The Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival has been highlighting one of its main industry initiatives, the Emerging Producers training programme. This platform is designed to identify and support up-and-coming producers, facilitating their networking with established film professionals and furthering their professional development in the industry. The current class of producers explores political pasts and societal frameworks, while a few filmmakers delve into the imprints left by historical and political episodes. Indeed, Orlane Dumas (L’image d’après, Les films de l’AubeSauvage) inspects personal and political histories in The Fortress by Romain Kosellek, which is in development and delves into a story about exile. Matteo Pecorara (Small Boss) showed an excerpt from his finished work Ethbet!, which follows revolutionaries ten years after the failed Egyptian revolution. Venturing into the fabric of societal constructs, Veronika Janatková (Pandistan) and Matej Sotník (guča films) engage in critical examinations of societal frameworks in Panic Button by Samara Sagynbaeva and The World of Walls by Lucia Kašová, respectively.

Embracing a creative documentary format, filmmakers like Kaleo La Belle (La Belle Film) and Cristina Haneș (NoCut Film Collective and deFilm) examine unique human experiences and humankind’s penchant for miracles in projects like The Water Flows Upwards by Matteo Gariglio, who focuses on masculinity and emotions (or a lack thereof), while Haneș is working on a sequel to the previous film that she directed, A Rifle and a Bag [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film]. Engaging with feminist narratives and resistance, Mónica Hernández Rejón's (Pråmfilm AB) Reflexion possesses an international resonance as it explores empowerment and resistance, with directors and artists MyNa Do and Farah Yusuf waging an anti-racist battle in Sweden. Director-producer Svetislav Dragomirović (Gray Tree Films) is looking for projects by different filmmakers to board, while he has also shown a teaser for his latest work, I’m People, I Am Nobody, about a former Serbian porn performer.

Rita Balogh (Other Film) brought along an excerpt from her upcoming coming-of-age documentary that she is co-directing with her husband, Generation of Uncertainty, while Mariam Chachia (OpyoDoc) showed off her already-finished film that she co-produced and co-directed with Nik Voigt, Magic Mountain [+leggi anche:
recensione
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intervista: Mariam Chachia, Nik Voigt
scheda film]. Fabrizio Maltese (Joli Rideau Media), the first producer from Luxembourg to participate in the initiative, shared a vision of his upcoming project Re-creation, directed by Jim Sheridan, about the unsolved murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, with Vicky Krieps on board (see the news).

Producers Liis Nimik (Klara Films), Isabella Karhu (Danish Bear Productions), Thomas Kaske (Kaske Film), and Ed Owles (Postcode Films) presented excerpts from their previews projects, while Oleksandra Kravchenko (Moon Man), Adrianna Rędzia (Lumisenta Foundation), Qatar's Shaima Al-Tamimi (Shaima Al-Tamimi) and Philippines' Kristine Kintana (Kamias Overground) shared teasers of their future projects.

As the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival continues to nurture and champion fresh talent, the Emerging Producers training programme stands out as a major endeavour in helping to shape the future of documentary filmmaking. This year's cohort, with its eclectic mix of narratives – ranging from political histories to profound personal journeys – reiterates the global relevance and versatility of the documentary format.

Here is the full list of 2024 Emerging Producers:

Veronika Janatková (Czech Republic)
Production company: Pandistan

Liis Nimik (Estonia)
Production company: Klara Films

Isabella Karhu (Finland)
Production company: Danish Bear Productions

Orlane Dumas (France)
Production company: L’image d’après, Les films de l’AubeSauvage

Mariam Chachia (Georgia)
Production company: OpyoDoc

Thomas Kaske (Germany)
Production company: Kaske Film

Rita Balogh (Hungary)
Production company: Other Film

Matteo Pecorara (Italy)
Production company: Small Boss

Fabrizio Maltese (Luxembourg)
Production company: Joli Rideau Media

Adrianna Rędzia (Poland)
Production company: Lumisenta Foundation

Shaima Al-Tamimi (Qatar)
Production company: Shaima Al-Tamimi

Cristina Hanes (Romania)
Production company: NoCut Film Collective, deFilm

Svetislav Dragomirović (Serbia)
Production company: Gray Tree Films

Matej Sotník (Slovakia)
Production company: guča films

Mónica Hernández Rejón (Sweden)
Production company: Pråmfilm AB

Kaleo La Belle (Switzerland)
Production company: La Belle Film

Oleksandra Kravchenko (Ukraine)
Production company: Moon Man

Ed Owles (UK)
Production company: Postcode Films

Kristine Kintana (Philippines – guest country)
Production company: Kamias Overground