Spotlight on Balkan series at Sarajevo Film Festival
A new wave of Balkan storytelling
The Sarajevo Film Festival recently showcased two standout Balkan series, highlighting the region’s potential to produce internationally acclaimed content. The festival’s red carpet was graced by the premiere of Operation Sabre, a Serbian crime drama that delves into the 2003 assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić. This series, which first premiered at Canneseries’ Long Form Competition, is the brainchild of Goran Stanković and Vladimir Tagić.
Crafting stories for a global audience
Snezana van Houwelingen, the producer behind Operation Sabre, emphasized the creators’ ambition to reach a global audience from the outset. “From the very beginning, we believed this story had international potential, even if it was a very local event and it takes place in Serbia,” she shared. The development process was meticulously designed to ensure the series resonated with viewers worldwide.
Anna Rohde, an international creative executive at Beta Film Group, echoed this sentiment. Beta Film, which is distributing the series globally, recognized its international appeal early on. “From that point, it was very clear that it was very international,” Rohde noted. The company, known for its regional hits like I Know Your Soul, saw an opportunity to leverage its resources to create a breakout Balkan hit.
The collaborative spirit of international production
Rohde highlighted the importance of collaboration in bringing Operation Sabre to a global audience. “We discussed what we could add as a co-production partner,” she said. “What could we contribute to bring it to an international audience together? It was more a question of collaboration.”
Eckert Emmanuel, acquisition deputy director at Mediawan Rights, pointed out a shift in the approach to TV series production. “We really want to help the producer to finance the show. That’s what we are doing more and more,” he explained. This collaborative approach marks a departure from the past, where distributors would only get involved once a show was completed.
A supernatural twist on history
Another series making waves at the festival was Constantine’s Crossing, a supernatural World War II drama about the Nazis’ hunt for powerful relics once owned by Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. Described as “a Serbian show with vampires, werewolves, Nazis, and a mystic cross,” the series is an adaptation of Dejan Stojiljkovic’s bestseller and is produced by Telekom Serbia and Firefly Productions.
Boban Jevtić, co-founder of Firefly Productions and former head of the Serbian film center, emphasized the importance of genre in appealing to international audiences. “When people are thinking what kind of project we want to do on a very large scale, we wanted to do something that communicates to the world through genre, with a really strong local touch,” he said.
The quest for a global hit
While genre conventions have become a staple of international TV production, Beta’s Rohde cautioned against a one-size-fits-all approach. “Here’s the bad news: there’s no recipe,” she said. “And here’s the good news: there’s so much creative energy [in a region] that’s full of stories, and it’s very much fun to have a look at each and every one of them. We are open to anything.”
Emmanuel added that the countries of the former Yugoslavia could benefit from their shared history and cultural identity. ”I think what is very important when you talk about the Balkans, we are not talking about one country,” he said. “Of course, we work with Serbia, Croatia, other countries. But I think we are stronger when we are united.”
A promising future for Balkan series
The Sarajevo Film Festival, running from August 16 to 23, has once again proven to be a fertile ground for innovative and compelling storytelling. With series like Operation Sabre and Constantine’s Crossing leading the charge, the Balkan region is poised to make a significant impact on the global stage.
For those interested in exploring these series further, you can watch the trailer for Operation Sabre and Constantine’s Crossing. These links provide immediate access to additional details and multimedia resources, enriching the viewing experience for cinema and TV series enthusiasts.