Voting for the 2026 AFA Nominees Awards Begins

Partners and organizers of the Adriatic Film & TV Awards – AFA Awards 2026 at Slano Film Days, a film event in Slano, Croatia, have invited more than 800 members of the Film and TV Academy of the Adriatic Region to vote for the best works!

Voting for the most significant film and television works from the former Yugoslavia for the 2025/2026 season begins today and will last until August 21, 2026, when Academy members, film professionals from across the region, will select the nominees for the AFA Awards, and then the winners of the Adriatic Film Awards.

 

The winners of the AFA Awards will be announced at a gala ceremony to be held in October in Porto Montenegro in Tivat, Montenegro, which is the main partner of the event.

 

The nominees and then the winners of the AFA Awards are selected by more than 800 members of the Film and TV Academy of the Adriatic Region, which was launched by the founders of the Adriatic Region Festival Network: Sarajevo Film Festival, Auteur Film Festival, and Zagreb Film Festival.

 

"We established the AFA Awards with a clear goal - to promote the highest quality regional films and television series and to build a platform through which regional projects receive additional promotion and the opportunity to be presented on the international market. Behind these awards stands a strong professional community: hundreds of film and television professionals from various disciplines from across the region, who review the submitted works and select the nominations and winners. I am convinced that it is precisely in this joint work of the profession - in evaluating authors and presenting them to the wider community - where the meaning and strength of these awards lie," said Mirsad Purivatra, President of the Film and TV Academy of the Adriatic Region.

 

"The Academy's greatest strength is its members. That is why we are particularly pleased that in just one year the number has grown from around 600 to more than 800 members, which shows that film and television professionals recognize the value of the AFA awards. Active membership is an important contribution to connecting and strengthening the regional film community, and we thank all colleagues for their support," said Lana Matić on behalf of the partner, Zagreb Film Festival.

 

"We are particularly pleased that the Adriatic Film Awards are being held in Montenegro, a country that has been a meeting place for cultures and ideas throughout its history and has built openness to the world as one of its most important values. This is precisely what makes it a natural host for such an event. Porto Montenegro naturally complements this, as an environment in which culture, creativity and international exchange are the way people live and create every day. As a local partner of AFA in Montenegro, we are delighted to be participating in a project of international importance, which gives greater visibility and recognition to authors and creators from the region. We are convinced that its importance, reach and scope will grow year after year," said Katarina Milačić, CEO of Strategist.

 

This year will see the second edition of the AFA Awards for the best works from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo*, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia and North Macedonia.

 

Ten AFA Awards will be presented. In the film category, seven awards will be presented: Best Film (for the producer and director), Best Actress, Best Actor, Rising Star (in the cross-section with TV Drama), Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Debut Film. In the TV Series category, three AFA Awards will be presented: Best Series, Best Actress and Best Actor.

 

The 2026 AFA Awards ceremony will be held from 23 to 25 October at Porto Montenegro in Tivat, Montenegro, which is the main partner of the event. The inaugural AFA Awards ceremony was held at the same location last year.