V4 Co Pro Meetings Panel: Making Docs Together
29.05, 16.15 – 17.15 | PANEL: Making Docs Together: Co-Producing in the Visegrad Region – ASP 1 – access with passes: Industry, Industry Pro, Industry Light, Media, Student
What does it take to get a documentary made—and made well—across the Visegrad region today? This panel brings together experienced producers from Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary to talk about how the conditions for documentary filmmaking are changing, what options filmmakers have, and where the biggest hurdles lie. From funding and partnerships to navigating political realities and finding the right stories to tell together, the discussion will offer real-life examples and insights into what works—and what doesn’t—when co-producing in Central Europe.
Speakers: Ondrej Starinský / RTVS (Slovakia), Maria Krauss / Plesnar & Krauss FILMS / KIPA (Poland), and Julianna Ugrin / Eclipse Films / MADOKE (Hungary).
Moderated by Zdeněk Blaha, former Programme Director of the Institute of Documentary Film (Czechia).
PANELISTS:
- Ondrej Starinský RTVS | Slovakia
Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS) is Slovakia’s state owned public television and radio broadcaster. It is a merger of Slovenská televízia and Slovenský rozhlas. Slovak Television (STV) is a public television service that broadcasts on two channels, Channel One (Jednotka) and Channel Two (Dvojka) across the entire territory of the Slovak Republic. Viewers have selected STV as the most reliable Slovak television network. It has won hundreds of awards at domestic and international film and television festivals.
- Maria Krauss Plesnar & Krauss FILMS / KIPA | Poland
Plesnar & Krauss FILMS is an independent production company co-founded by Maria Krauss in 2012. Films have been presented and awarded at national and international festivals, including Faces of Agata (Golden Hobby-Horse at the 63rd KFF) or The Guest by Zuzanna Solakiewicz and Zvika Gregory Portnoy, co-directed by Michał Bielawski – award for best cinematography at the IDFA festival. Producer’s representatives participate in the most important Polish and international festivals and industry events. Member of KIPA – Polish Producers Association.
- Juliana Ugrin Eclipse Films / MADOKE / DAE | Hungary
Éclipse Film is an independent film production company founded by Julianna Ugrin producer in 2011. Their titles were premiered, screened and awarded at festivals like Sundance, Locarno, Idfa, Hot Docs or Sheffiled, just to mention a few.
MADOKE is the Association of Hungarian Documentary Filmmakers. Julianna Ugrin is its President.
DAE is the Documentary Association of Europe, of which Julianna Ugrin is Chair of the Board.
- Moderator: Zdeněk Blaha, former Program Director of the Institute of Documentary Film | Czechia
Zdeněk Blaha is a freelance consultant focused on documentary project and script development and UX design for XR. Formerly Programme Director at the Institute of Documentary Film (until April 2025), he has 15+ years of experience and works with major festivals like Karlovy Vary. His recent work includes the Venice-premiered XR projects Darkening (2022) and Fragile Home (2024), supporting innovative storytelling across platforms.
Panel is part of V4 Co Production Meetings supported by:
