East Doc Platform 2025 is just around the corner, and participating projects will have the opportunity to win several awards. Discover all the details about these awards and the juries that will decide the winners.
The East Doc Platform Award
The Institute of Documentary Film will announce the main EDP prize – the East Doc Platform Award associated with the financial support for the best project in development and production. The granted financial support will help the filmmakers in the further development of their documentary film. The winner will be announced at the Award Ceremony on March 19, 2025.
East Doc Platform Award Jury
(From left to right: Manuela Buono, Jess Gormley, Sara Ferro)
Manuela Buono
Occupation: Sales Agent
Company: Slingshot Films
Country: Italy
Manuela Buono was born and lives in Trieste. In 2013, she founded the production and distribution company Slingshot Films, specializing in creative documentaries and art-house fiction films. A MEGA Plus 2010 graduate, she received a Nipkow fellowship in 2011 and was selected for Berlinale Talents in 2014 and the Rotterdam Producers' Lab in 2024. With Slingshot Films, she produced Fango Rosso, a feature documentary by Alberto Diana (Torino FF 2019); Freikörperkultur by Alba Zari (Venice Int. Critics' Week 2021); and Diteggiatura by Riccardo Giacconi (Giornate degli Autori 2021, Rotterdam IFF, NYFF 2022). She co-produced New Dawn Fades by Gürcan Keltek (Tur/Ita/Ger/Nor/Ned), which premiered in the International Competition at the Locarno Film Festival in 2024. Manuela Buono is a member of EFA and EWA.
Jess Gormley
Occupation: Commissioning Editor
Company: Guardian News & Media
Country: United Kingdom
Jess Gormley is an Executive Producer at Guardian Documentaries, the Guardian's BAFTA and Oscar-winning film strand that publishes between 18 and 24 short-form documentaries per year. Prior to joining the Guardian, she worked on several award-winning feature films, including The Arbor (2010, BAFTA-nominated), McCullin (2012, BAFTA-nominated), Attacking the Devil (2014, Sheffield Doc Fest Special Jury Prize), and Radiator (2014, Glasgow Film Festival Audience Award). For television, she produced a More 4 special on dancer and choreographer Akram Khan, Akram Khan: Homeland (2011), and a four-part series for Sky Arts with photographer Rankin, Rankin Presents (2014). Jess also served as Executive Producer on the nationwide short filmmaking scheme Collabor8te, supported by Nokia.
Sara Ferro
Occupation: Festival Representative
Company: MakeDox
Country: North Macedonia
Sara Ferro (b. 1994) is a producer from Skopje, North Macedonia. She is the manager of PPFP film production in Skopje, which focuses on producing and co-producing creative documentary films as well as arthouse fiction films. Her involvement in documentary filmmaking began in 2010 with the Association MakeDox and the MakeDox International Creative Documentary Film Festival in Skopje, where she currently serves as Head of Industry and Project Manager.
The Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award 2025
The Series Co-production Development Award, worth €50,000, is intended to foster creative collaborations in series co-production and empower independent producers. The award forms part of the Pilot Programme for Series Co-productions, an initiative of the Council of Europe, home of Eurimages.
The Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award offers a unique opportunity for Central and Eastern European producers to gain recognition and access to crucial market exposure while aligning with European standards of excellence in documentary series production and will be hosted by East Doc Platform 2025.
The Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award 2025 Jury
(From left to right: Michael Kaschner, Barbara Bouillon, Alessia Sonaglioni)
Michael Kaschner
Occupation: Commissioning Editor
Company: ZDF – Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen
Country: Germany
Michael Kaschner has worked as a freelance content creator, screenwriter, and director in the field of factual entertainment. In October 2013, he became Senior Producer at ZDF Digital Medienproduktion GmbH, where he supervised a network of over 100 freelance authors across various formats. Alongside his work in 360° storytelling and interactive VR, he established a fiction department focused on developing serialized, episode-spanning narratives. Since October 2018, he has been a Vice Commissioning Editor at the German public broadcaster ZDF, overseeing the series Terra Xpress. In addition, he serves as a guest lecturer at the Center for Media Competence (ZFM).
Barbara Bouillon
Occupation: Commissioning Editor
Company: ARTE G.E.I.E.
