Beldocs Industry Days 2025: Project Selection Announced

Beldocs Industry Days are excited to unveil the 2025 project selection. This year, 20 creative teams from the Western Balkans, Baltic States, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine will participate in the Beldocs Pitching Forum, joined by international industry representatives. In addition to these regions, and with Poland as the 2025 focus country, we are also welcoming one outstanding project from outside this geographical scope, reflecting the evolving global documentary landscape.

Also joining the lineup are 8 emerging filmmakers from the third Balkan Young Talents cohort and 4 cutting-edge projects from the XR Academy.

Beldocs Industry Days will take place from 21–25 May in Belgrade, with an online component available for international guests.

Our international co-production forum will spotlight 11 director-producer teams—from promising newcomers to established festival alumni at Beldocs in Development—presenting bold, artistically ambitious projects with strong international potential:

Before Now, Later, director Karim Kassem, Lebanon
Cuba. Deprivation, director Staņislavs Tokalovs, Latvia, Cuba
Echoes, director Anna Dziapshipa, Georgia
End of Gravity, director Igor Zupe, Slovenia, Serbia, Sweden, USA
For Whom the Bells Toll?, directors Denis Karam and Zlatko Ivanisevic, Bosnia & Herzegovina
My Name is Enough, directors Marina Arzumanova and Ani Grigoryan, Armenia
Phantom Limb, director Catherine Norman Tahirović, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Amateur, director Nadia Parfan, Ukraine
The Center of The World, director Marko Šantić, Croatia, Slovenia
The Story of The Wild Rose, directors Liis Nimik and Kristen Aigro, Estonia, Sweden
The Touch, director: Dragan Jovićević, Serbia

Beldocs in Progress features 9 post-production projects. Filmmakers will present their works-in-progress to film funds, broadcasters, streamers, and festival programmers in pursuit of partnerships and strategic support for distribution:

Afraid of Beauty, director Jelena Medić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Between Two Worlds, directors Ana Gurdiș and Doy-Romanta Dochitan, Republic of Moldova
Blue Safari, director Luka Papić, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia
Comfort Limit, director Alexander Koridze, Georgia
Granddaughter, director Afag Yusifli, Azerbaijan
In Passing, director Gailė Garnelytė, Lithuania
No Offence, director Lucija Marčec, Croatia
Nothing For You to Change, director Đorđe Vojvodić, Montenegro, Serbia
Sentence From Birth, director Daniela Miron, Diana Vlas, Republic of Moldova

Projects officially selected for Beldocs Pitching Forum will be eligible for numerous awards:

– 2000 euros Award for Best project in Development by Film Centre of Montenegro
– 2000 euros Award for Best project in Progress by Al Jazeera Balkans
– Forgrade Post-production Award (image post-production services equivalent to 15.000 euros)
– East Silver Caravan Award
-Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival Networking Award
– DAE – Documentary Association of Europe Talent Encouragement Award
– Ji.hlava New Visions Market Award

We are pleased to announce new partnerships with MajorDocs and FIFDH festivals, as well as the sales company Imponta Films, who will also present awards to selected projects.

The Beldocs XR Academy returns with 4 artists developing innovative XR works. This intensive three-day program, focused on VR and 360° video, offers participants creative tools, mentorship, and networking opportunities to help shape their immersive projects:

Anthrome, directors Sylvia Rybak, Marco Winter and Ula Sowa Przybylska, Poland / Germany
CHOICES∞,  director Au Matt, Poland / South Korea
Imagine Farewell Station, director Aristotelis Maragkos, Greece
(recipient of the first Beldocs XR Academy Award at TiDF 27 AGORA XR Lab)
The Ripple Effect, director Ani Mardoyan, Armenia

One project will receive a special award presented by DOK Leipzig.

The Balkan Young Talents initiative, co-organized with AJB DOC, supports 8 up-and-coming filmmakers from the Western Balkans. Participants will attend two intensive workshops—first in Belgrade during Beldocs Industry Days, and later in Sarajevo during AJB DOC. With guidance from mentors, they will develop short documentaries, which will be presented at Beldocs the following year.

Anja Šćepanović, from Montenegro
Enxhi Noni, from Albania
Ervin Golubović, from Bosnia & Herzegovina
Ivana Cvetanoska, from North Macedonia
Kiša Radić, from Serbia
Lucija Ana Ilijić, from Croatia
Ružica Anja Tadić, from Serbia
Sebastijan Borovčak, from Croatia

We’re excited to introduce a new award and partnership within the Balkan Young Talents program. One selected participant will be granted the BLUE ONE Award by Blue Monochrome Post Production Studio—a professional post-production package for film developed through workshop.