MIDPOINT Institute

As funding is an essential part of bringing projects to life, we are always delighted to hear about our alumni and participants securing support for their work.

♦️ Our current Feature Launch 2026 participant, Mario Mettis, has received script development funding from the Deputy Ministry of Culture of Cyprus for his feature project Natura (Cyprus, The Coffee Films), which is currently being developed within Feature Launch 2026.

♦️ Writer and director Vivian Sade has received development funding from the Estonian Film Institute for her series project Ann Was Here (Estonia, Moon Dust Film & AllFilm Studio), developed within Series Launch 2025.

Minority co-production support from Czech Audiovisual Fund 2026 ✨

🔷 Ondřej Lukeš ' production company Beginner’s Mind for the History of Illness, the feature debut of Croatian writer/director David Gašo, developed within Feature Launch 2025.

🔷Production company Punk Film for Anxiety of the Heart, the feature project of Polish director Michal Edelman, developed within Feature Launch 2024.

🔷 Production company MasterFilm for Mother of Darkness, a Slovak horror film and feature debut by Peter Czikrai, developed within Intensive SK 2019.

Congratulations to all the teams! We look forward to following their projects and future successes.

Meet MIDPOINT at Seriencamp ✨

Next week, part of the MIDPOINT Series team will head to Seriencamp in Cologne.
Our Program Coordinator and Series Consultant, Alexandra Gabrižová, together with Program Coordinator Anita Pócsová, will be attending the Seriencamp Conference from June 9–11.

🎬Join us for the Talent Lab pitches on June 10 at 3 PM (Cinenova, Theatre 2), where four MIDPOINT Series Launch alumni will present projects developed within the MIDPOINT Series Launch programme. During the main Seriencamp Co-Production Pitch on June 9 at 2:15 PM (Cinenova, Theatre 2), our alumni project Kafka will also be showcased.
Come meet the team and see you in Cologne! 🤝

🔥 Announcing our Series Script Consultancy trainees selection🔥

Alongside our selected series projects, we are excited to welcome three Script Consultant Trainees, who will become an integral part of the creative journey of developing a new European series!

🔹 Katerina Papanastasatou / Greece
🔹 Nuno Soler/ Portugal
🔹 Tommaso Muffato / Italy, United Kingdom

They’ll work closely with our project teams, gaining hands-on experience in story development, leadership, and communication, while learning from top industry mentors how to push projects and creators to success.

Stay tuned for more updates from their journey! 🚀✨

A huge thank you to our program funders: , , the Czech Audiovisual Fund, and the Ministry of Culture Czech Republic!

We are proud to announce the first-ever edition of Series Launch: Essentials — a new MIDPOINT program focused on series projects in the early stages of development. ✨

Meet nine promising series projects and their passionate creative teams, ready to embark on an intensive journey to bring their stories to life.

Across two residential workshops, the selected teams will develop their concepts and structure, and strengthen their pitching strategies and industry approach — all leading up to their final presentation at Serial Killer in Brno in September 2026, where they will showcase their projects to key industry professionals.
Get ready to discover the next big stories!

Meet the selected teams and projects on our website: https://www.midpoint-institute.eu/en/detail/midpoint-series-launch-essentials-2026-3kAI8Z

A huge thank you to our program funders: , the Czech Audiovisual Fund, and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, as well as our valued program partners: Serial Killer, Göteborg Film Festival , MIA Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo , Art Department Masterclass, Agora, Sofiameetings, Seriencamp Conference Festival SERIES MANIA , Heart of Europe , and Serial Eyes

OPEN CALL — MIDPOINT FOCUS AI ✨

Build your AI toolkit. Boost your creative workflow.

MIDPOINT Institute launches FOCUS AI — a hands-on workshop for film professionals exploring the practical and ethical use of generative AI in audiovisual development.

🔹 Led by Gerhard Maier
🔹 For writers and creative producers
🔹 Open to beginners with basic familiarity with AI tools
🔹 International participants are welcome

What will you gain?
✺ A solid understanding of AI tools, their potential, and ethical considerations
✺ Practical skills through exercises, hackathons, and case studies
✺ New ways to use AI for ideation, research, market positioning, and pitch preparation
✺ A ready-to-use AI toolkit for everyday creative workflows
✺ The opportunity to experiment with AI tools on your own project

📍 Prague | October 19–23, 2026
🗓 Application deadline: July 9, 2026
🔗 More details and applications via this link: https://www.midpoint-institute.eu/en/detail/midpoint-focus-ai-2026-1PyFke

Supported by , the Czech Audiovisual Fund, and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

Coming soon to Ukraine! 🇺🇦

✨We are proud to announce the selected participants of the second edition of MIDPOINT Intensive Ukraine, taking place live in Lviv this (June 4–9, 2026).

