The Center for Social Innovation "Blink 42-21" and the Macedonian Network of Cinemas organized the first meeting within the framework of the "European Film Challenge" project, and the event brought together professionals from the domestic film industry, cinema exhibitors and representatives of film festivals.

The "European Film Challenge" project is a tool for the development of a new audience with the aim of promoting European film among cinema lovers, and it is implemented in our country by the "Blink 42-21" Center for Social Innovation. Zorica Velkovska is the co-founder of the Center for Social Innovations "Blink 42-21" where for more than 14 years, together with a small, but extremely motivated and dedicated team, they have been developing innovative solutions for the social challenges we face.

She is a tireless optimist, a technology enthusiast, a visionary for innovations that lead to progress, prosperity and happiness in the community and a constant protagonist that Macedonia needs success stories! One of those stories is the realization of the "European Film Challenge" project.

Within the European Film Challenge project, you held an industry event for the development of a new film audience. On what occasion and for what purpose was the event held?

- The event "Industry Cooperation - THINK AUDIENCE" was held within the project "European Film Challenge" (European Film Challenge - EFC), which unites the industry and the audience from 13 European countries in a Pan-European community that celebrates and promotes European film.

In close cooperation with the relatively young initiative for the Macedonian network of cinemas, the event brought together professionals from the film industry, cinema exhibitors and film festivals for an open discussion on the exchange of experiences and the development of innovative approaches to retain the audience and attract new, above all, young people audience. The industry is facing these challenges globally, and especially European cinema, which is "struggling" to reach the interests and needs of young audiences in the era of digital dominance of streaming platforms, as well as European films, which are often overshadowed by Hollywood achievements.

At the event, in addition to discussing the developments, needs and opportunities in our country, the participants had the opportunity to see several innovative approaches and success stories, such as the introduction of cinema-literacy programs, the creation of interactive events involving the young audience, the development of program according to the needs of different audiences, attractive and entertaining interaction through social media, etc., which was shared by the representative of "Kinodvor" from Ljubljana, Sara Horjen.

From our perspective, the event "Industry Cooperation - THINK AUDIENCE" was more than a platform for discussion, but also a space for cooperation, strengthening of networks and exchange of experiences for a better understanding of the interests and needs of the new generation of film audiences. This is a call for joint action, with the clear aim of making European cinema more accessible, attractive and recognizable.

Such initiatives show how important cross-sector cooperation is, confirming that the future of European film lies in close cooperation between the industry and the audience, emphasizing the importance of adapting to contemporary trends in audience involvement. Through the "European Film Challenge" project, we can proudly say that the representatives of the film industry in North Macedonia are active actors and part of this process of cultural transformation at the European level.

Where did the idea for the "European Film Challenge" project come from and how did "Blink 42-21" get involved in its realization?

– The idea behind the European Film Challlenge (EFC) starts from 2016 with a simple goal – to motivate young audiences to discover the richness and diversity of European cinema. Through an innovative tool – a motivating challenge for the audience, EFC has grown over the years into a platform available in 13 European countries for the promotion of national film achievements, showcasing talents, connecting film festivals, raising awareness of watching European films on legal platforms and developing new audience.

In 2019, our organization became part of the consortium implementing the project within the "Creative Europe" program of the European Commission. Since then "European Film Challenge" has been available to our audience and over the years has developed and connected a small but significant community of fans of European film and independent "indie" cinema, who actively use the space to entertain, discover, recommend and share the best European accomplishments.

What results have you achieved in the project so far?

- In the past six years, the film challenges for the Macedonian audience allowed many (winners) to spend unforgettable film experiences walking on the red carpet and from the front rows in the cinema halls of major European festivals. Following the simplicity of winning the challenge "watch 10 European films in 10 weeks and earn the most points on your profile on the platform" the project is already a recognized supporter of our film festivals, cinemas and VOD platforms, a promoter of film productions and a creative space for fans of European film, filmmakers and enthusiasts.

In addition, the data shows the size of this Pan-European community, which unites over 100.000 registered users of the platform, over 4.000 entered European films and over 9.000 players in each challenge. At the same time, the realization of the project in 13 countries in Europe through different media channels reaches more than 100 million audiences.

From our perspective, we consider the project to be extremely important in supporting countries with smaller film industries, ensuring the promotion of their national productions, allowing their films to reach audiences on the wider European scene. For us, as an organization implementing the "European Film Challenge" project, it is a pleasure and a particular pride for us to see that in the list of 10 films of the winners in Spain, Italy, Germany, Slovenia, Latvia, etc. there are films from our production. We are overjoyed when "Willow", "Sisters", "Honeyland", "God Exists, Her Name is Petrunia", "Housekeeping for Beginners", "Traveling on Foot" and a number of other films brought victory to a young film buff in Europe. in the challenge.

