Renowned US filmmaker and editor Jonathan Oppenheim was among the tutors of the second session of Ex Oriente Film that took place June 13 - 19, 2011 in Prague. We discussed the complexities of Laura Poitras's The Oath, the misunderstood worth of documentary film, power balance in the editing room, three of his favourite films, and more...

The upcoming Karlovy Vary IFF will present several documentary films from Eastern Europe, many of them in competition. Among them is the Polish documentary film At the Edge of Russia by Michal Marczak, a unique insight into the private worlds of soldiers stationed in a military outpost deep behind the Arctic circle, guarding the Russian border.

The Croatian documentary musical Marija's Own has made it into the East of the West competition at the 46th Karlovy Vary IFF (July 1 - 9, 2011). Two Polish, one Czech and one doc by Audrius Stonys are part of the documentary competition. The festival will also screen Pavel Kostomarov's I Love You, a slate of Czech docs and a special programme dedicated to music.

Toys, a Lithuanian-Belarus documentary planned for completion in March 2012, was selected for the Institute of Documentary Film's 2011 Ex Oriente programme.

The European broadcasting festival Prix Europa 2011 announces this year’s nominees. The category of feature-length television documentary presents also two successful Czech documentaries Katka, made by Helena Třeštíková, and Coal in the Soul filmed by the directing couple Martin Dušek and Ondřej Provazník. Prix Europa 2011 takes place in October 22 – 29 in Berlin.

Supported by CNC Romania, ARTE/France and MEDIA, Aristoteles Workshop has over the past five years become a unique training programme, offering both a hands-on approach and a continuous tutoring system, and managed to double its status as an established production house as well. Entry deadline: May 31, 2011.

The seventh edition of Docu Talents from the East 2011 announced its final call for submissions, due by 15 May 2011. Docu Talents takes place within the Industry section of the Karlovy Vary IFF (www.kviff.com) and is cosponsored by the Jihlava IDFF (www.dokument-festival.cz).

Croatian producer/director Helena Bulaja explores the life and world of inventor Nikola Tesla in the interactive and animated documentary Mechanical Figures, pitched at the 2010 East European Forum.

IDFA's Jan Vrijman Fund is now looking for proposals for creative documentaries and events that offer a platform for documentaries and filmmakers in and from developing countries. Application deadline: May 15, 2011.

The Robert Bosch Stiftung awarded a total of 210,000 euros to three CEE films, including a Hungarian/German documentary, Roma Rally, and the Romanian/German short film Pepsi directed by Peter Kerek.