This year’s edition of CineLink Industry Days (15-20 August), which is taking place as an integral part of the Sarajevo Film Festival (14-21 August), unspooled most of its documentary-related activities on 16 and 17 August. Projects mainly hailing from Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe were pitched to two separate juries in two categories: Docu Talents from the East, organised by the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, and Docu Rough Cut Boutique, developed jointly with the Balkan Documentary Center. The awards ceremony topping off the event took place at the Festival Garden venue on the afternoon of 17 August.

In Docu Talents from the East, the jury, consisting of Martichka Bozhilova from Agitprop, Carmen Gray from The Film Verdict, Nina Numankadić from DAFilms, Jarmila Outratová from Ji.hlava IDFF and Ognjen Glavonić from Non-Aligned Films, singled out and rewarded two projects (see the news).

The jury members for Docu Rough Cut Boutique (Eugen Kelemen from Avanpost, Carmina Orozco Lopez from DOK Leipzig, Hanka Kastelicova from HBO and Eric Seleky from Movies That Matter) handed out a total of five awards. The main winners of the ceremony were Where Shall We Go?, directed by Maria Cheresheva and Georgi Totev, and Kind of Adults, helmed by Peter Akar and Rita Balogh, with two awards apiece. Where Shall We Go? scooped the HBO and Avanpost gongs, worth €2,000 and €20,000 in kind, respectively, while the Kind of Adults team received invitations to present the project at DOK Leipzig (DOK Leipzig Preview Award) and to join the East Doc Caravan festival distribution initiative (East Doc Caravan Award). The Movies That Matter Award and the accompanying invitation to present a project at the eponymous festival went to Women of Akbelen Forest by Selen Çatalyürekli.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Docu Talents from the East

Docu Talent Award
Ora et labora – Dzhovani Gospodinov (Luxembourg/Slovakia)
Producers: Bady Minck, Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu (Amour Fou Luxembourg, Sen Film)

DAFilms.com Distribution Award
Retuning – Sára Prokopová (Slovakia)
Producer: Tereza Tokárová (Cinepunkt)

Docu Rough Cut Boutique

HBO Award
Where Shall We Go? - Maria Cheresheva, Georgi Totev (Bulgaria)
Producers: Svetoslav Draganov, Georgi Totev (Cineaste Maudit Production, LENS2LENS)

Avanpost Award
Where Shall We Go? - Maria Cheresheva, Georgi Totev

DOK Leipzig Preview Award
Kind of Adults – Peter Akar, Rita Balogh (Hungary)
Producer: Rita Balogh (Other Films)

Movies That Matter Award
Women of Akbelen Forest – Selen Çatalyürekli (Turkey)
Producer: Zeyneb Gültekin

East Doc Caravan Award
Kind of Adults – Peter Akar, Rita Balogh