MIDPOINT Institute

OPEN LETTER

Thousands of cinema professionals, including prominent directors, authors, actors and industry leaders from across Europe and beyond have come together around this simple but urgent message: Europe needs cinema. Cinema needs Europe.

They have signed an Open Letter calling on the European Commission, the European Parliament and Member States to preserve and reinforce the MEDIA programme as a major instrument of support for European independent cinema.

The open letter celebrates MEDIA's role in promoting cultural diversity, artistic freedom, jobs, innovation and European soft power, and calls for the programme's future to be secured and its resources reinforced.

The petition is still open. Add your name here:
https://form.jotform.com/261123392857056

Meet MIDPOINT at the Festival de Cannes 🌴

Next week, part of the MIDPOINT team will be heading to the Cannes Film Festival.
Our CEO Struss and Programme Coordinator Soňa Morgenthalová will be in Cannes from May 14 to 21.

Join the conversation, connect with us, and see you in Cannes ✨

🔈Open Call for MIDPOINT Shorts is now open!

Do you have a short film idea? MIDPOINT Shorts supports script and project development for short films in Europe and helps emerging filmmakers connect with the industry. ✨

What will you gain?
✺ Develop your script and project through two workshops and online consultations
✺ Showcase your project at WEMW in Trieste

Guided by our amazing tutors:
✺ Pavel Marek & Gabriele Brunnenmeyer — Group Leaders & Script Consultants
✺ Dora Nedeczky — Producer Tutor

Dates & venues:
✺ Online Feedback Session | July 29-31, 2026
✺ Workshop 1 | October 12–18, 2026 (5 working days) | Brno, Czech Republic
in collaboration with ISFF BRNO16
✺ Online Consultations | December 2026
✺ Workshop 2 | January 2027 (6 working days, exact dates TBC) | Trieste, Italy
in collaboration with When East Meets West & Trieste Film Festival

Application deadline: 15 June, 2026

For more details and to apply, visit our website.

Huge thanks to our funders Creative Europe MEDIA, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, and the Czech Audiovisual Fund, and to our partners When East Meets West, Trieste Film Festival, International Short Film Festival BRNO16, and collaborators SFC | Rendez-vous Industry, In the Paláce ISFF and ERIAC European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture for making another year of the programme possible.

Our first Climate Transformative Narrative workshop wrap-up is here! 🌿

Three days of a creative lab exploring how environmental and socially impactful themes can be integrated into storytelling.

Many thanks to our tutors — Nina Hernandez, Barbora Námerová, and guest Ondřej Kolínský — and to all participants and projects for their energy and creativity. 🌱

This first edition was part of Homecoming and available exclusively to our alumni. Stay tuned — the next edition will be announced via an open call.

Photos by Dominik Kučera.

With support of: , European Climate Foundation, the Czech Audiovisual Fund, and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

✨Homecoming wrap-up is here!

We would like to thank all our tutors, alumni, hosts, and participants for being part of MIDPOINT Homecoming.

It was three incredible days filled with project showcases, consultations, workshops, quizzes, open mics 🎤,and plenty of great moments together. Thank you for your energy, openness, and inspiring conversations. 💫

Feel free to share your thoughts and impressions with us — and we hope to see you again next year!

📸 Photos by Dominik Kučera.

✨ Sharing an Open Call: MASO #3

Short Film Training Programme 👇

🎬 MASO #3 - Open Call

The call for the third edition of MASO - Short Film Training Programme is now open, offering filmmakers from around the world the opportunity to develop, produce, and present their short film with the support of international experts.

Selected teams will be guided through all stages, across workshops, mentoring sessions, and industry moments between Norway and South Tyrol.

📅 Apply by June 30, 2026

👉 Discover more and apply via this link: https://www.film-music.idm-suedtirol.com/it/location-development/maso/maso-3

OPEN INDUSTRY SESSIONS – FREE ENTRY

Join us at MIDPOINT Homecoming 2026 for two inspiring lectures open to all film and TV professionals.

📍 Jatka78, Prague
🗓 Monday, 20 April
🗣 In English | Free entry | No accreditation required simply fill in the form to join: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-wFRkgjAhdeiFEV1gnYeiGmGGLtpzNmH79v9VzozHXN133Q/viewform

5:00 PM – Scripting Reality
with screenwriter Barbora Namerová and creative producer Klára Follová
A case study focused on adapting the tragic real-life story of writer Simona Monyová into the compelling television drama Monyová, while navigating the sensitivities surrounding domestic violence.

5:45 PM – Audience Design
with Kirsten Loose
How to ensure your film or series finds its audience—an insightful introduction to audience design, focusing on strategies for understanding and engaging audiences.

7:00 PM – Dinner & Closing Party
Join us for a reception and closing party with DJ Šimon Holý!

We look forward to meeting you there!

🔈MIDPOINT Alumni, are you free during Homecoming?

✨Join our Homecoming for a day! Choose Sunday 19th April or Monday 20th April in Prague, Jatka78 and reconnect with the community through networking, project showcases, industry sessions, an open mic, and a party.

🎟 One-day pass: €20 (payable at the entrance, QR code payment).
See the infographic for the full schedule and come join us!

✨Huge congratulations to our MIDPOINT Shorts alumni – directors: Wannes Vanspauwen and Pol De Plecker, and producer Jules Mathôt – on the selection of their short film Pithead for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Festival de Cannes 2026.

We are incredibly proud and wish them great success in Cannes!🎬

✨We’re thrilled to announce the four projects selected for the first edition of the MIDPOINT Climate Transformative Narrative Workshop 2026! 🌿

A three-day creative lab within MIDPOINT HOMECOMING, designed for creators exploring how environmental, climate-related, and socially impactful themes can be integrated into compelling stories — for both series and feature projects.🎬

A huge thank you to our program funders: , European Climate Foundation, the Czech Audiovisual Fund, and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

🔗 More information about the program and selected projects: https://www.midpoint-institute.eu/en/detail/midpoint-climate-transformative-narrative-workshop-7gu5nY