the social scope of the entire case.
The Berlinale also held The Series Market Selects Label which provides an exclusive preview of the most anticipated series from across the globe. This label showcases 12-14 series with substantial market potential, offering enhanced visibility and support for connecting with buyers, distributors, and reaching international audiences. This year there were two series from CEE: Maria: The Unknown Callas from Greece which shows the untold story of a common girl during WWII in Athens, who later became a world-class diva. This biopic explores Maria Callas’ early transformation, focusing on her relationships with key figures that shaped her future and My Dear Mother from Estonia/Ukraine: when the brutally murdered mother of drug addict Alina (30) is found on the beach one day, the question arises whether Alina is a cold- blooded manipulator or a lifelong victim of abuse.
During the second day of the Series Mania Forum 2025 the Content Showcases strand was opened by the Coming Next from the Balkans session organized by the Sarajevo Film Festival – CineLink Industry Days. The content showcase presented five of the most promising and upcoming drama series from the Balkan region in financing and pre-production stages looking for partners to come on board. As the organizers from Series Mania Forum noted the Balkan region is often underrepresented in panel discussions and the showcase offers an opportunity to get a new perspective from 5 promising projects which are at different stages of development.
The showcase was hosted by Kristina Jelicanin from the Sarajevo Film Festival, the leading festival in Southeast Europe with a spotlight on films, drama series, and especially talent. CineLink’s mission is to serve the current needs and shape the future of the film and TV business, which the festival does in three stages with three programs: CineLink Dramas, Avant Premiere Series and the Heart of Sarajevo Awards for TV series which CEETV and TVBIZZ have been extensively covering. Starting this year, the Heart of Sarajevo Awards will be replaced by the The Adriatic Film and TV Awards, taking place October 24-26.
Jelicanin commented that the region of Southeast Europe is dominated mainly by national telecoms, private and public broadcasters, who have been working rapidly since 2016. “We have always been proud of mostly the quality of our series, not the quantity, since we are a bit of, let’s say, underdeveloped region in comparison to maybe the rest of Europe and the world, but we proud ourselves with a couple of series that have been premiered at popular festivals and I hope this will happen also to these five series that we will present today.”
The first presented project during the showcase was The Home Resort from Telekom Serbia and Adrenaline. Created by Gvozden Djuric and Uros Tomic, this is a darkly humorous comedy-drama about a petty bourgeois family forced to spend ten days trapped in their apartment, pretending to be on vacation. Inspired by a true event in Banja Luka, the story explores the absurdity of their situation while unraveling the deeper question: who are these people, and what led them to such an extreme act? As the days pass, long-buried emotions and hidden truths emerge, exposing the impact of a flawed social system and the struggles of modern life. The project is a 5x45’ comedy/drama series.
The Vault comes from RTV Slovenia which is both the producer and the broadcaster of the series. The 5x50’ crime drama is directed by Matevz Luzar and starts shooting this fall. Security guard Sonja is found tied up in a vault, and several safes are empty. The investigation is led by two teams – crime scene inspector Deja Kolenc and insurance agent Sotler. Due to her troubled past, Sonja becomes the prime suspect. When she realizes that the system will not help her, Sonja takes her fate into her own hands. The project poses the question ‘Who are the bigger criminals? Those who emptied The Vault or those who filled it?’ The budget of the project is 1.4 million euros and expected delivery is May 2026.
8 Days is a true crime drama from Bosnia and Herzegovina, produced by SCCA/PRO.BA with BH Telecom attached as broadcaster. The 8x50’ production follows police officer Mirza as she races against time to stop a relentless killer. What starts as a single murder investigation quickly spirals into something far more sinister when Mirza uncovers a chilling pattern: this murderer has struck before. Inspired by the real events of February 2019, when Bosnia and Herzegovina launched its largest-ever police manhunt, the series captures the intensity of an eight-day pursuit that ended with the demise of a notorious mass murderer. Each episode focuses on one critical day of the investigation, peeling back layers of the story as the truth unfolds. Each episode follows one day of the investigation, with one of the main motives being how people react to violence and how trauma, the complexities of navigating a patriarchal society and the blurred lines between war and peace, where yesterday’s acts of violence still resonate in the actions of today. Estimated release date is mid 2027, BH Telekom is onboard with 50% of the budget.
