Hello,

I’m a screenwriter, series creator, and director working in English and Croatian across the UK and Europe. Based in Zagreb, I also lead Vrboska Film Festival and its Writers’ Lab, and develop international programmes and partnerships with Stowe Story Labs.


Represented by Nick Fenwick at Curtis Brown.

My Bio

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Daria Stilin is a screenwriter, series creator, director, and festival founder based in Zagreb, Croatia. Her work spans film and television, international talent development, industry partnerships, and cultural leadership.

She founded and directs Vrboska Film Festival on the island of Hvar, where she also established its Writers’ Lab, bringing writers and international mentors together to develop new projects. As Program & Partnerships Manager (Europe) at Stowe Story Labs, she works on European programmes and partnerships and helped establish its Croatia Writers’ Retreat in collaboration with the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.

Writing in English and Croatian, Daria is the creator, head writer, and executive producer of Suspicious Circumstances, a crime drama series in development with Antitalent and Frank Spotnitz’s Big Light Productions. She is also developing a new series with Gaumont Germany. Her television writing credits include Gora (The Highlands) for HRT and Kumovi (The Godfathers) for Nova TV.

She has written and directed two short fiction films, Toast and Codfish. Her feature project Tied Up (Projekt Palma) won the Script Your Hit competition at Pula Film Festival, and she is a two-time winner of NEM Zagreb’s screenwriting competition. Her projects have received development support from the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, as well as industry recognition, including the Beta Film Co-Development Award. Her wider film experience includes work as a first assistant director, script supervisor, actress, and film critic.

Daria represents the Croatian Screenwriters’ Guild at the Federation of Screenwriters in Europe and serves on the Croatian Audiovisual Centre’s Audiovisual Council and the City of Zagreb’s council for audiovisual and film activities.

She holds master’s degrees in Business Economics and Film Dramaturgy. Her international professional development includes European Showrunner Training (ifs Köln), TorinoFilmLab, Talents Sarajevo, CineLink Drama, CNC Going European, Canneseries Writers’ Club, and European Writers' Desk.

She is represented by Nick Fenwick at Curtis Brown in London.

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Selected Projects (TV & Film)

  • SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES

    Series, 8 x 60’
    Crime drama

    Creator / Head Writer / Executive Producer

    Currently in development with Antitalent and Big Light Productions.

    An original crime drama series set between the UK and Croatia.

  • CANVAS CITY (PLATNENI GRAD)

    Limited series, 8 x 60’
    Period drama / WWII

    Creator / Writer

    Script development funding by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.
    Developed through TorinoFilmLab TV Series – Extended, Talents Sarajevo, and Stowe Story Labs Writer’s Retreat.

    Logline: Seventeen-year-old Sofia hides her pregnancy as her family flees to Egypt as Yugoslav WWII refugees. In a tightly controlled desert camp, she and other young women begin to resist the limits placed on them – at the cost of safety, belonging, and everything they know.

  • TIED UP (PROJEKT PALMA)

    Feature film
    Comedy/drama

    Writer

    Script development funding by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre. NEM Zagreb winner. Winner of the Pula Film Festival (PulaPRO) award for “Most Likely Box Office Hit”.

    Logline: A career-driven woman is forced to return to her small island hometown to confront her past and convince her grandfather to untie himself from a palm tree scheduled for removal.

    (Loosely inspired by real events.)

  • VHS CLUB

    Feature film
    Coming-of-age/time travel

    Writer

    Currently in development and in discussions with UK producers; developed through PulaPRO's “Script Your Hit” workshop and pitching programme.

    Logline: Three 13-year-olds from 2027 are transported back to their school in 1997 through a VHS tape, where they must save a failing talent show together with their own parents as teenagers, and unknowingly reshape the future.

Produced Short Films

  • CODFISH

    Orig. Title: BAKALOR
    fiction, short / comedy
    2020 / 20’ / color

    Writer / Director

    Logline: In a small island town, Branko’s growing frustration with his fellow villagers and the absurdity of local bureaucracy begins to spiral, turning Christmas Eve in Vrboska into a test neither he nor his community is prepared for.

    Festivals and Awards: Pula Film Festival 2020 – Short Pula, Dalmatia Film Festival 2021, Star Film Festival 2022 (Audience Award)

    HAVC Croatian film catalogue

  • TOAST

    Orig. Title: TOST
    fiction, short / drama
    2018 / 20’ / color

    Writer / Director / Producer

    Logline: High school graduates Julija and Lena escape their small hometown for a romantic weekend in Zagreb, only to find the apartment they’ve rented isn’t what it seemed. Stranded, they turn to Julija’s older brother Leo – who may pose an even greater threat to their relationship.

    Festivals and Awards: Split Film Festival – International Festival of New Film 2018

    HAVC Croatian film catalogue

    Now available online on the Croatian.film platform