Renowned guests at the industry programs of the Verzió Film Festival

During the 18th Verzió Film Festival, several industry programs will be available to documentary filmmakers and non-professionals alike, in person and online. Panel discussions and masterclasses, presented by national and international experts, will take place 10–14 November, and will provide insight on reviving the film industry in a world shaken and transformed by the pandemic, the kind of projects supported by the Sundance Institute, and the steps to take towards making your first feature-length documentary

DocPro Panel Discussions

Blinken OSA and Kino cinema will host this year’s DocPro panel discussions, 12–14 November. The discussion topics highlight how the film industry, seriously shaken by the pandemic, can recover, and how to reach audiences in the region and beyond. In a discussion co-organized with Film New Europe, producers Pavla Janoušková Kubečková, Aneta Zagórska and Sára László discuss how to restart after the pandemic, and what lessons have been learned thus far. Beyond unprecedented strategies, new themes have emerged during the pandemic. How can these themes be made into documentary films that reach and move an international audience? This is what filmmakers, distributors and festival organizers Shoshi Korman (IL), Elena Subirá (ES), Tone Grøttjord-Glenne (NO) and Andreas Rocksén (SE) will discuss. Asia Dér and Máté Fuchs will analyze the Freeszfe documentary workgroup’s film to talk about the methods and practical difficulties of participatory documentary. The panel discussion exploring co-production possibilities between Europe and the United States, as well as strategic international co-production partnerships that can help expand your financing, sales and distribution possibilities, will be available online, at the Verzió website.

DocPro Masterclasses

As in previous years, DocPro masterclasses are here to help professionals delve into specific subjects. Verzió’s guest, Uwe-Lothar Müller, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of ARTE Reportage, will present the characteristics of ARTE Reportage. Kata Oláh, producer and director, will explain the key steps necessary for making your first feature-length documentary, and national/international regulations to meet or ignore. Nebojša Slijepčević, Croatian director, will talk about the etiquette of documentary filmmaking; what is the boundary between healthy curiosity and voyeuristic intrusion? Can documentaries be damaging to their protagonists? Hajnal Molnár-Szakács is the Film Fund Director at the Sundance Institute, where she finds, cultivates and finances bold, cinematic, nonfiction storytellers from around the globe. Her masterclass, conducted online, will focus on what the Sundance Institute looks for in the projects they support, and how a project can be internationally relevant.

Verzió DocLab 2021

DocLab workshops aimed at directors and producers once again return to the festival program, and concentrate on distribution strategies. Applications are accepted with or without a specific project. Globally recognized festival organizers, distributors, producers and marketing specialists will participate in the three-day event. This year’s mentors are Christine Camdessus (Fipadoc, FR), Leena Pasanen (Biografilm Festival, IT) and Stefano Tealdi (Stefilm, IT), while invited experts include Oksana Sarkisova (Verzió Film Festival), Elena Subira Rocá (Docs Barcelona), Ivana Formanová (KineDok), Shoshi Korman (Cinephil), Nevena  Milašinović (Lightdox) and Gábor Böszörményi (Mozinet).

DocPro masterclasses taking place at the CEU building (Nádor utca 15.), require a simple registration, and are free and open to the public. DocLab workshops are closed to the public, but the closing public pitching forum, introducing six projects, is open for all those interested, and will be held at Blinken OSA (Arany János u. 32.). Spaces are limited, but those who cannot attend the event in person can stream it online.

All industry programs are free and accessible via registration at the website.