To see the full video of the FNE Visegrad panel discussion click HERE.

How did the pandemic affect film production? Can the film industry return to its pre-pandemic state or will the changes be permanent? Did film professionals from the Visegrad countries receive sufficient support from the state? Did the audience change and are we able to attract them back to the cinema? What have we learned from these crucial times?

These and other topics were discussed by panelists from three countries: producer and CEO of Új Budapest Filmstudió Laszlo Kantor from Hungary, executive producer and teacher at the Warsaw Film School Jarosław Grzymała from Poland, Slovak producer Katarína Krnáčová from Silverart production, and Head of the Slovak Film Commission Zuzana Bieliková.

The live panel discussion was hosted by Film New Europe (FNE) in cooperation with the Slovak Film Institute and with support from the Visegrad Fund.

The 2021 Year of Recovery for Film in Visegrad Countries (YR2021) project sponsored by the Visegrad Fund brings together filmmakers and cultural professionals across the V4 to cooperate in the recovery of the film industry, which has been badly damaged by the COVID pandemic, and to reconnect with cinema audiences across the region and across borders. We want to share the lessons learned about reaching audiences online and the advantages of hybrid events in creating new connections across the Visegrad region. Our partner for this in Slovakia is the Slovak Film Institute.