A professional script- and project-development program for creative teams and aspiring script consultants who believe in the importance of teamwork.
MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2025
Features
Now Running
Projects
Nine promising feature film projects
Participating projects are divided into 3 groups of 3, and development within each group is overseen by both a group leader and a script-consultant trainee.
Battalion Records
A group of young artists hijack Romania’s oldest music studio to stage a cultural revolution: masked and armed, they take the staff hostage to film a musical manifesto against Romania’s cultural ...
Carla`s Enzo
Enzo (47) is a good-hearted yet lonely worker living in an ordinary city. Carla (15), similarly unhappy and self-aware, desperately craves for the love that her parents, humanoid robots, are not ...
RadioAmateur
Krzysztof, a lonely widower forced into retirement, faces an ordinary last day at work—until his beloved dog dies. The loss triggers a health crisis and a stay at a faded post-Soviet sanatorium, ...
History of Illness
In the midst of hospital renovations, Jošt, a sensitive young man, is spending the day trying to find out more about the tic of his left eye. Frustratingly, the tic won't show itself in front of ...
In Good Faith
Hanna (15), a devout and selfless Catholic, lives a simple life with her feisty sister Paula (17) and their single mother in a small Polish town. As Hanna prepares for confirmation, her world is ...
The Last Game
Marius (14) fills the absence of his father by engaging in mischief with a group of older boys from his poor neighborhood. But when a reckless game of throwing rocks from a rooftop leaves a man in a ...
Restless
Nothing seems to calm LOLA’s (27) increasingly restless heart - neither the marriage to her down-to-earth husband SLÁVA (26), nor an ambitious fashion show she throws to make a countryside community ...
Sailing Close to the Wind
Roko (24), a sailor from the Mediterranean town of Split, is imprisoned for killing three drug dealers with an automatic rifle in broad daylight on the town’s promenade. Yet the public hails him as ...
Soyboy
A London street at dusk. Masked perpetrators film progressive teacher Gabe licking a shoe in exchange for his phone. When the incident goes viral and he discovers the aggressors were his own ...
Participants
The next generation of European film professionals
Script Consultant Trainees
Tutors
Inspirational professionals with a passion for sharing their experience
To ensure the most comprehensive approach to training, Feature Launch works with established and respected names from all over the European industry.
Producer Mentor
The Producer Mentor oversees the development of all projects, advises them during the process regarding production and budgetary issues, and guides them through the European industry landscape.
Danijel Hocevar
Slovenia
Film producer and CEO of Vertigo, a Ljubljana (Slovenia)-based production company with a distinctive track record and ...
Complete bio
Group Leaders
The Group Leaders oversee the development of projects in their group from the very beginning of the program through graduation. They also coach the script-consultant trainee assigned to their group.
Anne Gensior
Germany
Anne Gensior works as an international script consultant for feature films and documentaries and as a script reader and ...
Complete bio
Pavel Jech
Czech Republic
Pavel Jech co-founded MIDPOINT in 2010 and has been active ever since as a group leader and speaker in its various ...
Complete bio
Ivo Trajkov
Czech Republic
Ivo Trajkov works as a director, film editor, screenwriter and story editor. He was born in Macedonia and graduated ...
Complete bio
Script-consultant Trainee Mentor
The Script-consultant Trainee Mentor co-creates the training for the script-consultant trainees, ensuring that this training is implemented organically into the group work and that the collaborative set-up simulates a real-life industry environment. He meets regularly with the trainees, providing feedback and support.
Gyula Gazdag
United States
Gyula Gazdag is a director of film, theatre, and television productions. He has served as the Artistic Director of the ...
Complete bio
Pitching Tutor
The Pitching Tutor prepares participants to present themselves and their projects, in general and for the final pitching session of the program.
Producer Tutor
Katarina Tomkova ensures each team develops effective promotional materials and positions their project in an international context.
Experts
Guest Tutors
Program Awards
Eurimages Co-production Development Award
Karlovy Vary IFF will host the Eurimages Co-production Development Award of 20,000 EUR for one of the projects in development presented within their Eastern Promises Industry Days.
Feature Launch 2025 projects are also eligible to compete for this award, which will be granted based on the project´s artistic quality and its prospects of remaining a European co-production.
Works In Development Award
A joint financial award of MIDPOINT Institute and the Karlovy Vary IFF of 10,000 EUR for the best project of the Feature Launch 2025 program underlines the aim of the program itself – help emerging talents from Central and Eastern Europe to develop their film projects.
connecting cottbus Award
A selected project from MIDPOINT Feature Launch will be given the opportunity to present itself during the pitching event within the connecting cottbus co-production market. Participation will include individual consultations from international film professionals and one-on-one meetings with potential partners.
