CGA Belgrade 2025 Official Lineup is Here!

In April, CGA Belgrade 2025 will return to its roots at the Yugoslav Film Archive (Jugoslovenska kinoteka) and its inspiring and timeless ambiance. This time around, we are spreading our wings to tackle a variety of creative fields and investigate new ideas, workflows, and technologies, some of which are still unconquered – hence the conference theme: Untitled. 

The first day is, for the most part, dedicated to AAA projects – yet, in our universe, this means Animation, Advertising, and AI. On the second day, we focus on film post-production, visual effects, motion graphics, and game development. 

Over the course of two days (April 10th and 11th) the sessions will be divided into four programme arcs and stages.

So… here’s how the official lineup looks so far – and keep in mind that the list will be updated regularly.

KNOW ALL STAGE

KNOW ALL, the main conference track is designed to give you a full overview of the hot topics and trends in the world of computer graphics and related fields. Here, some of the leading minds in the industry will deliver inspiring keynotes, industry panels, and artistic insights that explore the intersection of technology and creativity. 

TALKS

Autodesk Flow Studio: AI-Enhanced Production Pipelines
Milutin Sekulić, Wonder Dynamics/Autodesk (RS)

A History Of Crowds in VFX
Nicolas Chaverou, Golaem/Autodesk (FRA)

Crater’s Little Black Box
Bogdan Amidžić & Nikola Vučenović, Crater Studio (RS)

From Short Films to the Biggest Screens in the World: Staying Sane and Hungry
Aleksandra Todorović, Ilija Brunck & Csaba Letay, Woodblock (DE)

The Creativity Behind Animated Series Agent 203
Damjan Mitrevski, V House Animation (MK)

Cairos.ai – Animation from Conversation
Hristo Velev, Bottleship, (BG)

Co-Developing the world of South of Midnight
Bosko Ognjević, Onyx Studio (SRB)

Small Teams, Big Ideas: Navigating Trends Without Losing Identity
Rade Vukčević, Archangel Enterprises (MNE)

Breaking the Limits: Designing CG Environments for Formula 1
Snezhana Paderina, SNEZHANA.NYC, (RS)

PANELS

How to Work with Brands in Delivering Real Value with CGI
Moderator: Joel Pilger, FORUM (USA)
Miloš Skokić, Žiška (RS)
Jovana Matić, Telekom (RS)
Ilija Brunck, Woodblock (DE)
Ivan Vasiljević, DAT (RS)”

Navigating the Changing Industry Paradigm in the Wake of AI
Moderator: Vitaly Kobyashev, SideFX (GB)
Uroš Sikimić, 3Lateral/Epic Games (RS)
Aleksey Golubitsky, Nebius (GB)
Milan Gospić, Microsoft | The Garage (RS)

Creative Moxie – The Rise of Young Digital Creators
Moderator: Branimir Žugić, Art 365/CIM forum (MNE)
Lena Glišović, Radionica KRUG – Glitch Studios (RS)
Jovan Manić, GOE Craft (RS)
Anđela Joković, SlipperySlope (RS)
Nikola Adamović, SGA (RS)

FILM SCREENINGS 

Volja sinovljeva (Son’s Will, 2024): Episode 1 (exclusive TV show pre-premiere + discussion with the film crew)

Bye Bear (2023) short film by the Woodblock team

DOWNLOAD  TIMETABLE

KNOW-HOW STAGE

The KNOW-HOW sessions will dig deep into the technical processes, skills, and production workflows; they are designed for artists and producers, no matter their seniority. Sessions will cover best practices in USD workflows and open-source formats, rigging and modeling in Bifrost, procedural world-building, crowd simulations, and search for new frontiers in building digital worlds.

TALKS

The Crowds of Game Of Thrones
Nicolas Chaverou, Golaem/Autodesk (FRA)

Maya to Unreal Engine USD Workflows
John Paul Giancarlo, Autodesk (ES)

Modeling, Rigging, Animation and VFX in Bifrost
Roland Reyer, Autodesk (DE)

Get Smart with Mari: How to Create & Reuse Smart Materials
Paul Ringue, Foundry (UK)

AI-based Animation Pipeline Development. Semi-automatic mode. New thinking.
Elena Shchichkina, Live and Create Studio (RU/RS)
Alexey Gankov, Animaccord (RU/RS)

Advanced Fluid Simulation Techniques
Dimitris Mantadakis, Freelancer (GR)

Procedural Worldbuilding in Houdini and Unreal
Bogdan Amidžić, Crater Studio (SRB)

3D/4D Reconstructions Using Volumetric Video and Gaussian Splatting for VFX
Sergey Eliseev, Yandex (KAZ)
Georgy Molodtsov, Yandex (RS)

BOARDROOM TALKS

Or, shall we say, DISCUSSION GROUPS aimed at senior industry members providing insightful peer sessions; designed for decision-makers and professionals navigating the business side of CG, this track covers AI and web3 opportunities, marketing in the Metaverse, and VFX production strategies. This is also where yet another HUG Belgrade (Houdini User Group) will be held on the second conference day.

TOPICS

Creative Disruption: AI, Blockchain, and the Evolving Entertainment Landscape
Nemanja Petrović, Partner, Moonstruck (RS)
Andrea Radonjanin, Partner, Schoenherr (RS)
Aleksey Golubitsky, Founder, Nebius (UK)
Stipe Marić, Director, Filmio Studios (CRO)

DoPs in the VFX – Framing the Virtual Landscape
Đorđe Stojiljković, DoP on Kalki 2898 AD (RS)
Marko Mladenović – Cinematographer (RS)
Nikola Vučenović, 2D & VFX Supervisor, Crater Studio (RS)

Brand Marketing in the Metaverse
Joel Pilger, Founder & Global Advisor, FORUM (USA)
Nikola Šoškić, Founder, Shosha Games (RS)
Ivica Milarić, Docent, Academy of Arts, Novi Sad (RS)

Producers Toolbox: What Works, What’s Hype, and What Saved Your Project
Andrew Brassington, Peerless (UK)
Nevena Tomić, Fried (RS)
Ivan Stančić, Crater Studio (RS)

+

Houdini User Group Belgrade #5

Learn more about HUG here.

MASTERCLASSES

CGA is proud to present the exclusive MASTERCLASSES held by some of the leading creative professionals and designed as morning exercises to energize you and equip you with new skills before continuing to the regular part of the programme.

How to Properly Negotiate for a Raise, as an Artist
Dragana Stamenković, Steamroller Animation (RS)

Fortnite Ecosystem – The Next Frontier of Global Branding Marketing
Ivica Milarić, Academy of Arts, Novi Sad (RS)

Interactive and Procedural Environmental Effects
Luka Budiša, Ebb Software

Motion Capture in Action: From Performance to Production
Timon Tomašević & Igor Kovačević, Centroid (RS)

Art of Combat Design
Mirko Božović, Sperasoft (RS)

The Art of Idea Communication
Bojana Simić & Ana Pavlović, Materriya Talent Development (RS)

IMPORTANT INFO!

Masterclass registrations open on March 31st, but only CGA Belgrade 2025 ticket holders can apply.

Seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis – once they’re full, that’s it! To secure your chance to join, get your CGA ticket now and be ready when sign-ups go live. Don’t miss out!