Blend - film & games conference, Zagreb

Speakers

Daniele Barone

Founder and CEO of Biunivoca

Elodie Moog

Company manager at Praxinos

Marco Ponte

CEO and Creative Director of Nacon Studio, Milan

Maria Glowacka

Senior Franchise Manager at CD PROJEKT RED

Matteo Lana

CEO and Co-Founder of Tiny Bull Studios

Pierre Puget

Screenwriter and Director

Silke Hassreiter

Researcher - Academy for AI, Games & Media

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Thomas Golubich

Film and Television music supervisor

Željko Barčan

FX Supervisor at Wētā FX

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Program

23.10.2026

REGISTRATION / COFFEE BREAK

06:30 - 07:00

WELCOMING SPEACHES

07:00 - 07:15

PANEL: THE FUTURE OF FILM, SERIES AND VIDEO GAMES IN EUROPE

SPEAKERS: Christopher Peter Marcich (Director of HAVC), Krešimir Partl, State Secretary (Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia), Marco Ponte, Nacon Studios Milan (IT), Silke Hassreiter, (BuAS, NL) and Katarina Leskovar (CGDA)
Moderator: Marin Pavelić, journalist (Netokracija)

07:20 - 08:15

COFFEE BREAK

08:15 - 08:30

PANEL: AI WITH AN AUTHOR’S SIGNATURE

SPEAKERS: Dalibor Barić, (multimedia artist); Filip Filković, (CEO of More-Magnets), Ivan Murat, (Director at Nanobit)
Moderator: Predrag Šuka, Head of the University Department of Multimedia at Algebra Bernays University

08:30 - 09:15

COFFEE BREAK

09:15 - 09:30

PANEL: THE WEDDING PHENOMENON AND WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE WEDDING 2!

SPEAKERS: Igor Šeregi, (director, screenwriter), Ivan Kelava, (producer)
Moderator: Mia Pećina Drašković, (ZFU)

09:30 - 10:30

COFFEE BREAK

10:30 - 10:45

PRESENTATION: THE TRANSMEDIA EVOLUTION OF TINTIN ACROSS COMICS, FILM, VIDEO GAMES, AND BEYOND

SPEAKER: Yves Février, (BELG)
Moderator: Boško Picula; Film Critic and Political Scientist

10:45 - 11:15

LUNCH BREAK ''FILM & GAMES QUIZ POWERED BY VGHM & QUAHWA''

11:15 - 12:15

PANEL: CROATIA’S CANDIDATE FOR THE GOYA AWARDS AND THE OSCARS: GOD WILL NOT HELP

SPEAKERS: Hana Jušić (screenwriter and director), Ankica J. Tilić (producer)
Moderator: Boško Picula, Film Critic and Political Scientist

12:15 - 13:15

COFFEE BREAK

13:15 - 13:30

KEYNOTE: BEHIND THE IMPOSSIBLE

From Interstellar and Minecraft to Avatar: Fire and Ash – 25 Years at the Cutting Edge of Visual Effects
SPEAKER: Željko Barčan, Visual Effects (VFX) Supervisor at Wētā FX (New Zealand/Croatia)
Moderator: Boško Picula, Film Critic and Political Scientist

13:30 - 14:15

COFFEE BREAK

14:15 - 14:30

ADU PRESENTATION – VIDEO GAMES AT THE ACADEMY OF DRAMATIC ART

Speaker: Andrej Kovačević, Vice-Dean for Business Affairs (ADU)
Moderator: Mia Pećina Drašković, (ZFU)

14:30 - 15:30

SCREENING

GOYA & OSCAR CONTENDER: GOD WILL NOT HELP

16:00 - 18:00

PRESENTATION: OCTOPOCALYPSE: ALIENS & UFOS

Generative AI and the Future of Filmmaking
Speaker : Max Sacker; Filmmaker, Immersive Director, AI Filmmaking Consultant (Luma Octo, Germany)
Moderator: Dominik Čičak, Actor, Director and Producer

