Varaždin Media Fest Programme

Thursday, 8 October 2026

  1. General Assembly of the South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM)

    Closed meeting Closed to the public

Friday, 9 October 2026

  1. Registration

    Registration Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace

  2. Festival Opening Ceremony

    Opening Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace

  3. How Free (or Not) Are the Media, and How Can They Be Freed?

    Panel Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace Recording

    Oliver Vujović, Erik Uszkiewicz, Branko Čečen, Zrinka Vrabec Mojzeš, Dr Marko Milosavljević, Anuška Delić, Željko Ivanović

  4. Break

  5. Engaged Citizens Reporting

    Presentation Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace Recording

    Xhorxhina Bami

  6. Lunch

  7. What Do We (Not) Know About the Audience — and Why Does It Matter?

    Panel Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace Media Diversity Institute Western Balkans Recording

    Milica Pešić, Željko Ivanović, Alma Kardović Radetinac

  8. Break

  9. The Ethics of War Reporting – Does War Journalism Still Exist?

    Panel Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace Recording

    Danica Ilić, Boro Kontić, Dragan Golubović, Hassan Haidar Diab, Nikola Šolić, Emmanuelle Chaze

  10. Break

  11. Book Presentations

    Book presentation Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace

    Kristian Novak, Goran Gavranović, Helena de Karina, Kruno Lokotar

  12. Break

  13. Stand-up: Shelf Life

    Stand-up Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace

    Peđa Bajović

Saturday, 10 October 2026

  1. International Cooperation: Project Presentations

    Presentation Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace Recording

    Luka Zanoni, Giovanni Vale, Xhorxhina Bami

  2. Break

  3. Is Artificial Intelligence a Journalist’s Ally or Enemy?

    Presentation Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace Recording

    Vladimir Leličanin, Ilir Gaši, Branko Čečen

  4. Break

  5. Women in Media

    Panel Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace Recording

    Maja Sever, Selma Zulić Šiljak, Darko Šper

  6. Lunch

  7. Shared Threats, Shared Defence

    Panel Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace SEENPM & MDI Recording

    Bojana Mrkić, Irena Pejić, Dorian Matlija, Jona Cenameri

  8. Break

  9. Reporting on War Crimes: Lessons Learned and New Challenges

    Conversation Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace MDI & The Reckoning Project (TRP) Recording

    Danica Ilić, Mykhaylo Shtekel

  10. Break

  11. Selected by Đelo Hadžiselimović: “2000 Meters to Andriivka”

    Film Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace

    Đelo Hadžiselimović

  12. Performance: “What Doesn’t Kill You…”

    Performance Varaždin City Museum – Herzer Palace

    Ana Katulić

  13. Musical Treat: Mark Osman & Dinko Likar Acoustic Duo

    Concert Pub Medina škrinja

    Mark Osman, Dinko Likar

Getting here

Street and route data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Red dashed lines show the shortest walking route to the venue, timed at about 5 km/h.

    Event details

    Opening

    Festival Opening Ceremony

    Venue
    Varaždin City Museum – Herzer PalaceFranjevački trg 10, 42000 Varaždin

    With representatives of the Investigative Journalism Center (IJC) and the City of Varaždin.

    Panel EN

    How Free (or Not) Are the Media, and How Can They Be Freed?

    Recording 2:02:15

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    Venue
    Varaždin City Museum – Herzer PalaceFranjevački trg 10, 42000 Varaždin
    Language
    English

    Session outline

    1. Presentation: De-Orbanisation of the Hungarian media – how to free the media from political pressure
    2. Panel

    Participants

    Moderator

    • Oliver Vujović (and introduction) , Secretary General, South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)

    Presentation

    • Erik Uszkiewicz (and panel) , Project Manager, Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ), Hungary

    Panel

    • Branko Čečen , Freelance journalist, Serbia
    • Zrinka Vrabec Mojzeš , Journalist, Nacional, Croatia
    • Dr Marko Milosavljević , Professor of Journalism and Media Policy, University of Ljubljana
    • Anuška Delić , Founder and Editor-in-Chief, investigative and data portal Oštro, Slovenia
    • Željko Ivanović , President of the Board of Directors, Daily Press (Vijesti), Montenegro

    Presentation EN

    Engaged Citizens Reporting

    Recording 54:06

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    Venue
    Varaždin City Museum – Herzer PalaceFranjevački trg 10, 42000 Varaždin
    Language
    English

    Presentation of the Engaged Citizens Reporting (ECR) tool.

