Continued from Pt.1

Operation Sabre is a Serbian-Bulgarian co-production, with This and That Productions partnering with Bulgarian prod co Agitprop on the project for Serbian pubcaster RTS; the Bulgarian National Film Center and Media Creative Europe also supported the series. There were earlier reports about a Croatian partner also being on board the series - Drugi Plan. Can you walk us through the process of setting up the partnerships and financing of the series, was it a complex one and did your win at the CineLink Drama pitch play a major role?

Snežana: The development and financing process of the series was long and complex. After Vlada and Goran (as directors and co-creators) and I (as the producer) of the series "Jutro će promeniti sve / Morning changes everything” successfully completed the broadcast, we received a call from our national broadcaster with a topic about Zoran Djindic. This was at the end of 2018. So, it took a full five years for Operation Sabre to see the light of day. For the first three years, our production company developed 8 episodes. This was preceded by extensive research and numerous interviews, as well as the study of archival material. In addition to Vlada and Goran, we collaborated with three more writers to ensure that the scripts reached the desired quality. The support from Creative Europe Media in 2019 was very significant as it allowed us to independently finance the development process. The award at CineLink in Sarajevo not only provided financial support but also brought greater visibility to the project, marking our first public appearance and announcement of working on Operation Sabre as still sensitive topic. The next milestone was the project's participation in the Midpoint workshop in 2021, which was extremely intense and highly beneficial in further developing the script, characters, and plot twists. We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with top professionals in the industry. One of the consultants at Midpoint was Nebojsa Taraba from Drugi Plan in Croatia. He immediately recognized the quality and international potential of the project and connected us with Beta Film as the distributor.

After Midpoint in early 2022, RTS officially entered into a co-production of the series as the majority investor. It was at that point that it became certain that the series would be realized. We had a plan to have a co-production with Drugi Plan, but at that time, the Croatian broadcasters were not in the best position for minority coproductions so despite all efforts there was no interest from Croatian broadcasters to significantly participate in the project. On the other hand, the Bulgarian National Film Fund has started supporting minority co-productions for TV series, which opens up the possibility for us to structure Operation Sabre with Agitprop as a minority Bulgarian co-production.

Finally, by the end of 2022, we began pre-production, and shooting started in early 2023. Since the subject matter was still sensitive and we weren't sure about the reactions we might face, we conducted the filming quietly with strict adherence to non-disclosure agreements (NDA). This approach provided our creative team and actors with peace of mind during the shooting process. Besides that, the substantial support from RTS and Director Bujošević significantly contributed to facilitating the smooth process of our shooting and successfully overcoming any challenges that emerged during the production period.

What is the budget of the series?

Snežana: The average budget in Serbia and the region for a period series is around 200 to 250K per episode. Although Operation Sabre was very demanding and ambitious, it did not have the budget we had hoped and planned for. In the end, with Drugi Plan's exit and lack of funding from broadcasters in Bulgaria (only 160K from the Bulgarian fund was secured), we ended up with a standard budget for local standards. However, this did not stop us as a team from giving our best and making the right production and creative decisions that improved the quality and raised the production value of the series.


Operation Sabre is distributed internationally by Beta Film. How did they come on board and what has been the feedback from international clients who have already screened the series? Which territories will be especially interested in the series in your opinion?

Veronika Kovacova: “We wanted to be a part of Operation Sabre because the series hits the right tones at the right time, unpacking events more than 20 years in the past, which could sadly happen in today’s world, too. 2024 has been dubbed “the year of the elections” by Times Magazine, The Guardian and many more since voting will take place in almost every major economy in the world. Given the current political situation not only in Europe, but the turmoil happening in almost every corner of the world, we expect Operation Sabre to resonate well with audiences all over the globe. Clients from Continental Europe are very interested as those countries are closest to the events of the series, but since this is a prevalent and global topic combined with gripping storylines and characters you can easily identify and feel with, Operation Sabre is a great example for a local story with global potential. The series was one of the highly discussed and requested topics at the Beta Booth at MIPTV and we received great feedback and interest overall. Winning Canneseries’ Special Interpretation Award for the superb cast is another great testament for the quality of the series and the standing ovation after the screening, which was visited by many buyers, also underlines the very successful week in Cannes for everybody involved.


Are you planning more co-productions with partners from the Balkans and the CEE region?

Snežana: Absolutely. Riding on the success of Operation Sabre in Cannes, Vlada and Goran are planning a new series that will naturally involve collaboration with countries in the CEE region as well as Western European countries. Besides that, This and That Productions has been developing the series Variola - Dark Spring for a couple of years, in which we are minority co-producers along with Kinorama from Croatia, while the project is led by Slovenian company Vertigo. It is a unique story inspired by a significant true event in our region, and we are excited about its progress and production start.