The Serbian film and television industries are in a state of crisis, with independent production in the Balkan powerhouse crippled by what leading industry groups describe as “a coordinated campaign of state-sponsored censorship.”
\n\nNearly two years after a devastating train station disaster that killed 16 people and sparked mass demonstrations against the government of President Aleksandar Vučić, independent producers say they’re being shut out by state-aligned media and starved of financing by the national funding body, Film Center Serbia, which has not announced a public call in nearly two years.
\n\n“There are virtually no independent sources of financing left in Serbia,” said one leading film and TV producer, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of potential repercussions.
\n\n“Whether you are looking for public funding for a film, financing from the national broadcaster, or investment from the other major media companies, all of the major sources of financing are now state-owned or state-controlled,” they added. “If you are considered politically undesirable, there is really nowhere else to go.”
\n\nEarlier this year, a coalition of leading film guilds and professional associations issued a desperate plea to the international film community, alleging in an open letter that “political interference, informal blacklists of…
Original source: https://variety.com/v/tv/