Telecommunications giant Telekom Srbija is looking to position itself as not only the leading production hub in Serbia but a regional juggernaut for the countries of the former Yugoslavia, exporting local content while attracting international productions to the Balkan nation.
“Our next chapter is a deeper connection with our international partners, and presenting not only Telekom Srbija, but the whole Serbian creative industry, to the global market,” says the company’s chief multimedia and content officer, Aleksandra Martinović.
Speaking to Variety from Belgrade, Martinović outlines Telekom Srbija’s blueprint for the coming years, building on its explosive growth in the past decade, in which the company has produced more than 300 titles, including more than 180 seasons of scripted drama.
That output was part of a production boom in a country that’s been the dominant hub of film and television production in the Balkan region since the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. In recent years, the Serbian industry has grown by leaps and bounds, thanks in large part to competition between the telecom heavyweight and rivals including United Media and public broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia.
For Martinović, that period has witnessed a transition at Telekom Srbija from a “traditional ecosystem” for film and TV content to “a very open-minded and sophisticated regional production ecosystem in the last eight or nine years.”
In some respects, that’s meant scaling back, with the company producing fewer shows that are nevertheless more suited for the global market. That includes bigger swings on series like the Serbian Spanish crime drama “Scar,” an ambitious co-production created by Plano a Plano and produced by Cicatriz A.I.E. and Dopamine, in association with RTVE, Prime Video Spain, Telekom Srbija, Canal Plus Poland and RTL Hungary; or the forthcoming romantic dramedy “Crosscurrents,” which is filmed in Montenegro and produced as a regional co-production with that country’s public broadcaster, RTCG.
Such series illustrate what Martinović characterizes as a strategy “to make choices more wisely and make choices more oriented to potential international partnerships and potential distribution to international markets.” One of the company’s most successful shows, the spy thriller “Civil Servant” (pictured), which is now entering its fourth season, has sold to Disney+ Hotstar in India, Brazilian streamer Globoplay, Telemundo and FlixLatino.
Next up is perhaps the company’s biggest gamble to date: the English-language, post-apocalyptic thriller “Sanctuary,” featuring “The Handmaid’s Tale” star Nina Kiri.
Martinović describes the film, which is directed by Filip Kovačević (“Incarnation”) and has been acquired for North America by Vertical, as “a huge risk and a huge challenge” for the company. “It’s very challenging, not only in the sense of authenticity, but also financing,” she says, adding that “international partners and distributors recognizing the value of that project” has been a boon for its backers.
It also illustrates how Telekom Srbija is punching above its weight, according to Martinović. “We are completely aware that we come from a small country,” she says. “Having the kind of content which we were able to sell to HBO, Disney+ and others, for us is very important praise and proof [of what we can do].”
Telekom Srbija’s Aleksandra Martinović
Courtesy Telekom Srbija
Along with its prolific production arm, TS Media, Telekom Srbija is betting big on its streaming platform, MOVE — described by Martinović as a “regional Balkan Netflix” — while also “investing more in every element of the production chain,” most notably with the acquisition earlier this year of the Belgrade-based Firefly Studios.
“We have a [360-degree] approach regarding production,” says Martinović. “It’s production, distribution, offering infrastructure through our Firefly Studios, and, of course, selling our own content to international partners.”
The Firefly purchase underscores Telekom Srbija’s ambition to become “a one-stop shop in this part of Europe,” Martinović says, highlighting Serbia’s 25% cash rebate on local spend and some of the most skilled and experienced crews in the region. Among the recent success stories to come out of the country is “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints,” the Fox Nation docudrama series executive produced and narrated by Scorsese and produced through Lionsgate Alternative Television. Parts of the project were filmed in Serbia, both at Firefly Studios and locations in and around Belgrade and Pančevo.
This has been a tumultuous time in Serbia, which has faced roiling protests for nearly two years in the wake of a devastating train station tragedy that claimed 16 lives. The turbulence has spread to the country’s film and television industries, with many professionals claiming they’ve been shut out by state-backed media over their political beliefs.
Martinović rejects such criticism. “We are completely aware of the social and political situation, but it doesn’t affect our general strategy,” she says. “We are fighting for the whole creative industry in Serbia. And we open the door for the whole creative industry in Serbia through international projects, through selling our own projects to international broadcasters, through trying to attract international partners…to come here and see what we have to offer.
“Not ‘we’ only as TS Media, but ‘we’ as the Serbian creative industry,” she continues. “We are fighting for all of us — not only for Telekom Srbija, but for all of us. Through Telekom Srbija, which is the biggest player, we are trying to [lift] our whole creative industry and to present them on the global scene.”