DOCS IN DEVELOPMENT 2023
COLOR IN MY EYE
Director Dragana Latinović
Serbia, Germany
The project Colors in My Eye, a feature-length documentary film, came from the idea of a chance meeting at the opening of an art exhibition of the author of the film, Dragana, and one of the visitors, Jelena. One specific gathering begins with drawing lessons and a struggle for Jelena to prove herself as a real artist. Since childhood, Jelena has not seen shapes, but only colors. How she sees the world around her is transferred to paper with pastel colors. The author of the film wants to present and affirm Jelena as a real artist and not as a handicapped person. In order to achieve this, in addition to authentic recordings and Jelena’s life story, as well as a reunion with the doctor who prevented her from sinking into complete darkness, the part of the film that should depict her emotional state was presented through a ballet performance.
Original language: Serbian
Subtitles: English
Length: 78 min
Expected date of delivery : 1/2025
Production company : Zid Production
Contact information : zidproduction@gmail.com
DIVIA
Director Dmytro Hreshko
Ukraine
With the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Russia, the state of Ukrainian nature is deteriorating catastrophically. Thousands of kilometers of mutilated land, poisonous rivers, mined fields and forests. Wild and domestic animals abandoned by humans are on the verge of survival. The infinite scale of the tragedy with no hope of a quick fix.
Original language: Ukrainian
Subtitles: English
Length: 70 min
Expected date of delivery : 5/2024
Production company : UP UA STUDIO
Contact information : jetpeks@gmail.com anastasia.pugach@gmail.com
HERE, BETWEEN THIS SEA AND THOSE MOUNTAINS
Director Keti Machavariani
Georgia
The Khoshtaria family has resisted totalitarianism and Russian imperialism for Georgian freedom for decades. Helena and Gogi continue family traditions. As the son of a Stalinist-murdered father, Gogi (85) spent his life battling the Soviet system. He became Georgia’s first foreign minister after the Soviet Union collapsed. He left to pursue art. Helena (44), a mother of four, The family strongly disapproved of her involvement in politics. Helena routinely protests and clashes with current government activists and police, which patriarchal society finds objectionable in a female politician. We will pursue them on winding dirt roads through practically empty villages and abandoned industrial cities until the Soviet occupation line. This intimate trip through space and time takes us to this family’s past. With this couple, viewers will journey to Georgia, learn about its past and present, and explore the geography of a father-daughter relationship as well as the history of tenderness, love, fear, ambitions, conflicts, and reconciliation.
Original language: Georgian
Subtitles: English
Length: 70 min
Expected date of delivery : 01/2026
Production company : Radium Films
Contact information : Kinoke@gmail.com irina@radiumfilms.net
HOLE
Director Danilo Stanimirović
Serbia
While 400 workers dig 30,000 tons of coal every day in the Kostolac mine, 20 meters away, several archaeologists are slowly excavating the ancient Roman city of Viminacium.Oiginal language: Serbian
Subtitles: English
Length: 25′ and 52′
Expected date of delivery : 7/2025
Production company : Rezon
Contact information : inkubator.rezon@gmail.com
HVAR LEAGUE
Director Emina Kujundžić
Croatia
The Forska or Hvar League is a phenomenon that has been going on since the beginning of the 70s last century and while it continues, it unites the island with a turbulent and rich history that is more than 6000 years old. Ten clubs are in the league. Football has been played on the island of Hvar since the beginning of the 20th century. The league was created in the early 1970s (the island cup was played a little earlier). During the aggression against Croatia (1991-1995), the league was not played. After the war, it was renovated and its quality is getting better every year. That’s history. And you will find out how the league looks today, who are the players, referees and fans, by following us on the way from Sucuraj to Hvar from olive harvest to spring.
Original language: Croatian
Subtitles: English
Length: 55 min
Expected date of delivery : 7/2024
Production company : Studio Switch
Contact information : kozaric.haris@gmail.com imajna@gmail.com
I MADE A MISTAKE COMING HERE
Director Kseniya Halubovich
France, Georgia
Between the summer and winter of 2021, thousands of migrants, mainly from Iraq and Syria, are offered a „simplified entry to Europe“ and land en masse in Minsk in one of the most cynical traps imaginable. Trapped by the Belarusian regime, some of them die between Belarus and Poland. The majority is repatriated to their country. A small minority decides to stay in Belarus and try this last chance to reach the EU. This is the story of Aziz and his family.
