Call for Entries
CineLink Industry Days, the industry section of the Sarajevo Film Festival, serves as a central hub for film professionals in Southeast Europe and has played a vital role in fostering cinematic co-production in the region. It is a renowned business platform that attracts professionals from across Europe seeking talent, co-production possibilities, and deeper knowledge of the region's business development. It offers year-round training opportunities and access to the extensive network and markets of the European and international film and audio-visual industries, enhancing the professional and creative capabilities of local and regional film and TV professionals.
Depending on the development stage of your project, you can apply to different CineLink strands that include the following:
CineLink Co-Production Market
We are looking for feature-length fiction projects in development and financing stages from first-time filmmakers and established authors. Projects can be at an early stage, but should at least have a producer, writer and a director/creator attached when applying. In order to apply to CineLink Co-Production Market it is required to submit the script, applications that don’t meet this criteria will not be considered for final selection.
The official language of the CineLink Co-Production Market is English, therefore the application and all other required materials must be submitted in English language.
a) Eligible countries: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Malta, Moldavia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine.
b) CineLink Co-Production Market is intended for feature fiction projects in all stages of development.
c) We will not consider projects that are intended for children, short fiction films, or documentaries.
d) English is the official language of the project, and all submitted material has to be in English.
e) All submitted material has to be in a Portable Document Format (PDF).
f) No entry fee.
g) It is mandatory for projects that have already applied and were unsuccessful in the previous CineLink Co-Production Market Calls to elaborate on what has changed in their project from the previous application.
By taking part in CineLink Co-Production Market you will:
• Get tailor-made consultations on your project by top industry professionals;
• Gain international visibility for your project;
• Meet potential co-producers, sales agents, funders, distributors and broadcasters;
• Get a chance to win one of the cash awards.
In order to apply to CineLink Co-Production Market it is required to submit the script, have a producer and production company attached, as well as the budget and financing plan. Applications that don’t meet this criteria will not be considered for final selection.
CineLink Co-Production Market call is announced in mid December and lasts until the beginning of March. Selected projects will be announced by the end of April.
CineLink Drama
We are looking for series projects in development and financing stages from first-time filmmakers and established authors. In order to apply to CineLink Drama it is required to send the following materials: project bible and treatment or the pilot script of the first episode (2 materials needed), applications that don’t meet this criteria will not be considered for final selection.
The official language of the CineLink Drama is English, therefore the application and all other required materials must be submitted in English language.
a) Only projects from Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Malta, Moldavia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine are eligible to apply for the CineLink Drama.
b) CineLink Drama is intended for series in all stages of development.
c) English is the official language of CineLink, and all submitted material must be in English;
In order to apply it is required to send the following materials: project bible and treatment or the pilot script of the first episode (2 materials needed).
d) All submited material has to be in a Portable Document Format (PDF).
e) No entry fee.
By taking part in CineLink Drama you will:
• Get a chance to further develop your project with prominent script consultants, commissioning editors and other film professionals;
• Present your project in the open pitching session to the regional and European decision makers, followed by one-on-one meetings;
• Gain insights in the TV drama series landscape;
• Gain international visibility for your project;
• Get a chance to win a CineLink Drama development award.
In order to apply to CineLink Drama it is required to attach a project bible and treatment (full series) or the pilot script (first episode), as well as the budget and financing plan. Applications that don’t meet this criteria will not be considered for final selection.
CineLink Drama call is announced in mid December and lasts until the beginning of March. Selected projects will be announced by the end of April.
CineLink Work in Progress
CineLink Work in Progress selects up to 10 feature length projects in post-production to be presented exclusively to invited international sales agents, top festival programmers, distributors, representatives of public funds and post-production houses.
The section is carefully curated on both ends, thus creating an environment that boosts the chance the projects are completed and taken to the international market in the best possible way.
We encourage filmmakers from Southeast Europe, Northern Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, and Ukraine, to submit their projects (both fiction and documentary narrative ones). If an applicant intends to reapply with a project that was previously rejected in the CineLink Work in Progress Calls, it is mandatory to provide an explanation stating the changes made to the project and send it to industry@sff.ba, where CineLink Work in Progress team will determine if you are eligible to apply again.
a) Eligible countries: Southeast Europe (Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey) + MENA (Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lybia, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen) and CIS (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine)
b) Eligible projects: feature length (fiction, documentary, animation)
c) The submitted material should be a cut or an assembly cut of the different scenes of minimum duration of 30 minutes (excluded trailers & teasers).
d) No entry fee.
e) All projects must have English subtitles.
CineLink Work in Progress call is announced in late Aptil and lasts until mid July. Selected projects will be announced by the beginning of August.
Docu Rough Cut Boutique
Organized by the Sarajevo Film Festival and Balkan Documentary Center, Docu Rough Cut Boutique is a platform dedicated to documentary projects in the advanced editing phase. Our tailor-made training accepts only five projects from the region of South-East Europe.
The workshop will take place in three parts, and applicants must submit a minimum of 60 minutes of material.
The programme is organized in three working modules: Sofia (March 2025), Cluj (June 2025) and Sarajevo (August 2025). The workshop programme includes editing tutorials, group sessions and individual meetings with renowned documentary experts and professionals. The programme culminates at the Sarajevo Film Festival where five projects will be presented to the CineLink Industry Days decision makers (funders, sales agents, distributors, broadcasters, and festival programmers) to assist their completion and enhance their distribution and festival presentation possibilities.
Projects coming from the following countries are eligible to apply:
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine.
Fees:
The fee per team* amounts to €1000 and for all three modules covers:
• Tuition
• Accommodation and subsistence
• Partial Travel bursaries
• Accreditations and access to industry events
* For the first two modules, a team consists of a director and an editor. For module three in Sarajevo, a team consists of a director and a producer.
Timeline:
Project Submission Deadline: 13 January 2025
Announcements of results: mid-February 2025 during the Berlinale
First module: March 2025
Second module: beginning of June 2025
Third module: mid-August 2025
Selection process:
Please submit your application by the deadline of 13th January. Our jury will review your rough cuts and make a shortlist of projects. With selected pre-final project teams, our jury will conduct an online interview. The selected applicants will be notified by the 10th of February, 2025.
The workshop's official language is English. All team members must be fluent in English to participate.
Selected participants must be in person present at all projects‘ sessions.
The submission deadline is January 13th, 2025. To apply, please click here.