Workshops in the Balkan region

In 2004, the Embassy and the French Cultural Centre created a workshop training course. The trainees-filmmakers made 11 films which reflected their search for values. They created the Varan Belgrade Association and obtained financial support from the European Agency for Reconstruction to film the changes in post-war society.

In 2005, 8 films were made on that theme during an advanced programme.

In 2007, the workshop invited 12 future filmmakers from all the ex-Yugoslavian Republics, to make films on the subject of: “The Neighbours”.

In 2021, a new workshop is organized : the filmmakers who participated in the 2004-2005-2007 workshops are now confirmed professionals who wish to pass their experience on. They become the trainers of a new generation of young filmmakers. 10 participants from Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia learned how to direct a documentary film for 7 weeks between the 22/11/2021 and the 29/01/2022. The workshop is organized thanks to the support of our partners : the Film Center Serbia, the French Institute of Serbia, the french CNC, the city of Paris, the French Institute, the label Paris Europe, the Film Center Montenegro et the Film Center Banja Luka, Cinnerent production.

In 2022, the wish to train a new generation continues : a workshop is organized in the summer 2022 in Novi Sad, one of the European capitales of culture of the year. 10 participants from Serbia, Bosnia, Northern Macedonia and Montenegro attended the 7-week documentary filmmaking workshop from July 13 to September 3, 2022. The Novi Sad workshop was made possible thanks to the support of our partners: the Film Center Serbia, the French Institute of Serbia, the Belgrade Youth Center, the Film Center of North Macedonia, the Film Center of Montenegro and the Film Center of Banja Luka, the City of Novi Sad, the Novi Sad Academy of Arts and the Government of Voijvodina.

In 2023, thanks to the support of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French Institute in Serbia, the workshop gains in autonomy: the Varan Balkan association is created. Around 30 members join the association, among which former trainees and documentaray professionals. Dragan Nikolic, Varan trainer and former trainee, is the president of the association.

A workshop is organized in the summer of 2023 in Novi Sad, Serbia, for the benefits of 9 participants. The workshop is organized thanks to the support of our partners: the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, l'Institut français de Serbie, le Film Center Serbia, the Ministry of Culture in Serbia, the Ciy of Belgrade and the City of Novi Sad.

The Varan Balkan association aims to be a regional filmmaking school, with plans to organize workshops in multiple Balkan countries, starting with a workshop in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in winter 2023.

Learn more on varanbalkan.rs