European Co-production: Designing Talent, Stories and Audiences
This seminar is not just another talk about how European co-productions work. It is a hands-on exploration of how they could work, especially if they are to truly support new voices, young talent, and reach the right audiences.
Based on his new book The Co-Production Landscape in Europe: From Eurimages to Netflix, which draws on a decade of research into international co-production, Petar Mitric, Assistan Professor in film studies at the University of Copenhagen begins the day with an in-depth, research-driven analysis of the successes, overseen opportunities, and key challenges shaping the future of European co-productions.
He will offer concrete, practice-based insights into three essential areas for European co-productions today: what it really takes to co-produce a first feature or debut project across borders; how audience design strategies can be integrated from the earliest stages of a project; and what policy and funding challenges lie ahead for policymakers. Drawing on collaborations with leading platforms like TorinoFilmLab, Film i Väst, MEDICI, and CEPI, the talk will not only break down how the system works but also give practical advice on how to navigate it.
Petar Mitric is joined by Tine Fischer (Danish Film Institute), Mariusz Wlodarski (producer, The Girl with the Needle), and Skadi Loist (film professor) for a discussion about the findings in Mitric’s book, and for the timely debate about the future of co-production and who gets to shape it.
The event concludes with the screening of one of the central case studies featured in the book, "The Brink of Dreams" (a French-Egyptian-Danish co-production) by Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir, from 2024, offering a concrete example of the ideas and challenges discussed.
Programme
14:00–14:05 → Welcome and introduction by the host
14:05–14:45 → Presentation by Petar Mitric (The Co-Production Landscape in Europe)
14:45–15:30 → Responses from the three discussants (15 minutes each:
– Tine Fischer, CEO, Danish Film Institute
– Mariusz Wlodarski, Producer, Lava Film, Poland
– Skadi Loist, Associate Professor in Film Studies at the Department of Art and Media Studies at NTNU
15:30–15:50 → Q&A/Voices from the audience
15:50–16:05 → Coffee break
16:05–17:45 → Screening of The Brink of Dreams
17:45–19:00 → Informal reception
Participant biographies
Petar Mitric
Petar Mitric is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen, where he researches European cinema, co-production, and audience design. He has published extensively on European film and has collaborated with European film funds, producers, and industry organisations. Petar is the author of ‘The Co-Production Landscape in Europe: From Eurimages to Netflix’ (2025), a book based on a decade of research into development, financing, and audience engagement in European co-productions.
Tine Fischer
Tine Fischer is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Danish Film Institute. She previously served as the Director of the National Film School of Denmark (2021–2023). In 2003, she founded CPH:DOX, which under her leadership became one of the world’s leading documentary festivals. In 2018, she became the director of the Copenhagen Film Festival, which also included CPH PIX and Buster. Earlier, from 1999 to 2005, she was the programme editor at the Danish Film Archives/Cinemateket.
Mariusz Włodarski
Mariusz Włodarski is a Polish film producer and co-founder of Lava Films. He is known for producing internationally acclaimed films such as Sweat, The Here After, and The Girl with the Needle, which won a prize at Cannes and received an Academy Award nomination. Włodarski frequently collaborates with European auteur directors and has received numerous awards and festival recognitions. Alongside his work as a producer, he teaches at the Łódź Film School, where he shares his expertise in creative producing with the next generation of filmmakers.
Skadi Loist
Skadi Loist is an Associate Professor in Film Studies at the Department of Art and Media Studies at NTNU (the Norwegian University of Science and Technology). Their research focuses on film festivals, film circulation, gender equity, and sustainability in the media industries. They are a co-founder of the Film Festival Research Network and have served as principal investigators on international projects exploring gender policies in the film industry and festival-based film circulation. They have widely published on queer film culture and media industry studies and are a member of the editorial board of NECSUS: European Journal of Media Studies.
About the Film (The Brink of Dreams)
In a remote village in southern Egypt, a group of girls rebel by forming an all-female street theatre troupe. They dream of becoming actresses, dancers and singers, challenging their families and villagers with their unexpected performances. Shot over four years, The Brink of Dreams follows them from childhood to womanhood, facing the most crucial choices of their lives. The Brink of Dreams (2024) is an Egyptian-French-Danish documentary directed by the award-winning directorial tandem Ayman El Amir and Nada Ruyadh. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, where it received the Eye Award for the best Documentary film.