Rotterdam Lab Award
One producer will be handpicked to participate in the professional training program for producers, Rotterdam Lab, which takes place during the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Structure
Comprehensive program combining various formats
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Teams with projectOnline Feedback SessionJanuary 6-10, 2025 | Online
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Script-consultant traineesOnline Preparatory Seminar for Script Consultant TraineesFebruary 24-25, 2025 | Online
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ALL PARTICIPANTSWorkshop 1March 3-9, 2025 | Prague, Czech Republic
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ALL PARTICIPANTSOnline ConsultationsApril-June, 2025 | Online
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ALL PARTICIPANTSWorkshop 2 + Works in Development – Feature LaunchJuly 2-9, 2025 | Prague and Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, in collaboration with the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
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ALL PARTICIPANTSWorkshop 3September 22-28, 2025 | Pilsen, Czech Republic, in collaboration with the Finále Plzeň
Company Time
Follow-up workshop for producers
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ProducersFollow-up workshop for producersNovember 2025 (dates TBC) | Thessaloniki, Greece / in collaboration with EAVE
This follow-up workshop offers participating producers support in the areas of company sustainability and strategic business planning. This training is designed and co-organized with our partner EAVE.
The workshop is led by Juliane Schulze, a strategic creative economy expert in business, finance, investment and sustainability, who advises European and international audiovisual companies as well as funding institutions and business agencies. Over four days, participants will sharpen their competitive advantage and enhance the viability of their businesses. Feedback rounds and individual mentoring sessions will offer direct support to tackle the challenges they are facing as film professionals in an ever-changing marketplace.
This workshop is run in collaboration with the Thessaloniki IFF and within its industry section Agora, which brings participants further networking opportunities via its industry program.
Successful films
Selection of our successful alumni
Kyuka – Before Summer’s End
A single dad orchestrates a sailboat vacation for his twin adult children, secretly planning for them to meet their birth mom.
Status:
realised
MIDPOINT participants involved:
Kostis Charamountanis, Danae Spathara
Developed at:
MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2020
Genre:
Drama
A Sensitive Person
On their return to the Czech Republic to settle down after years of leading a nomadic lifestyle, 12-year-old Elias and his family encounter a swift string of events that turn their fortunes around. Elias, his dad and his little brother flee, disguised as women. While trying to reach a hospital to be reunited with their mother after her sudden collapse, they meet a colourful variety of locals and hear their dark life stories. Elias doesn’t speak and copes with his overall cynicism through his imagination, but he slowly comes to realise the ideals that his dad lost a long time ago.
Status:
realised
MIDPOINT participants involved:
Tomas Klein, Tomas Michalek
Developed at:
MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2019
Genre:
Comedy / Drama
Restore Point
Set in Europe during 2038, a female detective investigates the case of a murdered couple where a restoration team is able to bring one of them back to life.
Status:
realised
MIDPOINT participants involved:
Tomislav Cecka, Robert Hloz, Jan Kallista
Developed at:
MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2016
Genre:
Sci-Fi
Borders of Love
Hana and Peter have created the world they longed for. They are young, successful and people envy them. They have built a successful company that shall soon provide them for the rest of their lives. Yet somewhere along the way, they got “lost”. Facing a relationship crisis, they decide to open up their marriage. They are allowed to do whatever they please, on the condition of being honest to one another. They define a new set of rules that on the outside seems like the pure freedom, but internally are slowly destroying them.
Status:
realised
MIDPOINT participants involved:
Radovan Sibrt, Tomasz Winski
Developed at:
MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2017
Genre:
Drama
Vera, Dreams of the Sea
Vera is a middle-aged sign language interpreter, whose life is disrupted by her husband's suicide who has to face the raw reality of going against the deep-seated gender issues of our times.
Status:
realised
MIDPOINT participants involved:
Doruntina Basha, Kaltrina Krasniqi
Developed at:
MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2014
Genre:
Drama
Erasing Frank
1983. Frank, an angry kid from the streets with "no future". The state banned their music because their words are political. Frank escapes to a psychiatric ward where Hanna, a young enemy of the system, joins him.
Status:
realised
MIDPOINT participants involved:
Gabor Fabricius, Miklos Havas
Developed at:
MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2018
Genre:
Drama
How is Katia?
Anna is a 35-year-old single mother, working hard to provide a better future for her daughter Katia. A sudden turn of events makes Anna question her moral compass in a society where everyone has lost their own.
Status:
realised
MIDPOINT participants involved:
Veronika Stepanchuk, Christina Tynkevych
Developed at:
MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2019
Genre:
Drama
Leave No Traces
In 1983, communist Poland is shaken by the case of high school student Grzegorz Przemyk, who is beaten to death by police. The only witness of the beating becomes the number one enemy of the state.
Status:
realised
MIDPOINT participants involved:
Jan P. Matuszynski
Developed at:
MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2018
Genre:
Drama
Zana
Dark and haunting psychological drama about the collision of modern day faith healers and post-war trauma of survivors in Kosovo.