The Adventures of a Turbo-Folk Princess was the most-unusual pitch with creators and directors Peter Vulchev and Andrey Volkashin and writer Sanya Arsovska presenting the storyline of the 10x30’ comedy/crime/musical drama through the eyes of the main character Vaska and two narrators. Vaska, a small-town Macedonian girl with a golden voice, is trapped between stage fright and her mother’s belief that only marriage can secure her future. Engaged to a charming businessman—secretly a gangster—her world shatters when she accidentally poisons him. Fleeing, she meets turbo-folk legend Kuraima, who offers her a shot at the Balkanvision contest. With the help of Ebony, a fiery stripper-prostitute posing as a professional dancer, and a crew of misfits, Vaska embarks on a wild Balkan adventure—dodging danger, chasing dreams, and battling her deepest fears. The creators also noted that this is the first ever TV series focusing on the phenomenon of turbo-folk (a.k.a. chalga). OXO Production is producing the series with MRT being the broadcaster. The team is already working on a second season and shooting is planned for next spring.
Brothers was the last pitched project and the most-developed one, with the production looking mostly for sales partners. The 6x45’ political crime thriller comes from Greece, Germany and Luxembourg. The series has already secured most of its 8.3 million euros budget from the Hellenic Film Commission, Media Slate Funding, Cosmote TV, the Luxembourg Film Fund, AGICOA Europe, RTL Luxembourg, ARD Degeto, local funds from Germany, Media TV Content, Producers Reinvestment, International Sales MG. The story: the son of a German politician is found murdered in the no-man’s land that divides Cyprus. Two opposing detectives from either side of the divide—Eleni and Fatih—are compelled to work together. As EU countries urgently seek energy alternatives amid escalating instability in the Middle East, the detectives uncover a deep-seated political conspiracy rooted in corruption. The project is created and directed by Simon Farmakas who pitched it at the event and is also directed by Rotem Shamir; produced by Deal Productions, Blonde, Hager Moss Film. Broadcasters of the project are RTL Letzebuerg and Degeto. It is expected to premiere at the end of 2026.
Media Play Sofia, which took place April 23-25, delivered a dynamic series of sessions spotlighting co-production strategies, regional successes, and bold new fiction projects. The TV Fiction Pitching Session showcased six standout projects, including South Stream (Serbia), Gold War (Bulgaria), The Adventure of a Turbo-Folk Princess by Andrey Volkashin (North Macedonia), Las Veles by Sasho Kokalanov and OXO Productions (North Macedonia), Good Enough by Jean-Nicolas Gilles Hopfer & Marta Hopfer-Gilles (Norway-Poland), and Ian Bibian by director Iavor Gardev (Bulgaria).
The first presented project was crime thriller South Stream – a Serbian-Bulgarian production by Concept Studio, created by Marko Popovic and Iva Mitrovic. It has already attracted the support of United Group and United Media during its development stages and was selected to take part in the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Acclaimed Bulgarian journalist Christo Grozev, who is also an Oscar winner, has joined the Serbian creators and Concept Studio for this political thriller. South Stream is the name of the controversial gas pipeline, which was built under the pressure of Putin in order to circumvent Ukraine, providing an alternative route for the Russian gas, and ultimately enabling Russia to invade Ukraine and to start the war. South Stream, in countries like Serbia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Greece, has actually become a remarkable symbol of corruption, because at almost every stage of the construction of the gas pipeline, we find really remarkable stories, corruption, extortion, illicit pressure, abuse, and even several murders.
The storyline of the project: Florin (33) and Simona (28), a Romanian couple, travel to the island of Crete, Greece, for a vacation. But when Simona suddenly vanishes, Florin’s world is turned upside down. That same night, the bodyguard of the Serbian Minister of Energy is murdered on the island, and Simona quickly becomes the prime suspect. Desperate to find the woman he loves, Florin, an ex-con, taps into his underground connections back home. Meanwhile, Greek police inspector Amalia (55) uncovers a link between the murder and a corruption scheme surrounding a controversial EU proposal to drill for gas near Crete’s shores.
