Film and audiovisual professionals from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro had the opportunity to take part in free online workshops dedicated to sustainability in film and audiovisual production, held from 28 to 30 September 2026.
The workshops, organized as part of the Green Film Balkans project, opened an important space for dialogue on sustainability in film and audiovisual production, as well as on the role film can play in addressing climate challenges.
The first day focused on understanding the climate crisis, climate literacy, and the environmental impact of the audiovisual industry. Climate literacy is the first step towards meaningful change in the film industry, and participants discussed both the challenges and practical opportunities for more sustainable production.
The second day brought concrete examples of sustainable film production. Drawing on her experience producing the film 18 Holes to Paradise, producer Andreia Nunes presented solutions in the areas of energy, transport, catering, materials, and waste management. Screenwriter and director Fernanda Polacow also opened up the question of sustainability within the stories we create, demonstrating how environmental and social issues can become part of cinematic storytelling.
The third day focused on green narratives and the future. Discussions explored how film can move beyond fear and dystopian imagery and offer stories that encourage action, justice, hope, and the imagination of different futures. At the same time, participants exchanged experiences on how small, achievable changes in production, from better planning and the more rational use of resources to sustainable catering and greater involvement of film crews, can make a real difference.
For Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Montenegro, sustainable film production is not a topic that belongs to some distant future. It is a question of how we will develop our film industries, how we will use existing resources, and how we will prepare for standards that are increasingly shaping European audiovisual production.
Our productions often operate with limited budgets and infrastructure. This is precisely why sustainability does not necessarily have to mean additional costs. On the contrary, the experiences shared during the workshops demonstrated that better planning, more efficient use of energy and materials, waste reduction, local cooperation, and more responsible transport and catering can make both environmental and financial sense.
For Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, it is particularly important to develop our own knowledge and capacities. Our goal should be to create practical solutions that respond to the real conditions in which local producers, film professionals, and crews work.
This is particularly important in the regional context. Bosnia and Herzegovina and the countries of the Balkans share similar production challenges, as well as enormous creative potential. The exchange of experiences and the development of common guidelines can help make sustainable production part of everyday filmmaking practice, rather than an exception or a privilege available only to individual projects.
There is another important side to the story, the stories we tell. Film has the power to open up questions that matter to our societies: our relationship with nature, water, and land; the way we use resources; the consequences of climate change; social justice; and our responsibility towards future generations. Our stories can offer audiences not only an image of the problems we face, but also a space to imagine different possibilities.
That is why Green Film Balkans represents an important starting point for a conversation about how Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro can produce quality films, develop their industries, and at the same time use more responsibly the spaces, resources, and people that make these industries possible.
One important next step is the development of practical guidelines for sustainable film production in the Balkans, adapted to our local conditions and needs, without necessarily relying on formal certification.
Green Film Balkans carries a simple but important message: film does not only have to reflect the world we live in, it can help us imagine and build the world we want to live in.
We would like to thank lecturers Dörte Schneider Garcia and Eva Svenstedt Ward, as well as Andreia Nunes and Fernanda Polacow, for sharing their knowledge, experience, and openness, and all the participants who contributed to this important conversation about the future of sustainable film production in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.
‘Green Film Balkans’ is supported by UNESCO, through the “Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans” (CC4WBs) a project funded by the European Union that aims to foster dialogue in the Western Balkans by enhancing the cultural and creative sectors for increased socio-economic impact.
