Award-winning filmmaker and executive producer, Vesna Cudic has been appointed Head of Documentary Partnerships at Sky Studios, Sky’s original programming arm across Europe.

In this newly created role, Cudic will be responsible for Sky Studios’ partnerships with leading filmmakers and creatives from across the globe to develop and produce unscripted projects targeted at Sky’s platforms and channels across Europe. She also brings with her a wealth of co-finance and packaging experience to support Sky Studios’ ambitions in high-end feature documentaries and documentary series.

Before joining Sky Studios, Cudic was Head of Metfilm Sales, a London-based agency, specialising in documentary features and series, and was responsible for creating a strong slate of features, including the multi-award-winning The Reason I Jump and Misha and the Wolves, both premiering at Sundance.

Cudic’s credits also include Tribeca-bound Fashion Reimagined, double Bafta-winning, Lee Miller- A Life on the Frontline, multi-award-winning Leftover Women, as well as Last Breath (BBC, Netflix, Arte). Most recently, she produced The Return: Life After Isis, which featured Shamima Begum, the British-born woman who left the UK to join ISIS in 2015, which won the Gaudi and was nominated for Goya, RTS, and Rose d’Or awards. Prior to MetFilm, Vesna was involved in the acquisitions and sales of Blackfish, Life Animated, and Cartel Land.

New phase of growth and creative ambition

Cudic’s appointment represents a new phase of growth for Sky Studios Factual team as it targets creative partnerships with the world’s most respected documentary filmmakers, building on the Studios’ recent creative partnerships with Noah Media and Dorothy Street Pictures. Recent Sky Originals co-produced with Sky Studios including BAFTA-winning Liverpool Narcos (Blast! Films / Sky Studios) and RTS-nominated Murder at the Cottage (Hell’s Kitchen / Dare Films / Sky Studios).

Cudic will join Sky Studios later this month and report to Barnaby Shingleton, Director of Factual, Sky Studios.

Vesna Cudic, Head of Creative Partnerships, Sky Studios said: “The creative freedom, as well as the huge ambition of Sky Studios, makes this an especially appealing time to join the studio. The opportunity to work with the industry’s boldest filmmakers to unearth unmissable stories that audiences can’t not see was too good an opportunity to pass up. I can’t wait to get started.”

Barnaby Shingleton, Director of Factual, Sky Studios, said: “At Sky Studios, we want to provide a home for the best creative talent to partner with us and develop world-class content for our 23m customers and beyond. Vesna’s track-record in creating premium, award-winning content and deep experience of the global factual landscape will turbocharge this ambition.”

Notes to Editors

As today, indie commissioning for Sky’s factual channels – Sky Documentaries, Sky Crime and Sky Nature - will remain within Sky’s territories across Europe.

In the UK, this is lead by Poppy Dixon, Sky UK’s Director of Documentaries and Factual, in Italy by Roberto Pisoni, Senior Director, Sky Entertainment Channels at Sky Italia, and in Germany by Christian Asanger, Vice President, Entertainment at Sky Deutschland.