The sixth edition of the Heart of Europe International TV Festival and Forum reaches its climax in Warsaw on October 29, with the Heart of Europe 2026 Awards following a third day of pitching sessions, industry discussions and networking.

The Thursday program opens with two fiction series pitching sessions, running from 10.00 to 12.15, giving selected projects an opportunity to reach broadcasters, distributors and potential co-production partners. The morning continues with three quick chats focused on financing and international collaboration.

Veronika Slámová, CEO of the Czech Audiovisual Fund, will discuss co-production opportunities, followed by Marcin Wierzchosławski of Metro Films, co-producer of Agnieszka Holland’s Franz, sharing lessons on making cross-border productions work across Central and Eastern Europe. Anna Gawlita, producer at Kijora Film, will then explain how slate funding works, drawing on Creative Europe MEDIA projects.

At 14.30, the panel You Made It. Now What? The New Battle for Audiences will examine the challenges of reaching viewers after a production has been completed. Moderated by Sascha Fahrbach, the discussion will feature Emmanuel Eckert of Samara Media, Maria Kivinen of Norse Key Studios and Kåre Vedding Poulsen of SVT/DR.

The afternoon will also feature Pitch Highlights, presenting selected projects from NEM Zagreb, Media Play and IMZ, before the festival culminates with the awards ceremony from 18.30 to 20.00.

This year’s festival brings together representatives of 13 public broadcasters and nearly 250 creators, producers and media industry professionals from Central and Eastern Europe and beyond. Its competition features 28 shortlisted productions submitted by broadcasters across the region, with international juries selecting winners in six categories: Fiction Film, Fiction Series, Documentary, Short Documentary, Digital and Entertainment, and Children and Youth.

The nominees include Polish productions such as Chopin, Chopin!, Winter of the Crow and Variola Vera; Czech titles Mom and The Offspring; Lithuania’s 222 Days and Kill Zone; and Estonia’s Stolen Hope: Love Hustler and Venice of the East. Other shortlisted works come from Serbia, Latvia, Hungary, Slovenia and Ukraine.

Alongside the competition, the Heart of Europe Forum focuses on project pitches, panel discussions, presentations and networking, with a particular emphasis on strengthening co-production partnerships across the region. This year’s submissions include a record number of projects across feature films, TV series and documentaries, as well as a newly introduced Arts category.