Europeans Making a Difference - 2021
Europeans Making a Difference
They find solutions in times of crisis, they innovate, and they use their creativity to mobilise people.
Meet these six Europeans who make a change – through fighting disinformation, transforming waste into art, bringing online learning to children when schools close, or through documenting stories that matter… Meet them in the heart of Europe, in the Western Balkans. Watch them realise their dreams and doing what they love and care about.
This is the third edition of the “Europeans Making a Difference” campaign, with portaits of people from the Western Balkans who make a difference in the region and far beyond. As HRVP Josep Borrell said: “This campaign gives a platform to people who move boundaries, who inspire and open doors for others. In our work we come across 'Europeans who make a difference' every day. With this campaign, we want to highlight their stories not just because they are good, genuine human stories. But also because their stories are not known enough in our EU Member States, and not visible enough in the Western Balkans either.”
Videos
From North Macedonia’s remote mountains to the Oscars
They filmed the story of one of Europe's last wild beekeepers… and ended up on the red carpet, with two Oscar nominations! With Honeyland, Macedonian film director Tamara Kotevska reminds us of the need to live in harmony with nature, and of the important role of documentary filmmakers – to go out in the world and bring back the stories that can make a change.
See also
How to fight an infodemic?
Having witnessed war, Tijana Cvjetićanin knows how dangerous disinformation can be. So, when she saw the COVID-19 pandemic turning into an “infodemic”, she teamed up with leading fact-checkers in the Western Balkans to expose and counter false claims and promote media literacy and science.
Successful entrepreneur, gamer at heart…
When Milan Jovovic came back to Serbia to start his own gaming company everyone thought he was crazy. But he had a dream. Today, Nordeus is one of the most successful gaming companies in the region, and helps lead the way in the country’s digital transformation. Its star game, Top Eleven is one of the most played mobile football games on the planet, with Jose Mourinho as the official face of the game.
Transforming waste into art
Danilo’s giant scrap metal transformers left the streets of Podgorica to tour the world with an environmental message: We need to save the planet from ourselves. And recycling is something we all can do!
Archive footage from the documentary "Transformers: Battlefield Podgorica" by Dusan Vulekovic.
If they can’t go to school, we’ll bring the school to them
As COVID-19 forced schools to shut their doors, Dean Çelaj’s visionary thinking allowed over 500.000 Albanian students to continue with their lessons online. Akademi.al became the official online learning platform for children in the country. And this is only the beginning of the story…
From the 3D printer to the catwalk
A dress that changes its shape according to light conditions or our own emotions? From her small atelier in Pristina, Hana Zeqa shows us how technology will shape the future of the fashion industry, to make it more personal, ecological and interactive!
