Midpoint Institute targets Gen Z and Millennial audiences with latest projects

Stay Hydrated is about two best friends who “turn wellness into revenge”

Four Central and Eastern European scripted TV projects targeting Gen Z and Millennial audiences and spanning a diverse range of genres, have been selected for development by the international audiovisual training and networking organisation, Midpoint Institute.

The projects, collectively described by the institute as “reflecting the vibrancy and urgency of contemporary young adult storytelling”, have been chosen to be part of Midpoint’s Focus Young Adults programme, a newly-launched development initiative to help filmmakers explore episodic storytelling crafted especially for young adults.

The selected projects include Slovenian animated comedy, Borbike, written and directed by Nika Jurman, about a young photographer, convinced she’s destined for greatness; Bulgarian crime drama Heads, Tails, about two young boys and their friends drawn into a dangerous investigation and written and directed by Tonya Atanakova and produced by Evgenia Evtimova and Nia Marinoval.

It also includes Romanian coming-of-age drama softblock, written and directed by Denisse Con Tubacu and produced by Bianca Isofache and Ana Voicu; and the darkly comic Slovakian thriller, Stay Hydrated, about two best friends who “turn wellness into revenge”, written and directed by Štefánia Lovasová and produced by Erik Núñez.

The Focus on Young Adults programme was first announced in May this year when the call for projects was launched. A preparatory two-day online workshop will take place mid-September, followed by the main residential workshop in partnership with The Serial Killer International Series Festival in the Czech Republic, which takes place from September 22-28.

After completing the programme, participants become part of the broader Midpoint alumni community of more than 1,400 aspiring writers and producers and directors.

“Young adult series are flourishing – vibrant, witty, socially relevant, and politically charged, resonating strongly with audiences,” commented Alexandra Gabrižová, programme coordinator of the Focus Young Adults programme. “We knew it was time to create a dedicated home for these stories of a new generation, and that’s how this special programme was born. I’m thrilled with the lineup for our pilot edition: diverse in both genre and format, and full of daring creativity that pushes the boundaries of storytelling.”