The second project presented was the Gold War period drama series coming from Bulgaria. The project is penned by Teodora Markova and is produced by Martichka Bozhilova and her prodco Agitprop. The 6x55’ sports drama focuses on the competitive world of gymnastics. During the Cold War, the battle for supremacy was transferred to sports. Hundreds of athletes have been subjected to mental and physical pressure to allow the Socialist bloc to show its superiority. In this impossible political atmosphere, Vera, a rhythmic gymnastics coach from a small satellite country has created a team that becomes a world champion and has taken away medals from Soviet gymnasts. The Russians are trying to eliminate Vera, her enemies are sabotaging her, the secret services are following her closely. Her gymnasts love and hate her and are about to betray her but the dream of an Olympic medal gives them the will to continue... Until the USSR made a surprising decision to boycott the games and the communist countries were forced to obey. Vera’s Golden Girls remain without the Olympic gold. The project was one of the finalists of the Hypewriter pitch contest in 2021 and also got the Paramount Plus Award at MIA Market in 2021 and selected for the Tallinn TV Beats Co-Financing Market 2021.
The “anti-fairytale for a generation raised on illusions and cheap lyrics” called The Adventures of a Turbo-Folk Princess was the third project presented at Media Play Ssofia. The Bulgarian/North Macedonian series was also pitched earlier this year during the Series Mania Forum in Lille. The project which is based on a short film by the creative duo has received notable recognition, including the Croatian Audiovisual Center Drama Award at CineLink Drama, Sarajevo Film Festival 2023, and the Council of Europe Development Award at Conecta Fiction & Entertainment 2024.
OXO Productions are also working on another project which was presented at the event – the 6x50’ political drama Las Veles. The series presented by producer Pece Taleski and coming from North Macedonia is written by Sasho Kokalanov and directed by Marija Apchevska. In 2016, the small Macedonian town of Veles becomes an unexpected global hotspot when hundreds of fake news websites supporting Donald Trump emerge from its digital shadows. A decaying industrial city turns into a gold rush frontier—where teachers, teenagers, ex-cons, and mobsters chase viral headlines and easy profit. As the fake news factories grow, local mafia demands a cut, foreign agents arrive with hidden agenda and personal lives spiral out of control. Las Veles is a gritty, character-driven drama blending political intrigue, organized crime, and moral collapse in the age of misinformation—where every click carries a price, and truth is just another product. Interestingly enough there is another project from North Macedonia being developed, using the same story called The Fake News Factory. It was presented at the Serial Killer Festival in 2024 and will be presented at Conecta Fiction&Entertainment this month in Cuenca.
The pitching session included the steamy, R-rated dramedy about a Polish expat navigating love, perimenopause, and identity in Norway’s unforgiving landscape called Good Enough. The 8x25’ project, which comes from Marta Hopfer-Gilles - Producer and Screenwriter and Jean-Nicolas Gilles Hopfer - Creative Co-Producer and their Autoriverse Productions, tells the story of Pola, a Polish expat living in Oslo, trying to fit into the life of her Norwegian partner, Øystein. While their love is strong (at least it seems so), his teenage twin daughters, his ex-wife, his country, and its job market are not necessarily welcoming. And then there is the perimenopause that hits her out of nowhere and makes things, well, even more complicated. Along the way, they’re trying to navigate their identity crisis with passion, love, honesty and humor. Occasionally breaking their legs (literally), fucking other people, finding unexpected friends, finally coming of age with a little help from a 16-year-old and becoming a revolutionary meme. At the end of the day, Pola is just trying to understand who she is. Maybe a bit late, but who said that you need to know everything from the get-go?
The pitching session concluded with the presentation of a feature film project coming from Concept Studio, directed and written by Javor Gardev and based on the popular Bulgarian novel Ian Bibian by Elin Pelin. The “Faust for Adolescents” movie focuses on the caught between his good heart and wicked wit Ian Bibian who runs away from home and meets the Archdemon of the Lower realm, who has a special mission for the boy. Rushing to save his father’s life, Ian embarks on a dangerous journey through the underground realms, but with the help of the little demon Füt and the enchanted crow Ia, he finds his way back to goodness. The film has already attracted a couple of Bulgaria’s most-popular actors: Zachary Baharov and Samuel Finzi.