Aziz is a former baker from Mosul. With his wife and their three children, they have been in Minsk for more than a year now. Meanwhile political repression starts to make things more difficult for the courageous Belarusian citizens who help them. But one by one, they too are forced to emigrate to escape prison.
When Aziz manages to get an interview with Lithuanian officials, uncertainty remains: will he be able to cross the border?
Original language: Belarusian, Kurdish, Arabic
Subtitles: English
Length: 90 min
Expected date of delivery : 11/2024
Production company : Les Steppes Productions
Contact information : golubovichka88@gmail.com l.beaudemont@les-steppes.com
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
Director Parvana Guliyeva
Azerbaijan
The story is about a family who lives in the Caucasus mountains where the main protagonists are two siblings. The children live with a mother who is an illiterate and sick father (schizophrenic), and grandmother in a rural mountain village. Through the children’s eyes, the psychological and social situation of the family and society will be followed in a cinematic way. There are invisible traces between the old (grandmother) and the new generation (children). There are big antagonists in the children’s way: their patriarchal society and a grandmother. The grandmother represents the old generation preferring boys (male children) and also wants her granddaughter to behave like a female. But the girl wants to behave how she dreams and doesn’t want to accept the behavior so she speaks out.
Original language: Azerbaijani, lezgi
Subtitles: English
Length: 75 min
Expected date of delivery : 9/2024
Production company : tba
Contact information : qpervane620@gmail.com
PUNK UNDER COMMUNIST REGIME
Director Andrej Kosak
Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia
A documentary about the Slovenian punk scene between 1977 and 1985. The bands that were formed were all made up of high school students who, despite their youth, quickly began to perform and triggered a wave of repression by the communist party. While Marshal Tito was dying in Ljubljana, an outburst of incredible creativity from young people took place in Slovenia, who no longer agreed with the party’s one-mindedness. This was the first serious countercultural blow in the former Yugoslavia followed by a “Nazi punk affair” that put the three protagonists of the punk scene in custody. While English punks gathered in pubs, Slovenian punks gathered in the city center on Johnny Rotten Square or went to jail….
Original language: Slovenian
Subtitles: English
Length: 90 min
Expected date of delivery : 6/2024
Production company : Blade Production
Contact information : info@bladeproduction.com, andrejkosak23@gmail.com
SHAKESPEARE GOES ARMENIAN
Director Inna Sahakyan
Armenia
Residents of a Soviet-era retirement home discover self-expression through theater, forming the troupe „Tarmani“ (blend of two Armenian words meaning “elderly” and “youth) to cope with old age and neglect. Tarmani’s success inspires director Garnik to stage a play tailor-made for his aging actors, depicting an afterlife encounter between Shakespeare and his famous characters. Set in the quirky retirement home with its odd frescoes and AI robot psychologist, the film follows key members, including acclaimed Russian teacher communist Ligia, dashing literature professor Ararat, and secret poet Julieta, as they rehearse and overcome obstacles such as losing fellow actors, ongoing health issues, and teamwork challenges. All culminating in a performance that celebrates the love of life.
Original language: Armenian
Subtitles: English
Length: 70 minutes, 52 minutes
Expected date of delivery : 8/2024
Production company : Bars Media
Contact information : inna@barsmedia.am, lilit.movsisyan3@gmail.com, vardan@barsmedia.am, mariam.barsmedia@gmail.com
WHERE DO BUTTERFLIES SLEEP
Director Simona Jerala
Slovenia
My father is one of the most precious people to me. As if we are the only ones who speak the same language and fully understand each other. This year there were 95 candles on his birthday cake.
However, the passing of time is suffocating me. I strongly feel that my life will be split in two parts. A present part when I still have my father and a part without him, when I will have to figure out how to live de novo.
This tremendously personal film features precious moments with my dad I have captured over the last seven years. With poetic narration and intimate conversations, I am trying to stretch the time we still have together.
