The Blend: Film & Games conference is becoming even more international this year: Zagreb will host the largest number of foreign guests to date, featuring the 'big names' of the audiovisual industry – top authors, producers, managers, and designers who have marked the global film and video game scene. On October 2nd and 3rd at the Algebra Bernays University in Zagreb, the audience can expect panel discussions, inspiring presentations, and free workshops, along with unmissable film screenings.
This year's Blend: Film & Games brings a program filled with top-notch panels featuring big names from the global film and gaming scene. Over two days, the audience will have the opportunity to hear about the latest trends and practical experiences from those who have shaped global successes – from innovations at the intersection of film and games, creative AI solutions that help with limited budgets, to Green filming.
MAIN PANELS AND PRESENTATIONS
- KEYNOTE LECTURE: FIRESIDE CHAT ON THE FILM FLOW / October 2nd
Speaker: Martins Upitis (Latvia), co-founder and creative director of Physical Addons, is a key
artist of animations in the film Flow, which this year winner of the Oscar for Best
Animated Feature! Martins specialized in complex water simulations for the film. The audience will
have the chance to hear firsthand how this visually striking and artistically powerful project
was created, combining innovative animation techniques and a strong narrative. After the lecture, we will also screen the film itself, with an introduction by Mr. Upitis.
- PANEL: JUNIOR/SENIOR/VETERAN – 3 PERSPECTIVES ON MUSIC FOR VIDEO GAMES / October 3rd
Speakers: Nikola Nikita Jeremić (SRB), composer for Aliens: Dark Descent, Warhammer 40k
franchise, Destiny 2, and Cyberpunk 2077. Then, Matija Malatestinić, a versatile composer known for
innovative approaches to music, and Damjan Mravunac, composer and sound designer at Croteam,
author of music for the most famous Croatian video games Serious Sam and Talos Principle. The panel will
explore how experience shapes the musical approach in the video game industry and the challenges faced by
composers.
- PRESENTATION: FROM SCRIPT TO FINAL VIDEO ALL WITH AI / October 3rd
Speaker: Predrag Šuka, head of the Multimedia Production Studio at Algebra Bernays University,
an award-winning multimedia expert and artist with 27 years of professional experience. In addition to
teaching, he is an author, reviewer, editor, public speaker, guest lecturer, and doctoral student. He actively
engages in the field of creative artificial intelligence, and his work connects research disciplines,
visual forensics, and artificial intelligence, exploring innovative ways to integrate methods
of visual communication with the latest AI technologies.
Activation: Lend your voice to your favorite cartoon character! / October 3rd, 09:00 – 17:00h
How many times have you wondered who is behind the voices of your favorite characters in animated films? Voice acting or dubbing animated content represents a unique experience – fun, liberating, and creative.
Actors, far from cameras and spotlights, seamlessly embody the characters, express emotions, and develop
self-confidence. The dubbing experience is particularly beneficial for young people as it develops vocal skills, speech,
posture, creativity, presentation abilities, and the ability to overcome stage fright. Experience free
animation dubbing at Blend: Film & Games brought to you by Lend Your Voice and Kinofilm.hr!
ANNOUNCEMENT OF A NEW WORKSHOP
The workshop titled Green Competitiveness: Sustainable Practices in Film and the Video Game Industry will be led by
Morana Ikić Komljenović, a producer with over 25 years of international experience and an advocate
for sustainability in the audiovisual sector, holder of the international CQI-IRCA certificate for leading
environmental management system audits, author of the manual Practical Guide to Sustainable Audiovisual
Production, and a member of the Sustainability Working Group at Eurimages. The workshop will address key issues
sustainability in the film and video game industry, focusing on new standards that shape the market and audience
demands. Participants will learn how sustainable practices become not only an ethical but also a competitive advantage in
creative industries seeking innovative and responsible business models, and part of the time will be
dedicated to specific questions and needs of individual participant projects. The workshop will take place
on October 2nd, from 14:30 to 17:00. To register for this free workshop, please send your
full name and a brief info about your project (if you have one) to info@blendzagreb.eu
This year we proudly present the Kingdom of Belgium as the partner country of the conference, further
emphasizing the international character of the event. Belgium is also intensively developing quality creative
industries — especially in film, animation, and video games, and its commitment to innovation, strong public
support, and established professionals make it a valuable partner for the conference.
In a special hall, during both days, all conference participants will be able to watch student films
from the University of Vern and the Academy of Dramatic Arts, while in the lobby of the Algebra University Bernays there will be
exhibitor stands from Croatian video game producers such as Bure, Baltazar, Dark Queen, and others.
REMINDER FOR WORKSHOP REGISTRATIONS AND ALREADY ANNOUNCED SPEAKERS
Don't miss keynote speakers such as Fernando Machado, a marketing guru, double winner
of the prestigious Adweek Grand Brand Genius award, the only one to achieve this; Jorg Tittel, a Belgian director,
screenwriter, producer, and designer whose video game The Last Worker, released in early 2023, was the only
video game in competition at the 78th Venice Film Festival; Xavier Rombaut, a Belgian film
producer with over fifteen years of experience in the film industry; Pontus Rundqvist, senior brand
manager of the independent game publisher Raw Fury.
Workshop From 2D Image to 3D World; Lecturer at Algebra Bernays University in the Game Development
program, multimedia artist Ivan Šivak, will reveal to workshop participants the magic of transforming an ordinary 2D
illustration or photograph into a dynamic 3D space – literally in the blink of an eye! The workshop will take place on October 2, from
10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. To register for this free workshop, you need to send one 2D
photo or digital drawing and briefly explain why you want to bring that scene to life to info@blendzagreb.eu.
Workshop Project Architecture in Unity; Slow development? Fragile projects? Painful bugs?
In this workshop, you will learn best practices for structuring Unity projects that lead to scalability,
stability, and professional success. The workshop leader is Andrija Zorić, an expert in video game development.
The workshop will take place on October 3, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. To register for this free workshop,
you need to send a brief description of your favorite game and why that particular game resonates with you the most to info@blendzagreb.eu.
FREE REGISTRATION UNTIL OCTOBER 1.
The advisors of the Blend: Film & Games conference for film are: Danilo Šerbedžija, director and president
of DHFA; Morana Ikić Komljenović, producer, film and media expert; Hrvoje Osvadić,
producer and president of HRUP; while for the video game sector Tea Stepanić, producer and designer
of video games; Hrvoje Mitić, Biz Dev at GamesCo London and secretary at the Cluster of Croatian Video Game Producers
(CGDA) and Juraj Hrvoje Krašković, producer at the video game publisher Raw Fury and artistic advisor at
the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC).
The Blend conference is organized by Zagreb Film Office and Games Croatia (HAVC) along with academic partner
Algebra Bernays University, with the support of the City Office for Culture and Civil Society and with the backing of film
and gaming associations. The full conference program will be announced soon on the official websites where it is
now possible to freely view all video lectures from 2024: www.blendzagreb.eu.
Entry to the conference is free with registration open until October 1, 2025, at 6:00 PM via this link. All news about the conference can be followed on the official conference website www.blendzagreb.eu and on the social media of the Zagreb Film Office, Games Croatia, and Algebra Bernays University.