In May, CineLink Drama unveiled seven promising drama series from Southeast Europe for its upcoming lineup. Five of these projects will be refined during an on-site workshop in Slano, Croatia, with a focus on script development and story editing with an aim of better positioning these projects in the market. The selected projects will be presented at a highly anticipated pitching session during the Sarajevo Film Festival on August 19 where additional projects will be featured. Details on these selections will be announced in the coming weeks. Furthermore, CineLink Drama offers three prestigious awards: Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award (€50.000), the Croatian Audiovisual Center Drama Award, which includes a prize of €15.000, and the TV Drama Vision Pitch Award, where one project is selected for presentation at the TV Drama Vision event in Gothenburg.
This year’s CineLink Drama features seven titles, highlighting a diverse range of genres—from political thrillers and crime dramas to socially engaged comedies and coming-of-age stories. After participating in the CineLink Co-production Market with her project Hysteria last year, Asimina Proedrou returns to CineLink with Beneath the Surface, a political thriller developed through the Series Mania Institute program. This year’s Bulgarian entry is South Stream, a crime drama by Marko Popović and Iva Mitrović, produced by Krastyo Lambev. Vladimir Tagić, one of the creators of Operation Sabre (developed through CineLink Drama, where it won the Film Center Serbia Award and received accolades at Canneseries), presents an intimate comedy Wonderful, story about a small town teacher who gets a chance to change her life. Representing Greece is P.I.G.S., a socially engaged dramedy created by Theo Papadoulakis and produced by Ioana Davi. From Montenegro, Homeboyz, a coming-of-age comedy about two rising hip-hop musicians by creator Stefan Bošković and producer Ivan Đurović, is featured. A significant portion of this year’s selection is dedicated to literary adaptations, including Red Water, created by Ljubica Luković and produced by Danijel Pek. This adaptation of Jurica Pavičić’s novel also sees Pavičić writing the screenplay. This Croatian bestseller tracks the protagonists as they navigate political turmoil, war, and its enduring effects, all within the structure of a crime drama. Additionally, Gorila, a period crime drama by Gábor Krigler, adapts the Yugoslavian bestseller by Dušan Savković, exploring two unsolved crimes linked to Alain Delon’s bodyguard, produced by Serbian company Firefly.
Another important festival for the CEE series market is the Karlovy Vary IFF (KVIFF) which takes place July 4-12 and namely its Works in Progress program which, unfortunately, has been discontinued. This year the festival presents a new initiative called Pop Up Series Incubator - a fresh development program designed at supporting European producers and scriptwriters whose aim is to boost their series projects through hands-on development, expert mentorship and financial support. Pop Up Series Incubator is presented in partnership with Tatino Films. The first selection was already revealed and includes 5 projects, with 3 of them coming from CEE territories: Angelmaker from Romania, produced by Anda Ionescu (Tangaj Production) and written by Cristina Grosan; The Three Burials of Irma from Greece, produced by Fenia Cossovitsa (BLONDE S.A.) and written by Elina Psykou, and Therapies from Lithuania, produced by Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė (Just a moment) and written by Birutė Kapustinskaitė.
As the demand for distinctive, high-quality storytelling continues to grow across global markets, pitching sessions, workshops and festivals play an important role for the development for CEE fiction. These platforms not only help bridge financing gaps but also validate regional talent on an international scale, offering producers and creators the momentum they need to bring ambitious projects to life. In an industry where visibility and partnership are as crucial as creative vision, these events play a vital role in shaping the future of the region’s audiovisual output—ensuring that bold, locally rooted stories have the means and the stage to reach wider audiences.
For creators from the CEE region—often navigating limited domestic funding and fragmented markets—such platforms offer vital exposure and access to international networks. They also foster a culture of collaboration that is increasingly shaping the future of European storytelling through co-productions. Whether a series is born in Budapest, Tallinn or Belgrade, the pathway to screens across Europe and beyond is increasingly routed through these curated events, where stories are shaped, champions are found, and deals begin to take form.
