Extended deadline alert! You now have until April 15, 2025, to apply with your documentary series project forthe Ex Oriente Film Documentary Laboratory 2025! Take advantage of in-depth mentoring, connect with key industry players, and develop your project in a prestigious international environment.
Applications for docuseries projects are open until April 15, 2025, and are entirely free of charge. Applications for feature docs projects are now closed.
Ex Oriente Series application
Let’s find a way to challenge the boundaries together
As Ex Oriente Film we empower ambitious projects that won’t compromise on their story and creative language to fit in. We are always looking for creators who take us on a journey we didn’t even know was possible. Fearless visionary works can count on our support by fostering international, interdisciplinary and intergenerational collaboration.
We bolster open and safe space for ideas, experiments, free discussions and the sharing of best practices. We strive to build a community and strong relationships that help you and your project find the right place in the industry.
Our way works! Check out some of our successful projects here
How does it work?
The Ex Oriente Film documentary laboratory includes 12 feature-length documentary projects and 5 docuseries projects represented by director-producer or creator-producer teams who will attend 3 residential sessions and additional online sessions.
The training programme concludes at the East Doc Forum pitching, where you’ll present your project to more than 80 international decision-makers. You’ll also get a chance to win various prizes and scholarships, financial support, co-production agreements, access to leading European markets, and partner training.
By joining the Ex Oriente Film you also become a part of the exclusive Alumni network and receive lifetime access to the one-of-a-kind follow-up programme that enables you and other more than 550 creators to share ideas, learn from one another, build relationships and grow.
Who can apply
The call is open to creative docuseries in the development and early production stage, that challenge genres, formats, and media boundaries. The workshop is designed for creators mainly from Central and Eastern Europe (incl. selected EU acceding and candidate countries) and/or creative documentary projects dealing with stories from said region.
For more details, see the list of eligible countries.
Before applying read the application guidelines HERE.
Ex Oriente Series 2025 Timeline
1st Session: June 2025 (in partnership with Sunny Side of the Doc, La Rochelle, France)
2nd Session: September 2025 (in partnership with Serial Killer, Brno, Czech Republic)
3rd Session & East Doc Forum: March 2026 (within East Doc Platform, Prague, Czech Republic)