EX ORIENTE FILM

Ex Oriente Film brings Victor Kossakovsky, Laurent Bécue-Renard and Anja Salomonowitz To Jihlava

29. 9. 2015

Author: Veronika Lišková

In less than four weeks the second session of the Ex Oriente Film workshops will begin in Jihlava alongside the Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival. More than 15 renowned tutors, guests and observers will work with the 12 participating teams of filmmakers from Eastern and Central Europe on their projects.

Apart from the closed workshops and individual consultations that are focused on the story development, production, and distributional aspects of the emerging documentaries, the second Ex Oriente Film session offers a diverse and challenging programme that will be open to both industry professionals and to wider public audiences.

This year’s open programme covers a wide range of topics - lectures focused on the law aspects of international coproduction, alternative financing, cross media, and distribution. Same as every year the open programme will include masterclasses and screenings of several world renowned documentary filmmakers.

Honored guests of this year’s Ex Oriente Film in Jihlava are three internationally acclaimed and inspiring directors; Victor Kossakovsky (Russia), Laurent Bécue-Renard (France) and Anja Salomonowitz (Austria).

In his masterclass “My Sources of Inspiration”, Victor Kossakovsky will provide insight into his creative process, what inspires him, and what principles underlie his award-winning documentaries. The lecture will be preceded by a screening of the director’s latest film, "Vivan las Antipodas!" (104 min, Germany, Netherlands, Argentina, Chile 2011) which explores the contrasts that emerge between diametrically opposed geographical points. This masterclass is organized in cooperation with Jihlava IDFF.

Laurent Bécue-Renard, whose latest documentary "Of Men and War" won the IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary in 2014, will delve into his directorial trademark where therapy is depicted as a creative stage and form of individual and collective storytelling in which the camera and film play an active role. A screening of his first film "War-Wearied" (105 min, France 2003), which follows three young Bosnian women as they struggle to cope with loss and pain after the war has ended, will precede the masterclass.

This year’s open programme will be opened by the masterclass of Anja Salomonowitz, a director known for tackling social and political topics using both elements of documentary film and classical narrative. Salomonowitz will offer in depth insight into her approach to documentary scriptwriting; from synopsis, treatment, casting to final script.

New and cross media as well as current trends in documentary filmmaking are the focus of two lectures in this year’s open programme; Alex Szalat, commissioning editor for Arte France, will share his reflections on commissioning editors’ preferences and broadcasters´ standards and demands while producer Tobias Büchner will discuss the challenges that documentary filmmakers face in today’s rapidly changing documentary landscape and digital frontier. Croatian producer Siniša Juričić will discuss budgeting and co-productions in his practical and informative lecture titled “Introduction into Budgeting.” Ever-important legal issues will be covered by German attorney-at-law, Stefan Rüll.

The complete list of this year's tutors, guests and observers can be found here.

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