Three-Day Training for 12 Young Film Professionals Begins in Rijeka - News | Art-kino Croatia

As part of the REEL project — “A Cinematic Journey through Italy and Croatia”, funded by the Interreg Italy–Croatia 2021–2027 Cross-Border Cooperation Programme, a three-day cross-border training course for twelve young or aspiring location scouting operators from Croatia and Italy began today in Rijeka. Organised by Art-kino (Kvarner Film Commission), the training runs until 21 February under the expert theoretical and practical guidance of two Croatian location managers, Tomislav Peleski and Dean Lalić, together with other guest lecturers and professionals from the film industry.

The main objective of the training is to provide participants with practical and professional skills in location scouting, with particular emphasis on destination management, logistics, sustainability and legal aspects — key elements in one of the most dynamic roles in film production and destination promotion.

- This training is especially important to us because it opens up opportunities for education and professional development for young film enthusiasts in a profession that is rarely represented or visible, yet crucial to audiovisual production — location scouting. The audiovisual industry, whether films, series or commercials, involves numerous roles and professions for which there is no formal education in our region. Every opportunity to further empower and connect young people seeking their professional path in this sector is extremely important and encouraging for us, as an essential investment in the future of filming in Rijeka and the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, as well as in the development of local production capacities and the attraction of international productions. The large number of applications we received for this training demonstrates young people’s strong interest in education and professional development in this field, emphasised Slobodanka Mišković, Director of Art-kino.

Over the next three days, the twelve young or aspiring location scouting operators will take part in field exercises from Rijeka to Brseč, interactive workshops and creative group work, with the opportunity to build their professional portfolios and cross-border networks in a real-life learning environment.

In addition to introductory lectures by mentors Peleski and Lalić, on the first day of the training Tanja Ladović Blažević, Head of Filming in Croatia Department at the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, presented the incentive programme for film and television productions shooting in Croatia.

- In Croatia we have several excellent location managers, but we definitely need new generations. We hope that filming activity will continue to grow, especially domestic productions, which will provide opportunities for these young people who wish to try their hand in the industry, and that ultimately they will find their place within it, said Tanja Ladović Blažević of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, praising Art-kino’s decision to focus on this essential yet underrepresented film profession within the REEL project.

Guest lecturers also included producer Nebojša Taraba (Drugi plan) and unit production manager Ivona Maras, who shared practical insights from their own filming projects in Rijeka and the surrounding area, highlighting the location and production challenges they encounter in practice and how they address them.

- When young people think about working in the world of film, they usually focus on well-known roles such as producer, director or screenwriter. I believe it is very important that during their education and training they become familiar with the many other aspects of production. Locations are one of the key elements of that process for numerous reasons, which we discussed as part of this training. Every opportunity to share this knowledge with young, future colleagues is truly important for us and for the future of the entire industry in this region,” said one of Croatia’s leading producers, Nebojša Taraba of the production company Drugi plan.

The REEL project, whose initial phase began in March 2024 and which is scheduled to run until August 2026, focuses on the development of film tourism and production conditions, with an emphasis on cross-border cooperation between partners from Italy and Croatia. Through numerous programme activities, the Kvarner Film Commission — the regional film office operating under the umbrella of Art-kino — aims to harness the tourism potential of films and television series shot in Rijeka and the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, strengthen existing production capacities for future filming in the area, and promote filmmaking by young local authors. The project coordinator is Apulia Film Commission. Alongside Art-kino (Kvarner Film Commission), project partners include the Istrian Cultural Agency (Istrian Film Commission), Kinematografi Dubrovnik, the Comune di Venezia and the Comune di Rimini, with associated partners the Croatian Audiovisual Centre and the Town of Pazin.