Over the next few months, they’ll refine their screenplays, explore their visual language, shoot scenes with professional crews, and face one of the hardest questions a filmmaker can ask themselves: What exactly is the film?
It always starts with an idea.
A scene. A face. A question that won’t go away.
Sometimes it’s a bike stolenon a birthday.
Sometimes it’s a father trying to steal just a little more time with his daughter.
Sometimes it’s a man stuck between reality and nightmare.
What is EKRAN+?
EKRAN+ is an advanced development lab organized by Wajda School in cooperation with Austrian Film Institute, Lithuanian Film Centre, Estonian Film Institute, Croatian Audiovisual Centre and the Polish Film Institute. Each year, EKRAN+ helps shape the visions of upcoming filmmakers through a hands-on process involving script development, visual treatment, and pilot shooting.
Over the years, EKRAN+ has become a launching pad for films that have gone on to win awards at top international festivals, including Berlinale, Locarno, Gdynia Film Festival, and more.
Let’s meet the filmmakers and stories selected for the 2025 edition:
When Personal Becomes Universal - “The Bicycle Thief” (Estonia)
Director: Elisabeth Kužovnik
Producers: Andreas Kask, Laura Raud (Nafta Films)
Cinematographer: Elen Lotman
An autobiographical coming-of-age film about Sigrit, who receives a new bike for her birthday—only to have it stolen that same night. Over the course of a week, her quest to recover becomes a journey through the emotional terrain of a family living in distress.
Elisabeth Kužovnik is a Tallinn-based screenwriter, director, and photographer. A graduate of Baltic Film and Media School, her student short The King won the national competition at the Black Nights Film Festival (2021). Her storytelling is rooted in absurd comedy, emotional realism, and social commentary.
Director: Jorūnė Greičiūtė
Producers: Rūta Petronytė, Smart Casual
Co-writer: Matas Vildžius
Cinematographer: Odeta Riškutė
On a remote Lithuanian island, a couple tries to enjoy a peaceful vacation. But rumors of a flood begin to grow — and with them, cracks in their relationship. Flood, directed by Jorūnė Greičiūtė, is a study in emotional suspense. Jorūnė, who once studied philosophy, is drawn to the subtleties of human behavior. Together with co-writer Matas Vildžius, a prolific screenwriter for both theatre and film, she explores how fear — even imagined — can unsettle everything we hold dear.
Director: Jasna Zastavniković
Producer: Anita Juka (4Film)
Writers: Dubravka Majić Misir, Nikola Kuprešanin
Cinematographer: Ven Jermešić
In Wild Circle, Croatian director Jasna Zastavniković takes us into the troubled mind of Kalaš, a former soldier plagued by PTSD. His days are filled with conflict and chaos; his nights with surreal visions of loss, guilt, and love. Jasna, who has directed films and television for years, joins forces with a unique writing duo: Dubravka Majić Misir, a lawyer and cinephile writing her first screenplay, and Nikola Kuprešanin, a journalist-turned-screenwriter who has worked alongside Oscar-winner Danis Tanović. Together with powerhouse producer Anita Juka, they’re crafting a haunting, layered tale of trauma and redemption.
Director: Stefan Bohun
Producer: David Bohun (Panama Film)
Cinematographer: Klemens Hufnagl
Stefan Bohun is asking a quiet, powerful question: what happens when one man dares to challenge a system that dehumanizes people? Human Resource follows recruiter Jan as he defends a temp worker, putting his own values on trial. Stefan, a graduate of the Vienna Film School under Michael Haneke, is no stranger to human complexity. His films have won acclaim at Diagonale and First Steps Awards — and this project, produced by his brother David Bohun, promises to hit close to home for many.
Director & Producer: Ievgen Koshyn
In First Ukrainian Spaceman, a teenager dreams of leaving Earth — or maybe just escaping his own life. While his mother plans to emigrate from post-Soviet Ukraine, he builds a spaceship in secret. It's strange, poetic, and achingly real. Just like its creator.
Ievgen Koshyn is a Ukrainian filmmaker whose shorts have been shown at more than 100 festivals. His experience spans TV series, international docudramas, and collaborations with directors like Jake Paltrow. His stories are often rooted in dislocation and longing — themes that feel especially urgent today.
Director & Producer: Artur Wyrzykowski (Bold Humans)
Cinematographer: Ernest Wilczyński
Adam, recently discharged from hospital, takes his young daughter on a farewell journey. Each moment they share becomes more precious as they steal more time together.
Artur Wyrzykowski is a Polish writer-director and script analyst whose feature debut This Is Not Happening is in postproduction. His storytelling blends emotional sensitivity with structural precision.
Behind every one of these filmmakers stands a network of mentors, collaborators, and programs that help their stories take flight. EKRAN+ is not just a lab. It’s a place where raw ideas become cinematic reality — with guidance from top European experts and support from partners like Austrian Film Institute, Lithuanian Film Centre, Polish Film Institute, and Creative Europe MEDIA.
And the results speak for themselves:
The 2025 edition of EKRAN+ is already in motion. Workshops. Rewrites. Tests. Trust. Vulnerability. Discovery. And above all — storytelling.
Because every great film begins not with a camera, but with someone brave enough to say:
"I have something to tell you."