Cannes Docs

Runtime: 90'

Expected release: January 2027

Production stage: Production

Budget: $534,299 (10% in place)

1st feature: Yes

Looking for: Festivals, sales agents, distributors, buyers, gap financing, strategic guidance, broadcasters

Synopsis:

Sadije (14) is a wrestling champion from Skopje’s Albanian-Muslim district Gazi Baba. Expected to be her family’s breadwinner as a modern « sworn virgin », she wrestles under the Macedonian flag, yet doesn’t speak the language. Wrestling offers escape but also relentless pressure: cutting weight, training under male coaches, and navigating a world where her victories are sidelined by ethnic politics. Sadije must decide whether wrestling is her freedom or just another role shaped by others’ expectations.

Director’s Profile:

Pauline Blanchet is an award-winning film director and producer whose work explores themes of sports, nationalism, and identity. Her short documentary Zuckerberg You Owe/Own Me has been screened internationally, and she has participated in renowned programs such as CPH:DOX, Sheffield Doc Fest, and the Sundance Co//ab Documentary Course. Her current project, Big in Gazi Baba, has garnered multiple awards, including the Cannes Docs Marché du Film Award, Al Jazeera Balkans Co-Production Award, and EURODOC award. Pauline’s archive-based film What You Remember, now in development, received a Special Mention from Sandbox Films at AFO 2024. She is known for her innovative use of experimental and collaborative filmmaking, incorporating archival research and cutting-edge technologies like AI-driven reconstructions to explore history and collective memory.

Producer’s Profile:

Avdi Thachi is a film producer and editor from North Macedonia who crafts human-centered narratives through his company, Lumiere Films. With a foundation in editing, Thachi expanded into production, bringing comprehensive understanding to each project. His talents span numerous productions, including the short documentary Antigona and Farmer’s Blues, where he served as producer. He was also co-producer on the feature film Everybody Calls Redjo. In 2025, he is taking part in Eurodoc, further strengthening his focus on creative documentary. Working as both producer and editor allows him to shape stories from technical and creative perspectives. Deeply vested in filmmaking, Thachi develops compelling international projects that showcase diverse voices. Through Lumiere Films, he remains committed to authentic storytelling that resonates with global audiences.

Kreshnik Jonuzi is an Albanian/American filmmaker who is based in New York City. He began his filmmaking career at NFL Films, working on numerous sports documentaries that aired on HBO & ESPN. He has directed and produced three feature documentaries that screened at festivals worldwide, including Thessaloniki, Warsaw, Dokufest, Nordisk Panorama, and Reykjavik Film Festival. Recently, he was featured in DOC NYC’s 40 Under 40, which spotlights young creatives who are making an impact on the field of documentary.

Aymeric Isnard is a passionate producer specializing in the development of audiovisual fiction and documentary projects at Futur Antérieur Production. He stands out for his bold and innovative approach to creating narrative content, always seeking to explore unique and contemporary stories. In 2024, Aymeric participated in the prestigious « Less is More » program at Groupe Ouest as a Development Angel, further strengthening his expertise in supporting projects at the writing and development stages. With a solid background in the field, he is dedicated to supporting emerging writers and directors, focusing on original and impactful stories that bridge the gap between auteur cinema and mainstream fiction. Before joining production companies, he worked in law firms dedicated to cinema (111 avocats and FTPA). He graduated with a master’s degree in Intellectual Property law from King’s College London.

Runtime: 80'

Expected release: May 2026

Production stage: Early Production

Budget: €237,675 (39% in place)

1st feature: Yes

Looking for: Co-Producers, Financing, Distributors

Synopsis:

Alime and Refik, the youngest couple in their nearly abandoned village, long for a child but face years of pressure over their infertility. To cope, they isolate themselves from conservative society, creating a bizarre world with their cows. As their pregnant cow enters the dry period, Alime, bearing the blame, experiences phantom pregnancy signs. During labor, hidden in the dark, they confront their pain and buried resentments — until the birth momentarily restores their fragile world.

Director’s Profile:

Nihal Atasoy was born in Trabzon in 2000. In 2024, she graduated from Akdeniz University, Department of Cinema and Television. Nihal, who expanded her sectoral experiences as well as her cinema education during her university years, stepped into her directing career with her first short film in 2020. After that Nihal started to work at documentary filmmaking, especially focusing on women’s stories. Her first short documentary, Fire of Novruz made its national premiere at Directed by Women Turkey, Istanbul 2024.