🎬The programme was created to support Ukrainian creatives developing their debut or second feature films through direct collaboration with top international mentors - Ivo Trajkov (Script Consultant) and Simone Baumann (Producer Mentor).

Congratulations to all selected teams — we look forward to seeing you soon in Lviv!

👉 More information about program here: https://www.midpoint-institute.eu/en/detail/midpoint-intensive-ukraine-2026-7fpIye

MIDPOINT Intensive Ukraine is supported by the European Union under the House of Europe programme, in collaboration with Balcony 48, ДержКіно України the Ukrainian State Film Agency, and Lviv Culture Hub.

🎉 Meet the participants of MIDPOINT Writers’ Room 2026!

From June 7–13, Prague will welcome writers and producers from 13 countries. 🌍

Guided by tutors Gábor Krigler and Sarah-Louise Hawkins, participants will explore the craft of series writing through lectures, collaborative work, and hands-on writers’ room simulations.

We’re looking forward to welcoming this year’s participants to Prague!
👉 More info via this link: https://www.midpoint-institute.eu/en/detail/midpoint-writers-room-2026-5tzzqi

Thanks to our collaboration with Projeto Paradiso, Brazilian writer Caio Romano Guerra has been supported to join this year’s programme. ✨

Supported by , the Czech Audiovisual Fund, and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, in partnership with Berlinale Series Market.

🌟 MIDPOINT at Seriencamp Conference 2026! 🌟

We’re proud to present three projects developed within MIDPOINT programmes at this year’s Talent in Progress showcase that is hosted by ndF, curated in collaboration with Serial Eyes, TorinoFilmLab and with The Owl.

📍 Cologne
🗓 June 10, 2026
🕒 15:00–16:00
🎬 Cinenova

The presented projects will also be available for one-to-one meetings.

✨ Selected projects:

🔹GRAY DIVORCE
Created by Lea Stanković & Ivan Knežević
Produced by Inja Korać / Cobra Chicks
Pitched by Lea Stanković
A dramedy about a couple in their sixties who, after retiring from their family business, realize they have very different ideas about how to spend the rest of their lives — together or apart.

💫ANN WAS HERE
Created by Vivian Säde
Produced by Ivo Felt / Allfilm, Moondustfilms
Pitched by Vivian Säde and Ivo Felt
A coming-of-age series following 15-year-old Ann, who discovers her mother’s hidden punk past and runs away to experience freedom for herself.

🕵 THE MAN BEHIND A MASK
Written by Anna Kalnina
Produced by Serge Serpuhov / Baltic Pine Films
Pitched by Serge Serpuhov
A spy thriller with medical drama elements about a celebrated Soviet surgeon drawn into espionage to protect his career — until he must choose between the regime and the people he loves.

We are incredibly proud that Kafka, developed within MIDPOINT Series Launch 2025, has been selected for the main section of the Seriencamp Co-Production Pitch taking place on June 9.

🔳 KAFKA
Written by Jakub Režný
Produced by Rastislav Šesták & Peter Bebjak / DNA Production

Two children vanish. A boy is found ritually murdered. His sister is missing. And young Franz Kafka is accused of a murder he didn’t commit.

We would also like to congratulate our alumni Iuliia Mamaeva , Lia Berger , Raquel Stern and Vladimir Tagic , who will also be presenting their projects in the Writers’ Vision Pitch section.

Congratulations to all selected teams — and see you at Seriencamp Conference ! ✨

OPEN LETTER

Thousands of cinema professionals, including prominent directors, authors, actors and industry leaders from across Europe and beyond have come together around this simple but urgent message: Europe needs cinema. Cinema needs Europe.

They have signed an Open Letter calling on the European Commission, the European Parliament and Member States to preserve and reinforce the MEDIA programme as a major instrument of support for European independent cinema.

The open letter celebrates MEDIA's role in promoting cultural diversity, artistic freedom, jobs, innovation and European soft power, and calls for the programme's future to be secured and its resources reinforced.

The petition is still open. Add your name here:
https://form.jotform.com/261123392857056

Meet MIDPOINT at the Festival de Cannes 🌴

Next week, part of the MIDPOINT team will be heading to the Cannes Film Festival.
Our CEO Struss and Programme Coordinator Soňa Morgenthalová will be in Cannes from May 14 to 21.

Join the conversation, connect with us, and see you in Cannes ✨