Prague-based Institute of Documentary Film announced this week the 12 documentary projects it has selected for the 19th Ex Oriente Film workshop.
Ex Oriente Film is a three-stage training programme focused on the development and funding of creative documentary films from Central and Eastern Europe. The team of experienced tutors will help workshop participants with the development of their projects during three sessions over the coming year.
The first workshop will be hosted online during the upcoming Sunny Side of the Doc. The second workshop will be hosted by Ji.hlava IDFF in October 2021. The third workshop will be presented in March 2022 as part of the East Doc Platform at One World IHRDFF. See below for the features of each workshop.
The selected projects are:
8 Dir. Danilo Cekovic, prod. Mario Adamson & Sergio Ayala, SE, RS. Ivan, a teenage Roma boy, and Serbian film student Danilo film their extraordinary friendship over the course of 8 years. After overcoming society’s obstacles, their relationship is now facing the greatest challenge yet.
As Long as I Live (orig. Pokiaľ ja žijem)
Dir. Roman Ďuriš, prod. Simona Bago Móciková & Radka Babincová, SK. A social documentary about a 22-year old Romani Dalibor. In order to earn some money and elevate his family from poverty and homelessness, he decides to join the horror circus and become a performer.
Baltic UXO Dir. Alexander Belinski. dir. & prod. Agne Dovydaityte, prod. Dagne Vildziunaite, LT. From microorganisms to giant construction sites – everything now suffers from 50,000 tons of corroding chemical munition dumped into the Baltic Sea after WW2 and it seems that there is nothing left to do but wait.
Last Letters of My Grandma Dir. Olga Lucovnicova, prod. Frederik Nicolai, co-prod. Virgiliu Mărgineanu, BE, MD. Traumas pass through generations. My grandmother Antonina committed suicide in 1989. By crossing the collective history and her life story, I search a way to change this inherited destiny.
Man of Marble (orig. Człowiek z marmuru) Dir. Szymon Kuriata, prod. Aneta Zagórska, PL. Remik tries to escape from alcoholism. His ex-partner Magda has to mature quickly to raise their son. Will they be able to break out of circle of his addiction and give Franek a better life together?
Nest of Storks and People (orig. Gnezdo na shturkeli i hora). Dir. Petko Gyulchev, prod. Galina Shtarbeva, BG. This is a story about migrating birds and migrating people who fly thousands of kilometers to return to a Bulgarian village in search of a better life.
Runaway (orig. Utíká). Dir. Marika Pecháčková, prod. Vít Klusák & Pavla Klimešová, CZ
“I have wild horses in me. If I don’t punish them with hard work every day, they will start using their strength against me.” The Czech marathoner ran from alcohol 5 years ago and just qualified for Olympic games in Tokyo.
Shut the Fuck Up! (orig. Ти, бля, рота закрий!). Dir. Taisiia Kutuzova, prod. Stephane Siohan, co-prod. Olga Beskhmelnitsyna, UA, FR. Serhiy, a teenager outraged by corruption and injustice, grows up to be a whistleblower in his village near Kyiv. But after first steps in real politics, the young man goes in search of his own personal identity.
The World is Not (a) Mine. Dir. Natalia Koniarz, prod. Ewa Hoffmann, PL. Portrait of people living in one of the most dangerous mines. One of them considering himself as a priest helps them with their suffering. They all ask: “Do people like us disappear or we have become invisible?”
The Pilgrim (orig. Pilgrim). Dir. Johana Ožvold, prod. Jakub Košťál & Vratislav Šlajer, CZ, DE, FR, GB. Inaudible, invisible, and everywhere
Up in the Air (orig. У ПОВІТРІ) Dir. Oksana Syhareva, prod. Anna Kapustina, UA
Young Ukrainian acrobats developing their skills and performance up in the air. A century-old circus building and local government officials challenge the path to their dreams.
1st Ex Oriente Film Session: Find Your Way – Vision, Space and Storytelling
Date: June 19-24, 2021 (online at Sunny Side of the Doc)
In this first session a panel of tutors composed of directors, curators and producers will take you in the different direction that your project could take. In a balance between inspirational sessions and hands-on session the tutoring team will help you exploring the infinitive creative solutions offered by the cinematographic language.
2nd Ex Oriente Film session: Production and Story Development
Date: October 25 – 30, 2021 (at Ji.hlava IDFF)
The second workshop will see producers diving into practical sessions to get familiar with legal issues, co-production opportunities and other aspects linked to funding and producing, while directors will be focusing on further development of the narrative and visual aspects of their films. Each team will also start to learn the basic of pitching and marketing, in preparation for the last session.
3rd Ex Oriente Film session: Market, here I am!
Date: March 26 – April 1, 2022 (as part of East Doc Platform within One World IHRDFF)
The third session will deal mainly with practical skills that are necessary for the presentation of the project and the pitching. However, its tutoring framework will focus mainly on distribution plan and sales, post-pitching negotiation techniques for documentaries, as well as communication strategies to get European/ North American broadcasters and funders involved in the project. Theoretical parts of the session will discuss specific examples of international co-production through case studies presented by commissioning editors, producers and distributors.
