Dasha Timbush, founder of the Hollywood tech startup CastingForm, joins the jury of the 16th Telemach Youth Film Festival Sarajevo to discover and lead Balkans actors and their reps on their way to Hollywood.

Dasha Timbush, a producer and the founder of CastingForm, a global online platform for the actors’ discovery, is set to  join the jury of the 16th Telemach Youth Film Festival Sarajevo for a competitive feature film in the OFF Generation Features selection. CastingForm has the widest country and diversity outreach to date among all competitors on the market, including IMDb and Talent Systems, covering thousands of actors and actresses in 124 countries around the world. Dasha Timbush will host numerous events during the festival and its OFF Pro Film Market events including:

  • A July 25th workshop “The Profession of an Actor as a Business” for Balkan actors, their representatives, casting directors, producers, directors and industry professionals. This will be the  most anticipated event of the week, highlighting the strategy for Balkan actors and their representatives to star on the international scene. Topics will include the influence of AI, technology for the film, television and entertainment industry. 
  • The OFF Pro Film Market session in the morning of July 24th “CastingForm presents: Zachary Shadrin on his way to the Hollywood”; 
  • The “CastingForm Gala”, an evening soirée, also on July 24th to meet and greet guests of the festival and announce the launch of CastingForm’s Balkan Regional Search to discover actors to represent the peninsula and join CastingForm’s World Actor Delegation next year during The Cannes Film Festival in May 2025.

Full schedule of the events to meet CastingForm’s Dasha Timbush and Zachary Shadrin:

JULY 24, 11 AM // CastingForm presents: Dasha Timbush and Zachary Shadrin on his Hollywood journey // OFF Pro Talks, Industry House

Zachary, Dasha and the director of the Festival in relaxed atmosphere talk about the work behind the scenes on Zachary Shadrin’s journey to become the First Ukrainian Actor submitted for the Emmy Awards Consideration. A complete conversation will bring guests closer to the work and functioning of the CastingForm online platform and its impact on an actor’s career through experience and work with actor Zachary Shadrin. 

Moderator: Kenan Musić, Telemach Youth Festival Director

Guests: Actor and producer Zachary Shadrin, Producer and CastingForm’s Founder Dasha Timbush

JULY 24, 7 PM // CastingForm Gala Soireé & OFF Pro Film Market Official Awards // Manifesto Gallery

CastingForm Soirée to meet and greet guests of the festival and announce the launch of the CastingForm’s regional search to discover Balkans actors who will represent the region of the Western Balkans and join CastingForm’s World Actor Delegation next year during The Cannes Film Festival in May 2025. This CastingForm’s Industry Impact Initiative aims to bring equality and long overdue deserved attention to the global community of actors, their representatives and casting directors at world film festivals in the forefront of the industry, equally to producers. The announcement of the selected actors is planned for December 2024. 

Dresscode: Red Carpet and Cocktail Attire

For more information please see here or request at sarajevo@castingform.com

JULY 24, 9 PM // “FOREVER – FOREVER” Red Carpet & Official Screening featuring CastingForm’s Zachary Shadrin // Raiffeisen Vils Summer Screen

SYNOPSIS After transferring from a downtown high school, Tonia joins a new gang of tough youngsters, trying to find protection and a place to truly belong. They spend their time together, roaming the post- socialist suburbs of Kyiv, having fun and getting into trouble. Soon Tonia falls in love with Zhurik, whilst also longing for Sania and finds herself tangled up in an alluring secret love triangle. But Tonia’s abusive past still haunts her, challenging this newfound friendship and romance. Will she be able to find her way or will she lose herself in this new controversial relationship? Set in the late 1990s Kyiv, this is a story of the young and rebellious amidst the ruins of the Soviet regime. Of those who had to grow up faster due to circumstances but got lost in the adult world. A story that we must constantly remember, because some things only exist in the moment, while others last forever. 

JULY 25, 10 AM // CastingForm presents: Talks with “FOREVER – FOREVER” Star Zachary Shadrin // OFF Talks, Festival square

Guest: Actor, producer, CastingForm Ambassador Zachary Shadrin

Moderator: Mirza Custovic, Content and Program Producer (OFF), Telemach Youth Festival

JULY 25, 11 AM // CastingForm Industry Workshop: The profession of an Actor as a business // OFF Pro Talks,  Industry House

MUST VISIT EVENT OF THE WEEK with Dasha Timbush to talk on the strategy for Balkan actors and their representatives to star at the international scene. Including the influence of AI, technology for the film, television and entertainment industry. 

Host: Producer and CastingForm Founder Dasha Timbush

Dasha Timbush is a producer and the LA-based founder of CastingForm, the world’s leading technology for discovering and booking actors globally. Prior to founding CastingForm, Dasha succeeded in global talent management. CastingForm’s clients include Universal, HBO, Netflix, and Amazon, as well as actors from 124 countries. Success stories of CastingForm include actors who have been submitted to the Emmy Awards, made it to the official selection of the Venice Film Festival, and credited acknowledgment at the Palme d’Or-winning movie “Anora” by Sean Baker for Dasha Timbush in the Special Thanks section of the movie credits. With almost 15 years in the entertainment industry, Dasha studied at Stanford GSB, Florida International University, and Miami Ad School, earning her third master’s degree in Space and Cyberpsychology. Her studies became fundamental in developing CastingForm’s own text-to-human AI matching algorithm. Dasha is an internationally acclaimed and award-nominated publicist, technologist, entrepreneur, mentor, volunteer, public speaker, and educator. She is a Her Courage Award Honoree for Innovation & Technology. Dasha has also completed swimming races in a marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean and the Alcatraz race. She is a Guest Lecturer at the Continuing Studies Program at Stanford University and has been featured as a public speaker at the world’s most prominent industry events, such as the Cannes Film Festival, SXSW, NFT. London, Sharing Economy Global Summit, International Project Management Association Global Event, Global Online Marketplaces Summit, NYC and Los Angeles Tech Weeks, and The International Economic Forum. 

Please direct all further requests at sarajevo@castingform.com or info@omladinski.ba.