08:30 - 09:15

COFFEE BREAK

09:15 - 09:30

FIRESIDE CHAT: STORIES WITHOUT BORDERS: FILM, GAMES AND A NEW VISUAL REALITY

Speaker: Bobby Boško Grubić, Multimedia Director, Producer and Media Strategist
Moderator: Laura Prpić, Film and Television Producer and AI Specialist

09:30 - 10:30

COFFEE BREAK

10:30 - 10:45

ALGEBRA BERNAYS UNIVERSITY: BEYOND THE PROMPT

From AI-Generated Assets to Intelligent Multimedia Production
Speaker: Predrag Šuka, Head of the University Department of Multimedia at Algebra Bernays University
Moderator: Dominik Čičak, Actor, Director and Producer

10:45 - 11:10

LUNCH BREAK + ''FILM & GAMES QUIZ POWERED BY VGHM & QUAHWA''

11:15 - 12:15

PRESENTATION: DRESSED FOR THE PART!

Costume & Character Across Film, TV
Speaker: Bojana Nikitović costume designer(Serbia)
Moderator: Željka Franulović, professor ADU

12:15 - 13:15

COFFEE BREAK

13:15 - 13:30

DEVELOPMENT OF THE GAMING ECOSYSTEM THROUGH THE PISMO INCUBATOR

SPEAKER: Domagoj Crnković, Senior Education Associate
Moderator: Dominik Čičak, Actor, Director and Producer

13:30 - 14:15

COFFEE BREAK

14:15 - 14:30

KEYNOTE: ONE ACTOR, MANY WORLDS: FROM THEATER, GAMES, FILM, TV AND BEYOND

SPEAKERS: Jan Kovačić (VALORANT voice actor), Iva Šimić Šakoranja (Iva & Glorija), Zoran Pribičević; Actor, director, and producer Fabijan Pavao Medvešek; actor and singer, Janko Popović Volarić; Actor, television host, Sanja Vejnović; Actress, Casting Director, Producer
Moderator: Dominik Čičak, actor, director and producer

14:30 - 15:30

24.10.2026

CASE STUDY: THINK BIG, STAY INDIE

Building Games, Growing a Studio and Finding the Right Partners
GOST: Matteo Lana (Italija)
Moderator: Antonija Mandić, Journalist and presenter

07:00 - 07:45

COFFEE BREAK

07:45 - 08:00

KEYNOTE: WHY WOULD I USE A GAME ENGINE TO MAKE FILMS?

Benefits and Misconceptions of Using Unreal Engine in Film and Television Production
Govornica: Elodie Moog
Moderator: Antonija Mandić, Journalist and presenter

08:00 - 09:00

COFFEE BREAK

09:00 - 09:15

CASE STUDY: THE SOUND OF STORY

Music Storytelling in Television: From Breaking Bad to Pluribus
Speaker: Thomas Golubich, Music Supervisor (L.A., USA)
Moderator: Damjan Mravunac, music supervisor

09:15 - 10:00

COFFEE BREAK

10:00 - 10:15

KEYNOTE: SAME STORY, DIFFERENT RULES: HOW FILMS BECOME GOOD GAMES, AND HOW GAMES BECOME GOOD FILMS

Guest: Dora Vrhoci (Croatia / Netherlands)
Moderator: Olga Moskvina – Narrative designer and writer of the award-winning game Disco Elysium, Lecturer at Algebra Bernays University

10:15 - 11:15

LUNCH BREAK+ ''FILM & GAMES QUIZ POWERED BY VGHM & QUAHWA''

11:15 - 12:30

CASE STUDY: FROM GAME TO GLOBAL FRANCHISE

Growing The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 Beyond the Game
Guest: Maria Malgorzata Glowacka (Poljska)
Moderator: Igor Margan, Head of the University Department of Gaming at Algebra Bernays University

12:30 - 13:15

COFFEE BREAK

13:15 - 13:30

PANEL: GAME ON, ITALY!

