Docs-in-Progress Jury
Karim Aitouna | Producer, Haut les Mains Productions
Karim Aitouna is a film producer who works between France and Morocco. Among others, he has produced films such as I Am the People (2014) by Anna Roussillon, presented at ACID at the Cannes Film Festival, The Night and the Kid (2015) by David Yon, selected at the Berlinale Forum, Controfigura by Rä Di Martino, presented at the 74th Venice International Film Festival, Poisonous Roses by Ahmed Fawzi Saleh, in selection at the Rotterdam IFF, and recently the documentaries Dans la maison by Karima Saidi & Gevar’s Land by Qutaiba Barhamji (presented at IDFA 2020), and Europe by Philip Scheffner, presented in 2022 at the Berlinale. Aitouna is a member of EAVE and EURODOC. He is a consultant and speaker for numerous funds, labs and festivals (IFFR Pro Days by Rotterdam IFF, Open Doors Pro by Locarno IFF, Les Ateliers de l’Atlas, Red Sea Film Fund, Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montréal, etc).
Fernanda Lomba | E.P., Mundi Filmes and Co-Founder, NICHO 54
Born and based in São Paulo, Fernanda Lomba studied literature and linguistics with a qualification in German language at the University of São Paulo (USP). She started her career in the publishing market but in 2014 she turned to film and worked as a (executive) producer for different companies in São Paulo and as a researcher for documentary films. She is also co-founder of Nicho 54, an institute founded and run by black professionals whose aim is to promote and appreciate black Brazilians in the film industry through training initiatives, knowledge exchange, curatorship and the (re)construction of imaginaries.
Angeliki Vergou | Head of Agora, Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival
Angeliki Vergou is Head of Agora, the industry section for both Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (March) and Thessaloniki International Film Festival (November). TIDF’s Agora includes the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, Agora Docs in Progress, Agora Doc Market and a variety of other exciting industry events aiming to connect and inspire documentary filmmakers while supporting them in their next steps. She is a DAE member and an alumna of various storytelling training programs and more (MIDPOINT Institute, MFI Institute, Sources2, SOFA).
Docs-in-Progress Awards
Docs-in-Progress Award
€10,000 cash prize and project follow-up by IEFTA – The International Emerging Film Talent Association.
Al Jazeera Documentary Award
Al Jazeera Documentary to come in as co-producer, with a minimum contribution of $15,000.
Post-Production Award
€5,000 grant in post-production services, thanks to the participation of Hiventy, Technical Partner of the Festival de Cannes.
Alphapanda Award
Two exclusive consultations on film marketing & social media, given by the Alphapanda team.
Think-Film Impact Award
A strategic impact workshop + an impact pitching coaching session, given by the Think-Film Impact Production team.
DAE Award
Free one-year memberships for the team, with all associated benefits, and a rough cut consultation with one of DAE’s senior advisors.
Docs in Orbit Invitation Award
An invitation to be featured on the Docs in Orbit podcast, including an interview with the filmmaker to be launched for the film’s world premiere, and year-round exposure on the Docs in Orbit website and social media.
Docs-in-Progress Mentors
Heidi Fleisher
Heidi Fleisher is an independent American producer and consultant based in Paris. She previously handled international acquisitions for France 2’s creative documentary strand 25 Shades of Docs, has worked as a Development Exec for LA-based Synthesis Films, and as Head of Sales & Acquisitions for ARTE Sales. Production credits include the feature documentaries EL CASTILLO by Martin Benchimol (Berlinale 2023), WAKE UP ON MARS by Dea Gjinovci (Tribeca 2020), DON’T BREATHE by Nino Kirtadze (TIFF 2014), and the short doc collection currently in production ELEMENTAL. She works with a variety of industry events as a moderator, curator, mentor and workshop leader, and participates frequently in filmmaker and producer labs and training initiatives.
Mentor of the project holders of the Showcases Italy and Canada.
Zeynep Güzel
Zeynep Güzel is a filmmaker, consultant and the head of Doc Station at Berlinale Talents. Zeynep was the head of the Yeni Film Fund founded by Anadolu Kültür and !f Istanbul Independent Films Festival. Zeynep directed and produced the documentary Come Rain or Shine (2019) and produced two other documentaries Beginnings (2013) and Impressions of A Summer (2020). Zeynep works as consultant on storytelling, international grant writing, pitching and co-financing strategies including the Doc Toolbox program at Berlinale EFM, DOK Leipzig Industry and East Doc Program. Zeynep was a fellow of the 2021 Berlin Artist in Residency (AiR) at Nipkow Program with her first narrative feature film When the Sun Comes Out. Zeynep has been a senior consultant at the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE) since its foundation.
Mentor of the project holders of the Showcase Spain.
Nora Philippe
Nora Philippe is the director of EURODOC, an international training lab for documentary filmmakers. She is also a film director, producer and curator who has relentlessly dedicated her career to documentary cinema. Many of her films have been distributed internationally, including “Restitution?” (2021), “Like Dolls, I’ll Rise” (2018), “Job Center, Please Hang on!” (2014) and “The Ensorcery of James Ensor” (2011). As an independent producer, she launched her own company in 2012, Les films de l’air, and has produced creative documentary films for television, academic research, museums, theaters. As a programmer, she also conceived film series & symposiums for Columbia University, Institut français, Cité internationale des arts, Maison rouge, and teaches documentary filmmaking and production at various film & art schools, including SciencesPo, Ecole des Arts Décoratifs. She has served as a jury on various boards at French Regional Funds, CNC and La Scam.
Mentor of the project holders of the Showcase Canada.