NEM ZAGREB 2025: DAY 1
The lineup on the first day perfectly captured NEM Zagreb’s new direction
Zagreb, 9th December – NEM Zagreb 2025 opened with strong momentum, showing from the very first day how the video industry is shifting. Through a program that brought together creators, producers, AI experts, and media leaders, it became clear how creativity and production are increasingly intertwined with the rise of artificial intelligence and modern marketing approaches. Panels, presentations, and live pitches offered a clear look at an industry in motion, from how content is developed and produced to how it is funded, distributed, and reaches its audience.
CEE Producers and Regional Telecom & Broadcaster CEOs Took the Stage
The panel CEE Producers: Reflections on the Last 5 Years, moderated by Sanja Božić-Ljubičić, explored shifts in regional production dynamics, with insights from Filip Bobiňski (Dramedy Productions), Anita Juka (4FILM), Vasilis Chrysanthopoulos (Foss Productions), Ioanina Pavel (May One), and Dariusz Jablonski (Apple Film Production). Meanwhile, Leaders on AI, addressed how artificial intelligence is reshaping content strategies, distribution models, and industry decision-making, and featured contributions from Natalija Gorščak (RTV Slovenia), Dražen Mavrić (Nova TV), Stella Litou (RTL Croatia & Pro Plus Slovenia), Dejan Turk (A1 Croatia & A1 Slovenia), Nataša Rapaić (Croatian Telecom), and Robert Šveb (HRT).
From AI to Streaming: Key Presentations on Industry Trends
The program also featured a series of insightful presentations and a masterclass exploring the intersection of creativity, technology, and content strategy. Sami Arpa, Founder and CEO of Largo.ai, opened with a masterclass on AI as the New Creative Partner in Video Creation, demonstrating how artificial intelligence is becoming an essential tool in modern video production. Lühr-Martin Lemkau, Founder of Slick Strategy, then presented Slick & Quick: How CEE Countries Differ on Netflix?, offering a market-focused analysis of regional streaming trends. Josip Čajić, Solution Architect at stYpe, followed with a session on Real-Time Virtual Production, highlighting cutting-edge approaches to efficient and innovative filmmaking. The series concluded with Anette Schaefer, CEO of EIT Culture and Creativity, presenting Europe’s Creative Sovereignty in the Age of AI, exploring how the continent can maintain creative leadership while embracing new technologies. Maria Valenzuela, Senior
Media Executive, shared her presentation Licensing Your Videos to AI Companies, explaining opportunities for content monetization and collaboration with AI-driven platforms.
From Pitch to Global Recognition
The NEM Awards: Live Pitch highlighted the top three pre-development TV series in Europe, showcasing emerging talent and innovative storytelling. The projects included Gray Divorce by Inja Korać and Lea Stanković, In Nomine Patris by Anastasia Pashkevich, and The Boy Who Could Listen to the Soil by Vasilis Chrysanthopoulos. The winner of the NEM Awards will be announced at the official NEM Awards ceremony on December 9.
Earlier in the day, HDNP and SPID hosted a TV market where candidates could pitch their projects, and the three best received the opportunity to present to an international audience during the Croatian Creativity with International Potential segment. This platform celebrated local talent with global reach, highlighting the creative strength and international potential of Croatian audiovisual production. Selected projects were: “Measuring the Sky” by Siniša Juričić and Petar Orešković, “Chasing the Clouds” by Jelena Mađarić and Karla Lulić,
“Akasha” by Miroslav Terzić and Laura Sinovčić.
Bringing Stories to Life: Lessons from Production and Co-Productions
The Q&A sessions offered a closer look at the journey from concept to production and the challenges of international collaboration. The Last Divorce of Communism: From Pitch to Production, moderated by journalist Antonija Mandić, featured Teodora Markova, Film and TV Writer, and Stanislavs Tokalovs, Filmmaker specializing in directing, writing, and showrunning, who shared their experiences of bringing a story from idea to screen. Teodora Markova explained the positive impact of NEM Zagreb: „We’re grateful to NEM Zagreb for giving us the opportunity to share our experience and challenges in creating an Eastern European series for global audiences. With Soviet Jeans, we’ve learned how to approach a familiar historical period from a modern and unexpected perspective and we’re excited to continue exploring that direction.“ Following this, GLINA: A New Chapter, moderated by journalist and TV anchor Sascha Fahrbach, highlighted the unique co-production between Apple Film, SkyShowtime, and TVP, with Dariusz Jablonski, Founder, CEO, Producer, and Director of Apple Film Production, offering insights into international collaboration and creative development. „Shifting to a streaming environment fundamentally changed how we approached this new season. Without the motivation of streaming, we probably wouldn’t have returned to the project. Polish Television had changed over time, which opened the door for real co-production. After learning that the earlier seasons hadn’t been sold anywhere for 20 years, we decided to take over the sales rights and relaunch the series internationally. The move to SkyShowtime, now available in over 20 countries, gave us huge motivation. I kept telling my team: ‘Do we want to show something low-quality to audiences across Europe? If not, we must push further.’ That sense of responsibility toward a wide international audience drove us. For the first time, we worked with a platform eager to co-produce, and it turned out to be a dream collaboration. Despite financial and casting challenges, both Polish Television and SkyShowtime supported us at every step.“ – Dariusz Jablonski explained.
The day concluded with a festive Welcome Drink hosted by A1 International Business at the Oleander Terrace Christmas Market. Participants enjoyed a street food experience crafted by Chef Ana Grgić Tomić, and were provided with a setting for networking and celebrating the first day of NEM Zagreb 2025.
New Europe Market
New Europe Market (NEM) is the collective name for a series of events organized by Mediavision, the Croatian marketing and television industry agency. NEM is traditionally held in Dubrovnik, and in 2019 NEM Zagreb was held for the first time, dedicated to creativity in television.
All information about the event and prices are available on the official website of NEM Zagreb 2025.