21/06/2024 - Fifteen actors from the region of the former Yugoslavia joined the networking programme, along with international casting directors and agents

The 15 actors who took part in this year's ReActing as a Star networking programme

The third edition of the international industry networking programme ReActing as a Star, dedicated to connecting actors from the region of the former Yugoslavia with European casting directors, as well as film directors and European casting agents, took place from 14 to 16 June in Kranj, Slovenia during the KRAFFT Kranj Actors Film Festival, under the motto 'Play locally, Act Internationally!'

Fifteen established and up-and-coming actors took part in the event: Alenka Kraigher, Andrei Lenart and Klara Kuk from Slovenia, Jelena Stupljanin, Mladen Sovilj and Nikola Pavlović from Serbia, Jelena Simić and Milivoje Obradović from Montenegro, Antonio Scarpa, Ivana Roščić, Jona Zupković and Rea Bušić from Croatia, Igor Skvarica and Nadine Mičić from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Natalija Teodosieva from North Macedonia. 

The event included talks, panels and masterclasses with Bosnian director Aida Begić, international stars Zlatko Burić and Jakob Cedergren, casting directors Timka Grin (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Sam Jones (UK), Laura Muccino (Italy) and Anders Nygaard (Denmark), as well as casting agents Alice Walrafen (France), Anila Gajević (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Bojana Rnjak and Tijana Popović (Serbia). 

After a presentation of their showreels and an on-stage conversation with Croatian journalist Srdjan Sandić, the actors worked on scenes devised by Croatian director Miroslav Sikavica and Slovenian filmmaker Maja Križnik, who are both preparing their first feature films. In the workshop entitled 'Camera, Camera By the Wall, Who’s the Best for the Part of Them All?', the filmmakers collaborated with the casting directors on these scenes, going through the developmental process from recording self-tapes to simulating live castings for upcoming films. 

"I met many actors in the ReActing programme and I am impressed by their quality; they are extremely professional," said Nygaard.

"I believe this is exactly what we lacked — networking with various casting directors who are not only regional but also international," Roščić reflected. "At the workshops, I learned a lot about self-taping and casting and I am always open to new experiences and learning. But the most important thing was that I saw old colleagues and met some new ones and we worked together but also had a lot of fun."

The pros and cons of self-taping

A particularly insightful segment of the event was the panel entitled 'Actors on the International Stage', moderated by Grin, where participants had the opportunity to learn about the perspectives of casting directors and agents. 

"What we want to see is you, not somebody else's version of it, your version of it," said Jones. "Even if you're doing a self-tape and you haven't got many clues, it's better that you just take your best guess. Just be the most you version of it that you can be, because then even if you misunderstood the scene, we've seen you, and if we like the quality of you, we will give you more clues."

Muccino added: "If you don't have the context of the scene, it's really important to ask yourself questions about what you're reading. The more you do that, the deeper you go into your character and you can make decisions about what to do. The kind of choices you make tell us about your personality. And I can see the way you get into a scene, what is your thought about the character, even if it's wrong, because at this stage we look for the potential in you." 

The panel reflected on the proliferation of self-tapes, which was necessary during the pandemic but has remained a standard after it, as a way for productions to save money. 

"Especially for the director, this time spent in the room with actors is so precious because that's often when they know about the part, about the script, by hearing these really amazing offers that actors come into the room with," said Jones. "It's a way for the director to actually work out what they think about the script and the part, so it's a really crucial part of the process."

But self-tapes have some positive sides too, that actors might not even be aware of. "With self-tapes, we can see many more actors, especially young ones. At least for the beginning, I would never pick an actor without a live session, but this gives me a wider pool," said Muccino. 

Besides also opening up opportunities for actors who don't live in big cities where auditions usually take place, self-tapes can also lead actors to unexpected chances. 

"However much you think that your tape is getting lost somewhere, you suddenly get a call one day and your tape was there. It's thanks to the network of casting directors and agents who are always in contact with each other," explained Walrafen.

ReActing as a Star is an initiative of the Slovenian Film Centre and the associations Pari Pikule and Secret Arts Cinema, who are the producers of the project, in collaboration with film funds and centres from Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, as well as the educational program Training and Skills of the Sarajevo Film Festival, the European Film Academy, the International Casting Directors Association (ICDA), the platform Filmmakers.eu, and the KRAFFT Film Festival. Additionally, for the second consecutive year, the programme carries the European Film Academy's Knowledge Sharing label, which aims to support outstanding projects that connect individuals eager to share knowledge with those willing to listen and learn.