In a region where formal animation education is limited and resources are often scarce, what does it take to not only begin, but also sustain a career in animation? This panel examines locally grounded strategies for building a viable creative practice in the Balkans, one that doesn’t rely solely on international partnerships or external funding.

Through personal stories and practical insights, the discussion explores how animators are carving out space for their work using what’s available: community-based learning, shared resources, low-budget innovation, and informal networks of support. It looks at models of sustainability that grow from the inside, whether through collective studios, independent production, or regional collaboration, and considers how to maintain creative momentum amid financial and structural constraints. Rather than viewing the Balkans as a stepping stone to somewhere else, this session centers on how to make it a long-term base for meaningful and self-sustaining animation work.

Moderator: Vessela Dantcheva

Vessela Dantcheva is an animation director and producer. She graduated in Animation at Rotterdam Art Academy in 2002 and gained her animation experience in the Netherlands. Her first professional film was ‘Anna Blume’, then she was part of the creation of ‘Father’, ‘Travelling Country’, the poetry collection ‘Mark & Verse’, ‘Hierarchy Glitch’, ‘Trace’, ‘Balconada’ and many others. In 2008 she co-founds Compote Collective and since then she is managing the production of diverse artistic animation films, which are screened and awarded worldwide. Compote Collective is one of the leading animation production companies in Bulgaria with a record of 45 animated films. Vessela is invited often to participate in workshops, presentations and as a jury member at international festivals and pitching events. She is a lecturer in animation studies at New Bulgarian University and National Academy of Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria

Panelist: Marko Dješka

Marko Dješka is a Croatian animation director, comic book artist, and illustrator based in Zagreb. He is the director of the award-winning animated short All Those Sensations in My Belly and has created several other films and comics. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, Marko is also the editor-in-chief of comic magazines Strip Prefix and OHOHOzin, and a co-organizer of the OHOHO Festival. He works as a director and scriptwriter at Adriatic Animation.

Panelist: Draško Ivezić

Draško Ivezić was born in 1975 in Pula, Croatia. He now lives in Angoulême, France. He works as an animated film director, screenwriter, producer, and voice actor. He co-founded Adriatic Animation in Croatia. He collaborates with talents from Croatia and Eastern and Central Europe.

Ivezić has worked on various projects as a creative producer. These include short films, TV shows, and feature films. In his 12-year career, he has produced 14 short animated films. His work has won awards at major festivals like Animafest Zagreb, OIAF, and Annecy. It was chosen for Sundance, TIFF, and Berlinale. It is also on the shortlist for the 2024 Oscars.

Panelist: Flaka Kokolli

Flaka Kokolli is an animator and filmmaker from Kosovo. In 2019 she graduated from the Metropolitan University of Budapest with a degree in Animation BA. Before that, her engagement with animation started in 2013 when she first became part of the Anibar International Animation Festival as a volunteer, then as a workshop tutor, film selection panel member, and up until 2024 festival interviewer. In 2020, she opened an animation studio in Prishtina ‘Flammorum’, with which she has finished three short films, two animated music videos, and numerous other animated projects such as explainer videos and educational content for different organizations and initiatives.

Panelist: Krste Gospodinovski

Krste Gospodinovski is a Macedonian director and animator. He studied painting at the National Art Academy – Sofia and he’s currently doing his Ph.D. in cultural studies\animation

He is a Professor and head of the animation department at the University of Audiovisual Arts – Europa Prima – Skopje, and one of the founders of the Festival for European short animated films, Flipbook Film Festival in Skopje. His previous short animated films (author/co-author) Gottlieb (2018), Snakelet (2020) and Not-Being (2023) were screened at over 100 festivals and won several awards.