Country: France
Barbara Bouillon is a commissioning editor for the documentary slot THEMA at ARTE G.E.I.E. in Strasbourg, France. After studying Slavic studies in Berlin and Moscow, she joined ARD-TV station Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg, working on their German-Polish TV program, news, and cultural talk shows. In 2007, she moved to the ARD office for Austria and Southeastern Europe in Vienna, later becoming a commissioning editor at SRF Zurich in 2012. Since 2013, she has been producing investigative and geopolitical documentaries at ARTE Strasbourg, including Russland – Geknebelte Freiheit (2022), Die Unsichtbaren – Arbeiterinnen aus Osteuropa (2024), and Russland, China, Iran – Front gegen den Westen (2024). Bouillon is fluent in Polish and Russian.
Alessia Sonaglioni
Occupation: Funding Representative
Company: Council of Europe
Country: Italy
Alessia Sonaglioni is a lawyer specializing in European audiovisual production and gender equality. In 2023, she took on the role of Programme Manager for the Pilot Programme for Series Co-Productions at the Council of Europe. From 2010 to 2022, she managed cinema co-production projects at the Eurimages Film Fund, and between 2016 and 2021, she served as Executive Director of the EWA Network, a non-profit organization supporting female professionals in the European audiovisual sector.
Silver Eye Award
The East Silver International Jury, composed of international buyers, sales agents, and festival selectors, awards the best documentary film from the East Silver Market with the Silver Eye Award. The purpose of the award is to support directors with innovative approach, authors of films that create social impact, filmmakers, who has the courage to open discussion on serious topics, and creators offering unique point of view. The winner receives a trophy and a year-long festival distribution service through the East Silver Caravan, valued at €3,500.
Read more about the nominated films and the jury here.
The Golden Funnel
The award for the most significant development within the workshop is granted to one Ex Oriente Film and Ex Oriente Series workshop participating team awarded 2.000 EUR. The financial support should help the filmmakers in further development and international promotion of their documentary films. The project is selected by the workshop leading tutors Filip Remunda, Ivana Pauerová Miloševičová, Christian Popp, Diana El Jeiroudi, Gitte Hansen and Ruth Reid.
Ex Oriente Fine Cut Award
Ex Oriente Film project selected by the workshop lead tutors Filip Remunda, Ivana Pauerová Miloševičová, Christian Popp, Diana El Jeiroudi and Gitte Hansen will receive rough cut consultations with renowned film editors in value of 2.000 EUR.
Cut thru the Noise Award
At the 3rd workshop session held within East Doc Platform 2025, the Ex Oriente Film 2024 participants will be eligible to receive the Cut thru the Noise Award. The award will be given to one of the Ex Oriente Film participating team that makes the most progress over the course of the workshop in terms of their fist-package preparation. Shortlist of candidates will be suggested by the workshop lead tutors. The winning project will be selected by Luke Brawley, the founder of INDOX, an international non-fiction festival agency and by Mirjam Wiekenkamp, founder and manager of international projects at NOISE PR. The awarded team will receive tailor-made consultancy on the project´s release, distribution and festival strategy in the value of 1.500 EUR.
Czech Television Award
Markéta Štinglová, Manager of International Content Projects of the public broadcaster Czech Television, the General Media Partner of the Institute of Documentary Film, will announce the winner of the Czech Television Award. The award represents the licence value of 150,000 CZK and an agreement on the subsequent use of the program by Czech Television. The jury consists of the Czech Television representatives: Markéta Štinglováá, Manager of International Content Projects, Petr Morávek, Head of Production Department Documentary and Educational Programmes, and Věra Krincvajová, Chief Editor of Documentaries, Film Center.
HBO Award
HBO, the General Partner of the Institute of Documentary Film will award one of the projects selected to the East Doc Platform 2025 the HBO Award worth EUR 2 000. The award will be presented by Hanka Kastelicová, the Executive Producer of Documentaries HBO Original. This award does not constitute any co-production or distribution deal and doesn’t bind the granted director/producer to sell any rights for the film to HBO in exchange for the award.
