Institute of Documentary Film

A look back at the Short Pitch Program 2026 ✨

Seven inspiring short documentary projects from across the CEE region came together in Warsaw during the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival.

🎬 Participants presented their pitches, joined Q&As, group training sessions, and one-on-one meetings with industry professionals. 🤝

Thank you to everyone who made this edition so special – we’re already excited for the next one. 💫

📸 Dominika Scheibinger, Marek Kita

✦ 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧✦

Applications are now open for 2026/2027, a three-module training programme for filmmakers and creators with or without a project who are seeking guidance, support, and a professional environment focused on both creativity and well-being. ✨🎬

The programme, organised by Taskovski Films Ltd., supports bold storytelling across borders while promoting sustainable and conscious filmmaking practices.🌿

Participants can apply to one, two, or all three modules and applications are accepted on a rolling basis. 📅

Here are the winners of the Short Pitch Program 2026! They were announced during the MDAG Industry Award Ceremony in Warsaw on May 10, celebrating emerging documentary talents from Central and Eastern Europe.

🏆 East Doc Award + Polish Filmmakers Association Award: Bell Boy (dir. Akseli Leppänen, prod. Akseli Leppänen (Baltic Film and Media School), 20 min., Estonia, planned premiere: June 2026)
🏆 DAE Award: Naples, Florida (dir. Modesta Žemgulytė, prod. Akvilė Žilionytė-Khan (Artišokai), 17 min., Lithuania, planned premiere: August 2025)
🏆 Rising Producer Award: Kyiv under my wheels (dir. Marina Baibarza, prod. Marina Baibarza (Process Films), 20 min., Ukraine, Poland, planned premiere: August 2026)

Congratulations to all selected projects and award winners!

More info: https://dokweb.net/articles/detail/1947/

📷 Dominika Scheibinger

Our alternative distribution project KineDok International is launching a new season of documentary cinema. 🎬

The 2026/27 collection brings 18 remarkable films – including 3 immersive VR experiences – to audiences across Central and Eastern Europe 🇨🇿 🇸🇰 🇭🇺 🇭🇷 🇷🇴 from May 2026.

Expect a diverse selection of stories capturing the complexity of today’s world – from intimate personal journeys to urgent social themes and globally resonant perspectives. The programme combines acclaimed festival titles with distinctive auteur voices, highlighting the strength of contemporary documentary cinema.

KineDok screenings take place beyond traditional cinemas – in cafés, galleries, cultural centres, and other unexpected spaces where film meets community.

👉 On kinedok.net, you can explore upcoming screenings or even become a screening venue yourself in one of the participating countries.

📌 Read more: https://dokweb.net/articles/detail/1946/

KineDok is supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, Ministerstvo kultury České republiky, Státní fond audiovize and the capital city of Prague.

✦ 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧✦

📣 Filmmakers working on creative documentary projects in the Balkans – this one’s for you.

MakeCoProDox Forum 2026 is now open for submissions, offering a unique space for development, pitching, and connecting with industry professionals.

✨ Free participation + mentorship & networking opportunities
📆 Deadline to apply: 15 May 2026
📄 More info in the original post ⤵️

MakeDox

📣 OPEN CALL FOR PROJECTS – MakeCoProDox Forum 2026

📅 25–27 August 2026, Skopje

The 8th edition of MakeCoProDox Forum is now accepting applications from filmmakers with feature-length creative documentary projects produced, co-produced, or shot in the Balkans.

The forum brings together the selected projects with regional film centers, producers, mentors, and industry professionals for three days of strategic development, pitching, and networking.

✨ Participation is free of charge.
🎓 Includes online mentorship workshop, live pitching and one-on-one meetings, consultations with professionals and more!

🌍 Eligible countries: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey

📆 Extended deadline to apply: 15 May 2026
📄 Full details: Link in Bio

✦ 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 ✦

🌊 Applications are open for the 30th Baltic Sea Docs!

Feature-length creative documentary projects can apply for a chance to pitch, connect with international industry professionals, and join a three-day workshop in Riga.

📅 6–11 September 2026
📍 Riga, Latvia
📩 Deadline: 6 May

More information in the post below.

🌊 Applications are now open for the 30th Baltic Sea Docs!

If you’re working on your feature-length creative documentary, Baltic Sea Docs offers a chance to connect with international industry professionals, take part in a three-day workshop with experienced tutors, pitch your project and explore co-production opportunities.

📅 BSD industry dates: 6–11 September 2026
📍 Riga, Latvia
📩 Deadline for applications: 6 May

Filmmakers from the Baltic Sea region, Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus are invited to apply. Production companies from other European countries may also submit projects if they are thematically connected to these regions or involve a regional co-producer.

18 to 20 selected project teams will have the chance to present their work to international decision-makers, gain valuable feedback, and build networks!

🔗 Find out more and apply: https://dokforums.gov.lv/project-submission-guidelines-2026/

Short Pitch Program 2026 is just around the corner! 👀 On May 10, as part of Millennium Docs Against Gravity in Warsaw, 7 selected short documentary projects will be presented to audiences and industry professionals:

➡︎ Event horizon (dir. Jakub Gomółka)
➡︎ Kyiv under my wheels (dir. Marina Baibarza)
➡︎ Lefek (dir. Tomasz Misiukiewicz)
➡︎ Naples, Florida (dir. Modesta Žemgulytė)
➡︎ Bell Boy (dir. Akseli Leppänen)
➡︎ Victory Day (dir. Wojciech Węglarz)
➡︎ Last crime we don't remember (dir. Barbora Venclová & Mariana Kozáková)

Participants will take part in the pitching session, the panel discussion Against Despair. Short Documentaries as Acts of Resistance, Pole Position pitching of completed Polish films, and one-on-one meetings with invited decision-makers.

At the closing award ceremony, four prizes will be presented (East Doc Award, Documentary Association of Europe Award, Polish Filmmakers Association Award and the Rising Doc Producer Award). Good luck to all teams! 🏆

The event is organized by the Institute of Documentary Film in cooperation with Millennium Docs Against Gravity, in partnership with the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE), Krajowa Izba Producentów Audiowizualnych, and the Polish Filmmakers Association.

📌 More info: https://dokweb.net/articles/detail/1943/

📷 Marcin Oliva Soto

Seven bold voices. Seven compelling short docs.

The Short Pitch Program 2026 brings together emerging filmmakers from across the CEE region, showcasing powerful stories – from wartime Kyiv and forgotten histories to deeply personal journeys and unexpected micro-worlds.

Join us on May 10 in Warsaw as these projects take the stage at Millennium Docs Against Gravity, pitching to top industry professionals and shaping the future of documentary storytelling.

📌 More info: https://dokweb.net/articles/detail/1942/