Producer’s Profile:

Emre Yalgın completed his undergraduate studies in METU’s Philosophy department and his graduate studies in Bilkent’s Graphic Design department. After completing his education, he started working in the film industry. He directed documentary Pink Grey in 2008 which won national awards at film festivals. Afterwards he directed the feature film Other Angels. The film was screened in various national and international film festivals and won awards. He directed his second feature Turnout in 2013. In 2015 he established Tunnel Pictures and produced crime-action box office movie Trust in 2016. In 2020, his fantastic novel Blood and Moon was published by Artemis Publications. He worked as a communication consultant in the World Health Organization in 2021. He lectured at various universities about filmmaking and script writing. He is still running Tunnel Pictures and producing documentaries and features.

Selin Üner was born in 1983 in Samsun, Turkey. She started her primary education in Izmir and continued at Ankara Arı College. She pursued her studies in International Trade at Çankaya University and later studied Radio Television and Cinema at Istanbul University. Selin Üner also received advertising training at Bahçeşehir University’s Advertising Writing Camp. Since her university years, she has been working at her family’s company called Zes Production.

Runtime: 90'

Expected release: February 2026

Production stage: Advanced stage of post-production

Budget: $137,580 (93% in place)

1st feature: Yes

Looking for: Festivals, worldwide premiere, distributors, sale agents, strategic guidance

Synopsis:

My grandfather, who was married for 57 years in conservative Costa Rica, died in a house fire. After this tragic event, my father revealed that, just like me, my grandfather was gay. Motivated by this discovery, my father and I revisit my grandfather’s life, discovering ourselves in the process.

Director’s Profile:

Andrés Madrigal is a Costa Rican filmmaker exploring queer narratives and the intersection of the personal and political through documentary storytelling. His short film Pray For Us (2017) was nominated for Best Short Film at the Ícaro International Film Festival and screened at Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival. He also co-directed the short documentary I Was Born There (2016), which was selected for the Havana  International Film Festival. In 2023, he was recognized by the Prince Claus Fund’s Seed Awards as one of 100 emerging cultural practitioners. He has refined his work through top industry labs, including the Sundance Documentary Storytelling Lab, Guadalajara Film Festival WIP, Conecta Chile WIP, SANFIC, Bolivia Lab, and Proyectos de Atitlán.

 

 

 

Producer’s Profile:

Sofía Meza Herrera is a queer and feminist Costa Rican creative producer. She graduated with honors from UCR in audiovisual production and strategic communication, with her thesis focused on impact campaigns in Latin American cinema. She was selected as an emerging filmmaking talent at Ícaro 2020 and Málaga Talent 2022.

Runtime: 70'

Expected release: March 2027

Production stage: Late developpement

Budget: €599,130 (14.13 % in place)

1st feature: Yes

Looking for: Co-producers, sales agents, distributors, buyers, festivals

Synopsis:

On the shores of Zarzis, Tunisia, an old man offers a symbolic burial to anonymous drowning victims. At the other end of the migratory route, in Senegal, families remain without news of their loved ones who have left for adventure. The absent inhabit the imagination of those who remain. From one territory to another, their dreams take over the void and the silence.

Director’s Profile:

A graduate of Le Fresnoy-Studio national des arts contemporains, Moïse Togo produces work that questions African beliefs in a contemporary world, new technologies and the social conditions of being. He purues his experimental approach from one production to the next, constantly exploring new forms of cinematographic experiment.

 

 

 

Producer’s Profile:

After working for around ten years at Zadig Productions as production manager, Eugénie Michel Villette set up the production company Les Films du Bilboquet in 2014. Since then, she has produced or co-produced numerous documentary films shown at international festivals, including Tinselwood (Berlinale), A Mansourah, tu nous as séparés (Visions du Réel, IDFA-Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival) L’Ultimu sognu (Doclisboa, DOK Leipzig, Ji.hlava, Rotterdam International Film Festival) and Taamaden (Visions du Réel, IDFA). Joined by Mathilde Raczymow in 2016, Les Films du Bilboquet accompanies films at the frontiers of genres, forms and subjects. Since 2020, Eugénie has been co-directing the Alaka Film Lab, a development workshop dedicated to cinema in Central Africa. She also co-directs the Master’s program in documentary film at Jules Verne University in Amiens, where she also teaches.