With which film festivals do you cooperate in realizing the challenge?

– The European Film Challenge was launched as an initiative with the three largest festivals in Berlin, Cannes and Venice, taking into account the attractiveness of these festivals as a motivation for the audience to participate in the challenge and win an unforgettable trip to them. Despite the established cooperation, honestly not every winner has the same experience at the festivals. Regardless of having secured accreditation, paid accommodation and travel, the experience as a spectator also depends on the engagement of the winner to watch as many films as possible, to participate in accompanying events and parties.

The size of festivals does not always mean the biggest and best experience for the audience. Taking into account the experiences of our winners, I can safely say that Blink 42-21 was the initiator at the consortium level to evaluate the festival experience and expand cooperation. So, since 2023, we have initiated and established cooperation with the Sarajevo Film Festival and the San Sebastian Festival, which in two years have proven to be excellent hosts and very "friendlier" for the audience, thanks to the availability of content, accessibility to locations and the equally attractive red carpet with movie stars.

On the other hand, for us, as an organization, cooperation with our festivals is extremely important to us and since 2019 we have been cooperating and supporting the programs of "CinEdays", "Beach Film Festival" in Ohrid and "MakeDox" in Skopje. In addition, we jointly create accompanying content for the audience, extra points in the film challenge at festivals, as well as organize "Film&Friends" events where the audience is entertained with music from famous European films.

Representatives of the Macedonian network of cinemas were present at the event. What kind of cooperation do you have with the movie theaters in our country?

- I must mention that in addition to the festivals, since the beginning of the "European Film Challenge" project, we have been actively cooperating and promoting the repertoires of Kinoteka, 3D Cinema Bitola and "Kinoverzum". We're constantly creating content to promote the European films they're showing, we're giving away tickets through social media campaigns, and we have a constant rule in every challenge of +6 points for a European film seen on these sites.

The Macedonian Network of Cinemas is a young initiative, which was established in 2024 as an organization dedicated to the unification of cinemas in North Macedonia and with the mission of representing common interests, promoting the development of cinema and improving film culture at the national level.

Cooperation came naturally for the event "Industry Cooperation - THINK AUDIENCE", where the importance of joint efforts in the promotion of European cinema and innovative approaches in attracting new audiences to cinema halls was highlighted. From the event, many ideas were developed for cooperation between "Blink 42-21" and the Macedonian network of cinemas, not only within the framework of the "European Film Challenge", but also for new joint projects that will open the regional or European perspective.

What is the profile of the Center for Social Innovation "Blink 42-21" and what projects are part of your activities?

- The Center for Social Innovation "Blink 42-21", founded in 2011 in Skopje, is a platform that connects people committed to the idea that social innovation leads to economic, educational, cultural and social transformation through the smart use of people, data and technology .

For the past 14 years, we have been working on developing and applying innovative solutions, primarily digital solutions, to improve the public sector, innovations for better education and tools for interactive participation in culture. One of the key missions of the organization is to improve accessibility to culture and enable inclusion in culture for everyone through the use of new technologies and innovations.

In the portfolio of "Blink 42-21" there are several pioneering projects that have an impact in the country, the Balkans and in Europe, such as: the first VR application "Gladiators return to Stobi" for the largest archaeological site Stobi; the mobile application "Immersium", which enables interactive guided research, education and entertainment at three archaeological sites - Stobi in North Macedonia, Viminacium in Serbia and Emona in Slovenia and the model for "Immersive storytelling to encourage cooperation and spread the cultural heritage of the Western Balkans" " developed for partner organizations in five countries - North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Greece and Bulgaria.

From November 2024, for the first time, we are the leading partner of a large project, "Talking Heads – Conversation with the Art from the past", supported by the "Creative Europe" program. In the next three years, together with prominent partners from Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, Georgia and Ukraine, in addition to activities to strengthen the capacities of the cultural and creative sector, we will develop a digital platform that uses artificial intelligence, large learning models and databases for conversation in first person with the portraits and sculptures in museums and locations around the cities.

As an organization, we continuously create partnerships to foster collaboration between the cultural and creative sectors, to build new platforms for the dissemination of culture, and to apply emerging and advanced technologies to create user-centric narratives and experiences that reach people beyond the physical. spaces.

(The interview was published in "Cultural Press" number 258, in the printed edition of the newspaper "Sloboden Pechat" on April 30.11-May 01.12.2024, XNUMX)