Original language: Slovenian
Subtitles: English
Length: 70 min
Expected date of delivery : 1/2024
Production company : n/a
Contact information : simona.etc@gmail.com
DOCS IN PROGRESS 2023
AT THE DOOR OF THE HOUSE WHO WILL COME KNOCKING
Director Maja Novaković
Serbia
Emin, in his mid-70s, lives in a ramshackle home on the edge of a village (Jasenova, Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina). Emin and his horse work long, exhausting hours in the surrounding forests, cutting and hauling logs. The monotonous rhythm of his daily life hides a deeper wound, the loss of his brother in a forestry accident in the 1970s. He breaks through the snow and strong wind or works for long hours in the bitter cold and embraces the harshness of nature, finding little solace in the warmth of his stove, nor the minimal comforts of his home. He seeks relief and a brief respite in his grief in conversation with his neighbors who listen but don’t hear him. He finally finds it by confessing his woes to his constant companion.
Original language: Serbian, Bosnian
Subtitles: English
Length: 70 min
Expected date of delivery : 03/2024
Production company : Cineseedlings
Contact information : milemicamalimjau@yahoo.com
THE BIG STONE
Director Mariam Khatchvani
Georgia
My grandma had a two ton stone to which she paid with a cow and cheese. She sincerely believed in the powers of the Magic stone, that it was a guarantee of her family’s well-being, but she lost the stone and her happy life was over. After losing her first child, she set out to find the stone. The main suspect for her was her best friend and closest neighbor. Grandma believed that She had stolen her magic stone; they had quarreled for 40 years over it. A whole village was involved in the matter. They live in Ushguli, which is the highest populated place in Europe. Along with medieval architecture, various ancient rituals are still preserved. The inhabitants believe in a single god, but at the same time in stone, fire, and earth magic. Having grown up with this belief, Grandma believes that until we return the stolen sacred stone, she will never find a piece.
Original language: Georgian
Subtitles: English
Length: 85 min
Expected date of delivery : 1/2024
Production company : Svaneti Film Studio
Contact information : chkhvimiani.teimuraz@gmail.com , khatchvani@gmail.com
BITTER SUGAR
Director Ana Barjadze
Georgia
The small town in Georgia, Agara. Three brothers are huddled together over a video call from their mother, who works in Italy. At times her voice drops out as she tries to keep a sense of normalcy. It is the daily reality of Nika, Gika, and Levan, who have been left to care for themselves, the only connection to their mother is through this distant phone voice. Agara is a quiet place that has been left almost empty after the main factory closed its doors. This factory is where most inhabitants of the town worked. Filling this absence from both parents and the empty town, the brothers find their ways of re-inventing family dynamics and relations. The entire house and the brothers who are left alone are stuck in an endless cycle of “Waiting for Godot”, as they await for the silence to be broken by the voices from the phone.
Original language: Georgian
Subtitles: English
Length: 80 min
Expected date of delivery : 01/2024
Production company : Radium Films
Contact information : irina@radiumfilms.net, ana.barjadze@gmail.com
EXCHANGE OR HOW I SURVIVED PUBERTY
Director Nikola Polić
Serbia
Exchange is a story of a camp in Belgium which nurtures diversity by joining youth from multiple countries. Nikola (17), through reallocation from a small surroundings, gets the freedom to explore who he is and what kind of a man he could become. In the first days of the camp Nikola explored different cultures and customs with a special attention towards the communication with kids from Kosovo thus breaking the prejudice about the relations between Serbs and Albanians. However, by the end of camp, Nikola had given up on the big topics and started questioning his sexuality the moment he had, for the first time, experienced feelings towards girls, but also towards boys from the camp. He is at times funny when exploring the big topics, but still admirable.
Original language: English, Serbian, French, Italian, Turkish, Albanian
Subtitles: English
Length: 62 min
Expected date of delivery : 12/2024
Production company : Kino radionica
Contact information : kinoradionica@gmail.com
FATHERLAND: A MONUMENT TO FREEDOM
Director Elena Chemerska
North Macedonia
In the wake of personal tragedy, Elena, a young Macedonian visual artist, embarks on a quest to restore her late father’s utopian masterpiece built long before she was born, the Monument to Freedom. As she navigates the bureaucratic hurdles, financial obstacles standing in her way, and the rumbles left behind by the transitional processes that have been draining the human capital from the country for more than 3 decades, Elena grapples with the painful loss of her father and two older brothers. Obsessed with the Monument’s preservation, she pours her heart and soul into the project ultimately managing to get what she wanted in the first place, only to discover that her freedom, healing, and acceptance are not found in grand gestures, but in the slow, quiet process of self-reflection. The Monuments restoration may happen in the film, but the real transformation lies within Elena herself.