IndigoMood Films supports authors and artists in their desire to make individual and audacious films. Documentaries, fiction, movies for museum installations. IndigoMood helps stories blossom from idea to screen, large and small. These films in the making are first or second works that require special attention at every stage of their conception. Founded by Katy Lena Ndiaye in 2013, the production company has a catalogue of titles selected and rewarded at prestigious international festivals. IndigoMood is a member of RESPAC, the Senegalese producers’ network.

Runtime: 80-85 '

Expected release: March 2026

Production stage: Production

Budget: €350,000 (10% in place)

1st feature: No

Looking for: Funding, minority co-producers, archive partners, advisors

Synopsis:

Lost in a ciné-trance, adrift in the ghost worlds of personal, apartheid and colonial archives, a filmmaker explores her relationship with the camera. A Girl and a Gun stitches her dreamlike observations of a world either dying or being born depending on who’s looking, with the camera’s role in making and unmaking the historically colonized world.

Director’s Profile:

Arya Amber Lalloo is an award-winning South African multi-disciplinary filmmaker. Conceptually, artistically and politically driven, she is a true believer in cinema’s myriad powers to reflect, resist and re-imagine reality. She has played key creative roles on ground-breaking international features that have screened at major festivals including Cannes, Sundance and IDFA. These include Jeppe on a Friday (2012, co-writer/director), Rafiki (2018, Production Designer), Everything Must Fall (2018, Editor/Contributor) and Milisuthando (2021, Archives and Consulting Editor). She is an active member of the film community and has mentored projects, sat on juries, started collectives and reviewed projects for local and international festivals. She is an alumnus of IDFA Project Space, IDFA Academy, IDFA Forum and the Durban FilmMart.

 

 

 

Producer’s Profile:

Antoinette Engel is a producer of documentary films and immersive storytelling projects, committed to the collaborative spirit that underpins all creative projects. Her work has screened at IDFA, Dok.Fest Munich, Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, Filmfest FrauenWelten, NY ADIFF and on Al Jazeera. She has executive produced VR experiences for Electric South, which have premiered at IDFA, SXSW, Sheffield DocFest and Sunnyside of the Doc and worked with partners Meta, the British Council, UNESCO, Atlantic Institute and South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation. She is a Durban FilmMart Talent Campus, IFFR Cinemart Producer’s Lab and RLNS DET alumni, has co-chaired the Documentary Filmmakers’ Association of South Africa and has served as jury member for the Durban International Film Festival, Fak’ugesi Digital Lab Africa (2023) and goEast XR (2022). In 2025 Antoinette joined the DFMI as industry programme manager of the Durban FilmMart.

Runtime: 70'

Expected release: May 2026

Production stage: Production

Budget: €89,635 (70% in place)

1st feature: No

Looking for: Finance the post-production process, find a sales agent with a specialization in documentary film, find premiere at a class A festival

Synopsis:

A documentary that interweaves the story of Jorge Firpo, a legendary horse trainer retiring after a lifetime of shaping champions, with the director’s journey through the pain of his father’s suicide. As their paths intersect, it becomes a reflection on resilience and the courage to keep going.

Director’s Profile:

Agustín Flores is a documentary filmmaker, musician, and educator. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Arts at the National University of La Plata (Argentina). He holds a Master’s degree in Creative Documentary from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain) and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences from the School of Information and Communication (FIC), Universidad de la República (Uruguay), where he now teaches. Flores directed the feature-length documentary Los olvidados (2018). The Curve is his second feature-length documentary, developed within the Master’s program at Pompeu Fabra University. The project has received significant recognition, including the Cannes Docs Award, the Barcelona Industry Award, and the DocColombia Award at Ventana Sur 2024. It was also selected for Puentes Uruguay – EAVE Producers 2024, and received an Official Mention in the « Documentales en Construcción WIP » section of the Atlantidoc International Film Festival. Additionally, The Curve was selected for VentanaDoc and Ventana Sur WIP, as well as LABED, the WIP lab of Pompeu Fabra University. The project also benefits from international positioning support through ACAU, Uruguay.

