Eight projects developed at the dok.incubator and “ready to premiere soon and start their festival lives” will be presented November 17 at IDFA (LAB 111, 15.30).
“From circumstances that turn life upside down and clashes of different worlds to one’s healing journey – the documentaries presented at this year’s dok.incubator preview create a powerful and touching mosaic of today. This carefully selected film collection demonstrates the richness of filmmaking approaches, cultural backgrounds and personal stories,” write organisers.
Adds Andrea Prenghyová, the CEO of dok.incubator: “The world as we know it goes through a deep transformation and our eight new documentaries offer powerful personal perspectives on today’s most pressing issues. From geopolitical conflicts to the impact of societal shifts on family life, these films reveal how this change touches the individual, and the intimate storytelling reminds us that behind every crisis is a human story that can inspire a change.”
Over the past 13 years, 14 films developed at the dok.incubator rough cut workshop have been selected for Sundance, such as Agent of Happiness (2024, Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbo) and Acasa, My Home (2020, Radu Ciorniciuc), while two were nominated for Emmy Awards. Three are part of Best of Fests at IDFA 2024 (A Sisters’ Tale, Agent of Happiness and We Are Inside).
The eight rough cut projects to be presented November 17 are:
- 9-MONTH CONTRACT (GE, BG, DE) by Ketevan Vashagashvili, produced by Nino Chichua, Anna Khazaradze. Logline: A Georgian mother turns to surrogacy to secure a roof over her daughter’s head. What begins as a quick way to earn cash transforms into a profound sacrifice, questioning how far a mother can go. Estimated date of release: February 2025.
- ALWAYS (US, FR, CN) by Deming Chen, produced by Hansen Lin. Logline: A cinematic allegory of a boy becoming a teenager in rural China. Searching through an emotional landscape of growth, he reflects on the poetry of his solitary childhood. Estimated date of release: May 2025.
- CHILD OF DUST (PL, VN, CZ, SE) by Weronika Mliczewska, produced by Weronika Mliczewska, Chi-Minh De Leo. Logline: After a lifetime of longing, Sang, an unwanted child from the Vietnam War, finally meets his newly found father in the U.S., leaving his beloved family behind—but nothing goes as expected. Estimated date of release: March 2025.
- I HEAR YOUR VOICE (FR, IL, DK, HU, CH, IT) by Roy Cohen, produced by Serge Gordey. Logline: In a land falling apart from conflict and moral decay, Roy, an Israeli journalist and activist becomes a father. Now, he and his family have to decide – stay and resist war, or leave? Estimated date of release: August 2025
- LOVE EXPOSED (CZ, SK) by Filip Remunda, produced by Tereza Horská. Logline: In this absurd tragi-comedy, Blanka is on a mission impossible: to change her eccentric artist father, a macho relic from the previous century. Can she overcome her anger and find serenity? Estimated date of release: February 2025
- SUPERNATURAL (ES, BE, FR) by Ventura Durall, produced by Maria Colomer Canyelles. Logline: Many people believe Malby, a famous shaman and spiritual healer, possessed supernatural powers. His own son Mathu, does not. Estimated date of release: February 2025
- THE ROOTS OF MADNESS (CH) by Edgar Hagen, produced by Mathias Hefel. Logline: Why do so many people from the Middle East become refugees? With a legendary European TV reporter, the diirector investigates the long-term effects of western interference in countries where war never ends. Estimated date of release: Mau 2025
- THE TOWN THAT DROVE AWAY (PL) by Natalia Pietsch, Grzegorz Piekarski, produced by Katarzyna Kostecka. Logline: In Kurdistan, the last residents of an ancient town watch helplessly as centuries old traditions disappear when the Turkish government floods their land.
