EAVE @ WHEN EAST MEETS WEST 2026

press release

EAVE is happy to announce a vast presence of EAVE graduates at the next edition of When East Meets West in Trieste, Italy (January 18-20, 2026)!

Discover here the activities by EAVE, including the EAVE IMPACT THINK TANK, introducing a new topic about mental health, and check out the projects and companies by EAVE graduates presented at the popular co-production platform!

We are launching the 8th edition of the EAVE Impact Think Tank, which turns the lens inward, looking at the internal well-being and mental health of producers, especially those working at the intersection of systemic inequity, identity-based exclusion, displacement, and under-resourced environments. Our aim is to co-design new approaches to support, sustainability, and collective care.

The EAVE Impact Think Tank is organised in partnership with our long-term partner WEMW, and our generous partners Canada Media Fund (CMF) and Telefilm Canada, as well as the Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes. The EAVE Impact Think Tank is supported by DW Akademie funded by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the British Council Travel Grant Fund delivered in partnership with the BFI (using National Lottery Funds).

"Holding the Center: Producer Care and Resilience" – January 19, 17:00

This in-conversation session previews insights from the EAVE Think Tank 2026, examining the often unseen mental and emotional load producers carry as the backbone of screen production. The Think Tank focused on outlining producer-led strategies for care, resilience, and long-term sustainability.

Panalists:

EAVE Head of Studies Lise Lense-Møller, Magic Hour Films, Denmark
EAVE graduate Alyaa Musa, Tooma Production, Sudan / Rwanda
lori lozinski, Volator Films, Canada
Sam Soko, LBx Africa, Kenya

Moderator: EAVE graduate Tamara Dawit

EAVE SLATE, run by When East Meets West in close partnership with EAVE, has selected 8 European companies that are developing a slate of A/V works and will offer them consultancies on how to build a successful company slate and strategic company planning, together with business-to-business exchanges with key players from different industry sectors.

The programme combines the EAVE group work method with a series of plenary sessions and individual consultancies focusing on strategic company planning, potential risk evaluation and company diversification. The main goal is to define realistic short-, mid- and long-term strategies for their companies and how to pick the right projects to include in their company slates.

EAVE SLATE Group leaders: EAVE graduates Ankica Juric Tilic (Kinorama, Croatia) and Michael Kitzberger (Geyrhalterfilm, Austria)

Guest experts: EAVE graduate and Company Planning Expert Sophie Erbs (Gaijin, France), EAVE graduate Adria Mones (Fasten Films, Spain) and EAVE graduate Marija Razgute (m-films, Lithuania).

The selected companies for the EAVE SLATE are the following:

ALLEGRA FILMS | producer: Mayca Sanz L-Higueras | Spain
Montenegro Max Film | producer: Jasmina Karajlovic | Montenegro
INDIGO VIEW PRODUCTIONS | producer: Ioanna Davi | Greece
Dansu Films | producer: Viktorija Rimkute| Lithuania
Die Gesellschaft DGS | producer: PUENTES graduate Michael Henrichs | Germany
Incipit Film | producer: EAVE MW graduate Marta Zaccaron | Italy
Panama Film Gmbh & Co KG | producer: EAVE graduate David Bohun | Austria
Moon Man | producer: Oleksandra Kravchenko | Ukraine

Co-Production Forum

EAVE will award one producer with a scholarship for the EAVE Producers Workshop 2027!

The following projects are being produced by EAVE graduates:

ANELA & SILAN by Tamara Denić, producers: EAVE graduate Jonas Weydemann, EAVE graduate and Serbian National Coordinator Milan Stojanovic
BEYOND THE BLUE MOUNTAINS IS THE SEA by Eneos Çarka, producer: EAVE graduate Blerina Hankollari
BRIGHT FUTURE by Lara Scherpinski, producer: EAVE graduate Tanja Georgieva-Waldhauer
CALM by Sara Fattahi, producer: EAVE graduate and group leader Oliver Neumann
THE COLD BREEZE OF SUMMER by Silvia Brunelli, producer: EAVE SLATE graduate Andrea Magnani
THE DOUGH by Carlotta Napolitano, producer: EAVE graduate Anna M. Bofarull
FOREIGN BODY by Anita Rivaroli, producers: EAVE graduates Michele Fornasero, Bostjan Virc
GOING UNDERGROUND by Armands Začs, producer: EAVE graduate Gints Grube
HOT SPOT. A DOCUTHERAPY by Michał Bielawski, producer: EAVE graduate Maciej Kubicki
KORYO by Mladen Kovačević, producers: EAVE graduates Tina Tisljar, Čarna Vučinić
THE LAST DOG ON EARTH by Nina Kopko, producer: EAVE graduate Leticia Friedrich
MACRAME by by Alexis Koukias-Pantelis, producer: EAVE graduate Konstantinos Vassilaros
MAGIC MOUNTAIN by Mykola Zasieiev, producer: EAVE MW graduate Matiss Kaza
CHANGE project MY NAME IS ENOUGH by Marina Arzumanova, producer: CHANGE graduate Ani Ordyan
MY SHINING DARKNESS by Lia Lőrinczy, producer: EAVE graduate Julianna Ugrin
PRETTY BABY by Cristina Groșan, producer: EAVE graduate Marek Novak
THE SUMMER HOLIDAY by Vasile Todinca, producer: EAVE graduate Ada Solomon
WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE ARE YOU by Lina Lužytė, producers: EAVE graduates Dagne Vildziunaite, Estonian National Coordinator Evelin Penttilä