 

 

 

Producer’s profile:

Born in Madrid, Spain, Raquel Ferreiro is a prominent audiovisual producer with a solid track record in the film and television industry. She graduated in Communication Sciences in 2008 from the University of the Republic, Uruguay. Since 2020, Raquel has worked in fiction as a Unit Production Manager and Line Producer for international platforms such as Amazon, HBO, and Disney Latin America. Some of her most notable projects include Amsterdam, Barrabrava, Iosi 2, Cromañón, Margarita, and Barrabrava 2. In 2023, she completed a Master’s degree in Executive Production at The Core, Spain, strengthening her expertise in project management and creative development. Currently, she is a producer at her newly founded production company, Ramona Cine, developing projects that stand out for their narrative quality and creative vision.

Zona Cielo Films is an audiovisual production company from Madrid, dedicated to contemporary art, film and culture. It collaborates with institutions such as TBA21 or La Casa Encendida, with artists, galleries and fairs. Its own productions include MEET POINT, a Spanish contemporary art series and La Curva.

Insumisa Films Sl emerges in Barcelona with a clear mission: to be a reference in fresh narratives born from experiences, tales, anecdotes, memories, intimate diaries, and personal novels. We are inspired by real and unique stories, enhanced with artistic elements that make them more poetic while preserving the authenticity that personal experience and life itself provide. Our own migrant essence drives us toward cultural unity — we aim to create and co-create transatlantic cinema. So far, we have co-produced The Fable of the Tortoise and the Flower (2025) alongside the Uruguayan company Monarca Films and Criollos (2025) with the Argentine DIM Films, both completed. Additionally, we have other projects in post-production, pre-production, and development, such as La Curva; Impromptu OP 2, selected at the Lau Haizetara Forum at SSIFF 2024; and Uncomfortable Body, selected at Hot Docs Deal Maker 2025.

Runtime: 80'

Expected release: September 2025

Production stage: Post-production

Budget: €792,933 (100% in place)

1st feature: No

Looking for: Sales agents, festivals, distributors, buyers

Synopsis:

Lesbian Lines encapsulates different stories of queer and lesbian Irish history told through an underground network of telephone helplines. Each anonymous call to the helplines was recorded as a handwritten note in their logbooks, kept through a time of historical constitutional change in Ireland. Lesbian Lines brings together an ensemble cast of volunteers as well as actors and performers to help bring this rich and unknown history alive. Over the last forty years, the Lesbian Lines saved hundreds of women whose stories remain untold.

Director’s Profile:

Cara Holmes is a director and editor whose work has predominantly been in long form and feature documentary as well as TV dramas, award winning observational documentary series, experimental and short films. Cara’s most recent work includes the Arts Council funded Notes From Sheepland, her debut features; which won Best Documentary at the Dublin International Film Festival and the Screen Ireland funded documentary short Welcome to a Bright White Limbo (2019); which won the IFTA Award for Best Short Film. The film received a Special Jury Mention at the Tribeca Film Festival and was awarded Best Irish Short at Dublin International Film Festival where Cara was also awarded the Discovery Award. Cara has been editing feature and broadcast documentaries for almost fifteen years with credits including Piano Dreams, The Father of the Cyborgs and Lost in France.

Producer’s Profile:

Evan Horan is a producer at film and TV production company Keeper Pictures – based in Dublin, Ireland. He has worked across various dramatic, documentary and genre projects including Oddity – a Shudder Original, directed by Damian McCarthy which world premiered at SXSW 2024 and won the Midnighters Audience Award; About Joan – a French / Irish / German co-production, directed by Laurent Larivière, starring Isabelle Huppert; and A Dog Called Money – directed by award-winning photographer Seamus Murphy who accompanied musician PJ Harvey on a journey through the creative process behind one of her albums. Horan is a queer filmmaker who is committed to working with LGBTQIA+ and female identifying talent and stories. He is on the Board of Directors of GAZE International LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, was selected by European Film Promotion and Screen Ireland as a Producer on the Move 2024 and is a graduate of EAVE Producers Workshop, Berlinale Talents, Rotterdam Lab and Emerging Producers.

Runtime: 90'

Expected release: June 2026

Production stage: Late production, early post-production

Budget: €332,097 (33% in place)

1st feature: Yes

Looking for: Distributor, sales agent, festivals, public and private partners

Synopsis:

Magnetic Letters uncovers private and intimate memories recorded on cassette tapes by Filipino overseas workers from the late 1980s and the 1990s, revealing unforeseen emotional consequences of labor migration. The Philippines is one of the largest suppliers of skilled workers overseas, resulting in many children growing up without their parents. By interweaving personal and collective stories, the filmmaker confronts her distant relationship with her patriarchal father, who was a former migrant worker in Saudi Arabia for 12 years.