For the 11th time, the Berlinale Co-Production Market invited producers, editors, distributors and other series financiers to pitches and meetings at Co-Pro Series on February 18 and 19. Ten new, selected drama series projects were pitched and met with co-production and financing partners. The selected Projects for Co-Pro Series 2025 included only one title from CEE: Our People (Autor: Miro Šifra; Regie: Tereza Nvotová), Nutprodukcia, Slovakia, Nutprodukce & Czech Television, Czech Republic which was selected in cooperation with Series Mania. The crime miniseries will bring the mosaic-told story of the murder-for-hire of journalist Ján Kuciak, which shook the whole of Slovakia. The individual views are connected precisely by the execution and subsequent investigation of the murder, and they also follow the social scope of the entire case.
The Berlinale also held The Series Market Selects Label which provides an exclusive preview of the most anticipated series from across the globe. This label showcases 12-14 series with substantial market potential, offering enhanced visibility and support for connecting with buyers, distributors, and reaching international audiences. This year there were two series from CEE: Maria: The Unknown Callas from Greece which shows the untold story of a common girl during WWII in Athens, who later became a world-class diva. This biopic explores Maria Callas’ early transformation, focusing on her relationships with key figures that shaped her future and My Dear Mother from Estonia/Ukraine: when the brutally murdered mother of drug addict Alina (30) is found on the beach one day, the question arises whether Alina is a cold- blooded manipulator or a lifelong victim of abuse.
During the second day of the Series Mania Forum 2025 the Content Showcases strand was opened by the Coming Next from the Balkans session organized by the Sarajevo Film Festival – CineLink Industry Days. The content showcase presented five of the most promising and upcoming drama series from the Balkan region in financing and pre-production stages looking for partners to come on board. As the organizers from Series Mania Forum noted the Balkan region is often underrepresented in panel discussions and the showcase offers an opportunity to get a new perspective from 5 promising projects which are at different stages of development.
The showcase was hosted by Kristina Jelicanin from the Sarajevo Film Festival, the leading festival in Southeast Europe with a spotlight on films, drama series, and especially talent. CineLink’s mission is to serve the current needs and shape the future of the film and TV business, which the festival does in three stages with three programs: CineLink Dramas, Avant Premiere Series and the Heart of Sarajevo Awards for TV series which CEETV and TVBIZZ have been extensively covering. Starting this year, the Heart of Sarajevo Awards will be replaced by the The Adriatic Film and TV Awards, taking place October 24-26.
Maria: The Unknown Callas
Jelicanin commented that the region of Southeast Europe is dominated mainly by national telecoms, private and public broadcasters, who have been working rapidly since 2016. “We have always been proud of mostly the quality of our series, not the quantity, since we are a bit of, let’s say, underdeveloped region in comparison to maybe the rest of Europe and the world, but we proud ourselves with a couple of series that have been premiered at popular festivals and I hope this will happen also to these five series that we will present today.”
The first presented project during the showcase was The Home Resort from Telekom Serbia and Adrenaline. Created by Gvozden Djuric and Uros Tomic, this is a darkly humorous comedy-drama about a petty bourgeois family forced to spend ten days trapped in their apartment, pretending to be on vacation. Inspired by a true event in Banja Luka, the story explores the absurdity of their situation while unraveling the deeper question: who are these people, and what led them to such an extreme act? As the days pass, long-buried emotions and hidden truths emerge, exposing the impact of a flawed social system and the struggles of modern life. The project is a 5x45’ comedy/drama series.
The Vault comes from RTV Slovenia which is both the producer and the broadcaster of the series. The 5x50’ crime drama is directed by Matevz Luzar and starts shooting this fall. Security guard Sonja is found tied up in a vault, and several safes are empty. The investigation is led by two teams – crime scene inspector Deja Kolenc and insurance agent Sotler. Due to her troubled past, Sonja becomes the prime suspect. When she realizes that the system will not help her, Sonja takes her fate into her own hands. The project poses the question ‘Who are the bigger criminals? Those who emptied The Vault or those who filled it?’ The budget of the project is 1.4 million euros and expected delivery is May 2026.