Original language: Macedonian
Subtitles: English
Length: 70 min
Expected date of delivery : 07/2024
Production company : Cinema Futura
Contact information : ivananikolovska25@gmail.com
HEART DON’T BE AFRAID
Director Ana Kvichidze
Georgia
Dachi is a 20-year-old lonesome dreamer, a queer boy from a very conservative and religious place – Lechkhumi, Georgia. The most influential person in the region is Orthodox Church Archbishop – Stephan, who has unleashed a holy war on other religious beliefs and moral views. Inspired by his preaching, Dachi’s family refuses to accept their son’s sexual orientation and identity. Dachi is trying to escape social oppression and change his reality by practicing magic. In his search for magic and a dream of becoming a witch, he finds 84-year-old spell-caster Vardo. As the two become very close, Dachi unveils to Vardo the whole truth about his sexual orientation and the harsh effects it had on his teenage life. Their bond becomes even stronger, as they share stories and practice magic…
Original language: Georgian
Subtitles: English
Length: 85 min
Expected date of delivery : 01/2024
Production company : 17/07 Productions (Georgia), La Huit film (France)
Contact information : mariam.bitsadze@1707productions.com , mariam.bitsadze@gmail.com, Kvichidze.ana@gmail.com
POZERSKIS: IN FOCUS
Director Joris Skudra
Lithuania
The documentary explores the close relationship between artists and the context in which they live, focusing on the personal journey of Lithuanian photographer Romualdas Požerskis. Audiences follow the psychological effects of creating under the repressive conditions of the Soviet Union, and the resilience needed to adapt to a new life under capitalism. The film prompts reflections on the capacity of art to shape and be shaped by political forces, and the challenges artists face in finding their place amid shifting realities.
Original language: Lithuanian, English
Subtitles: English
Length: 90 min
Expected date of delivery : 12/2023
Production company : Broom Films
Contact information : juste@broomfilms.lt
ZINEMA (THE ORDINARY RUSCISM)
Director Kornii Hrytsiuk
Ukraine
Zinema uses footage from popular Russian feature films and tv-series. Our film explores the development of xenophobia and propaganda in Russian cinematography and its impact on Russian society since 1990-s till now. These popular films are important ideological preparations for military aggression against other countries.The story in our film will develop chronologically and grow like a snowball.
Original language: Ukrainian
Subtitles: English
Length: 80 min
Expected date of delivery : 9/2023
Production company : THURSDAY
Contact information : jenyakriegsheim@gmail.com korneygritsyuk@gmail.com
Awards 2023
Al Jazeera Balkans Award – 2000 EUR
The Beldocs Industry Award by Al Jazeera Balkans is granted to the authors of the best pitch of Beldocs in Progress decided upon by an international jury consisting of industry representatives.
Forgrade Post-production Award
The most promising project will receive a post-production services package, allowing the producers to complete the film. The Forgrade Post-production Award includes full color correction and mastering services.*
DAE – Documentary Association of Europe Talent Encouragement Award
The DAE Award consists of free memberships for one year for the director(s) and producer(s) and a tailor-made consultancy session with DAE senior consultants. The prize is a talent encouragement award and offers access to the European documentary community.
East Silver Caravan Award
One project will receive the festival distribution support for one year, starting after its completion. Through East Silver Caravan it will be submitted to international film festivals for consideration and the Institute of Documentary Film will help with the overall festival strategy.
Pitch the Doc Award
Pitch the Doc Award, is a prize given to boost the progress of the credited project, providing it with dedicated curation and support in building international recognition and visibility. Consultation is held by an expert associated with Pitch the Doc and takes place within 6 months of the Award announcement, provided that the project is successfully validated on the platform.
Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival Networking Award
Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival will offer to the winner of the prize 3 nights of accommodation for the producer or the director and a free Industry accreditation to participate in the Agora Docs activities of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.
Beldocs Industry Days program is supported by the European Union through Creative Europe MEDIA.
*TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
The in-kind services by Forgrade Post-production studio can only be used for the completion of the awarded project within a period of two years. It will not be possible to claim these services for a different project or to expect completion after May 2025. Requests for different types of post-production services will be considered individually, but cannot be granted. Awarded in-kind services listed above that are not claimed cannot be interchanged or replaced. Our partners have the right to demand a specific quality level of the film material that is needed before services can be offered.