The 2025 edition of the Ex Oriente Film workshop has revealed its selection of 17 creative documentary projects – 12 feature-length films and five series – currently in development or at an early production stage. Organised by the Institute of Documentary Film (IDF), the intensive training programme continues its mission to support ambitious storytelling from Central and Eastern Europe while responding to the evolving needs of the global non-fiction market.

The first Ex Oriente Features session will run from 16-20 June in partnership with Sheffield DocFest. This will be followed by the Ex Oriente Series workshop from 22-24 June in La Rochelle, France, during Sunny Side of the Doc. Additional sessions are scheduled for Sibiu and Brno, as well as a final session during East Doc Platform in Prague, culminating in public pitch presentations at the East Doc Forum.

“The 2025 edition of Ex Oriente Film builds on our long-term commitment to nurturing the audiovisual landscape across Europe. We support creative and production collaboration across borders, while actively safeguarding diversity and democratic values. By empowering talented storytellers to explore the world and the lives we share, the workshop offers space for artistic exchange, critical dialogue and the development of bold, meaningful projects. We’re excited to follow the journey undertaken by this year’s 17 selected projects as they grow, evolve and take shape,” says Anna Kaslová, manager of Ex Oriente Film and East Doc Forum.

Selected from across 17 countries, this year’s projects address a broad spectrum of contemporary themes and personal narratives, ranging from state violence and historical memory to family legacies and shifting cultural identities. In addition to artistic development, the programme provides participants with guidance on production strategy, legal frameworks, international co-production, and festival and market positioning.

The 2025 workshop is led by a team of acclaimed tutors. For Ex Oriente Features, they include independent consultant, tutor and mentor Gitte Hansen; Czech filmmaker and co-founder of the Institute of Documentary Film Filip Remunda; Ivana Pauerová Miloševičová, head of documentaries at Czech Television; award-winning documentary filmmaker Diana El Jeiroudi; and Romanian producer Christian Popp. Meanwhile, the Ex Oriente Series lead tutor is producer and consultant Ruth Reid. This year also welcomes a diverse batch of guest tutors, such as producer Mark Edwards, screenwriter and director Chris Westendorp, specialist in character-driven documentary development Mikael Opstrup, director Gianluca Matarrese, artistic director of Movies that Matter Margje de Koning and impact strategist Khadidja Benouataf. More mentors will be confirmed throughout the year.

A new partnership with the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) will provide a scholarship to one Roma filmmaker or producer from Central and Eastern Europe, supporting greater inclusion within the industry. This edition is financially supported by Creative Europe – MEDIA, the Czech Audiovisual Fund and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

The projects selected for the 2025 Ex Oriente Film workshop are as follows:

Ex Oriente Feature Films

Dance with Me – Leila Basma (Czech Republic/France/Germany/Lebanon)
Producers: Natalia Pavlove (Other Stories), Christian Eid (Abbout Productions), Marisa Meier (Intuition Club), Baptiste Bertin (La Onda)

Not so far away places – Renato Borrayo Serrano, Yulia Vishnevets (France)
Producers: Vlad Ketkovich, Milana Christich (Anafilms), Albin Bourgeois (Weplus)

My Dear Vira – Olga Chernykh, Maryna Brodovska (Ukraine/France/Sweden)
Producers: Veronika Stepanchuk (Balcony 48), Christian Popp (YAMI 2 Productions), Tobias Janson, Melissa Lindgren (Story)

Children of the Moon Land – Roman Ďuriš (Slovakia/Czech Republic)
Producers: Richard Šimeček (Svjetski Films), Michal Sikora (Lonely Production)

Dekonstrukt – Mateusz Góra, Kamil Wilk (Poland)
Producer: Piotr Śmiechowski (Telemark Sp z oo)

+7: Scamming for Revenge (working title) – Oleksandra Horiienko (Sweden/Ukraine)
Producers: Alex Shiriaieff, Max Tuula (EuroArctic Media Group), Kateryna Yahodka

House in a Bottle – Anna Morawiec (Poland)
Producer: Agata Jujeczka (Vision House Productions)

Symphony of Seasons – Sami Mustafa (Kosovo/France)
Producer: Faton Mustafa (Third Eyes Pictures), Sami Mustafa (Romawood), Laurent Billard (Les Films Du Tourbillon)

Vesna Forever Vesna – Hana Piscević, Nebojsa Resanović (Serbia/Croatia)
Producer: Savina Smederevać (Zenit films)

I Had a Dream About an Elephant – Štefan Straka (Slovakia)
Producer: Mátyás Prikler (MPhilms sro)

At Home – Tamara Todorović (Serbia)
Producer: Čarna Vučinić (Naked)

Shape of Silence – Varun Trikha (Canada/Estonia)
Producers: Varun Trikha (Sitara Productions Inc), Margit Lillak (Tiny Desk Productions)

Ex Oriente Series

Justice as Legalised Terror – Zora Cejnková (Czech Republic)
Producer: Gordon Lovitt (NOW Productions)

Hijacked Life – Andrius Lekavičius (Lithuania)
Producer: Jurgita Rakauskaite

Grandpa Was a Genius – Kalina Nikolova (Bulgaria)
Producer: Martichka Bozhilova (Agitprop Ltd)

World Divided – Soňa Nôtová, Štefan Straka (Slovakia)
Producer: Richard Chudý

When the Wind Blows – Anna Savchenko (Croatia/Belarus/Poland/France/Spain)
Producers: Iva Tkaleć (Kinoteka), Valentin Gregoire (The Fish Square)