Friday, March 14
Lecture by Mirjam Wiekenkamp: Festival Publicity 101
French Institute in Prague, Kino 35
9:00-10:30
A publicity campaign is an essential part of launching your film into the world. But how does this work? What kind of materials do you need? How do you write a good synopsis? What makes a good film still? Which information should be included in a press kit? And what can be expected when it comes to press? International film publicist Mirjam Wiekenkamp (NOISE Film & TV) will share her ins and outs on publicity campaigns and get you ready to rock the festival circuit. Mirjam Wiekenkamp has been working as a publicist for both fiction and documentary since 2008. She is the founder of NOISE and represents films at festivals such as Berlinale, Cannes, CPH:DOX, IDFA, IFFR, Karlovy Vary, Locarno and Venice. Some of the documentaries she has recently been working with include Fiume o morte! (Igor Bezinovic, winner Tiger Award IFFR 2025), About a Hero (Piotr Winiewicz, opening film IDFA 2024), Songs of Slow Burning Earth (Olha Zhurba, Venice FF 2024), The Flats (Alessanda Celesia, winner DOX:AWARD CPH:DOX 2024), Intercepted (Oksana Karpovych, Berlinale 2024), Favoriten (Ruth Beckermann, opening film Berlinale Encounters Competition 2024), and Apolonia, Apolonia (Lea Glob, winner Best Documentary Award IDFA 2022).
Lecture by Claas Danielsen: The Spark of Originality
French Institute in Prague, Kino 35
16:30-18:00
Each film project marks a fresh journey into unknown territories that can only succeed if the perfect team comes together and has a clear vision of its destination. How to shape an idea into a film that sticks out? How to develop a realistic financing strategy, choose trustworthy co-production partners, develop a convincing distribution strategy and launch the film successfully? Claas Danielsen, co-founder of Documentary Campus, former Director of DOK Leipzig and Head of the MDM Film Fund, shares his observations and experiences when it comes to developing, financing and distributing ambitious films and series for an international audience.
Saturday, March 15
Panel discussion: Mr. Nobody against Putin (2025, DK, CZ)
French Institute in Prague, Kino 35
9:30-10:30
Inspirational discussion with the filmmakers behind the feature length documentary Mr. Nobody against Putin directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin, produced by Made in Copenhagen in co-production with PINK. Danish - Czech co-production film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in World Cinema Documentary Competition 2025, awarded World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award and continues an exciting festival journey screening in international competition of One World Film Festival in Prague. What were the greatest challenges throughout the project the producers, crew and directors were facing? How does international co-production with many major broadcasters involved works in practice?
In the panel: David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin, director, Radovan Síbrt and Alžběta Karásková, producers PINK, Lucie Kon, commissioning editor BBC Storyville.
Lecture by Jesper Osmund: Pitch trailer seminar
French Institute in Prague, Kino 35
17:00-18:30
Jesper Osmund will elaborate on how to make a compelling pitch trailer for your documentary project by showing examples and offering concrete advice. Jesper Osmund is an acclaimed film editor, narrative consultant, and tutor. With a career that began in fiction, Jesper found his calling in documentaries, embracing the creative freedom of editing without a script.
Sunday, March 16
Panel: Archives, Ethics & AI
French Institute in Prague, Kino 35
9:30-10:30
Introducing the Generative AI Initiative of APA and its Best Practices Guidelines with Lucie Králová - Future Memory Lab, Stephen Bergson - archive researcher APA. More information will be posted soon.
Monday, March 17
Czech Docs: Coming Soon
French Institute in Prague, Kino 35
17:30-18:30
What is new in the sphere of Czech documentary filmmaking, and what can we look forward to in the future? Five upcoming Czech feature-length documentaries will be presented by their producer-director team to an audience consisting of the general public, representatives of leading international film festivals, sales agents, distributors and other film professionals. The event is organized in cooperation with the Audiovisual Producers' Association (APA). Moderated by Ivana Formanová (KineDok).
