€5700 in prize money was handed as doors closed on the 9th Verzió Doclab, a partnership between Verzió Film Festival and the international festival network DocAround Europe.
Verzió DocLab is described by organisers as “a unique concept, combining the development and mentoring focus of post-production workshops with a pitch platform where the projects can be presented to a professional audience.”
During the Verzió Doclab Pitch, 5 countries were represented: Greece, Ukraine, Germany, Spain, and Hungary. “The pitch forum was an important opportunity for professional decision-makers to connect with promising young filmmakers, fostering collaborations that can lead to outstanding films – films that might not be made without the support of the international community,” organisers add. “The Verzió Doclab pitch is a unique event in Hungary and has become an important part of the documentary industry in Central and Eastern Europe over the past 9 years.
Péter Becz, filmmaker and creative director of Verzió Doclab comments: “The aim is to provide as much support as possible for Hungarian documentaries. We are trying to make up for the shortcomings of the current Hungarian funding system because we don’t want to lose talent and relevant, important stories.”
“In partnership with the regions of the Doc Around Europe Festival Network, we provide mentoring and development and connect directors, producers, and editors with major film institutions, streaming platforms, and local filmmakers,” he adds.
“We are proud to be a key part of success stories such as Anna Rubi’s Your Life Without Me and Bálint Révész’ and Dávid Mikulán’s KIX. I am sure that each of this year’s projects will follow a similar path and that Verzió DocLab gave them a push to finish production, and that they will be screened and distributed to a wider audience”
The 2024 winners are:
- HBO DEVELOPMENT AWARD (€1500) Winner: Moving Sisters (Greece) by Christos Stefanou. (€1500) HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery are committed to the development of local documentaries. The prize underlines their “dedication to support documentaries and help unique visions and ideas that turn out to be potential HBO material.” The winning film is about 3 Afghan sisters, 2 of them stranded in a Greek refugee camp with their father, while their mother has already reached Germany with the third sister. A story of perseverance, hope, and growing up, halfway between East and West.
- ON THE SPOT VERZIÓ DOCLAB AWARD Winner: Bee in My Mouth (Germany/Hungary) by Loránd Balázs Imre. On the Spot is an award-winning documentary series on social and environmental issues and offers the award to support “curious and personal voices of documentary filmmaking.” This personal documentary explores the grief of losing a child through the eyes of the father. The birth of their healthy baby brings renewal, but the balance between loss and new beginnings is difficult.
- FOCUSFOX AWARD Winner: Hide Me In The Light (Ukraine) by Markiian Miroshnychenko. The Hungarian production and post-production company, FOCUSFOX grants a total of 16 hours of Baselight digital Broadcast grading, valued at net €2500, at their post-production facility.
- DAE Encouragement Award Winner: The freeSZFE Film (Work in Progress, Hungary) by Asia Dér. Producer: Fanni Hatházi. The producer of the project receives a one-year membership at DAE alongside a bespoke consultation with a DAE expert. The film details the 2020 university occupation against Orbán’s regime.
- BIO TO B AWARD Winner: My Dear Vira (Ukraine) by Maryna Brodovska. The project receives an Industry Pass at the Biografilm Festival for 2 members of the project team and an opportunity to attend Bio T o B 2025 Pitching Forum out of competition.
- BEST HUNGARIAN PROJECT AWARD BY MADOKE Winner: Bee in My Mouth (Germany, Hungary) by Loránd Balázs Imre. The best Hungarian project will receive a long-term mentoring collaboration by film professionals from MADOKE, the Hungarian Documentary Association.
- SOCIAL CAPTION AWARD Winner: The freeSZFE Film (Work in Progress, Hungary) by Asia Dér. Producer: Fanni Hatházi. SocialCaption is “a company passionate about bridging the language gap between Hungarian cinema and the English-speaking audience. Our expertise is in the creation of compassionate subtitles that truly capture the essence and culture of Hungarian films.”
