Shared Ground: Co-Producing Between Sweden and Southeast Europe
As part of this year’s Spotlight on Sweden at the Sarajevo Film Festival, this panel brings into focus the evolving collaborations between Sweden and Southeast Europe, two production cultures shaped by different histories, resources, and working methods. What emerges when Sweden’s structured, policy-driven support system meets Southeast Europe’s improvisation-led, resilient storytelling tradition? At the centre is the opening film of this year’s Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival, Teona Mitevska’s THE MOTHER, which is produced by Labina Mitevska (Sisters and Brother Mitevski / Entre Chien et Loup), and co-produced by Piodor Gustafsson (Rainy Days Productions AB) and Kristina Börjeson (Film i Väst). Their collaboration anchors a conversation on how producers navigate creative, logistical, and institutional differences to tell stories of global significance. The panel also reflects on Sweden’s broader engagement with Southeast Europe, the strategic role of Film i Väst in fostering international partnerships, and how institutions like the Swedish Film Institute are supporting this momentum.
SPEAKERS
ANNA CRONEMAN
CEO, Swedish Film Institute | SE
KRISTINA BORJESON
Head of Production, Film i Väst | SE
MODERATED BY
TIME
Wednesday, August 20th, 2025
12:00 – 13:00 (CET)
LOCATION
Festival Garden
LABINA MITEVSKA
Producer, Sisters&Brother Mitevski | MK
PIODOR GUSTAFSSON
Producer, Rainy Days Production AB | SE
MILAN STOJANOVIĆ
Producer, Faculty of Drama Arts Belgrade | RS
Anna Croneman
Anna Croneman is a Swedish film and television producer who assumed the role of CEO of the Swedish Film Institute in April 2024. With a background in the industry, Croneman earned her producer credentials from the Swedish Institute of Dramatic Art and has since curated an esteemed portfolio, producing television dramas and feature films. In 2017, she was appointed Head of Drama at Sveriges Television (SVT), a position she held until her current appointment. In addition to her onscreen achievements, Croneman has held significant leadership roles off-screen. She served as Vice Chair of the Swedish Film Institute board and chaired the Swedish Film & TV Producers Association's section for feature films and television drama. As CEO, Croneman is leading the Swedish Film Institute through a challenging period in Swedish cinema, with a focus on bolstering production, distribution, and heritage preservation.
Kristina Borjeson
Kristina Borjeson has been working within the film industry since 1991 and is currently Head of Production at the Swedish regional fund Film i Väst. She started her career at the Göteborg Film Festival, then spent ten years at the art-house distribution company Triangelfilm. After some years at a publishing house, she worked at the Swedish Film Institute for eight years in positions including Head of Distribution and Head of Film Funding, when she focused on production, distribution and international work and was in charge of the significant process of transferring the funding system to a 100 per cent state-governed system. For four years, she was the Swedish representative at Eurimages and, before starting at Film i Väst, she spent a year in the drama department of the public broadcaster TV4.
Labina Mitevska
Labina Mitevska started her acting career as a teenager in 1993, playing Zamira in Milcho Mancevski’s Golden Lion-awarded BEFORE THE RAIN (1994). In 1996, she entered a successful collaboration with Michael Winterbottom. Following WELCOME TO SARAJEVO (1997), they worked together in I WANT YOU (1998). For these accomplishments, she was chosen as one of the Shooting Stars at the Berlinale in 1998. Her acting career continued around Europe, creating over 30 roles in films shot in Germany, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Italy, Bulgaria, and Slovenia. In 2001, Labina, her sister Teona, and their brother Vuk established the production company Sisters and Brother Mitevski. All their films are European co-productions. In the company, she is responsible for the production. They are currently in post-production of their short drawing animation EDNA (2019), animated and directed by Vuk, and in post-production of the new film by Teona, GOD EXISTS, HER NAME IS PETRUNYA (2019), where Labina is playing one of the leading roles. Their latest co-production is the new film by Bilge Nuri Ceylan, THE WILD PEAR TREE (2018). In 2014, she was chosen to be part of Producers on the Move during the Cannes Film Festival. She is an EAVE national representative and a member of the European Film Academy.
Piodor Gustafsson
Piodor Gustafsson has more than thirty-five years of experience in the film and television industry. Since 2023, he has spent his time as a producer in his own companies Black Spark Film & TV AB and Rainy Days Productions AB. Between 2020 and 2023, Gustafsson was responsible for scripted content in the Nordic territories (excluding Iceland) at TV4 Media. He previously held the posts of CEO at Black Spark Film & TV, Head of Programming and Commissioning Editor at SVT, and Commissioning Feature Film Consultant at the Swedish Film Institute. He has recently produced Valdimar Johannsson’s LAMB, Ronnie Sandahl’s TIGERS, Ali Abbasi’s BORDER, Björn Runge’s THE WIFE, Karin Fahlén’s STHLM REQUIEM, Mikael Håfström’ MOSCOW NOIR, and Beata Gårdeler’s EVERYTHING I DON’T REMEMBER. Gustafsson is currently co-producing Teona Mitevska’s MOTHER and producing WE COME IN PEACE, created by Lars Lundström.
Milan Stojanović
Milan Stojanovic produced the youth hit film HOW I LEARND HOW TO FLY (2022 / 250.000 admissions / ECFA Award BUFF Malmo) and the Serbian re-make of the Dutch children series TALKING HEADS (2024-2025). He also produced OASIS (2020 / Best European Film, Venice Days) and BARBARIANS (2014 / Special Mention, Karlovy Vary IFF).
He co-produced HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS (2023 / Queer Lion, Venice), MALMKROG (2020 / Golden Bear Plaque, Berlinale), and the drama series THE LAST SOCIALIST ARTEFACT (2021 / Best Drama Series, International Panorama, Series Mania).
Milan teaches Film Producing at Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. He is a member of ACE and EAVE, as well as the European Film Academy. Since 2020, he is EAVE’s National coordinator for Serbia.