The 2025 edition of Ex Oriente Film is entering its final stage. The third and last residential session of Ex Oriente Features and Ex Oriente Series will take place in Prague during the East Doc Platform, culminating in the public pitching at the East Doc Forum on March 24, 2026.
After a year of development across major European industry events, the selected projects are now fine-tuning their dramaturgy, production strategies, and market positioning ahead of their final presentations to international decision-makers.
From international sessions to Prague finale
Ex Oriente Features launched its journey at Sheffield DocFest and continued at Astra Film Festival, where projects underwent intensive script and development consultations. Ex Oriente Series held its first two sessions at Sunny Side of the Doc and at Serial Killer, focusing on series dramaturgy and positioning within the international audiovisual market.
Throughout the entire programme – and continuing in Prague – both Ex Oriente Features and Ex Oriente Series are guided by their leading tutors: Diana El Jeiroudi, Gitte Hansen, Ivana Pauerová Miloševičová, Christian Popp, and Filip Remunda for Features, and Ruth Reid for Series. Their long-term mentorship ensures continuity across all three sessions, supporting projects from early development to final market presentation.
The Prague session now brings both strands together, creating a shared space for feature-length and series projects at a decisive moment in their development.
Guest tutors
The third session will welcome a broad range of international guest tutors representing sales, commissioning, directing, editing, producing, and audience strategy, who will share their expertise with the participating teams.
Sales agent Anna Berthollet (Lightdox) will share her experience in international distribution, acquisitions, and festival positioning. Croatian director Igor Bezinović will contribute his author-driven and festival-informed perspective on cinematic storytelling. From Warner Bros. Discovery, Hanka Kastelicová, VP and Executive Producer of Documentaries, together with Tereza Bóna Keilová, Producer for HBO Original CEE, will offer insight into European commissioning processes and platform expectations.
Creative producer and audience strategist Dimitra Kouzi will focus on communication and audience engagement strategies, while former Sundance senior programmer Caroline Libresco will share her extensive experience in project development and cultural impact. Story consultant, festival curator, and critic Martin Horyna will contribute his expertise in story development and festival strategy. Austrian editor and filmmaker Michael Palm will provide guidance on cinematic language and montage as storytelling craft.
Audience designer and crowdfunding expert Paul Rieth (Get Your Crowd) will support projects in defining and reaching their target audiences. Producer and director Stefano Strocchi (Unknown Media) will share his experience in international non-fiction series production. Serbian filmmaker Mila Turajlić will bring her distinctive artistic perspective rooted in political and archival storytelling, and British-Spanish director and executive producer Justin Webster will offer insight into crafting high-end, character-driven documentary series for global platforms.
Programme and pitching at East Doc Forum
The preparatory workshop sessions will take place on:
- March 19–23, 2026 (Ex Oriente Features)
- March 21–23, 2026 (Ex Oriente Series)
The workshops will culminate in the East Doc Forum pitching session on March 24, 2026, from 9:00 AM at Cinema 35 in Prague.
The pitching is open to accredited East Doc Platform guests (accreditation available until March 5 here).
The following days, March 24–25, are dedicated to pre-scheduled individual meetings within the East Doc Market.
Open programme
The open programme of the third Ex Oriente session will take place at the French Institute in Prague (Cinema 35) during East Doc Platform and is accessible to accredited professionals. It brings together screenings, lectures, and masterclasses that connect creative documentary practice with concrete industry insight. A common thread across the programme is the link between authorship and positioning — how artistic vision, editing, audience strategy, and sales thinking intersect within today’s international documentary landscape.
Highlights include a lecture by sales agent Anna Berthollet (Lightdox) on world sales and distribution strategies for creative documentaries; Dimitra Kouzi’s session on publicity and outreach using case studies from recent films; and a masterclass by Igor Bezinović on his award-winning Fiume o morte! and participatory approaches to historical storytelling. Michael Palm will reflect on editing as a form of directing, while former Sundance senior programmer Caroline Libresco will deliver a keynote. Audience design expert Paul Rieth will introduce practical tools for defining target audiences early in development, and Mila Turajlić will close with a masterclass on archive-driven practice, funding, and positioning documentary projects today.
This edition is possible thanks to our donors: Creative Europe MEDIA, Ministry of Culture Czech Republic and the Czech Audiovisual Fund.
