CIRCLE Fiction Orbit 2024
Participants

Project Name

IN FOG, FOLLOW THE DOTS

Serbia

Maša Nešković

Director

Maša Nešković, a filmmaker with a Ph.D. in polymedia art, has directed award-winning films like Asymmetry, TV series, and LGBTQ+ documentaries. She’s an EAVE and Sarajevo Talents alumna, developing Kafka in Belgrade and In Fog, Follow the Dots. Maša also teaches directing in Belgrade.

Ena Bajraktarević

Writer

Ena Bajraktarević, a graduate of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, has produced short films, music videos, and commercials. She’s worked as a production manager, AD, and coordinator, and co-produced FEST in Belgrade. Ena is now producing Kafka in Belgrade and developing her first fiction screenplay, In Fog, Follow the Dots.

Project Name

IT WILL FADE AWAY

Slovenia

Barbara Zemljič

Director

Barbara Zemljič is an acclaimed writer, director, and assistant professor of screenwriting at the University of Ljubljana’s Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film, and Television. She has written and directed award-winning films, TV series, and theater productions. Her works include How I Learned to Hang Laundry, which premiered at the Sarajevo Film Festival in 2023, earning the Partner Prize and a European Film Award nomination. A European Film Academy member, Barbara continues to shape the future of storytelling.

Project Name

NO ROOTS

Brazil

Joana Oliveira

Director and Producer

Joana Oliveira is a Brazilian director and screenwriter. She studied direction of film at EICTV, Cuba and has her master’s degree in film studies. Joana teaches directing and screenwriting at the University and
at workshops. She has directed and written many short films that were shown and awarded internationally. Participated as a talent at Berlinale Talents. She has also directed and produced two feature documentary films “Morada” (2010) and “Kevin”(2021). Joana is a partner at the company
Bukaya Filmes.

Project Name

PEEKABOO

Turkey, Germany

Aysim Türkmen

Director

Aysim Türkmen, a Bosphorus University graduate, earned her MA at NYU with a full scholarship, producing the short Just Like Today during her studies. Known for her award-winning documentaries on urban issues, she debuted in narrative filmmaking with Arabesque Underground (2014). A founding member of Filmperest and host of Lands and Faces on Açık Radio, she also serves on the advisory board of the İzmir International Women Filmmakers Festival. Currently, she is producing her feature Peekaboo and documentary Suburbia Underground.

Nesra Gürbüz

Producer

Nesra Gürbüz, a Cultural Studies MA graduate, began her career at Anadolu Kültür, coordinating cinema and photography projects. Transitioning to producing in 2012, she attended Sarajevo Talent Campus, IDFAcademy, and EAVE. Her credits include Sivas (Venice Special Jury Prize, 2014) and Dust Cloth (Berlinale 2016, Istanbul Film Festival Best Film). Founder of Monomit Film, Nesra produces diverse projects and remains active in the international film industry.

Project Name

TETHYS OCEAN

Poland

Anna Jadowska

Director

Anna Jadowska is a graduate of Łódź Film School and Wajda Masterschool of Directing, her feature Touch Me (Berlinale 2003) won the Grand Independent Cinema Prize in Poland. Her short Corridor was selected for Cannes Critics’ Week. She received the Best Polish Debut Award for Now, Me (2005). Her acclaimed Wild Roses (2017) won multiple awards, including the Impact Award at Stockholm IFF. Her latest film, Woman on the Roof (2022), premiered at Tribeca and earned accolades at numerous international festivals.

Maria Blicharska

Producer

Maria Blicharska, a Polish-French producer, specializes in international co-productions. Co-founder of Donten & Lacroix Films, Blick Productions (Paris), and Blick Productions International (Cracow), she creates films for global audiences. With a background in Cultural Management, Literature, and studies at top European film schools, Maria has worked on 35+ projects, earning international festival accolades. A member of EFA, ACE, EAVE, and Cannes Producers on the Move 2017, she is a prominent industry figure.

Guest Project Name

BAPTISM OF SILENCE

South Africa

Kanya Viljoen

Director

Kanya Viljoen is a South African writer-director known for award-winning films like Ekstasis (2020), which earned accolades at Cannes YDAs and other festivals. Her short The Moment of Dying (2021) won Best Experimental Film and was shortlisted at Toronto and Cannes. As the founder of Unusual Bones, a women-led collective, she explores collaborative storytelling. Her latest work, 'n Doop om Stilte (2023), won Best Director and Best Short Film at the Silwerskerm Festival.

Casey-Ann Diepeveen

Producer

Casey Diepeveen is a South African multi-arts producer known for projects like Ekstasis (Cannes YDAs), Reaching (Infecting the City), and Trifole (Italy). As creative producer at Unusual Bones since 2021, she holds degrees in Industrial Psychology, Political Science, and Strategic Brand Communications. She also completed a film conservatory at NYFA. Casey serves as Development Director at Bond Street Theatre and facilitates arts programs in South Africa, South Sudan, Egypt, and Palestine.