In addition to a strong documentary projects market, the fifth East Doc Platform, which took place from 7-12 March in Prague, offered numerous interesting and useful panels, case studies and lectures.

The event kicked off with a case study on Ukrainian Sheriffs [+leggi anche:
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Another interesting case study, this time on The Russian Woodpecker [+leggi anche:
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At the lecture entitled Saving the Rough Cut, renowned Finnish producer and consultant Iikka Vehkalahti presented the most common problems that documentary filmmakers face in the editing rooms.

Peter Jäger, of sales agency Autlook Filmsales, talked about Creative Doc Packaging & Marketing, while Frédéric Dubois, one of the creators of the immensely successful interactive documentary Atterwasch, revealed the steps the team needed to take during pre-production, production and post-production in order to make a web-friendly documentary.

Arnaud Colinart, a producer at AGAT Films & Cie/EX NIHILO, gave a lecture on VR and the interactive experience, based on his work on the transmedia documentary Notes on Blindness [+leggi anche:
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intervista: James Spinney, Peter Middl…
scheda film], while Dr Jasmina Kallay, author of Gaming Film, used the lecture Transmedia Re-imagined to propose a new way of considering transmedia, as well as to outline the latest trends, with a special focus on VR/AR devices and how they will transform the media landscape. Alexandre Brachet, e-producer and CEO of web producer Upian, held a master class on creation, production, distribution, skills, figures, budgets and formats in web documentary.

In his master class, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Erik Gandini offered the audience an essential exploration of the art and craft of his directing, while Maya Hawke, a renowned documentary editor, fiction writer and experimental filmmaker, known for her work with Werner Herzog and Errol Morris, presented a master class entitled Words and Pictures, which focused on the art of storytelling in the age of social media, and the crucial role that writing plays in documentaries. 

Wendy Bernfeld, MD of Rights Stuff, an international content consultancy specialising in film/TV/digital acquisition, distribution and related strategy/rights advice for traditional and digital platforms, discussed digital distribution.

In the Campaigning Duel: Sarah Mosses feat. Fredrik Gertten talk, Sarah Mosses of Together Films, together with award-winning Swedish filmmaker and journalist Fredrik Gertten, the director of Bikes vs Cars, gave an introduction to Impact Distribution Strategy; how to work successfully alongside traditional film distribution routes to launch a campaign to effect change, focusing on budgets, platforms, partners and skills in order to launch an effective campaign.

Jana Ripplová (KineDok), Maja Lindquist (Doc Lounge), Ondřej Kamenický (Promítej i ty) and Dimitra Kouzi (Moving Docs, CineDoc) spoke at the panel on alternative distribution about the innovative ways of bringing documentary films closer to the audience. Vincent Lucassen's lecture Catch Up with iTunes, Sony Entertainment, Google, YouTube, Amazon and Vudu? covered various digital distribution models, focusing on new trends in alternative distribution, while Wolfgang Gumpelmaier (gumpelmedia) gave a lecture on different types of crowdfunding for alternative distributors, as well as an overview of the operation of major platforms.

Marie-Pier Gauthier, interactive producer at the National Film Board of Canada, held the lecture How to Build Your Interactive Team?, and Romanian filmmaker Anca Damian spoke about Crossing Inspirations: Anima/Doc based on her two animated documentaries, Crulic [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Anca Damian
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