Director’s Profile:

Demie Dangla is a Filipina filmmaker and photographer whose work delves into creative documentaries, experimental, and multimedia. She is an alumna of Berlinale Talents (2023, Germany), Docs by the Sea (2023, Indonesia), IDFAcademy (2023, The Netherlands), Full Circle Lab (2024, Philippines) and was selected to pitch at Visions du Réel (2024, Switzerland) and Cannes Docs (2025, France). Her storytelling practice started in journalism. She has worked as a writer, researcher and producer for TV documentary shows, and as photojournalist and videographer for an alternative and collective media group that focuses on documenting marginalized communities in the Philippines. In 2016, she was granted the National Geographic Young Explorer award. Her independent works have been shown at Gawad Alternatibo, Cinema Rehiyon, Angkor Photo Festival and Workshops, Hong Kong International Photo Festival, Kuala Lumpur Experimental Film, Video and Music Festival, and DIFFUSION Festival.

 

 

 

Producer’s Profile:

Gale Osorio is a film producer and co-founder of Archipelago, a film boutique under Binisaya Movement. An alumna of Berlinale Talents, Busan Asian Film School, and TFL ScriptLab Story Editing, Gale is known for her close collaboration with Director Keith Deligero. Her films have screened at major international film festivals like Berlinale International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival and the Museum of Modern Art’s New Directors New Films Festival, and a few have been acquired by ZDF Arte and The Criterion Channel. With a strong focus on Philippine regional cinema and nurturing emerging talents into bold film auteurs, Gale has presented her work at Link of Cine-Asia, All Genres Project Market, Torino Short Film Market, Hong Kong – Asian Film Financing Forum, BIFAN NAFF It Project Market, FNC Nouveau Marché, Sitges FanPitch, Docs by the Sea, and Taiwan Creative Content Fest, among others. Currently, she works on entertainment projects for Netflix, Prime Video, iWantTV, etc.

Philippe Djivas has a degree in audiovisual law, economics and management. He is a member of Eurodoc. He created Dynamo Production with which he produced nearly 40 documentaries. He produced All Grown Up by Wena Sanchez, Famas Prize for Best Documentary in 2019 in the Philippines and Dreaming in the Red Light by Pabelle Manikan (Philippines), selected in 2021 for “Les Etats Généraux du Film Documentaire (Lussas, France).” Founded in 2003, Dynamo Production, an independent French company, is dedicated to film production. Its main objectives are to defend an author policy through unique and innovative artistic projects. The subjects tackled are the fruit of a constant questioning of life in society, shared with emerging or confirmed authors.

Laura Kloeckner is a curator and film producer based in Berlin. She joined Seera Films as a producer in 2022. Laura previously worked for DOX BOX, where she produced her first feature documentary. Between 2016 and 2019 Laura worked for the Industry Department of DOK Leipzig and the Berlinale/EFM. Laura is a curator at the Berlin based art space SA V V Y Contemporary – The Laboratory of Form Ideas.

Runtime: 90'

Expected release: July 2026

Production stage: Late Development

Budget: 400,000 (30%)

1st feature: No

Looking for: Festivals, sales agents, distributors, buyers, co-producers, gap financing

Synopsis:

Shark is the ocean’s top predators. But being a predator does not exclude being a prey. This is true for both animals and humans. In Todos Santos, Mexico, fishermen gather on the beach to venture into the sea in search of sharks. It’s a tradition practiced by a close-knit group bound by a strong sense of brotherhood. But the community is also affected by drug use and violence. The fishermen share the last name of Salvatierra, the family to which Ángel, our protagonist, belongs. Ángel, however, seeks a different path in life, one far from the sea

Director’s Profile:

Santiago Raphael Priego (1996, Mexico) is a filmmaker and visual artist. In 2015 he moved to Europe to pursue his passion for non-fiction cinema, with the goal of developing his storytelling skills. He attended Scuola Holden, where he co-directed with Gabriele Licchelli his diploma film, Arca Hotel, selected at the 58th Festival dei Popoli. In 2018 he moved to London to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Media at Goldsmiths University, at the same time working on several personal photography projects. Over the past years, he has undertaken numerous human experiences, which have allowed him to get to know different corners of the planet, searching for new stories and enriching his style.