Sunny Side of the Doc Prize
Sunny Side of the Doc, the international marketplace and community for documentary, to be held in La Rochelle from 23 to 26 June, is delighted to offer two complimentary accreditations for Sunny Side of the Doc 2025 and a project submission fee waiver to the creative team behind one project presented at East Doc Platform 2025. The 36th edition of Sunny Side of the Doc will open new routes to storytelling, fostering international collaboration and promoting resilience and creativity in a rapidly evolving market.
DOK Leipzig DOK Co-Pro Market Award
DOK Leipzig is happy to present the DOK Co-Pro Market Award. One project will be selected for fast-forward participation in the 21st DOK Co-Pro Market. The project will have the chance to present itself to international decision makers in pre-scheduled individual meetings in October 2025. The prize includes participation fees, a free festival accreditation for two representatives of the selected project and accommodation in a double room. The award will be selected by DOK Leipzig representative.
DocsBarcelona Award
In cooperation with DocsBarcelona, one of the projects presented at the East Doc Forum is selected for the Speed Meetings at the 2025 DocsBarcelona Industry. The meetings will be arranged previously depending on financers and projects preferences. The award enables the filmmakers to additionally present their project to the international decision makers and thus soon follow up on and broaden the deals and cooperation initiated at East Doc Platform. The project will be selected by Èric Motjer, Head of Industry and Training, and Milagros Távara, Forum Manager at DocsBarcelona.
MIA Market Award
One documentary series project will be invited to participate in the MIA International Audiovisual Market in October in Rome, Italy. A hotbed of business, discussion, debate, and confrontation among the most important international executives, MIA is a destination for the global film and audiovisual ecosystem, conceived as a curated market, a physical and digital space for ANIMATION, DOC & FACTUAL, DRAMA and FILM global players and content. The project will be selected by the MIA Doc & Factual Team.
Baltic Sea Docs Award
Thanks to the collaboration with the Baltic Sea Docs, one project will be awarded an invitation to participate in the Baltic Sea Forum for Documentaries in September 2025. The winning team will have the opportunity to engage with industry professionals from both the Baltic Sea region and beyond, including European and international industry players. The award announcement will be made by communications manager Ieva Lange.
DAE Pitch Talent Encouragement Prize
Documentary Association of Europe is bringing to East Doc Platform the DAE Pitch Talent Encouragement Prize. The award consists of bespoke mentoring with a DAE member, depending on the needs of the project team.
Pitch the Doc Prize
The Pitch the Doc Prize is given to boost the progress of the credited project, providing it with dedicated curation and support in building international recognition and visibility. Consultation is held by an expert associated with Pitch the Doc and takes place within 6 months of the Prize announcement, following the exposure of the project on Pitch the Doc platform.
Docs Ireland Prize
In cooperation with Docs Ireland, Ireland’s all island industry-focused documentary festival, one of the projects presented at the East Doc Platform is selected for the meetings at the 2025 Docs Ireland Marketplace. The project team will receive free accreditation passes and two-nights accommodation for 2 persons. The project will be selected by Rohan Berry Crickmar, the festival’s Head of Industry.
Millennium Docs Against Gravity Award
Millennium Docs Against Gravity offers an award to a project selected from those presented at the East Doc Forum. The award includes Industry accreditation for 22. MDAG for two team members, as well as accommodation for two nights and a spot at the main pitching session – Progress Pitching Session. The project will be selected by Mateusz Góra, festival programmer.
Al Jazeera Balkans DFF Award
The Al Jazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival is excited to announce a special award at the East Doc Platform 2025, which will grant one outstanding project a cash prize of EUR 1,000. This prize will be presented by Nejra Kozaric, the Executive Producer of AJB DOC. This cash prize does not entail any commitment to co-production with Al Jazeera Balkans. Additionally, the selected project will gain the opportunity to apply for the AJD Industry Days at AJB DOC, fostering further development and exposure.
Doc/Fest Sheffield Award
The Doc/Fest Sheffield Award recognizes an outstanding documentary project by selecting one team to participate at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2025. The winning team will receive free accreditation, providing access to exclusive networking opportunities with key industry decision-makers attending the market. This award offers a unique chance to connect with potential co-producers, financiers, and distributors, helping the project gain international exposure and support.