Works in Progress

LAST STOP TRIESTE

BIRDIE by Aneta Ptak, producer: EAVE graduate Malgorzata Staron
EAVE Marketing Workshop and CHANGE project SACRED SONGS by Nona Giunashvili, Mariam Bitsadze, producer: EAVE MW and CHANGE graduate Mariam Bitsadze
SUNKEN by Dimitris Gkotsis, producer: EAVE graduate Mina Dreki

THIS IS IT

DEATH HAS NO MASTER by Jorge Thielen Armand, producer: TTB and EAVE SLATE graduate Stefano Centini
ECLIPSE by Manuel Wetscher, producers: EAVE graduates Bernhard Holzhammer, Roberto Cavallini
EVERYTIME by Sandra Wollner, producer: EAVE graduate David Bohun
HOMO SIVE NATURA by Giovanni C. Lorusso, producer: PUENTES graduate Salvatore Lizzio
KOHINOOR by Udita Bhargava, producers: EAVE+ graduate Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu, EAVE graduate André Fetzer
SEVDA by Ufuk Emiroglu, producers: EAVE graduates Anton Iffland Stettner, Eva Kuperman, Cihan Asli Filiz, EAVE+ graduate Philippe Coeytaux
EAVE project TINY TREMBLING BIRD by Maja Križnik, producers: EAVE graduates Vlado Bulajic, Lija Pogacnik, EAVE MW graduate Marta Zaccaron

FIRST CUT +

ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG by Abinash Bikram Shah, producer: PUENTES graduate Michael Henrichs, co-producers: PUENTES graduate Tatiana Leite, EAVE graduate Leonardo Mecchi
EAVE project EVERYTHING THAT'S WRONG WITH YOU by Urša Menart, producers: EAVE graduates Katja Lenarcic, Alexander Wadouh, Roxana Richters, EAVE+ graduate Danijel Hocevar
NEW LIFE (working title) by Bernadette Weber, producer: EAVE graduate Roberto Cavallini
PATTY by Luise Donschen, producer: EAVE graduate Julia Cöllen
THE WINNING GENERATION by Marco De Stefanis, producer: EAVE graduate Joram Willink

INSPIRATIONAL LABS

AMAZING INTELLIGENCE | AI Inspirational Lab

EAVE graduate Edwin Goldman | Goldman Films | Netherlands
EAVE graduate Maja Popovic | Sense Production | Serbia
EAVE MW graduate Małgorzata Wabińska | Entertain Pictures | Poland

ANIMA SPIRIT | Animation Inspirational Lab

EAVE SLATE graduate Maria Eugenia Lombardi | Damita Joe | Spain
EAVE graduate Maria Tsigka | FICTION PARK | Germany
EAVE graduate Aneta Zagorska | Krakow Animation Center | Poland

COLD OPEN | Drama Series Inspirational Lab

EAVE graduate Patricia d'Intino | Good Kids | Hungary
EAVE MW graduate Martina Netikova | Cinémotif Films | Czech Republic
EAVE graduate Claudia Wohlgenannt | Plan C Filmproduktion | Austria

DOCS MEET SERIES | Docuseries Inspirational Lab

EAVE participant Estephania Bonnett | Playlab Films | Spain
ACCESS graduate Tanya Hoshi | Hoshi Media | Canada

GENRE RULES | Fantastic Film Inspirational Lab

TTB graduate Daniel Tenné | 70 STEPS | Germany

IMPACT ZONE | Outreach & Impact Inspirational Lab

TTB participant Alexandra Borza | Fugace Films | France
EAVE MW graduate Alice Royoux | Amour Fou Vienna | Austria

SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP | Well-Being and Success for Women in Film Inspirational Lab

EAVE graduate Milena Charan | Taurus Production | Montenegro
EAVE graduate Miljenka Čogelja | Pipser | Croatia
EAVE MW graduate Zala Opara | Vertigo | Slovenia
EAVE MW graduate Britta Strampe | Bandenfilm | Germany

UNLOCKING CAPITAL | Private Investment Inspirational Lab

EAVE graduate Marija Dimitrova | List Production | North Macedonia
TTB graduate Vincenzo Filippo | Lupin Film | Italy
EAVE graduate Michael Graf | Cloud Fog Haze Pictures | Switzerland
EAVE graduate Sergio Grobas | ASTRA Pictures | Spain
EAVE graduate Leonardo Mecchi | Enquadramento Produções | Brazil
EAVE graduate Laurine Pelassy | Les Films de la Capitaine | France
EAVE graduate Ada Solomon | microFILM | Romania
EAVE graduate Radu Stancu | deFilm | Romania
EAVE graduate Milan Stojanovic | Sense Production | Serbia
EAVE graduate Olena Yershova | TatoFilm | Türkiye

MIDPOINT SHORTS

BETWEEN THE SKY AND THE SEA by Bao Van Hoe, producer: EAVE graduate Hanne Phlypo
BRAVE BOYS by Ivan Veljača, producers: EAVE graduates Danijel Pek, Katarina Prpic
DECAY OF STRAWBERRY MOON by Maros Pulscak, producer: EAVE+ graduate Pille Rünk