The Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival has hosted the fifth edition of the Ji.hlava New Visions Forum and Market, focused on auteur-driven documentary projects in development and production from across Europe, the USA and Asian territories (see the news). Cineuropa takes a closer look at the European projects at the development stage.

Laura Zahirah: Just a Regular Muslim – Karolina Lahti (Finland/Estonia)
Just a Regular Muslim by debuting director Karolina Lahti follows a young Finnish woman, Laura, who leaves behind a career in showbusiness to embrace Islam and pursue a new dream, becoming a respected Quran reciter in Indonesia. As Laura embarks on her spiritual journey, she confronts the growing distance between her and her family in Finland, particularly her father, whose struggle with alcoholism mirrors their clash of faith and values. Through the act of writing him a deeply personal letter, she seeks to reconcile two worlds, Islamic and Western, in a story that explores identity, belonging and the courage to redefine oneself. Produced by Serj Rimma and supported by the Finnish Film Foundation, the film is in development and expanding its European co-production base with prospective partners in the Middle East, aiming for completion in June 2028.

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In the Penal Camp by Maya Klar

In the Penal Camp – Maya Klar (Germany)
In the Penal Camp, produced by Alon Sahar and Zsuzsanna Király, is an experimental creative documentary that reconstructs the Israeli detention and torture camp of Sde-Teiman through the use of the Unreal Engine. With no access to film inside the real-life location, the project employs 3D visualisation to recreate the camp’s oppressive spatial reality and psychological atmosphere. Digital avatars embody anonymised testimonies of Palestinian survivors, Israeli soldiers and medical staff, weaving together fragmented recollections that blur the boundaries between memory and digital space. As the virtual environment continuously shifts, from a taxi in Khan Yunis to a balcony in Be’er Sheva, the film probes how technology can render the invisible visible, confronting the politics of witnessing and representation. The project is currently developing its second sequence, and seeking international co-producers, production funds and sales partners.

Underneath the Waves by Daniel Washington

Underneath the Waves - Daniel Washington (Hungary)
Underneath the Waves, produced by Timea Huszár, is a creative documentary in early development that revisits the legacy of the largest mass grave from the Roma Holocaust in Hungary. Centred on the story of Angéla Lakatos, the matriarch who miraculously survived the extermination of her community, the film explores how her descendants continue to live with the weight of inherited trauma and fractured memory. Interwoven with the work of an amateur historian determined to bring the forgotten site to light, the project delves into how collective remembrance shapes contemporary identity and resilience. Supported by the Hungarian Academy of Arts, Filmjus Grant and the Zagreb Development Award, Underneath the Waves is now seeking to transition into active development, with plans to attract international co-producers, broadcasters and financiers.

The Game of Women and War – Zlata Veresniak (Belgium/Poland/Ukraine)
The Game of Women and War, produced by Yanina Kucher and Olga Zhuzhenko, is a hybrid documentary in late development exploring silence, empathy and the transmission of trauma. Drawing on testimonies from Ukrainian women who survived the war yet remain voiceless, the project reinterprets their experiences through a group of Belgian actresses with no direct exposure to conflict. As the actresses engage in intense physical and emotional exercises, they confront the boundaries between performance and lived experience, gradually transforming the process into an act of shared remembrance. The film culminates in a public performance staged in the Brussels Metro, forming a collective emotional archive of women’s resilience and responsibility in the face of war. With a proof-of-concept shoot completed and script finalisation expected by the end of 2025, production is set to begin in mid-2026. The team is now seeking co-producers, distributors and sales agents to move into full production.

The Pylon and the Lake by Sylvain Yonnet

The Pylon and the Lake – Sylvain Yonnet (France)
Perched in France’s Toura Valley, Les 2 Alpes, Europe’s highest ski resort, becomes the stage for a striking confrontation between progress and preservation in this documentary being produced by Elise Hug and Cécile Lestrade. As the resort embarks on a €500 million modernisation project, including a new gondola lift and an artificial lake for snowmaking, engineers tout a narrative of “eco-responsibility” while local activists warn of environmental degradation, water privatisation and irreversible damage to the landscape. Shot over the course of four years, the film captures this evolving alpine battleground where tourism, technology and climate concerns collide. Currently in the early stages of production, with editing running parallel to shooting and completion planned for 2027, the project is seeking international co-producers, broadcasters, pre-sales and financial partners to support its development through to 2026.

Read My Breasts – Anja Salomonowitz (Austria/Spain)
Read My Breasts, produced by Sabine Gruber, Peter Drössler, Arash T Riahi and Alba Sotorra, is an intimate and politically charged cinematic essay tracing the life and legacy of Inna Shevchenko, the Ukrainian FEMEN activist whose radical acts of topless protest reshaped global conversations about feminism, freedom and the body. Shot over several years since 2017, the movie intertwines the public and the personal, chronicling Inna’s fearless activism, the contradictions of her struggle, and the deep trauma and disillusionment that followed. Visually, the film employs a striking formal approach: Shevchenko reappears within large-scale archival photographs of past FEMEN actions, where her image has been retouched out, confronting her former self and history in real time. Both a portrait of resistance and a meditation on endurance, Read My Breasts is nearing completion, with three to four weeks of editing remaining. The aim is to be ready by early 2026 for spring festival premieres.