The already-established platform within the regional audiovisual industry, Series Rough Pitch – The Balkan Way, will once again be live streamed today, 30 October, as of 12:00 CET via the official YouTube channel of the main host, Creative Europe MEDIA’s Croatian Office, as well as on the respective Facebook pages of the co-organising MEDIA Offices in Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Montenegro and Serbia. The initiative is recognised and supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Film Centre of Montenegro, the Film Center Serbia, and the Organisation for European Programmes and Cultural Relations in Cyprus.

“We received a record number of 47 applications from six countries – a clear sign that creative voices from the Western Balkans are ready to be heard, seen, and supported,” says Martina Petrovic, Head of Creative Europe MEDIA Croatia, which has led the event since its inception. “Series Rough Pitch – The Balkan Way has grown beyond a pitching event; it has become a space of trust, healing, and creative exchange. When storytellers feel seen and supported, they don’t just share their stories, they transform the way we see the region and each other.”

The returning selectors and tutors - screenwriter Valeria Richter and producer Helene Granqvist who led the preparation workshop held between 20 and 25 October - added: “This year there are many stories where hidden truths and conflicts lie beneath pretty surfaces – whether in the form of fresh crime-series concepts, an unusual chess-thriller twist, bold portraits of women breaking with norms, or a queer take on inner-city life. These storytellers dig deep and demonstrate the power of storytelling as a tool for connection, reflection and progress.”

Eight projects have been selected to be pitched to a distinguished international jury, bringing together Anna Rohde, an international creative executive at Beta Group Content & Coproduction; Roosa Toivonen, co-head of the TV Beats Forum; Coline Garbage, a project manager at Series Mania Forum’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions; Wade Channell, CEO of Damn Fool Productions; Filson Ali, a board member of WIFT Sweden; and Dina Rubanovitš, director of strategy and business development at Erich Pommer Institut. Together, the jury members will assess these projects and choose the winner of the Best Pitch Award, worth €5,000, the WIFTI Peace Prize worth €3,000, a Co-Development Award and Letter of Intent from Beta Group, an EPI Scholarship for advanced training, a Mentors’ Special Mention, and accreditations for Series Mania Forum and TV Beats Forum 2026.

The full list of selected projects is as follows:

Suspicious Circumstances (Croatia/UK)
Creator: Daria Stilin
Producers: Danijel Pek (Antitalent), Frank Spotnitz (Big Light Productions)

Athena Tsunami (Greece)
Writer, director: Vasiliki Lazaridou

The Second (Serbia)
Writer, director: Darko Lungulov

Riders of the Mist (Montenegro)
Writer: Ana Vujadinović Tomić
Producer: Marko Jaćimović (Giggling Goat Production)

Uncarved (Iceland)
Screenwriter: Mile Božičević
Producer: Andri Óttarsen
Production company: Glassriver

Forsaken (Hungary)
Screenwriter: Fruzsina Fekete

Killing Isle (Cyprus)
Creator, writer, director: Harry Ayiotis

You Can Always Come Back (Croatia)
Creator: Tena Gojić
Producer: Miljenka Čogelja (Pipser)