The Blend Conference: Film & Games will take place on October 23 and 24, 2026, in Zagreb, and the third edition of this unique meeting of the film industry and the video game industry brings a rich international program focused on the future of the European audiovisual industry and on projects emerging at the intersection of film and video games.
The conference is organized by the Zagreb Film Office and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC) through the Games Croatia project, with academic partner Algebra University Bernays. Last year's edition attracted over 600 registered participants, and this year's program promises an even broader international reach with concrete examples of "blended" projects emerging across Europe and beyond.
THREE KEYNOTE SPEECHES
This year, Blend brings three international experts representing some of the most recognizable European IPs and the most current topics in the audiovisual industry.
Yves Février, a digital strategist and creative producer who has led the digital branch of TintinImagination for over 25 years, a company that preserves and develops the works of Hergé's Tintin, will deliver a keynote speech titled "Tintin as a Transmedia Phenomenon: Comics, Movies, Video Games, Museums, and More." Février has collaborated with Apple, Sony, the BBC, Paramount, and Google on pioneering digital projects, and at Blend, he will share his experience in managing one of the longest-lasting cultural brands in the new media landscape.
Jean Gréban, with over 35 years of experience in the international video game industry and the current Licensing Agent for the Smurfs in the gaming sector, will give a keynote speech titled "The Smurfs' Journey through Interactive Media: From Comics and Film to Video Games," in which he will showcase how the Smurfs evolve across different media with a special emphasis on adaptations into video games. In his career, he has held leading positions at Infogrames Entertainment, and later coordinated the work of the Belgian gaming association WALGA as a director, and today advises studios, startups, and publishers on business development and market strategies.
Silke Hassreiter, a professor at Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, will deliver a keynote speech titled "From Classroom to Camera: What Two Years of European Research Reveal about Employment, Skills, and the Future of Virtual Production, VFX, Video Games, Animation, XR, and Visual Storytelling." Her work focuses on talent mobility, skill transferability, and career development within the creative industries, and at Blend, she will share key insights from the European research project AVENUE.
PANEL
One of the most interesting topics this year will be a panel titled "AI with an Author's Stamp?! A Discussion on the Real Possibilities of Using AI as a Tool for Directors and Authors in Creating Video Games and Films," which will bring together three prominent Croatian experts:
Dalibor Barić – a film director and multimedia artist whose animated films have been considered twice for the Oscar race (2021 and 2026), known for experimental animation and pioneering use of AI.
Filip Filković Philatz – film and television director and director of the production company More Magnets, one of the prominent Croatian educators on ethical practices of AI in film and media.
Ivan Murat – director of the video game producer Nanobit, the leading Croatian mobile game studio with over 100 million downloaded titles in 155 countries.
In addition to keynote speeches and panels, visitors can expect workshops, networking opportunities, and practical examples of how the audiovisual industry is developing in Croatia, Europe, and beyond. Blend: Film & Games is not just a conference, but also a platform for dialogue and project development that positions Croatia on the map of the European and global audiovisual industry.
Registrations will open soon. More information: www.blendzagreb.eu.