8 Days is a true crime drama from Bosnia and Herzegovina, produced by SCCA/PRO.BA with BH Telecom attached as broadcaster. The 8x50’ production follows police officer Mirza as she races against time to stop a relentless killer. What starts as a single murder investigation quickly spirals into something far more sinister when Mirza uncovers a chilling pattern: this murderer has struck before. Inspired by the real events of February 2019, when Bosnia and Herzegovina launched its largest-ever police manhunt, the series captures the intensity of an eight-day pursuit that ended with the demise of a notorious mass murderer. Each episode focuses on one critical day of the investigation, peeling back layers of the story as the truth unfolds. Each episode follows one day of the investigation, with one of the main motives being how people react to violence and how trauma, the complexities of navigating a patriarchal society and the blurred lines between war and peace, where yesterday’s acts of violence still resonate in the actions of today. Estimated release date is mid 2027, BH Telekom is onboard with 50% of the budget.
The Adventures of a Turbo-Folk Princess was the most-unusual pitch with creators and directors Peter Vulchev and Andrey Volkashin and writer Sanya Arsovska presenting the storyline of the 10x30’ comedy/crime/musical drama through the eyes of the main character Vaska and two narrators. Vaska, a small-town Macedonian girl with a golden voice, is trapped between stage fright and her mother’s belief that only marriage can secure her future. Engaged to a charming businessman—secretly a gangster—her world shatters when she accidentally poisons him. Fleeing, she meets turbo-folk legend Kuraima, who offers her a shot at the Balkanvision contest. With the help of Ebony, a fiery stripper-prostitute posing as a professional dancer, and a crew of misfits, Vaska embarks on a wild Balkan adventure—dodging danger, chasing dreams, and battling her deepest fears. The creators also noted that this is the first ever TV series focusing on the phenomenon of turbo-folk (a.k.a. chalga). OXO Production is producing the series with MRT being the broadcaster. The team is already working on a second season and shooting is planned for next spring.
Brothers was the last pitched project and the most-developed one, with the production looking mostly for sales partners. The 6x45’ political crime thriller comes from Greece, Germany and Luxembourg. The series has already secured most of its 8.3 million euros budget from the Hellenic Film Commission, Media Slate Funding, Cosmote TV, the Luxembourg Film Fund, AGICOA Europe, RTL Luxembourg, ARD Degeto, local funds from Germany, Media TV Content, Producers Reinvestment, International Sales MG. The story: the son of a German politician is found murdered in the no-man’s land that divides Cyprus. Two opposing detectives from either side of the divide—Eleni and Fatih—are compelled to work together. As EU countries urgently seek energy alternatives amid escalating instability in the Middle East, the detectives uncover a deep-seated political conspiracy rooted in corruption. The project is created and directed by Simon Farmakas who pitched it at the event and is also directed by Rotem Shamir; produced by Deal Productions, Blonde, Hager Moss Film. Broadcasters of the project are RTL Letzebuerg and Degeto. It is expected to premiere at the end of 2026.
My Dear Mother
Media Play Sofia, which took place April 23-25, delivered a dynamic series of sessions spotlighting co-production strategies, regional successes, and bold new fiction projects. The TV Fiction Pitching Session showcased six standout projects, including South Stream (Serbia), Gold War (Bulgaria), The Adventure of a Turbo-Folk Princess by Andrey Volkashin (North Macedonia), Las Veles by Sasho Kokalanov and OXO Productions (North Macedonia), Good Enough by Jean-Nicolas Gilles Hopfer & Marta Hopfer-Gilles (Norway-Poland), and Ian Bibian by director Iavor Gardev (Bulgaria).
The first presented project was crime thriller South Stream – a Serbian-Bulgarian production by Concept Studio, created by Marko Popovic and Iva Mitrovic. It has already attracted the support of United Group and United Media during its development stages and was selected to take part in the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Acclaimed Bulgarian journalist Christo Grozev, who is also an Oscar winner, has joined the Serbian creators and Concept Studio for this political thriller. South Stream is the name of the controversial gas pipeline, which was built under the pressure of Putin in order to circumvent Ukraine, providing an alternative route for the Russian gas, and ultimately enabling Russia to invade Ukraine and to start the war. South Stream, in countries like Serbia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Greece, has actually become a remarkable symbol of corruption, because at almost every stage of the construction of the gas pipeline, we find really remarkable stories, corruption, extortion, illicit pressure, abuse, and even several murders.
