The Ex Oriente Film documentary laboratory has extended its upcoming deadline to April 15. The three-past lab, running June 2025 to March 2026, comprises 12 feature-length documentary projects and 5 docuseries projects, represented by director/producer or creator/producer teams who will also attend additional online sessions.
The training programme concludes at the East Doc Forum pitching, where participants will present their projects to more than 80 international decision-makers. They will also get a chance to win various prizes and scholarships, financial support, co-production agreements, access to leading European markets, and partner training, organisers stress.
The call is open to creative docuseries in the development and at early production stage, that challenge genres, formats, and media boundaries. The workshop is designed for creators mainly from Central and Eastern Europe (incl. selected EU acceding and candidate countries) and/or creative documentary projects dealing with stories from the region.
“By joining the Ex Oriente Film you also become a part of the exclusive Alumni network and receive lifetime access to the one-of-a-kind follow-up programme that enables you and others more than 550 creators to share ideas, learn from one another, build relationships and grow.”
The Ex Oriente timeline is as follows:
- 1st Session: June 2025 (in partnership with Sunny Side of the Doc, La Rochelle, France)
- 2nd Session: September 2025 (in partnership with Serial Killer, Brno, Czech Republic)
- 3rd Session & East Doc Forum: March 2026 (within East Doc Platform, Prague, Czech Republic)
For examples of documentaries successfully developed at x Oriente, click here.
“At Ex Oriente Film we empower ambitious projects that won’t compromise on their story and creative language to fit in,“ organisers write. “We are always looking for creators who take us on a journey we didn’t even know was possible. Fearless visionary works can count on our support by fostering international, interdisciplinary and intergenerational collaboration.“
“We bolster open and safe space for ideas, experiments, free discussions and the sharing of best practices. We strive to build a community and strong relationships that help you and your project find the right place in the industry.”
