CineLink Producers’ Lab

The programme is structured across three interconnected modules spread throughout the year, each building on the last and shaped around a specific dimension of the producer's practice. The first module in Slano (June), held in collaboration with Slano Film Days, is dedicated to developing production identity, clarifying what kind of producer each participant wants to be, how their slate reflects that, and how they translate creative intuition into a coherent editorial line. Through group workshops, one-to-one mentoring, and case studies, participants examine their own portfolios and begin shaping the strategic architecture of their companies. The second module in Sarajevo (August), embedded within the Sarajevo Film Festival and CineLink Industry Days, turns the focus outward, towards the business of film. Across four intensive programme days, participants engage with keynote speakers, masterclasses, panels, and the signature Hard Talk sessions, in which established international producers share the realities behind their careers with unusual candour. The module covers financing strategies, alternative funding avenues, legal frameworks, festival and sales positioning, platform commissioning, and international collaboration, with contributions from leading figures across programming, sales, financing, and production. The third module in Zagreb (November) closes the cycle by addressing what is too often left out of professional training: the sustainability of the practice itself. This module tackles mental health, burnout, and long-term career resilience, alongside the systemic pressures reshaping the industry, technological shifts, evolving audience behaviours, and the changing economics of independent film. It is designed as a space for consolidation, reflection, and the articulation of a long-term plan.