An Inside Look at Italy’s Growing Video Game Industry
Guests: Matteo Lana, CEO and Co-Founder of Tiny Bull Studios; Daniele Barone, Founder and CEO of Biunivoca; Marco Mazzaglia, Video Game Evangelist, Producer and IT Manager

Moderator: Marco Ponte, Managing and Creative Director of Nacon Studio Milan (ITA)

13:30 - 14:15

COFFEE BREAK

14:15 - 14:30

PRESENTATION: THE SMURFS UNIVERSE: CONNECTING FILM, TELEVISION AND INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Speaker: Jean Gréban, Licensed Agent for The Smurfs in the Gaming Sector (BEL)
Moderator: Antonija Mandić, Journalist and Presenter

14:30 - 15:30

KEYNOTE: PROJECT SCOPE – THE KEY TO SUCCESS

Speaker: Tomislav Gojević, Head of Studio (Fury Studios)
Moderator: Domagoj Krpan, Lecturer in the Academic Unit for Gaming and Multimedia at Algebra Bernays University

07:00 - 07:45

COFFEE BREAK

07:45 - 08:00

PRESENTATION : NACON STUDIO MILAN: FROM INDIE STARTUP TO AA STUDIO

The Evolution of Nacon Studio Milan: From Independent Startup to AA Game Development Studio
An overview of Nacon Studio Milan’s journey, focusing on team growth, new productions, organizational challenges, and projects.

Speaker: Marco Ponte (Italy)
Moderator: Dominik Čičak, Actor, Director and Producer

08:00 - 09:00

COFFEE BREAK

09:00 - 09:15

VERN’ UNIVERSITY: FILM VS. ALGORITHM

Who Decides What We Watch Today – and What Kind of Creators Are We Shaping?
Educating Tomorrow’s Creators: What Should We Teach Young Directors Today When No One Knows What the Audiovisual Landscape Will Look Like in Ten Years?
Speakers: Nebojša Slijepčević; Director, Screenwriter and Producer, Višnja Skorin; Director, Screenwriter and Film Editor
Moderator and Participant: Robert Zuber, Journalist, Documentary Filmmaker and Producer

09:15 - 10:00

COFFEE BREAK

10:00 - 10:15

PANEL: EUROPEAN ICONS ACROSS MEDIA: THE ENDURING APPEAL OF THE SMURFS, TINTIN AND PROFESSOR BALTHAZAR

Speakers: Jean Gréban, Štrumpfovi (BEL), Yves Février, Tintin (BEL) i Sanja Borčić, Balthazar, Zagreb film (CRO)
Moderator: Igor Margan, Head of the University Department of Gaming at Algebra Bernays University

10:15 - 11:15

LUNCH BREAK + ''FILM & GAMES QUIZ POWERED BY VGHM & QUAHWA''

11:15 - 12:30

LIMITS OF LIMITLESS CREATIVITY: HOW TECHNOLOGY SHAPES CINEMATOGRAPHY FROM FILM STOCK TO VIRTUAL PRODUCTION, AI AND BEYOND

How Unreal Engine and Virtual Production Are Changing Filmmaking!
Guest: Andrei Goaga, Director of Photography (DP) and Virtual Production Supervisor (ROU)
Moderator: Dominik Čičak, Actor, Director and Producer

12:30 - 13:15

COFFEE BREAK

13:15 - 13:30

PRESENTATION: “AND THEY’RE NOT EVEN 30 YET!”

SPEAKERS:
Film Directing: Sara Grgurić (ADU); Dominik Čičak (Acting, Production; VERN University of Applied Sciences graduate); Antonio David Perina (Music, Production; VERN University of Applied Sciences graduate)
Production: Dora Baotić (VERN University of Applied Sciences graduate); Leon Belovarić (Algebra Bernays University student); David Uranjek (Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb – ADU)
Editing: Marta Bregeš (Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb – ADU)
Game Developers: Ana Sundji; Astrid Vujnović
Moderator: Benjamin Noah Maričak, (Games Croatia / HAVC)

13:30 - 14:15

COFFEE BREAK

14:15 - 14:30

PRESENTATION: AVENUE PROJECT (Breda University)

From Classroom to Camera: What Two Years of European Research Reveals About Hiring, Skills, and the Future of Virtual Production, VFX, Games, Animation, XR and Visual Storytelling
Speaker: prof. Silke Hassreiter
Moderator: Dominik Čičak, Actor, Director and Producer

14:30 - 15:30

Organizers

Academic Partner

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