The storyline of the project: Florin (33) and Simona (28), a Romanian couple, travel to the island of Crete, Greece, for a vacation. But when Simona suddenly vanishes, Florin’s world is turned upside down. That same night, the bodyguard of the Serbian Minister of Energy is murdered on the island, and Simona quickly becomes the prime suspect. Desperate to find the woman he loves, Florin, an ex-con, taps into his underground connections back home. Meanwhile, Greek police inspector Amalia (55) uncovers a link between the murder and a corruption scheme surrounding a controversial EU proposal to drill for gas near Crete’s shores.
The second project presented was the Gold War period drama series coming from Bulgaria. The project is penned by Teodora Markova and is produced by Martichka Bozhilova and her prodco Agitprop. The 6x55’ sports drama focuses on the competitive world of gymnastics. During the Cold War, the battle for supremacy was transferred to sports. Hundreds of athletes have been subjected to mental and physical pressure to allow the Socialist bloc to show its superiority. In this impossible political atmosphere, Vera, a rhythmic gymnastics coach from a small satellite country has created a team that becomes a world champion and has taken away medals from Soviet gymnasts. The Russians are trying to eliminate Vera, her enemies are sabotaging her, the secret services are following her closely. Her gymnasts love and hate her and are about to betray her but the dream of an Olympic medal gives them the will to continue... Until the USSR made a surprising decision to boycott the games and the communist countries were forced to obey. Vera’s Golden Girls remain without the Olympic gold. The project was one of the finalists of the Hypewriter pitch contest in 2021 and also got the Paramount Plus Award at MIA Market in 2021 and selected for the Tallinn TV Beats Co-Financing Market 2021.
The “anti-fairytale for a generation raised on illusions and cheap lyrics” called The Adventures of a Turbo-Folk Princess was the third project presented at Media Play Ssofia. The Bulgarian/North Macedonian series was also pitched earlier this year during the Series Mania Forum in Lille. The project which is based on a short film by the creative duo has received notable recognition, including the Croatian Audiovisual Center Drama Award at CineLink Drama, Sarajevo Film Festival 2023, and the Council of Europe Development Award at Conecta Fiction & Entertainment 2024.
OXO Productions are also working on another project which was presented at the event – the 6x50’ political drama Las Veles. The series presented by producer Pece Taleski and coming from North Macedonia is written by Sasho Kokalanov and directed by Marija Apchevska. In 2016, the small Macedonian town of Veles becomes an unexpected global hotspot when hundreds of fake news websites supporting Donald Trump emerge from its digital shadows. A decaying industrial city turns into a gold rush frontier—where teachers, teenagers, ex-cons, and mobsters chase viral headlines and easy profit. As the fake news factories grow, local mafia demands a cut, foreign agents arrive with hidden agenda and personal lives spiral out of control. Las Veles is a gritty, character-driven drama blending political intrigue, organized crime, and moral collapse in the age of misinformation—where every click carries a price, and truth is just another product. Interestingly enough there is another project from North Macedonia being developed, using the same story called The Fake News Factory. It was presented at the Serial Killer Festival in 2024 and will be presented at Conecta Fiction&Entertainment this month in Cuenca.
The pitching session included the steamy, R-rated dramedy about a Polish expat navigating love, perimenopause, and identity in Norway’s unforgiving landscape called Good Enough. The 8x25’ project, which comes from Marta Hopfer-Gilles - Producer and Screenwriter and Jean-Nicolas Gilles Hopfer - Creative Co-Producer and their Autoriverse Productions, tells the story of Pola, a Polish expat living in Oslo, trying to fit into the life of her Norwegian partner, Øystein. While their love is strong (at least it seems so), his teenage twin daughters, his ex-wife, his country, and its job market are not necessarily welcoming. And then there is the perimenopause that hits her out of nowhere and makes things, well, even more complicated. Along the way, they’re trying to navigate their identity crisis with passion, love, honesty and humor. Occasionally breaking their legs (literally), fucking other people, finding unexpected friends, finally coming of age with a little help from a 16-year-old and becoming a revolutionary meme. At the end of the day, Pola is just trying to understand who she is. Maybe a bit late, but who said that you need to know everything from the get-go?
