The Institute of Documentary Film is proud to present 12 documentaries that have been selected for the 18th edition of the Ex Oriente Film workshop out of a record number of 108 submitted projects.
Ex Oriente Film is a training programme focused on development and funding of creative documentary films from Central and Eastern Europe. The team of experienced tutors, including Salomé Jashi, Emma Davie, Peter Kerekes and Giona Nazzaro, will help workshop participants with the development of their projects. The first of the three week-long sessions will take place online June 22-27.
Baby in the Woods
Dir. Ioana Grigore
Prod. Marcian Lazar
Romania
Leo is an 82 year old hero, who shares his existence between the USSR, where he was banished from in his youth, England, where he spent the rest of his life, and the USA, where his brother escaped to.
Blix
Dir. Greta Stocklassa
Prod. Radovan Síbrt
Czech Republic, Sweden
At the end of his life, Hans Blix is reviewing his life decisions. Is this inconspicuous man, who strived for appeasement all his life, responsible for genocide, wars and millions of lives wasted?
Dniester - The Irreversible Flow of Life
Dir. Iurie Tocmas
Prod. Ieva Goba
Moldova, Latvia
From its source to the sea along the Dniester - framing the continuous relationship between man and the river. When did the river of our sunny childhood transform into a storm that we have to overcome?
Happily (un)Faithful
Dir. Diana Fabiánová
Prod. Silvia Panáková, Maia Martiniak
Slovakia
A romantic road movie about whether it is possible to have a happy, monogamous relationship or is “eternal love” only our illusion? A documentary search questioning functionality of common patterns of cohabitation.
I Want It All
Dir. Katarzyna Wiśniowska
Prod. Tomasz Morawski, Marcin Kupiecki
Poland
Despite being only 11 years old, Yara is about to take over her mother's impressive boxing legacy.
Kix - A Story of a Street Kid
Dir. Balint Révész & Dávid Mikulán
Prod. Viki Réka-Kiss
Hungary
KIX is a story about a troubled street boy, Sanyi, as he grows from 8 to eighteen, from kid stuff to the verge of adulthood. Over a decade he turns from a young mischief into a public enemy.
Lagoons. A Battle for Paradise
Dir. Serhiy Lysenko
Prod. Anna Kapustina, Oleksandra Kravchenko
Ukraine
During one year, the wheel of wildlife at Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park in Ukraine comes full circle, as people who want to live as a part of the Nature fight those who only want to use it.
A Year of Endless Day
Dir. Renata Lučić
Prod. Tamara Babun, Matija Drniković
Croatia
Marko, Tomislav and Joso are three best friends in their 50s, living in a small Slavonian village, whose wives found love in Germany after years of work and decided to move to Germany, abandoning them.
Mastery
Dir. Kateřina Turečková
Prod. Vít Janeček
Czech Republic
Effective manipulation goes unperceived by its victims and is often not consciously realized by the perpetrator. A cinematic essay about influence beyond ordinary visibility and foreseeable consequences.
Nice Ladies
Dir. Mariia Ponomarova
Prod. Rogier Kramer, Maksym Nakonechnyi, Anna Zobnina
Ukraine, Netherlands
A group of elderly cheerleaders 'Nice Ladies' from Eastern Ukraine is preparing for the European championship. What would it take to compete against their younger competitors in the category '25+'?
Once Upon a Family
Dir. Sead Sabotic
Prod. Bojana Radulovic
Montenegro
While observing the lives of psychophysically ill people, the film raises the issue of normality in the institution where the characters grew up, found a home and love, and where they everyday give birth to their lives.
Smiling Georgia
Dir. Luka Beradze
Prod. Nino Chichua, Anna Khazaradze
Georgia
Elderly villagers of the village called No Name are left teethles after a failed pre-election campaign Smiling Georgia. It soon becomes clear that teeth are least of their worries as they face harsh social conditions in rural Georgia.
