This Autumn, Zagreb Gets a New Meeting Place for Creatives, Filmmakers and Entrepreneurs: ZACID Is Coming

From 18 to 20 September, the first Zagreb Actors & Creators Industry Days will take place at Bizkoshnica on Jabukovac – three days of panels, workshops, training sessions and conversations with people who know how to turn a good idea into a real project.

If it feels like Zagreb is only just getting back into gear after the summer, this autumn it will have a good reason to hit the ground running.

From 18 to 20 September, the first edition of the Zagreb Actors & Creators Industry Days (ZACID) conference will take place at Zagreb’s Bizkoshnica on Jabukovac – an event bringing together actors, directors, producers, creatives, people from the worlds of film and social media, as well as entrepreneurs and business professionals from the City of Zagreb. And not in a traditional conference format.

ZACID is designed as a place where people can talk, learn, connect and exchange ideas throughout the day, all within an informal garden setting on Jabukovac. Instead of viewing the creative industry as a world reserved for artists, the conference opens it up to people who do business with it every day – from entrepreneurs who need high-quality video and photography for their businesses to those looking for actors, screenwriters, directors, cinematographers, drones, public speaking or engaging social media content.

So, who is coming?

The programme brings a series of conversations with people who already have noteworthy projects behind them.

On Friday, 18 September, the panelists will include Mladena Gavran, Iva Šimić Šakoronja and Katarina Šestić Baotić, who will talk about the creation and development of projects such as the Zagreb Monodrama Festival and the play Iva i Glorija, as well as how social media can become a serious tool for the development and visibility of creative projects.

Tanja Ladović Blažević from the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, responsible for international co-productions, Martina Petrović from MEDIA DESK Croatia, and Alma Tognon from the production company Pakt Media will discuss how Croatia can attract new investments and international projects. The topic is far from accidental. Revenues generated by Croatia’s cultural and creative industries have grown by 60 percent over the past five years, reaching €3.9 billion, and opportunities for new projects, co-productions and investments will be one of the key topics of the conference.

The music programme will also feature Nera Stipičević and composer Ozren Glaser, while special attention will be given to those who are only just entering the worlds of film and acting.

Producer and professor at the Academy of Dramatic Arts, Tibor Keser, together with actor and ADU professor Dado Ćosić, will discuss why it is important to recognise talent early, alongside a young participant from Tvornica Talenta, a film camp for children whose participant is already preparing her new project.

You don’t have to be an actor to attend

One of the ideas behind ZACID is precisely to open its doors to those who are not part of the film or creative industries, but want to collaborate with them – or are simply interested in them. The conference is free and open to everyone.

Entrepreneurs and business professionals from the City of Zagreb have a particularly important place in the programme, as creative services are becoming an increasingly important part of doing business: professional photography, video production, reels, drones, audio and video content, public speaking, presentations and promotion.

ZACID is therefore not simply a place where people talk about the creative industries. The idea is for people from different professional worlds to meet there before a business opportunity arises.

The conference is organised by Duart Platform, founded and led by Sanja Drakulić. Duart operates as an online platform connecting film professionals, building its community and creating opportunities for education, engagement and professional development. To date, more than 500 people have been engaged through international projects on films distributed by some of the world’s largest platforms and studios, including Netflix, Amazon, Lionsgate and Universal.

Three days, with a programme for almost everyone

The programme begins on 18 September and features inspiring speakers behind successful creative projects such as the Japanese-Serbian Film Festival and the Croatian International Film Festival, as well as an introduction to Duart Platform and the benefits it brings to the film industry.

The weekend also brings a free Gym for Actors, open to adult participants who are actors or simply want to become one. Voice, movement, speech, scene work and improvisation will be at the centre of the training on 19 and 20 September. A networking event for creatives and entrepreneurs is scheduled for 19 September from 5 PM. The central days of the conference will be Friday and Saturday, 18 and 19 September, when the programme will continue throughout the day with panels, conversations and meetings. Saturday, 19 September, will also feature a workshop on the importance of social media for creatives, “Visibility Hub”, delivered via live stream by Rina Gri, an internationally working actress with extensive experience in creating authentic profiles.

ZACID is supported by the City of Zagreb through its funding programme for business events, and participation in the conference is free with prior registration at: https://forms.gle/SXzjtaZM2iUVRBT99. Places for the workshops are limited.

If you have ever thought, “I have an idea for a film,” “I want to become an actor,” “I need a good creative for my business,” or simply want to meet people who are creating something new – ZACID is the place where you might end up this autumn quite by chance, and leave with a new contact, an idea or a collaboration.