Ten outstanding documentaries from Central and Eastern Europe, planned for theatrical release during the upcoming 12 months – the Docu Talents from the East – were presented last night at the 25th Sarajevo Film Festival.
Projects from Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Ukraine made it to the final selection of the 15th Docu Talents from the East 2019.
Jury composed of the Cinéma du Réel director Catherine Bizern, Israeli producer Noemi Schory, programmer of the Sundance FF Harry Vaugh, Natalia Arshavskaya from Current Time TV, and Jarmila Outratová representing the organiser of the programme – Ji.hlava IDFF, chose the most promising Central and East European documentary projects.
The jury selected two winners: The Docu Talent Awards 2019 were granted to a portrait of a troubled Budapest child, Kix by Bálint Révész and Dávid Mikulán (co-production of Hungary, Germany and Croatia), and a Czech experimental visual essay Frem by Viera Čákányová. The awards are accompanied with financial prizes 3,000 USD (Kix) and 2,000 USD (Frem) in cooperation with the festival’s partner Current Time TV.
Statement of the jury:
“We were very impressed by this eclectic lineup of projects and decided to accord not one but two awards to projects of very different style but equal in their respective filmmaking passion. The 3,000 USD award goes to an ethically challenging portrait of restless rage in a child, Kix. The 2,000 USD award goes to a project of great ambition and originality that tackles philosophical issues, Frem.”
Since 2005, Docu Talents has been a launch pad for a number of documentaries by both renowned and emerging directors such as Laila Pakalniņa, Vladimir Mansky, Bartek Konopka, Piotr Stasik, Peter Kerekes, Dmitrii Kalashnikov and Helena Třeštíková. Films presented at Docu Talents in the past had world and international premieres at major film festivals including in Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, Rotterdam and Sundance.
“We have been following the region of Central and Eastern Europe through Docu Talents for 15 years, thus promoting the cinematography which is often omitted by others. And every year the selection confirms to us that there are many new authors to discover”, says Marek Hovorka, director of the Ji.hlava IDFF and curator of Docu Talents.
During the event, the representatives of the Ji.hlava IDFF also revealed the eighteen Emerging Producers 2020, with Taiwan as the guest country. This prestigious promotional and educational programme focusing on up-and-coming generation of European documentary film producers will include two sessions – at Ji.hlava IDFF in October 2019 and in February 2020 during Berlinale.
More information at ww.ji-hlava.com, Contact: René Kubášek, Ji.hlava IDFF / +420 778 058 273
