Europe's got talent

BEST WORK IN PROGRESS: CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE

72 HOURS

Produced by: Playtime Films (Belgium)
Directed by: Anna Savchenko

An award sponsored by Al Jazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival
Prize: 2,000 euros in cash

BEST TALENT HUB CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE

CINEMA UNDER SIEGE

Produced by: Novi Film (Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovia)
Directed by: Srđan Šarenac

An award sponsored by Institute of Documentary Film
Prize: 2,000 euros in cash

Jury's word
"Cinema under siege: from the strong title to the trailer, to the presentation, to the importance, to the strong archive, animation and stories from the protagonist, convinced us that this will turn out to be a film that tells the history of a war from an unique angle;  that should not be forgotten and has to be remembered today."

72 HOURS

Produced by: Playtime Films (Belgium)
Directed by: Anna Savchenko

NORD EXPRESS

Produced by: Mistrus Media (Latvia)
Directed by: Karlis Lesins

Logline:  For 30 years, there has been a dream to build a railway to connect the Baltic States to the rest of the Europe. Filmmaker Kārlis Lesiņš starts an investigation and goes on the road to find out why 5 years before the intended launch the construction of this 7 billion euro EU funded high-speed railway line Rail Baltica has barely started.

LAGOONS. A BATTLE FOR PARADISE

Produced by: Albatros Communicos (Ukraine)
Directed by: Serhiy Lysenko

Logline:  During one year, the wheel of wildlife at Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park in Ukraine comes full circle, as people who want to live as a part of the Nature, fight those who only want to use it.

IRON BUTTERFLIES

Produced by: BABYLON’13 (Ukraine)
Directed by: Roman Liubyi

Logline: A Butterfly-shaped shrapnel found in the body of the pilot of the flight MH17 leads to the identification of the state, responsible for a war crime that has gone unpunished. “Iron Butterflies” is a hybrid documentary investigating multiple layers around the downing of MH17 in Eastern Ukraine, 2014.

AURORA'S SUNRISE

Produced by: Bars Media (Armenia),  Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion (Germany), ARTBOX Laisvalaikio Klubas (Lithuania)
Directed by: Inna Sahakyan

Logline:  At only 14, Aurora faced the horror of the Armenian Genocide. Luck and courage enabled her to escape to America, where her tragic story became a cultural sensation. Starring in a Hollywood film based on her life, Aurora became a celebrity and the face of the largest charity campaign in US history. Her odyssey sees her confront loss, trauma, and greed, all while battling to maintain her humanity.

FIGHT

Produced by: Motif Films (Armenia)
Directed by: Lilit Movsisyan

Logline: In a conservative Armenian family, 16-year old Karine dreams to become a veterinarian, but her family, especially her father, a well-known dog-fighter, is against her dream. Karine’s destiny is one amongst thousands. How can girls and women grab their freedom in countries that are deeply rooted on patriarchal values? 

BERLINER

Produced by: 1991 PRODUCTIONS (Georgia)
Directed by: Anna Khazaradze

Logline: A middle-aged Georgian immigrant woman works in Berlin as a German language interpreter for criminals and refugees from Post-Soviet countries.

GIRLS' STORIES

Produced by: Pinot Films (Poland)
Directed by: Aga Borzym

Logline: Story about being on the verge of becoming a teenager. We observe the world of adolescence, with all its ups and downs, through the eyes of two guides – 11-year-old Jagoda and 13-years-old Zuzia.

CINEMA UNDER SIEGE

Produced by: Novi Film (Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovia)
Directed by: Srđan Šarenac

Logline: CINEMA UNDER SIEGE tells the story of determined group of artists staging first Sarajevo film festival during the deadly siege of Sarajevo in 1993.

YOGOGI PARK

Produced by: Volia Films (Estonia/Belarus)
Directed by: Max Golomidov

Logline: Yoyogi is a place of freedom and going beyond everything human. Like the first flight to the sky.

TALENT HUB CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE

An award sponsored by Institute of Documentary Film
Prize: 2,000 euros in cash

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“I am very happy for our partnership with Sunny Side of the Doc. For us it’s a great way to introduce you to the new talents coming from Central and Eastern Europe and help them navigate through the European film market. Networking and international collaboration was always a crucial task for us – to stimulate cooperation that will bring the stories to life – and I believe that Sunny Side of the Doc could be the right place for the filmmakers to find new partners for their projects. ” Zdenek Blaha, Programme Director, Institute of Documentary Film 

EUROPE'S GOT TALENT SPONSOR

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"Facilitating access to the marketplace for filmmakers and documentary projects from distant locations and for those being prevented from emerging, was the founding idea of Pitch the Doc platform. The situation we all experienced throughout the last year has shown us how important it is to offer solutions responding to the needs of our changing reality. We are thrilled by our partnership with Sunny Side of the Doc, enabling us to enhance the visibility of documentary offers from the CEE region and also introducing functionalities of Pitch the Doc as a provider of CEE Panorama showcasing platform." Adam Papliński, founder of Pitch the Doc

AN INITIATIVE SUPPORTED BY HBO EUROPE

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"I am very excited to participate in this year’s Sunny Side of the Doc, especially due to the focus on Central & Eastern European documentary production. I am convinced that opening new opportunities for collaboration of western European, particularly the French industry, with Eastern European productions will benefit both sides. I expect that it may result in new topics, new partnerships, and especially films that will address viewers in the East and the West."
Hanka Kastelicová, Executive Producer of Documentaries – HBO Europe