DOK Preview International brings together projects that have already impressed at Europe’s top labs and training initiatives, as they prepare for festival premieres and distribution. Screen profiles the eight titles selected for this year’s edition (October 30).
9-Month Contract (Georgia/Ger/Bulgaria)
Dir: Ketevan Vashagashvili
Georgian director Vashagashvili first met the subject of her film, a homeless Georgian woman who makes money as a surrogate mother, while making a TV project about the country’s orphans 12 years ago. 9-Month Contract is produced by Nino Chichua and Anna Khazaradze through Tiblisi-based 1991 Productions, and will be ready in early 2025. “We were immediately blown away with the story and Ketevan’s skills in bring the project together,”says Chichua.
Initial funding came from the National Film Centre in Georgia, and Eurimages funding and German broadcaster support have also been secured. The team are currently looking for a sales agent and impact partner.
Becoming Roosi (Estonia/Ger)
Dir: Margit Lillak
Estonian producer-director Lillak’s documentary also features a protagonist encountered by the filmmaker on a previous project. Roosi first appeared as a youngster in a film Lilak made in an eco-commune; here, she is a teenager coming of age and trying to make sense of her life. “We are closing the picture lock very soon,” Lillak says, “and are looking for a good festival premiere, distribution and a sales agent.”
Cais (Brazil)
Dir: Safira Moreira
Cais sees filmmaker Moreira embarking on a journey down Brazil’s Paraguaçu River following the death of her mother, and arrives in Leipzig having participated in labs and market events in Brazil and abroad. Supporters include Avon Women in Audiovisual Fund and Rumos Itaú Cultural.
“In April this year, we were awarded the Sundance Documentary Fund for post-production, which allowed us to move forward with finalising the documentary,” says producer Flavia Santana. The project is now complete, and the filmmakers are hoping to meet sales agents, distributors and festival programmers.
The Camera Never Cries (Sudan/Rwanda/Uganda/Nor/Ger)
Dirs: Abuzar Adam, Elsadig Abdelgayoum
This long-gestating project follows two cameramen trying to make a film about the Sudanese revolution of 2019. “I brought them together,” says producer Aylaa Musa of Tooma Productions. “They had a lot of footage and they didn’t know what to do with it.”
The project, which is supported by the Doha Film Institute, gradually became more personal as the ideals of the revolution were betrayed and a military coup followed. “I thought ’let’s do a film that is more focusing on you, not the revolution, because I see you as being heroes’,” says Musa. The filmmakers are now looking for gap financing, distribution and sales agents.
Electing Ms Santa (Moldova/Romania)
Dir: Raisa Răzmeriţă
The protagonist of Răzmeriţă’s film, Elena, grew up on the outskirts of the same Moldovan village that the director comes from — a place where “poverty and pain were prevalent,” says Răzmeriţă. Desperate to make a change, Elena founded a local NGO.
Răzmeriţă haș been working on the film with partner and producer Ion Gnatiuc since 2017, and it has passed through BDC Discoveries, ESoDoc, B2B Doc Network and Docu Rough Cut Boutique. Now with the film in post-production, its makers are keen to meet film festival programmers and broadcasters.
“Electing Ms Santa is not just a documentary about one woman’s journey,” says Gnatiuc. “It is a testament to the human spirit, a film that presents a compelling narrative that resonates universally across cultures and borders.”
Home/Land (Hong Kong/USA/UK/Ger)
Dir: Kayla Tong
The feature debut of Tong, a New York-based filmmaker with roots in Hong Kong, Home/Land follows Hong Kong natives in diaspora. The project has participated in several work-in-progress labs including Docs By The Sea, EURODOC, Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) and Cut To The Chase.
“To have the film featured as part of Dok Preview International is an exciting opportunity for us to tease the film to the market and potential partners,” says producer Patrick Hamm. “The goal is to position the film as a creative documentary with international appeal.”
The Island Of Leaving (Indonesia)
Dirs: Lodimeda Kini, Armin Septiexan
Currently in production, Indonesian project The Island Of Leaving follows two protagonists forced to leave their small island home by poverty, environmental degradation and climate crisis. “Armin and I are both from families who migrated to find opportunities in the cities of Indonesia,” Kini explains. “Leaving is a difficult decision, and almost a humiliation, but staying is also very difficult, almost like a deadlock.So this is what we want to share with our audience.”
The Town That Drove Away (Poland)
Dirs: Natalia Peitsch, Grzegorz Piekarski
The story of an ancient Kurdish village that disappears underwater after a massive dam is built by the Turkish government, The Town That Drove Away is produced by Katarzyna Kostecka of Polish outfit Larmo Film. Developed through Doc Lab Poland, dok.incubator and at IDFA, the project has funding in place from Polish Film Institute and Polish National Television.
After overcoming the challenges of making the film during the Covid pandemic, the project is now eyeing a festival premiere. “It’s a great time to connect with sales agent and try to develop the strategy for festivals,” says Kostecka of her hopes for Leipzig.
No comments yet