Status:
realised
MIDPOINT participants involved:
Casey Cooper Johnson, Antoneta Kastrati
Developed at:
MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2017, MIDPOINT Editing Room 2019
Genre:
Drama, mystery, thriller
Inventory
Boris Robič is, as we like to say, an ordinary man. One evening he gets brutally attacked at his home. The police arrives, and open the investigation. There are no suspects, and it seems that no one could possibly be interested in shooting Boris. The police eventually suspend the investigation, convinced that the shooting was a mere coincidence. Riddled with doubt, he starts investigating on his own. While searching for the potential perpetrators, we follow a tragicomic path of a man who discovers that more people hate him than he would ever have thought possible and that the perceptions that he has of his own life are nothing but illusions.
Status:
realised
MIDPOINT participants involved:
Vlado Bulajic, Darko Sinko
Developed at:
MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2017
Genre:
Drama
References
Huge motivation boost and way to move your project to the next level
The workshop provided essential insights that were crucial in enhancing the quality of our debut feature, Horses. Each session offered valuable, practical knowledge that strengthened both the script and the overall project packaging, which we believe will help move it into production.
Ida Weiss
Producer, Feature Launch 2024, Alumna
Nurturing is the first word that comes to mind when talking about the Feature Launch workshops. I felt supported and creatively challenged in getting to the core of our vision. An intense experience with a lot of productive frustration; cannot recommend it enough.
Eszter Horvath
Writer, Feature Launch 2024, Alumna
MIDPOINT Feature Launch provides a safe and welcoming environment,
where the emerging directors and producers can nurture their first feature projects. We're very happy with the overall direction of the program and the opportunities that it presented to us.
Krystof Burda
Producer, Feature Launch 2024, Alumnus
I can only recommend to attend Midpoint Feature Launch. The program is very well designed, the team is amazing and very attentive. The group leaders are great and devoted. All
projects seem to have make big steps. I think it's a great win of time in the development of a project to be able to share it not only with one person but with a group. This is the most precious
thing. It's also a great opportunity to network with people from all over the region and to scout potential future collaborations. Finally, I felt a lot of respect between all the participants,
shared values and wills to make great films, and a dose of kindness that sometimes is lacking in the industry. It makes the program very inspiring.
Marie-Gabrielle Peaucelle
Script Consultant Trainee, Feature Launch 2024, Alumna
MIDPOINT offers a truly unique experience, combining a high-quality program, exceptional lecturers, and an organization that genuinely cares about both the participants' knowledge and well-being. It’s rare to find a place where profit isn't the top priority. I highly recommend it to everyone!
Nikola Kupresanin
Script Consultant Trainee, Feature Launch 2024, Alumnus
FAQs
You may ask...
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Can I apply with an animation or documentary film project?
Sadly, Feature Launch does not work with animation or documentary projects, as these require a different set of skills and addresses a different market.
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Can I apply without a writer OR director OR producer in the team?
You can't. All these creative roles have to be present in your team. One person could represent more than one role (writer/director OR director/producer, etc.), or there could be two people representing one role (2x writer OR 2x producer, etc.). In any case, the team must consist of 2-3 people.
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I'm not European, can I apply?
Feature Launch is specifically designed for European writers, as we'd like to address the demand for training coming particularly from this territory. The main focus is put on the region of Central and Eastern Europe. However, projects with a strong co-production potential or already attached partners/team members from this region can be accepted as well. In case you are still not sure about your eligibility, please contact the program coordinator Sona Morgenthalova.
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I'm not fluent in English, can I still apply?
Sadly, no. As the entire training runs in English, and during the working days you'll be asked to write directly in English, we require an intermediate level of these language skills. This simply means: your grammar doesn't have to be perfect, but you need to talk/write fluently and have the vocabulary to do so.
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Once selected, how much time should I allocate to the training?
Quite honestly – a lot. Feature Launch is an intensive training, and apart from the assignments and work done during residential workshops, it operates with a system of tasks and deadlines in between these modules. So clear that calendar up a bit.
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Do I need to attend all the workshops in the program?
Yes, to fully engage in the training, it is essential for all team members to be present at every module of the program. It is not possible to selectively choose which workshops to attend, nor can someone else be nominated to take your or your teammate's
If you are aware, at the time of application, that you will not be able to participate in all the modules as described in the program structure above, please reconsider your application or seek a dedicated teammate who can commit to completing the entire training.
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Does MIDPOINT Institute offer scholarships?
It does. However, these are only partial, cannot be allocated to all participants, and their granting therefore considers various criteria. We HIGHLY recommend applying to a local supporting organization (national or local funds, ministries of culture or education, professional associations, etc.) at the same time you're applying to MIDPOINT Feature Launch. You can always withdraw your application if not selected, but as the processing time of this support can be rather long, it might be quite late to do this once we confirm you're in.
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Can I send you the application materials via e-mail?
We only accept applications submitted through our Visitor Page. Firstly, that way you can be sure your e-mail doesn't end up in junk, and secondly, all submitted materials are distributed to the selection committee via the Visitor Page (please see the 'Application' section).
Contact
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Meet MIDPOINT alumni—writers, script consultants, and development executives ready to bring stories to life!