Fewer than one in three of the 32 applications from eight eligible countries made it to the final selection, and nine projects were selected.

Before the public pitch, participants take part in an intensive online preparation workshop led by tutors Valeria Richter (screenwriter) and Helene Granqvist (producer) from 19 to 24 October 2026.

“When we started The Balkan Way, we had a simple wish: to give storytellers from our region a chance to be heard. This year, as Malta and Switzerland joined us, I realised that this initiative has no borders, because good stories always find each other,” said Martina Petrović, Head of the Creative Europe MEDIA Desk Croatia and initiator of the event.

Series Rough Pitch – The Balkan Way 2026 is organised by the Creative Europe MEDIA Desk Offices in Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Montenegro and Serbia, together with Arts Council Malta and MEDIA Desk Suisse. Its partners are the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Film Centre of Montenegro, the Cyprus Organisation for European Programmes and Cultural Relations, and Swiss Films.

Click HERE to see the selected projects.