Organised by the Sarajevo Film Festival (15-22 August) and the Balkan Documentary Center, Docu Rough Cut Boutique celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, unspooling from 16-19 August. Recognised as the leading regional platform for documentary films at the advanced stages of editing, the programme offers bespoke editorial support, mentorship and vital exposure to key industry players. Its selective format – accepting just five projects each year – enables an intense, tailor-made development process that has helped launch numerous acclaimed documentaries.

The 2025 edition consists of three working modules, two of which took place in Sofia (March) and Cluj (June). The final one will unspool at the Sarajevo Film Festival. There, the projects will be showcased to decision makers from CineLink Industry Days (16-21 August). The programme combines editing tutorials, group workshops and individual sessions led by renowned documentary professionals.

Rada Šešić and Martichka Bozhilova, the artistic directors of Docu Rough Cut Boutique, stated: “After years of working with passion and persistence, we are proud to bring together five outstanding rough cuts for the 15th edition. The small number of projects requires tough decisions, but the quality and ambition of this year’s selection is inspiring. Several directors are working on their feature-length debuts, and they are all striving to find their singular cinematic voice. Coming from diverse corners of Southeast Europe with bold ideas, each team – comprising the director and the editor, joined by the producer in the final session – aims to bring their project to a global audience.”

This year’s selection includes About the End of the World by Jakob Krese, a deeply personal exploration of a Yugoslav family shaped by war and revolution. The film weaves intimate writings from the director’s grandmother and mother into a poetic cinematic collage that confronts themes of resistance, resilience and the cost of hope amid political upheaval. Anton Mezulić’s Cordon tells the coming-of-age story of Nikola, a boy from a mixed Serbian-Croatian family living in a Croatian town still divided 30 years after the war. Football serves both as a battleground and as an escape in a community where parallel ethnic worlds barely intersect, reflecting inherited trauma and local tensions.

Lost and Found by Laurentiu Garofeanu follows Jessi, a young Canadian woman born into Romania’s marginalised Roma community and adopted abroad, as she uncovers the hidden post-Ceaușescu international adoption market that trafficked thousands of children. Meanwhile, The Great Reset by Peter Akar and Ambrus Fater takes place inside a two-Michelin-star Budapest restaurant. This darkly humorous documentary reveals the tensions and power dynamics at play within a fine-dining kitchen, where the new owner attempts to dismantle rigid hierarchies, reflecting broader societal class struggles and burnout through a microcosm of ambition and control.

Rounding off the selection is We Shall Live Together by Damir Markovina, which examines the lingering impact of nationalism 30 years after the Bosnian War. The film follows two brothers who invite their estranged father, a former socialist MP exiled from Mostar, to return home. It explores memory, trauma and fractured family bonds, set against the backdrop of a divided city.

Over the past 15 years, Docu Rough Cut Boutique has helped shape award-winning films such as Bottlemen [+lire aussi :
critique
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interview : Nemanja Vojinović
fiche film] by Nemanja Vojinović (Heart of Sarajevo for Best Documentary), Her Mothers [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Asia Dér et Sári Haragonics
fiche film] by Asia Dér and Sári Haragonics (Hot Docs), Holy Father [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Andrei Dăscălescu (Sarajevo), The Other Side of Everything [+lire aussi :
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bande-annonce
interview : Mila Turajlić
fiche film] by Mila Turajlić (Best Feature-length Documentary at IDFA), The Magic Life of V [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film] by Tonislav Hristov (Sundance World Cinema Documentary Competition), Srbenka [+lire aussi :
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interview : Nebojša Slijepčević
fiche film] by Nebojša Slijepčević (Visions du Réel), Sofia's Last Ambulance [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film] by Ilian Metev (Cannes Critics’ Week) and Toto and His Sisters [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Alexander Nanau (Tribeca Film Festival).

Here are the projects selected for the 15th Docu Rough Cut Boutique:

About the End of the World - Jakob Krese (Slovenia/Germany/Italy/Croatia)
Producers: Ivana Naceva (Pótem), Annika Mayer (Majmun Films)
Co-producers: Chiara Castiglioni (Zero Stress Production), Vanja Jambrović (Restart), Marina Gumzi (Nosorogi)

Cordon - Anton Mezulić (Croatia/France)
Producer: Oliver Sertić (Restart)
Co-producers: Victor Ede (Cinephage Productions), HRT

Lost and Found - Laurentiu Garofeanu (Romania)
Producer: Laurentiu Garofeanu (Mekanism Media)

The Great Reset - Peter Akar, Ambrus Fater (Hungary)
Producers: Rita Balogh, Barbara Frank (Other Films)

We Shall Live Together - Damir Markovina (Croatia)
Producer: Tamara Babun Zovko (Wolfgang & Dolly LLC)
Co-producer: Damir Markovina (Osoba D)