Gabriele Licchelli (1993, Italy) is director and editor. He comes from a small village in the South of Italy. He moved to Turin to complete his education in cinema studies at Scuola Holden. His diploma film, Arca Hotel, was selected at the 58th Festival dei Popoli. In 2019 his film Anche gli uomini hanno fame was premiered at IDFA (then selected at MakeDox, FEST-New Directors New Films, ShorTS, MedFilm Festival). In 2021 he co-wrote IO|OI, a short dance film, premiered at 39. Torino Film Festival (selected at Short Waves Festival, Aesthetica Film Festival, Lago Film Festival). In 2022 he co-directed and edited Go, friend, go, premiered at 63. Festival dei Popoli and selected in several festivals (FESCAAAL, Crossing Europe, Festival, Jean Rouch, among others). He recently attended a workshop with Gianfranco Rosi at EICTV in Cuba.

 

 

 

Producer’s Profile:

Alice Drago (1986, Italy) is a producer. She attended Scuola Holden and in 2009 received a bachelor’s degree in Modern Literature from the University of Turin. In 2012 she earned her master’s from the DAMS (Department of Arts, Music & Performance) program in Turin with her thesis on contemporary Italian film production. After working for several years in different production companies, she co-founded Epica Film, where she developed and produced numerous documentaries and short films. Her project have gained funds from Erasmus Plus Programme, Turin City Council, Film Commission Torino Piemonte, Apulia Film Fund, MiC (Italian Ministry of Culture), among others. Her films have been selected at the Biennale del Cinema di Venezia, Festival dei Popoli, Crossing Europe (among others). She teaches cinema production in universities.

Paulina Valencia (1993, Mexico) is a Mexican producer, and director of MFC Madrefoca Cine. She has collaborated with filmmakers such as David Pablos, Nicolasa Ruiz, Matt Porterfield, Nathalia Acevedo and Ricardo Silva. As Executive Producer, she has collaborated with Amat Escalante, Fernando Guzzoni, Diego Lerman and Christopher Murray. She has participated in co-production markets in Locarno, Cannes, Rotterdam, Los Cabos, Ventana Sur, at the Atelier México-Francia and at IFP No Borders, receiving funds and support such as the Hubert Bals Fund, EFICINE, FOPROCINE, Ibermedia, among others. Her projects have been exhibited at festivals such as Locarno, Visions du Réel, Mar del Plata, Rotterdam, Jeonju, Havana, FICUNAM and Morelia.

Sebastián Castillo (1993, Mexico) is a producer with experience in executive production, line production and project development. His projects have been selected in different international festivals, such as the short film Car winner of the Audience Award at the FICM. Also his first film as a producer, Good Savage (2023), which premiered at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2023, later had its premiere in Mexico at the FICG 2024.

Runtime: 90'

Expected release: May 2026

Production stage: Production

Budget: 386,886 € (50% in place)

1st feature: No

Looking for: Gap financing, sales agents, festivals

Synopsis:

Wave is a documentary shaped by the intimate diaries of four Georgian filmmakers united with the same fight for independence of their country.

Director’s Profile:

Mariam Chachia is a documentary film director from Georgia, the founder of the production companies OpyoDoc and Kino Elva, and the co-founder of DOCA Documentary Association Georgia. She is a member of the European and Georgian Film Academies and an Emerging Producers 2024 alumna. Wave is Mariam’s third feature documentary film. Her previous films, Magic Mountain (2023) and Listen to the Silence (2016), received awards such as the Golden Dove at the Next Masters Competition at DOK Leipzig, Best Film at DocsBarcelona, and the Silver Apricot at Golden Apricot, among others. Her films have been screened at prestigious festivals such as IDFA (Best of Fest), True/False, Shanghai IFF, Thessaloniki (Top Docs), DOK Leipzig; and many more.

