Kicking off at Sheffield DocFest and Sunny Side before further roll-out across Europe, the 2025 Ex Oriente Features and Series workshop programs are designed “to support daring, author-driven documentaries from Central and Eastern Europe,” write organisers. This year’s edition brings together 12 feature-length documentary projects and 5 docuseries in development or early production stage, selected for their “creative potential and international relevance.”
The first a of the Ex Oriente Features workshop runs June 16-20 at Sheffield DocFest, before the second session in Sibiu (Romania, October 19-23) and the final gathering during the One World IHRDFF (Prague, March 19-25, 2026).
The first session of the Ex Oriente Series workshop runs June 22-24 at Sunny Side of the Doc, before a second session in Brno (Czech Republic, Sept 21-23). The final session will be held during the One World IHRDFF (Prague, March 21-25, 2026).
Ex Oriente Features tutors include mentor and exec producer Gitte Hansen; Filip Remunda, award-winning director and co-founder of the Institute of Documentary Film and Hypermarket Film; Ivana Pauerová Miloševičová, co-founder of the Institute of Documentary Film and Head of Documentaries at Czech Television; filmmaker and co-founder of DOX BOX, Diana El Jeiroudi; and Christian Popp, producer with more than 40 films to his name and former ARTE commissioning editor.
For Ex Oriente Series, the lead tutor is Ruth Reid, an experienced producer and consultant who has held roles at both HBO and Netflix, with a career spanning two decades across festival films, global streaming content, and high-profile docuseries.
EX ORIENTE FEATURES
- Not so far away places Dir. Renato Borrayo Serrano, Yulia Vishnevets, prod. Vlad Ketkovich, Milana Christich – Anafilms, Albin Bourgeois – Weplus, FR. In-depth immersion into the Russian prison repressive machinery shot from the subjective perspective of human right activist Anna Karetnikova working undercover, trying to confront the totalitarian system from within.
- My Dear Vira Dir. Olga Chernykh, Maryna Brodovska, prod. Veronika Stepanchuk – Balcony 48, co-prod. Christian Popp – YAMI 2 Productions, Tobias Janson, Melissa Lindgren – Story, UA, FR, SE. Two Ukrainian friends: Maryna, an artist who fled Ukraine due to war and Vira a US army captain who emigrated 13 years ago, reunite to explore how social roles and ties to particular places shape their sense of identity.
- House in a Bottle Dir. Anna Morawiec, prod. Agata Jujeczka – Vision House Productions, PL). A confession of five people who had to be adults as children, and remain children as adults.
- +7: Scamming For Revenge (working title) Dir. Oleksandra Horiienko, prod. Alex Shiriaieff, Max Tuula – EuroArctic Media Group, Kateryna Yahodka, SE, UA. At the time of war, young Ukrainians take an easy but lucrative job at an office, only to discover it is a large-scale phone scam hub. For some, the first work experience gradually becomes their lifestyle.
- Shape of Silence Dir. Varun Trikha, prod. Varun Trikha – Sitara Productions Inc, co-prod. Margit Lillak – Tiny Desk Productions, CA, EE. A blind wildlife recordist experiences her world through the sounds of nature. Amidst changing soundscapes, she journeys in search of some healing sounds to bring comfort to others.
- Children of the Moon Land Dir. Roman Ďuriš, prod. Richard Šimeček – Svjetski Films, co-prod. Michal Sikora – Lonely Production, SK, CZ. In the polluted wasteland of Jelšava, Slovakia, three pairs of Romani siblings navigate childhood amid toxic magnesite dust, playing astronauts in a dying world—where survival is the ultimate mission.
- Dance with Me Dir. Leila Basma, prod. Natalia Pavlove – Other Stories, co-prod. Christian Eid – Abbout Productions, Marisa Meier – Intuition Club, Baptiste Bertin – La Onda, CZ, FR, DE, LB. Adam Basma fled his Lebanese family during the civil war to become L.A.’s first male solo belly dancer. His niece Leila dives into his world, unveiling themes of identity, family, and belonging.
- I had a Dream about an Elephant Dir. Štefan Straka, prod. Mátyás Prikler – MPhilms s. r. o., SK. An absurd portrait exploring how a thief can become a hero. The story of a businessman, who became rich through financial fraud and developed a cut-off region of Eastern Slovakia in “his own way.”
- Symphony of Seasons Dir. Sami Mustafa, prod. Faton Mustafa – Third Eyes Pictures, Sami Mustafa – Romawood, co-prod. Laurent Billard – Les Films Du Tourbillon, XK, FR. A story of exploring the weight of loss, inherited memory, the resilience of identity, and the struggle for self-liberation. Can we find a way to reconcile with our past without being bound by it?
- Dekonstrukt Dir. Mateusz Góra, Kamil Wilk, prod. Piotr Śmiechowski – Telemark Sp. z o.o., PL.“Dekonstrukt” is a coming-of-age story combining different film genres. Stefa, Mac, and Karo founded a collective for trans community on Polish club scene. Granted with supernatural powers, they try to overcome traumas.
- VESNA FOREVER VESNA Dir. Hana Piscevic, Nebojsa Resanovic, prod. Savina Smederevac – Zenit films, RS, HR. Vesna, a young girl who shares a roof with 300 rescued animals and grandma Vesna who adopted her, dreams of a life beyond the boundaries of her backyard.
- At Home Dir. Tamara Todorović, prod. Čarna Vučinić – Naked, RS. Through a 10-year video diary following the director from her 20s to 30s in Serbia, “At Home” unveils a universal story of gender roles, exploring what it means to be “enough” of a woman within both family and society.
EX ORIENTE SERIES
- Hijacked Life Dir. Andrius Lekavičius, prod. Jurgita Rakauskaite, LT. From teenage Soviet hijacker to convicted murderer of his father, “Hijacked Life” delivers an intimate exploration into the labyrinthine life of Algirdas Brazinskas. 4-part docuseries unravel a quest for redemption.
- Grandpa was a genius Dir. Kalina Nikolova, prod. Martichka Bozhilova – Agitprop Ltd., BG. Pancho Vladigerov is one of the iconic European composers of the 20th century, but how popular is his work today? What challenges do his descendants, also musicians, face with a grandfather considered a genius?
- World Divided Dir. Soňa Nôtová, Štefan Straka, prod. Richard Chudý, SK. Beyond the walls that divide, a world of resilience emerges, where hope and humanity bridge the scars of history in a journey from Belfast to Nicosia, Mostar to Western Sahara.
- Justice as legalised terror Dir. Zora Cejnková, prod. Gordon Lovitt – NOW Productions, CZ. A deeply human exploration of how judicial systems can be weaponized to terrorize citizens rather than protect them.
- When The Wind Blows Dir. Anna Savchenko, prod. Iva Tkalec – Kinoteka), Valentin Gregoire – The Fish Square, HR, BE, PL, FR, ES. When the Wind Blows follows workers at the forefront of Europe’s green transition, from wind turbine technicians to marine biologists, across Europe. Exploring challenges, innovations and community impact.
