For three days in Kranj, Slovenia, the fourth edition of ReActing as a Star took place alongside the KRAFFT Actors Film Festival, bringing together 12 emerging thesps from the region of the former Yugoslavia alongside international casting directors and talent agents, where they partook in workshops, conversations and one-on-one meetings.

This year’s participants included Admir Šehović and Helena Vuković from Bosnia and Herzegovina; Marina Redžepović and Janko Popović Volarić from Croatia; Vesna Kuzmić, Jurij Drevenšek and Alen Kermac from Slovenia; Milica Janevski and Joakim Tasić from Serbia; Vule Marković and Lidija Kordić from Montenegro; and Ana Stojanovska from North Macedonia.

The programme opened on Friday 13 June with the presentation of the participants, moderated by writer and journalist Srđan Sandić, giving the actors a chance to present highlights of their work and speak about their journey.

Saturday began with the “Mastering the Art of Self-taping” workshop, led by US casting director Cassandra Han, whose credits include A Hidden Life [+lee también:
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“Participating in this programme is such a good opportunity for me to meet Balkan talent,” she said. “I will be able to cast the actors in this programme in a very confident way because I know their work and I know they come from this incredibly high-quality cinema landscape.”

In the afternoon, participants met one-on-one with three established casting directors: Anders Nygaard from Denmark, Laura Muccino from Italy and Sien Josephine Teijssen from Belgium. These brief but focused conversations often carry more weight than entire auditions – they are moments of direct recognition, difficult to manufacture and impossible to fake. “I would probably never have met any of the actors here in person,” said Nygaard. “But after this programme, they are in my mind and in my database.”

The afternoon panel “Play Locally, Act Internationally” brought together agents from Zona Talents, Slavic Artists Management, Fidelis and LA-based Lara Abul Failat, who focuses on building bridges between Europe, the Middle East and Hollywood. The conversation moved from practical tips to deeper reflections on access and representation – including the political pressures that actors face globally. In Serbia, for instance, actors who voice support for protests risk losing out on work opportunities. At the same time, the panel noted a positive shift: actors from the region are increasingly being cast in more diverse roles, a slight departure from the typecasting that dominated only a few years ago.

Sunday’s “Energising the Scene” workshop with Slovenian actor and acting lecturer Sebastian Cavazza shifted the energy again – this time inwards, with a focus on performance. With more than three decades of experience in film, theatre and television, Cavazza guided actors through exercises in on-camera expression, physical precision and reading the emotional core of a scene.

The final session of the programme was an open “Ask Me Anything” conversation between actors, casting directors and talent agents, offering an informal setting to discuss career paths, audition processes and the broader realities of working in international cinema.

Tina Hajon, programme director, underlined the growing impact of the initiative: “Once again, ReActing as a Star proves that this isn’t just a networking or training event; it’s a creative laboratory, a space for growth and a vital bridge to international opportunities. We have exceptional talent in our region, and the casting directors and agents were genuinely thrilled to discover them. We’re proud to offer these actors a safe, supportive environment where they can be seen, heard and inspired to take the next step in their careers.”

Since 2022, the programme has connected over 60 actors from the region with leading international casting professionals. More than 20 have gone on to sign with agencies, and every year, someone books a cross-border role.

Under the now-familiar motto “Play locally, act internationally”, the initiative continues to grow its reputation as the most relevant platform of its kind in the region. The programme is developed and produced by Pari Pikule and Secret Arts Cinema, in collaboration with national film centres – including the Slovenian Film Centre, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Film Center Serbia and Film Centre of Montenegro – and with the support of the International Casting Directors Association (ICDA).