East Doc Platform 2026 (EDP), the largest professional documentary platform in Central and Eastern Europe, will take place from 19 to 25 March 2026 at the French Institute in Prague, in cooperation with the One World International Human Rights Film Festival.
Organised by the Institute of Documentary Film, East Doc Platform is a key international meeting point for documentary filmmakers, producers, decision-makers and audiences interested in creative documentary cinema. Each year, the platform brings together industry professionals and the wider public through pitching sessions, discussions, screenings and networking events.
This year’s edition holds special significance as the Institute of Documentary Film marks 25 years of its existence in 2026. Alongside the programme, the platform will also be a moment to reflect on a quarter-century dedicated to documentary film.
Afterimages
The theme of East Doc Platform 2026, Afterimages, focuses on stories that persist beyond the moment of seeing. Even after an image fades, a trace remains – shaping memory, understanding and emotional response. Documentary film functions as a medium of duration and consequence, carrying moments beyond their original context. Afterimages highlights films that do not seek immediate impact, but gradually return, resonate and invite deeper reflection. What matters is not what is seen once, but what continues to echo over time.
The official visual of East Doc Platform 2026, created by Kateřina Janků, becomes an invitation to slow down. Viewers are asked to rest their eyes on a single point at its centre for thirty seconds and then look away into an empty white space. What remains is not absence, but an afterimage – a quiet imprint of light and colour lingering in vision. The poster is not meant to be only seen, but experienced as a pause: a small ritual of attention that reminds us how images stay with us even when we close our eyes.
Download the poster
Programme highlights
The EDP programme offers a rich mix of open and industry-focused activities. Its flagship event is the East Doc Forum, the most important documentary pitching forum in the region. An integral part of the platform is also the East Doc Market, focused on curated one-to-one meetings with international decision-makers.
Czech documentary production will be showcased in the Czech Docs: Coming Soon section, presenting five upcoming documentary films approaching their premieres. The programme will also include VR screenings of 21-22 CHINA and Fresh Memories: The Look, as well as the special KineDok Conference titled Reaching the Next Generation: Distribution Strategies for Young Audiences.
All events take place at Cinema 35 at the French Institute in Prague (Štěpánská 35). They are held in English and are free of charge, with no accreditation required unless stated otherwise.
More details about the open programme and its full schedule will be announced soon on this page.
3rd session of Ex Oriente Film
The platform also hosts the third residential session of the renowned international workshop Ex Oriente Film, which will conclude its current edition during EDP. In addition to a closed programme for workshop participants, Ex Oriente Film will offer open lectures, case studies, and masterclasses. Confirmed tutors for this year include Mila Turajlić, Igor Bezinović, Caroline Libresco, Anna Berthollet, and Paul Rieth, among others.
Accreditation
Accreditation for East Doc Platform 2026 will open soon. Follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram) and visit this page regularly so you don’t miss any updates.
Save the date and join us in Prague this March for a week dedicated to documentary films that leave a lasting trace – and to celebrating 25 years of the Institute of Documentary Film.
The East Doc Platform is made possible thanks to the financial support of Creative Europe MEDIA, Czech Audiovisual Fund, Ministry of Culture Czech Republic, the capital city of Prague, APA - Audiovisual Producers' Association, Czech-German Future Fund, HBO, Creative Europe Desk Czech Republic and the Austrian Cultural Forum.
The general media partner is the Czech television.
The event is held in cooperation with the One World Film Festival and the French Institute in Prague.