    Participants

    Presentation

    • Xhorxhina Bami , Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), Kosovo

    Panel EN

    What Do We (Not) Know About the Audience — and Why Does It Matter?

    Recording 1:38:31

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    Venue
    Varaždin City Museum – Herzer PalaceFranjevački trg 10, 42000 Varaždin
    Host
    Media Diversity Institute Western Balkans
    Language
    English

    How well do non-profit, independent media outlets know their audiences, and how do they get to know them? Exploring how audience strategies can increase engagement and build sustainability.

    Participants

    Moderator

    • Milica Pešić , Executive Director, Media Diversity Institute, UK

    Panel

    • Željko Ivanović , President of the Board of Directors, Daily Press (Vijesti), Montenegro
    • Alma Kardović Radetinac , Editor-in-Chief, Mahala Podcast, Novi Pazar, Serbia

    Panel EN

    The Ethics of War Reporting – Does War Journalism Still Exist?

    Recording 2:07:13

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    Venue
    Varaždin City Museum – Herzer PalaceFranjevački trg 10, 42000 Varaždin
    Language
    English

    Session outline

    1. Screening: An episode from the documentary series “Journalists – Witnesses Before the Hague Tribunal” (author/production: Boro Kontić, Mediacentar Sarajevo)
    2. Panel

    Participants

    Moderator

    • Danica Ilić (and introduction) , Journalist and media trainer, UK/Serbia

    Panel

    • Boro Kontić , Mediacentar Sarajevo, BiH
    • Dragan Golubović , Senior Project Coordinator, Mediacentar Sarajevo, BiH
    • Hassan Haidar Diab , Večernji list, Croatia
    • Nikola Šolić , Freelance photojournalist, Croatia
    • Emmanuelle Chaze (online) , Freelance French correspondent in Ukraine

    Book presentation HR

    Book Presentations

    Venue
    Varaždin City Museum – Herzer PalaceFranjevački trg 10, 42000 Varaždin
    Language
    Croatian

    Session outline

    1. Book: A Guide to Contemporary Croatian Literature – Kristian Novak: Ciganin, ali najljepši (Kristian Novak with book editors Helena de Karina and Kruno Lokotar)
    2. Book: Osam dana u svibnju (Eight Days in May) – Goran Gavranović, co-author

    Participants

    Authors

    • Kristian Novak , Author
    • Goran Gavranović , Co-author

    Editors

    • Helena de Karina , Editor
    • Kruno Lokotar , Editor

    Stand-up HR

    Stand-up: Shelf Life

    Venue
    Varaždin City Museum – Herzer PalaceFranjevački trg 10, 42000 Varaždin
    Language
    Croatian

    Participants

    Performance

    • Peđa Bajović , Stand-up comedian

    Presentation EN

    International Cooperation: Project Presentations

    Recording 1:01:50

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    Venue
    Varaždin City Museum – Herzer PalaceFranjevački trg 10, 42000 Varaždin
    Language
    English

    Session outline

    1. Presentation: Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)
    2. Presentation: Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN)

    Participants

    Presentation

    • Luka Zanoni , Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), Italy
    • Giovanni Vale , Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), Croatia
    • Xhorxhina Bami , Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), Kosovo

    Presentation EN

    Is Artificial Intelligence a Journalist’s Ally or Enemy?

    Recording 1:44:21

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    Venue
    Varaždin City Museum – Herzer PalaceFranjevački trg 10, 42000 Varaždin
    Language
    English

    “The Good, the Bad, and the Inevitable”: presentation of the Olympus AI system for optimising media organisation workflows.

