Ji.hlava IDFF has unveiled the seven projects that will be presented at the 21st edition of Docu Talents from the East 2025, taking place at the Sarajevo Film Festival on August 17. Since 2005, Docu Talents has been a core industry event attended by festival advisors, distributors, buyers, and international journalists, showcasing some of the best documentary projects from the region.
This year’s selected projects will be introduced by their directors and producers to decision-makers attending the Cinelink Industry Days at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
The presentation will take place on Sunday, August 17, from 16:30 to 18:00 at the UNITIC building in Sarajevo and is open to all accredited industry guests of the festival.
All selected projects are currently in post-production, with premieres expected between September 2025 and August 2026. The selection has been curated by representatives of the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival.
Each project will compete for the 3,000 EUR in-kind DAFilms.com Distribution Award, which covers the international VOD release on DAFilms.com (including Americas, Europe, Asia) for two years, and the Avanpost Post-production Award, which grants 25,000 EUR in-kind post-production services. The Award ceremony will take place on Monday, August 18 at 18.00–20:00 at the Festival Garden in Sarajevo.
DOCU TALENTS FROM THE EAST 2025 SELECTION
- A SONG WITHOUT HOME. Director: Rati Tsiteladze. Producer: Olga Slusareva. Country: Georgia. Synopsis: This immersive journey follows a young trans woman seeking freedom in Europe and her mother facing estrangement in Georgia, bound by love, longing, and the search for self-liberation across divided worlds.
- FLYING COWS. Directors: Vahagn Khachatryan, Aren Malakyan. Producers: Vahagn Khachatryan, Irene Muñoz Martin. Countries: Armenia, Switzerland. Synopsis: In the chaos of war, a cow gives birth to a calf. As villagers pack their belongings and flee their homes, the calf is sold to cattle traders and begins a journey from Armenia to Iraqi Kurdistan.
- I AM ONE OF THEM. Director: Nadim Suleiman. Producer: Kasia Kuczyńska. Countries: Poland, Saudi Arabia. Synopsis: A Syrian filmmaker and a Polish nationalist cross paths, beginning a complex journey of friendship, self-discovery, and the struggle to bridge their differences.
- LAND OF FIRE. Director: Nikola Klinger. Producers: Kristina Husová, Jan Wilde, Taghreed Saadeh. Countries: Czech Republic, Germany, Canada. Synopsis: In the wilderness of British Columbia, a grieving father’s quest for justice for his murdered daughter interweaves with local rituals of healing and demolition derby races.
- MONUMENT OF REVOLUTION. Director: Mladen Ivanović. Producer: Tamara Puizina. Country: Croatia. Synopsis: The Monument of the Uprising of the Peoples of Banija and Kordun is one of the most significant monuments ever built in this region. Filming both casual and intentional visitors throughout the seasons, this film shows its gradual decay, which, in a metaphorical sense, means more than just the disappearance of a single monument.
- SHUT THE FUCK UP! Director: Taisiia Kutuzova. Producer: Alona Savchuk. Country: Ukraine. Synopsis: When a 16-year-old activist from a village near Kyiv exposes local corruption on Facebook, he triggers a storm of threats and violence. As he runs for office under pressure, he must also confront a deeper personal struggle — in a country at war and a community that seems not ready for change.
- STRANGE SEA. Director: Lala Aliyeva. Producer: Aysel Akhundova. Countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia. Synopsis: In the depths of the Caspian Sea the whispers of its dark past intertwine with the tales of ordinary life. Through a personal journey, ‘Strange Sea’ paints an impressionistic portrait of Azerbaijan.
