The workshop supports the development and funding of creative documentary films from Central and Eastern Europe. At thethree workshop sessions taking place in the course of one year, directors and producers develop their projects and funding strategies and benefit from the assistance and valuable advice provided by leading European producers, directors, experts and commissioning editors. The Ex Oriente Film training programme culminates with the East European Forumco-production meeting, allowing documentary filmmakers to pitch their projects to Europe's and North America´s leading commissioning editors, distributors, buyers and film fund representatives.
Workshop Timeline:
1st Workshop Session - „Find Your Originality“: July 17 – 22, 2013 (Rijeka, Croatia)
2nd Workshop Session - „Production & Story Development“: October 2013 (within Jihlava IDFF,
Jihlava, Czech Republic)
3rd Workshop Session & Pitching Forum - „The Market Opens“: March 2014 (within One World
Film Festival, Prague, Czech Republic)
Projects we look for:
Feature length (52´up) documentary projects tackling contemporary topics, challenging genre and
media boundaries and audience participation. Projects we seek should show engagement beyond
mere observation of events and integrate film and audiences, using innovative ways of storytelling
and new modes of perception. We welcome filmmakers who set out to conduct intense
experiences and to change the way we think about topical issues, audiences, and the world itself.
Participants:
About 12-14 projects will be selected out of all submissions, which totals 24 - 28 participants (directorproducer
teams) attending the workshop. The workshop is designed primarily for directors and
producers from Central and Eastern Europe and/ or for creative documentary projects dealing with
stories from Central and Eastern Europe.
Conditions of Participation:
Directors and producers participate with their own creative documentary projects. It is required
that all workshop sessions be attended by both the director and the producer. Participants must be
proficient in English.
Participation Fee:
The participation fee is EUR 1,500 per selected project (includes accommodation, coffee breaks and
lunches during all the three workshop sessions for 1-2 pers.).
Scholarships:
Participants from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland,
Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia may apply for scholarship to cover part of the participation fee.
Applicants must prove that there is no access to scholarship in their own country and that the project is
not supported by any development funding. To apply for scholarship, applicants must send us a request
and an official letter from their local MEDIA Desk or national film centre confirming this.
EX ORIENTE FILM STEP BY STEP:
1st Session: “Find Your Originality”
July 17 – 22, 2013 (Rijeka, Croatia)
The first session of the workshop deals with inspiration, focusing on the development of the
documentary project, primarily its story potential, as well as researching the potential for documentary
co-production and laying the groundwork for project production. The programme is divided between
various master classes held by visiting experts and practical intensive work on the projects. The first
session aims to integrate the participants into a functioning group, establishing positive atmosphere for
creative networking as well as defining the position of each project within the context of the European
documentary market. We try to answer a number of questions, such as: What is the purpose of making
this film? Has a similar film been made in recent years? What will be the film language and visual style of
the film? What is the production potential of the film? What are the realistic expectations that lay in the
story and in the producer’s experience? What improvements should be made?
2nd Session: “Production Development”
October 23 – 29, 2013 TBC (Jihlava, Czech Republic, within Jihlava IDFF)
The second workshop session focuses on budgeting, legal aspects of co-productions, strategies for
selecting commissioning editors and the proper television format, as well as a deeper creative
development of the projects, the rough material as well as the documentary script. The second session
is specific in that it has partly separate programme for directors and producers. It also puts a strong
emphasis on the development of project distribution strategy.
3rd Session: “The Market Opens”
March 3 – 9, 2014 (Prague, Czech Republic)
In March 2014, the workshop will culminate with the East European Forum pitching sessions that are
designed to enhance funding potential of the attending projects. The third session deals mainly with
practical skills that are necessary for the presentation of the project and the pitching. However, its
tutoring framework focuses mainly on distribution plan and sales, post-pitching negotiation techniques
for documentaries, as well as communication strategies to get European/ North American broadcasters
involved in the project. Theoretical parts of the session discuss specific examples of international coproduction through case studies presented by commissioning editors, producers and distributors. The
session is concluded with the East European Pitching Forum and Feedback Round Tables.
An important aspect of Ex Oriente Film is the year-round online sessions and consultations led by head
tutors and guest tutors of the workshop. The three residential Ex Oriente Film workshops and the East
European Forum pitching are supplemented by the Follow-Up Support Programme which tracks the projects till their completion.
Contact:
Veronika Lišková, Project Manager
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Institute of Documentary Film (IDF)
Školská 12, Prague 1, 110 00, Czech Republic