The pitching session concluded with the presentation of a feature film project coming from Concept Studio, directed and written by Javor Gardev and based on the popular Bulgarian novel Ian Bibian by Elin Pelin. The “Faust for Adolescents” movie focuses on the caught between his good heart and wicked wit Ian Bibian who runs away from home and meets the Archdemon of the Lower realm, who has a special mission for the boy. Rushing to save his father’s life, Ian embarks on a dangerous journey through the underground realms, but with the help of the little demon Füt and the enchanted crow Ia, he finds his way back to goodness. The film has already attracted a couple of Bulgaria’s most-popular actors: Zachary Baharov and Samuel Finzi.
In May, CineLink Drama unveiled seven promising drama series from Southeast Europe for its upcoming lineup. Five of these projects will be refined during an on-site workshop in Slano, Croatia, with a focus on script development and story editing with an aim of better positioning these projects in the market. The selected projects will be presented at a highly anticipated pitching session during the Sarajevo Film Festival on August 19 where additional projects will be featured. Details on these selections will be announced in the coming weeks. Furthermore, CineLink Drama offers three prestigious awards: Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award (€50.000), the Croatian Audiovisual Center Drama Award, which includes a prize of €15.000, and the TV Drama Vision Pitch Award, where one project is selected for presentation at the TV Drama Vision event in Gothenburg.
This year’s CineLink Drama features seven titles, highlighting a diverse range of genres—from political thrillers and crime dramas to socially engaged comedies and coming-of-age stories. After participating in the CineLink Co-production Market with her project Hysteria last year, Asimina Proedrou returns to CineLink with Beneath the Surface, a political thriller developed through the Series Mania Institute program. This year’s Bulgarian entry is South Stream, a crime drama by Marko Popović and Iva Mitrović, produced by Krastyo Lambev. Vladimir Tagić, one of the creators of Operation Sabre (developed through CineLink Drama, where it won the Film Center Serbia Award and received accolades at Canneseries), presents an intimate comedy Wonderful, story about a small town teacher who gets a chance to change her life. Representing Greece is P.I.G.S., a socially engaged dramedy created by Theo Papadoulakis and produced by Ioana Davi. From Montenegro, Homeboyz, a coming-of-age comedy about two rising hip-hop musicians by creator Stefan Bošković and producer Ivan Đurović, is featured. A significant portion of this year’s selection is dedicated to literary adaptations, including Red Water, created by Ljubica Luković and produced by Danijel Pek. This adaptation of Jurica Pavičić’s novel also sees Pavičić writing the screenplay. This Croatian bestseller tracks the protagonists as they navigate political turmoil, war, and its enduring effects, all within the structure of a crime drama. Additionally, Gorila, a period crime drama by Gábor Krigler, adapts the Yugoslavian bestseller by Dušan Savković, exploring two unsolved crimes linked to Alain Delon’s bodyguard, produced by Serbian company Firefly.
Another important festival for the CEE series market is the Karlovy Vary IFF (KVIFF) which takes place July 4-12 and namely its Works in Progress program which, unfortunately, has been discontinued. This year the festival presents a new initiative called Pop Up Series Incubator - a fresh development program designed at supporting European producers and scriptwriters whose aim is to boost their series projects through hands-on development, expert mentorship and financial support. Pop Up Series Incubator is presented in partnership with Tatino Films. The first selection was already revealed and includes 5 projects, with 3 of them coming from CEE territories: Angelmaker from Romania, produced by Anda Ionescu (Tangaj Production) and written by Cristina Grosan; The Three Burials of Irma from Greece, produced by Fenia Cossovitsa (BLONDE S.A.) and written by Elina Psykou, and Therapies from Lithuania, produced by Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė (Just a moment) and written by Birutė Kapustinskaitė.
As the demand for distinctive, high-quality storytelling continues to grow across global markets, pitching sessions, workshops and festivals play an important role for the development for CEE fiction. These platforms not only help bridge financing gaps but also validate regional talent on an international scale, offering producers and creators the momentum they need to bring ambitious projects to life. In an industry where visibility and partnership are as crucial as creative vision, these events play a vital role in shaping the future of the region’s audiovisual output—ensuring that bold, locally rooted stories have the means and the stage to reach wider audiences.
