LJUBLJANA: Matej Vranič completed his long documentary Wild Slovenia / Divja Slovenija, which will be released in Slovenian arthouse cinemas by Fivia in September 2021. The film also has an English version.

SOFIA: The acclaimed Bulgarian filmmaker Stephan Komandarev is preparing his sixth feature film Hello, on low-income retirees in Bulgaria’s provinces. The project is so far a Bulgarian/German coproduction between Argo Film and 42 film, with the financial participation of Serbia’s EED productions.

RIGA: Latvian director Ivars Tontegode is currently shooting a teenage drama Anna LOL, produced by Mojo Raiser Production and KIB Kultivators. The film was supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia with a grant in the low-budget film competition from specific additional COVID-19 funding for the industry in 2020.

BUDAPEST: The historical adventure film Hadik by János Szikora, which is currently in preproduction, received 4.6 m EUR / 1.6 billion HUF from the National Film Institute – Hungary, one of the largest production grants ever allotted in Hungary. The film depicts the bold military maneuver of András Hadik, who occupied Berlin with his hussars in 1757.

ZAGREB: The Uncle / Stric, the first feature film by the duo Andrija Mardešić and David Kapac, started shooting in Zagreb on 20 May 2021. The film starring Serbian actor Miki Manojlović is a Croatian/Serbian coproduction and the first feature film produced by the Croatian company Eclectica.

BRATISLAVA: The Slovak/Czech coproduction General / Generál by Jiří Chlumský, which began production in 2018, is still shooting. The historical drama following the life of Milan Rastislav Štefánik, a general and important politician of the early 20th century, changed the director twice. It was originally directed by Mariana Čengel Solčanská, followed by Jérôme Cornuau, and finally Jiří Chlumský.

BUCHAREST: Romanian writer/director/producer Paul Negoescu is currently in production with his fourth feature film Men of Deeds / Oameni de treabă. This Romanian/Bulgarian coproduction is Negoescu’s first film based on somebody else’s script.

SKOPJE: Director Jani Bojadzi is in postproduction with his sophomore feature Cinema Love / Kino Ljubov. This indie low budget drama was shot in two phases due to the COVID-19 bans and infections of the team members, and it is expected to be finished by the end of July 2021.

WARSAW: Netflix has announced the start of production on the second and third part of the film 365 Days, based on the trilogy by Blanka Lipińska. Barbara Białowąs and Tomasz Mandes will direct both films. 365 Days was the most-watched film worldwide on Netflix in 2020.

BELGRADE: The revered Serbian actress Mirjana Karanović is developing her second feature film Mother Mara / Majka Mara, which has recently received production support from Film Fund Luxembourg. Mirjana Karanović will star in this coproduction between Serbia, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

WARSAW: Detective Bruno / Detektyw Bruno, a comedy directed by Mariusz Palej and Magdalena Nieć, and starring Piotr Głowacki, is currently shooting in Warsaw.

PRAGUE: Oscar winning Czech director Jan Svěrák is currently in production with the comedy Bethlehem Light, based on three stories written by his father Zdeněk Svěrák, who also stars alongside Daniela Kolářová.

BUCHAREST: Romanian actor Rareș Abraham is currently in postproduction with his debut feature Friday the 3rd / Vineri 3, which he also wrote, produced and shot in Cluj-Napoca from 15 to 27 February 2021.

PULA: Dutch director Jacqueline Van Vugt started filming her debut feature Crossing in Pula on 5 May 2021. The film, coproduced by Revolver Films (the Netherlands), A Private View (Belgium) and Nukleus film (Croatia), is set in the Mediterranean Sea, but the filming will be done in Croatia. Tax rebates are provided through the Filming in Croatia programme.

SARAJEVO: Danis Tanović has started shooting his ninth film on 3 May 2021. A Ten in a Half is a Bosnian coproduction supported through the feature film production scheme Sarajevo City of Film for Global Screen, launched by the Sarajevo Film Festival and the Turkish Radio Television in 2016.

BRATISLAVA: Avalanche of Love / Láska hory prenáša, the debut feature by young Czech director Jakub Machala, who has been awarded for his commercials, music videos and TV series, is currently in postproduction. This Slovak/Czech romantic comedy is set to be released in February 2022.