Uncensored and Unfunded
Filmmakers Overcoming Financial and Political Hurdles
The discussion will focus on the challenges of documentary filmmaking in countries where the political and social climate presents significant obstacles for filmmakers: ongoing wars, political pressure, censorship, and authoritarian regimes. The panelists will explore how political and social pressures impact the filmmaking process and the role that censorship, self-censorship, and freedom of expression play in creative work. The conversation will also address the difficulties of raising funds when public financing is unavailable, corrupted or politically motivated. The goal of the panel is to examine the strategies documentary filmmakers can employ to protect and preserve their creative freedom while making their voices heard. The discussion will be led by Alex Shiriaieff.
Who do we recommend this for?
For anyone who cares about the freedom of art. The discussion will be held in English!
Alex Shiriaieff is a seasoned expert in the European non-scripted content film market, with almost 30 years of experience producing and directing documentary content that focuses on the post-Soviet region and Eastern Europe — his main areas of expertise. For the past 10 years, Alex served as the Head of Operations and CEO at B2B Doc - Baltic to Black Sea Documentary Network. During this time, he became proficient in navigating fragile and vulnerable territories, consistently achieving impactful results. Currently, Alex is the Chief Producer at EuroArctic Media Group, a Sweden-based production house with associates located in all Nordic and Baltic countries. It crafts creative documentaries for theatrical distribution, as well as factual content for global TV and streaming platforms. Alex leverages his unique ability to seamlessly bridge two worlds — the East and the West. This fusion enables him to deliver compelling, relevant, and topical film stories that resonate with a broad international audience. Under Alex's leadership, EuroArctic Media Group embodies Nordic production excellence while championing freedom of speech and democratic values in every frame.
Eva Križková graduated in Film Studies at the Film and Television Faculty at VŠMU in Bratislava. She co-founded the distribution company Filmtopia and the magazine Kinečko, where she served as editor-in-chief for 10 years. Currently, she works as the director of the One World IDFF Slovakia and she has recently finished and premiered her feature documentary debut Birdhill. She is a member of the Presidency of Association of Slovak documentary films.
Natalie Chkhartishvili is a film professional from Georgia with an academic background in Social Sciences. She currently works at Chai Khana, an online media platform in the South Caucasus known for producing creative documentaries that explore diverse perspectives and social issues. With over five years of experience in the field, Natalie manages film and media content distribution and strategic fundraising efforts. For the past two years, she has also developed and coordinated KineDok Georgia, an alternative distribution platform for creative documentaries from Eastern Europe, led by the Institute of Documentary Film and operated by Chai Khana in Georgia. Natalie is an alumna of the Berlinale Talents 2024 Market Studio for audience designers and a fellow in the Getting Real program run by the International Documentary Association.
Julianna Ugrin – the EFA nominated producer is the founder of Éclipse Film, a company focusing on creative documentaries for the Hungarian and international market. Films produced by her, like A Woman Captured, Easy Lessons or The Next Guardian were screened, nominated and awarded at festivals like Sundance, IDFA, Locarno, Hot Docs, or Sheffield. Julianna is fascinated by the magic of real life that drives her to produce high-quality documentary films. She holds a doctorate from the University of Theatre and Film Arts, where she has been teaching for ten years in the MA in Documentary Film. In 2019 she was selected for Producers on the Move in Cannes. A EURODOC and an EAVE graduate, president of the Hungarian Documentary Association, Chair of the board of DAE and a member of the European Film Academy.
Agnieszka Zwiefka is an award-winning filmmaker. Her films The Queen of Silence (2014) and Scars (2020) were screened at festivals worldwide. Zwiefka creates films that border between documentary and fiction, balancing reality and fantasy. She is a member of European Film Academy and alumna of workshops Dok.Incubator, ScripTeast, Nipkow Programme and Berlinale Talents as well as Meryl Streep’s and Nicole Kidman’s The Writers Lab.
