Croatia's Blend Conference highlights region's locations, production innovation

The second edition Croatia's Blend: Film & Games conference, held in early October brought together over 600 global professionals, signalling the region's position as a regional hub for production industries.

Organised by the Zagreb Film Office and Games Croatia/Croatian Audiovisual Center, the two-day event showcased the nation's production incentives with a focus on international collaboration.

Belgium was featured as this year's partner country, and a dedicated panel explored the financial architecture of Croatian-Belgian projects, highlighting Croatia’s 25-30% cash rebate and the Belgian tax shelter system.

Thierry Van Gyseghem, animation director on the acclaimed video game Baldur’s Gate 3, and Martins Upitis, lead animator of the Oscar-winning film Flow, delivered keynote speeches on the fusion of cinematic and interactive media. Panels on AI, virtual production, and transmedia storytelling were also held. "Blend is a fabulous event uniting two mediums," said keynote speaker Jörg Tittel. 

Croatia's viability as a filming destination was another theme. A panel featuring location managers John Rakich (president of LMGI), Enrico Latella (Mission Impossible 7), and Sabine Schulmeyer (The Matrix Resurrections) highlighted the country's landscapes and streamlined permitting in Zagreb. While acknowledging challenges like limited studio space and seasonal tourism, all three expressed a strong interest in bringing future projects to the region.

Alongside global insights, the conference celebrated Fiume o Morte!, Croatia's Goya and Oscar candidate, and the innovative digital strategy behind the hit teen series SRAM. 

The conference also underscored the growing urgency of sustainable production in Europe with a presentation from Florisse Anu Kaaripuro, managing director of Austria’s newly launched HQ7 Studios. Kaaripuro provided a case study on how fiscal policy can drive sustainable change.

Kaaripuro detailed the impact of Austria’s new 5% sustainability incentive, a "green bonus" offered on top of the country's main production rebate for productions that adhere to certified environmental standards.

This incentive, she explained, is already reshaping production practices by encouraging everything from waste reduction to sustainable travel. Moderated by Croatian producer Morana Ikić Komljenović, the session also touched on how state-of-the-art facilities like HQ7 are being designed from the ground up to meet these new standards, positioning sustainability not just as an ethical choice but as a competitive financial advantage in the European production landscape.