Producer’s Profile:

Kino Elva is a documentary film production company based in Georgia and the sister company of the award-winning OpyoDoc. Taking over recent projects such as Adam’s Tooth, Wave, and Nana’s Wings, Kino Elva is set to release its first film under its own name in 2026. Building on OpyoDoc’s legacy of internationally acclaimed documentaries — featured at festivals like IDFA, True/False, CPH:DOX, Shanghai IFF, Thessaloniki IFF; and Dok Leipzig — Kino Elva remains dedicated to bold, socially engaged storytelling. The company collaborates with experienced European building strong creative partnerships worldwide. Besides of production, Kino Elva provides expert services to foreign production companies filming in Georgia, offering local knowledge and support for international shoots.

Manifest Film is an award winning production company based in Bucharest, Romania, run by experienced producer Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan. Manifest Film is focusing on producing daring and creative documentaries and fiction that bring inspiring stories with significant impact to the screen. The 2020 feature length documentary Acasa, My Home, by Radu Ciorniciuc was awarded in Sundance and other 40 international awards, nominated for the Best Documentary at European Film Awards, being a Romanian-German-Finnish co-production. In 2018, Timebox by Nora Agapi was awarded as Best Documentary at Jihlava IDFF plus another 7 international awards. In 2016 the documentary A Mere Breath, director Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan was awarded with The Heart of Sarajevo/ Best Documentary Film in Sarajevo IFF, awarded with Gopo awards (National Film Awards) for Best Romanian Documentary, Best Documentary Award in SEE Vienna IFF etc and screened on Mubi and Amazon in 2017.

Stray Dog Productions AS is a documentary film production company based in Oslo, Norway, run by producers KriStine Ann Skaret and Sarah Winge-Sørensen. We work with director-driven, creative documentaries from development to distribution, with a focus on human rights, social justice, art and culture. We collaborate with both new talent and experienced filmmakers, in an environment that promotes creative exchange, artistic experimentation and challenging ideas. We see documentary film as an opportunity to share experiences that open up new perspectives and spark conversations that take us beyond the realm of film.

Runtime: 75'

Expected release: January 2027

Production stage: Production

Budget: €428,626 (66% in place)

1st feature: Yes

Looking for: Festivals, sales agents, distributors, buyers, co-producers, gap financing

Synopsis:

Based on diaries and photographs of the director’s grandfather and mother, the film reconstructs the life of one family within the never-ending cycle of destruction and restoration in her hometown — Mariupol. Today, the director is left with nothing except her memories. And she is not the only one: while we are watching this film, somewhere there is war.

Director’s Profile:

Zoya Laktionova is a Mariupol born film director and contemporary artist. Her first short Diorama (12’) about the mined sea in the Mariupol area received an award in the MyStreetFilms at 2018 “86” Festival. Her next film Territory of Empty Windows (10’) premiered at 2021 DocudaysUA and received numerous awards at European film festivals. Zoya has been residing in Paris in 2022-23 as a recipient of the Harriman Residencies of Columbia University and in 2024-25 as a resident of Cité internationale des arts at Montmartre. As an artist, she has been exhibited in Roma’s MAXXI, Paris’ The Centre Pompidou and Vienna’s MUMOK. Zoya works with themes of war, memory and personal stories.

Producer’s Profile:

Experienced in co-production and finance through her work with international companies, Natalia Libet is a producer and a co-founder of the women-led production company « 2Brave Productions » based in Kyiv/Ukraine. She has produced several successful features, including Kateryna Gornostai’s Timestamp (2025 Berlinale Competition) and Stop-Zemlia (2021 Crystal Bear Berlinale Generation 14+), Mantas Kvedaravicius’ Parthenon (2019 Venice International Critics’ Week) and Anna Buryachkova’s Forever-Forever (2023 Venice Orizzonti Extra). She holds a U.S. MBA as a recipient of the 2000 Edmund Muskie Fellowship Award. She is a member of European and Ukrainian Film Academies, an alumna of EURODOC 2021, Emerging Producers 2022 and Nipkow Program 2023. Natalia also serves as the Head of Tatino Films’ First Cut+, an annual workshop focusing on marketing and positioning of feature films. In 2024, Natalia became a Film Independent Global Media Makers fellow.

Victor Ede, a co-owner and a producer of Cinephage Productions. Cinéphage is a French production based in Marseilles with a catalogue dedicated to gender, childhood, environmental, mental health and war aftermath issues. Cinephage is involved in a large majority of international projects, while having a strong presence in Marseilles and the international industry. Our last films are the Hungarian film KIX (CPH:DOX), the Swedish Unanimal, and the Balkanic The Mountain Won’t Move both to be premiered spring 2025.