This year’s projects are: Who Is Missing Today? (dir. Květa Chaloupková), Land of Fire (dir. Nikola Klinger), How Long Until We Die Out? (dir. Juliana Moska), Wasteland Chronicles (dir. Viera Čákanyová, Lucia Kašová, Barbora Sliepková), Death of Death (dir. Davis Simanis). More information can be found here.
Screening: VR films
French Institute in Prague, Guest Service
15:00-19:00
This is a two-day event taking place on March 17-18
Experience the unique world of virtual reality through a screening of a VR film that will immerse you in a captivating story and offer an unforgettable experience. This innovative format combines technology with emotional storytelling, pushing the boundaries of cinematic art. Get ready for a completely new way of perceiving film, where you become part of the story and explore the possibilities of interaction within a virtual space. The screening is perfect for enthusiasts of modern technology and fans of audiovisual storytelling alike.
Screened films: Darkening (dir. Ondřej Moravec, 25 min, Czechia, Germany, 2022), Goodbye Mr. Octopus (dir. Amaury Campion, Lily Lambert, France, USA, 10 min, 2020)
Tuesday, March 18
East Doc Forum
French Institute in Prague, Kino 35
9:00-14:00
For accredited guests only
The East Doc Forum 2025 brings 19 feature length documentary projects and 6 documentary series projects in development and production stage to pitch in front of international commissioning editors, film funds representatives, buyers, distributors, sales agents, independent producers and other funders. East Doc Forum has welcomed more than 1000 filmmakers and supported over 500 documentary projects over the years, including award-winning films from key international festivals, such as Outside, KIX, Pianoforte, Motherland, Blix Not Bombs, Something Better to Come, Over the Limit, When the War Comes, Sofia's Last Ambulance, Village without Women, Ukrainian Sheriffs, The Russian Job or Brothers.
Take a look at this year's projects here.
KineDok conference: New Opportunities for VR Distribution
French Institute in Prague, Kino 35
18:00-20:00
Virtual reality is transforming the way we tell stories, offering audiences unique and immersive experiences. What are the current trends in VR filmmaking? How is its distribution evolving, and how can new audiences be reached? What technological and creative innovations are shaping the future of this medium? Explore the rapidly developing landscape of VR distribution in this insightful discussion on new opportunities in the field. Leading experts Ondřej Moravec (Brainz Immersive), Sara Fatucci (Unframed), and Gabriella Chihan Stanley (vrisch) will share their experiences and visions in this panel discussion. Together, we will explore successful projects and discover new ways to harness the potential of VR and push the boundaries of audiovisual storytelling.
Screening: VR films
French Institute in Prague, Guest Service
15:00-19:00
This is a two-day event taking place on March 17-18
Experience the unique world of virtual reality through a screening of a VR film that will immerse you in a captivating story and offer an unforgettable experience. This innovative format combines technology with emotional storytelling, pushing the boundaries of cinematic art. Get ready for a completely new way of perceiving film, where you become part of the story and explore the possibilities of interaction within a virtual space. The screening is perfect for enthusiasts of modern technology and fans of audiovisual storytelling alike.
Screened films: Darkening (dir. Ondřej Moravec, 25 min, Czechia, Germany, 2022), Goodbye Mr. Octopus (dir. Amaury Campion, Lily Lambert, France, USA, 10 min, 2020)
Wednesday, March 19
ALL THE MONEY FOR CULTURE
French Institute in Prague, Kino 35
15:00–16:30
State funding for the cultural sector is a crucial component, especially in the context of artistic and documentary filmmaking. Whether in production, distribution, or the festival circuit, very few can operate without government support in Central Europe. But what specific funding opportunities—such as subsidies, grants, and public funds—are available not only to filmmakers but also to organizations and institutions that bring their films to audiences Focusing on the Visegrad region, this panel discussion will explore these questions with representatives from various areas of the film industry in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary.
This event is supported by the International Visegrad Fund and is organized in partnership with One World Festival.
More information will be published soon. Stay tuned.