    Participants

    Presentation

    • Vladimir Leličanin , System developer and creator, Serbia
    • Ilir Gaši , Journalist, Serbia
    • Branko Čečen , Freelance journalist, Serbia

    Panel EN

    Women in Media

    Recording 1:44:00

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    Venue
    Varaždin City Museum – Herzer PalaceFranjevački trg 10, 42000 Varaždin
    Language
    English

    Stopping workplace harassment in the media sector in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    Session outline

    1. Presentation: Results of the regional study “Women in Media: Forms of Workplace Harassment in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina”
    2. Panel

    Participants

    Panel

    • Maja Sever , Trade Union of Croatian Journalists
    • Selma Zulić Šiljak , Mediacentar Sarajevo, BiH
    • Darko Šper , Branch Union of Culture, Art and Media “Nezavisnost”, Serbia

    Panel EN

    Shared Threats, Shared Defence

    Recording 1:42:45

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    Venue
    Varaždin City Museum – Herzer PalaceFranjevački trg 10, 42000 Varaždin
    Host
    SEENPM & MDI
    Language
    English

    Security risks journalists face in tense and volatile situations and strategies used to protect themselves and their work.

    Participants

    Moderator

    • Bojana Mrkić , Mediacentar Sarajevo, BiH

    Panel

    • Irena Pejić , Journalist, Mašina, Serbia
    • Dorian Matlija (online) , Lawyer and media freedom activist, Res Publica, Albania
    • Jona Cenameri , Investigative and fact-checking journalist, Faktoje, Albania

    Conversation EN

    Reporting on War Crimes: Lessons Learned and New Challenges

    Recording 57:36

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    Venue
    Varaždin City Museum – Herzer PalaceFranjevački trg 10, 42000 Varaždin
    Host
    MDI & The Reckoning Project (TRP)
    Language
    English

    Participants

    Moderator

    • Danica Ilić , Journalist and media trainer, UK/Serbia

    Guests

    • Mykhaylo Shtekel , Media Partnership Coordinator, The Reckoning Project

    Film HR

    Selected by Đelo Hadžiselimović: “2000 Meters to Andriivka”

    Venue
    Varaždin City Museum – Herzer PalaceFranjevački trg 10, 42000 Varaždin
    Language
    Croatian

    Documentary film directed by Mstyslav Chernov. Film presentation and post-screening discussion moderated by Đelo Hadžiselimović.

    Participants

    Moderator

    • Đelo Hadžiselimović

    Performance HR

    Performance: “What Doesn’t Kill You…”

    A participatory lecture performance and live installation

    Venue
    Varaždin City Museum – Herzer PalaceFranjevački trg 10, 42000 Varaždin
    Language
    Croatian

    “What Doesn’t Kill You…” is about the way digital platforms deliberately exploit human emotions. Algorithmic systems are not designed to spread truth or empathy. They are optimised to provoke hateful comments and controversy, playing knowingly on our laughter, anger and shame. In such a system toxic content generates the most engagement and profit, while users, drawn in by the appearance of fun and play, become willing accomplices in quiet, automated violence.

    Ana Katulić is an actress and performer whose work sits at the intersection of text, personal experience and documentary testimony. She examines gender roles, social standing and the representation of women in contemporary society, focusing on the tension between women’s present-day experience and the patriarchal patterns we inherit through tradition, and on how those deeply rooted codes continue to shape intimate relationships, behaviour and social perceptions. At the festival she has previously performed “Ribanje i ribarsko prigovaranje” (2021) and “Ruž za usne i čokolada” (2022).

    Participants

    Performance

    • Ana Katulić , Actress and performer

    Concert

    Musical Treat: Mark Osman & Dinko Likar Acoustic Duo

    Venue
    Pub Medina škrinjaUlica Ivana Kukuljevića Sakcinskog 13, 42000 Varaždin

    The duo entertains with a repertoire of their own, energy and virtuoso musicianship. The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Bon Jovi, Queen and Dire Straits, alongside Bijelo dugme, Divlje jagode, Atomsko sklonište and Cota G4, are among the acts whose hits they perform.

    Participants

    Performance

    • Mark Osman
    • Dinko Likar

    Organiser and partners

    Organiser

    Supported by

    Partners

    Media partners