Docs to Start

29.05, 10.00 – 13.00 PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS – ASP KINO

29.05, 14.30 – 18.30 ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS – MOS 5

access with passes: Industry, Industry Pro, Industry Light, Media, Student

RECORDED PITCHING WILL BE AVAILABLE TO WATCH IN THE KFF INDUSTRY GUEST ZONE FROM MAY 30th

TBC ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS ONLINE

A presentation of recent Polish documentary projects in development stage preceded by intensive workshop Doc Lab Poland: Doc Lab Start. Its purpose is to find additional source of financing and potential coproduction partners.

This year, additionally – as part of the DOC LAB POLAND & UKRAINE project – Polish creators will be joined by artists and producers from Ukraine.

PROJECTS DOCS TO START 2025:

• Arkadius, dir. Sławomir Batyra, prod. Maria Nosal / Bord Noir Maria Nosal
• Her name is Fields, dir. Martyna Wróbel, Anna Biernacik, prod. Magdalena Sztorc,
  Anna Zajączkowska / Mozaika Films
• Hear Me Out, dir. Agnieszka Iwańska, prod. Izabela Igel / 7FILMS Sp. z o.o.
• Inner Wild, dir. Kama Czudowska, prod. Dorota Schleiss / ASF Studio
• My Auntie Destroyed a Kingdom, dir. Monika Lipanovich, prod. Monika Braid / Braidmade Films
• My Diana, dir. Inga Pylypchuk, prod. Alexandra Bratyshchenko, Kateryna Ptashka / Eleron Pictures (UKRAINA)
• Mzungu: The Path, dir. Michał Gruszczyński, prod. Monika Raj / Rajana sp. z o.o.
• Nahual: Lives Between Worlds, dir. Clara Kleininger-Wanik, prod. Kamil Wanik / Tryton Productions
• Night Mayor, dir. Kate Tiuri, prod. Mira Oyetoro, Anna Burdina / JS Films (UKRAINE)
• Nothing to Fear, dir. Katarzyna Cieślar, prod. Marta Dużbabel / ATM GRUPA S.A
• The Flower of Polish Youth, dir. Piotr Bodak, prod. Jagoda Brzezińska / Pinot Films
• The Pillar, dir. Marcin Koszałka, prod. Piotr Kobus / Mañana
• To my Mother, dir. Mattias Bavré, prod. Stanisław Zaborowski, Barbara Dyck, Maarten Bernaerts / Silver Frame, Salto Productions
• What a Coincidence?, dir. Karina Kleszczewska, prod. Dorota Schleiss, Jakub Klawikowski / ASF Studio

DOC LAB POLAND AWARDS 2025:

DOC LAB START TUTORS:

Jacek Bławut Jacek Bławut is a film producer, director and cinematographer. Lecturer at film schools in Łódź, Berlin, Hannover and Warsaw. Member of the European Film Academy and the Polish Filmmakers Association. His films earned numerous awards at film festivals i.a. Tampere Film Festival, San Sebastián International Film Festival, Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival, Krakow Film Festival, Camerimage and Toronto International Film Festival.

Anna Wydra – She runs Otter Films, Warsaw‐based production company, focused on art‐house fiction and documentary films for cinema and TV, with an emphasis on the international market. Together with director Bartek Konopka she got an Oscar nomination for the documentary Rabbit à la Berlin. She produced or co‐produced many documentary movies incl: 6 Degrees, Deep Love, Domino Effect, Art of Disappearing and Communion (European Film Award). Films produced by Anna won awards on many festivals including Locarno IFF, Leipzig DOK Festival, Hot Docs, Krakow FF, Jihlava IDFF and Warsaw IFF. Feature film Zud by Marta Minorowicz had its premiere on Berlinale IFF and Ayka by Sergey Dvortsevoy was nominated to Palme d’Or at Cannes FF. Anna is a member of The European Film Academy.

Adriek van Nieuwenhuyzen  – Has a master’s degree in Theatre and Film Science from the University in Utrecht. Already during her studies she started specializing in documentary and got involved in the first edition of IDFA, by then a small but sparkling initiative to bring back documentary on the big screen in Amsterdam. At IDFA she was from the beginning mainly involved in programming. She curated several programs at IDFA. From February 2007 on she is Head of the Industry office of IDFA. In this position she is in charge of the professionals program of IDFA including the markets FORUM and Docs for Sale.

Nadja Tennstedt is director of DOK Industry at DOK Leipzig. From 2019 -2021 she coordinated DocSalon, the documentary platform of the EFM. Nadja held positions in marketing, sales and acquisitions at US distributors Zeitgeist Films and Milestone Films. After her return to Europe in 2011 she worked for international film festivals and markets such as the Locarno Film Festival and the Berlinale.

Ove Rishøj Jensen – documentary consultant, producer and outreach manager. Working in the international documentary sector since 2003, Ove has an advanced network within the industry. He gives lectures and run workshops about project development, international financing, co-production, impact, outreach and distribution. In 2019 Ove launched his own company Paradiddle Pictures for documentary training and consultancy. Among others, he runs the pitching forum at FIPADOC, collaborates with IDFA, Fresh Pitch China, M:Brane, Mediterranean Film Institute, Nordisk Pano- rama, Thessaloniki Documentary Festival and run the workshop series DocCelerator. He has also created tailor made master classes, seminars and workshops.

Docs to Start is co-organised by Władysław Ślesicki Film Foundation within a frame of the DOC LAB POLAND