The professional and educational program of the Verzió Documentary Film Festival (Hungary) kicks off November 12 ahead of five days of inspiring masterclasses, workshops, and presentations. For the first time in collaboration with the Hungarian Documentary Association (MADOKE), Hungarian doc projects in development will be showcased to both professionals and the public.
DocPro is one of the key regional forums of the documentary film world, where Hungarian and international industry professionals meet each year. The program welcomes not only filmmakers but also students, educators, and film enthusiasts. “Its aim is to encourage shared reflection, discussion, knowledge exchange, and inspiration,” write organisers. “Over the five days, DocPro will explore both core professional issues of the documentary field and broader topics that speak to general audiences.”
PROGRAM OVERVIEW Wednesday, November 12
- 10 years of Verzió DocLab: workshop presentations. Six projects from Georgia, Spain, Italy, Finland, Ukraine, and Hungary will be presented to the public and a panel of international decision-makers. This traditional showcase highlights the creative development process and results of the participating projects. Scroll down for projects.
- MADOKE x Verzió Hun Doc’s Cookin’ presentations, a new Hungarian initiative. For the first time, the Hungarian Documentary Association (MADOKE) and Verzió will jointly present four additional Hungarian projects, giving them the opportunity to introduce themselves to both domestic and international professionals. This section holds special significance for the Hungarian documentary community, as it is a rare occasion for local projects to be presented in front of such a wide professional audience in Hungary. Scroll down for projects.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW Thursday, November 13
- DocPro Academy Day A day of masterclasses and workshops for students, offering a practical insight into documentary filmmaking. Composer Ádám Balázs will lead a session on the power of music in documentaries, while editor Réka Lemhényi will explore the balance between uniqueness and universality in film editing. Additional talks will cover how filmmakers can tell locally grounded yet globally relevant stories, the importance of international workshops and pitching forums, and the creative and ethical challenges of visual storytelling in the documentary genre.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW Friday, November 14
- MADOKE Day Organized in collaboration with the Hungarian Documentary Association, this day will feature two engaging panel discussions open to everyone, as well as the introduction of MADOKE’s new board, this year’s catalogue, and a white paper—a proposal developed over several months aimed at renewing Hungary’s documentary film funding model based on international best practices. Members of the press and film professionals are especially invited to attend, as this topic is of key importance for the future of Hungarian documentary filmmaking. The event is open to all but requires registration. Registration link: https://forms.gle/gXtqU1jFE5Y7xeuG9
PROGRAM OVERVIEW November 15–16 – Professional Weekend, open to all
- The weekend focuses on contemporary and socially engaged documentary films. On Saturday, a masterclass and panel will examine how the war in Ukraine is represented in documentaries and the role of social media, followed by discussions about engaging younger audiences and making documentaries more appealing to them. Sunday’s sessions will explore the ethical and relational challenges of personal documentaries and the credibility and impact of influencer collaborations. Participants will learn from Hungarian and international experts about best practices, ethical storytelling in sensitive contexts, and new approaches to audience engagement and film communication. Detailed program and Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/5qUVOvgsU
PROJECTS PRESENTED AT DOCPRO 2025
- My Sister and the Eternal Feminine (Georgia). Director: Rati Tsiteladze. Synopsis: In a society where womanhood is defined by motherhood, Dea, a young Georgian woman, faces infertility, loss, and the pressures of expectation for thirteen years. Through her sister’s camera, a deeply personal portrait unfolds—one of self-discovery beyond the boundaries set by society.
- 1978 (Spain). Director: Albert Kuhn. Synopsis: A director and his aging father set out on a road trip from Barcelona to Germany—a journey the father has taken many times before, now at 78 carrying the weight of his past. The son hopes to understand the silence that has long defined their relationship and their German roots. But when a photograph surfaces showing the grandfather in an SS uniform holding his infant son, the past resurfaces. Their personal family history intertwines with historical trauma, and along the way the son begins to reconcile with his father’s silence—and his own place in that history.
- Grandfather Puzzle (Hungary, USA). Director: Ora DeKornfeld. Synopsis: The grandson of a 100-year-old Hungarian Holocaust survivor travels to Hungary to photograph the sites of his grandfather’s escape story, turning them into handmade puzzles. As they piece together both the puzzles and the past, unspoken memories emerge, intertwining with the grandson’s search for identity. The film is an intimate reflection on intergenerational trauma and the possibility of finding one’s way home.
- Entr’actes (Ukraine). Director: Yuriy Shylov. Synopsis: Entr’actes follows Olena, a 73-year-old former doorkeeper in Kyiv who leads an amateur theatre group of elderly actors in wartime conditions. The film captures their rehearsals, daily lives, and tender moments as Olena writes a new play and prepares her troupe for competition. Beneath the humour and chaos of the stage lie family worries and the shadow of war. The result is a lyrical, slightly absurd portrait of Kyiv, where everyday resilience meets the persistence of art.
- End of Season (Italy). Director: Giulio Gobbetti. Synopsis: In Zadina, a seaside resort mostly frequented by elderly tourists, time seems to have stopped. Over the course of one summer, Laura, Beppe, and Giovanni—armed with sunscreen, swimsuits, and humour—grapple with uncertainty about the future.
- Inherited Shadow (Finland). Director: Mariana Reyes. Synopsis: The ancient Finnish tradition of lament songs helps people process trauma. Mexican psychologist and therapist Mariana Reyes travels to Finland to teach her own lament from one of the last living practitioners. Back in Mexico, she uses her song as a path toward reconciliation with her mother and her past.
MADOKE x Verzió Hun Doc’s Cookin’ Projects:
- East of Hope Director: Réka Ugron. Synopsis: Réka Ugron’s East of Hope is a personal, intuitive portrait of life in the Danube Delta. Inspired by her grandfather’s stories, the director revisits the region only to discover a harsher reality—where survival and happiness often seem out of reach. The film sensitively captures daily life, human resilience, and personal stories from this unique landscape.
- Home is a Dollhouse Director: Dorottya Márton. Synopsis: Dorottya Márton’s debut feature-length documentary is a deeply personal exploration of reconnection with her estranged mother. After her mother moved to Los Angeles, Dorottya grew up surrounded by absence and unanswered questions. Through archives, re-enacted memories, and collaborative storytelling, the film traces their attempt to rebuild their relationship while reflecting on identity, inheritance, and intergenerational reconciliation.
- Journey Home II: Orbán and Me Director: Réka Pigniczky. Synopsis: In her new film, acclaimed Hungarian American director Réka Pigniczky—known for her work on 1956 and the search for identity—returns to Budapest to reconnect with those who witnessed the country’s democratic transition. Her seemingly impossible mission: to interview Hungary’s long-serving prime minister, once a symbol of freedom, now a divisive figure. As she examines her own ambivalence, the film explores Orbán’s legacy and the enduring questions of national identity, liberal democracy, and the promises and contradictions of freedom.
- Borders of Belonging Director: Júlia Ubrankovics. Synopsis: Acclaimed actress Júlia Ubrankovics steps into directing with Borders of Belonging, a personal and creative journey. After being called racist during a dinner in Chicago, she sets off on a 40-day trip across America, meeting people from diverse backgrounds and processing the experience through psychodrama in Puerto Rico. Returning to Sopron, her childhood home, she confronts inherited trauma and her own inner boundaries.
