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www.DOKweb.net is a portal dedicated to East European documentary film. The news section provides up-to-date information on upcoming and just completed films, interviews with filmmakers and other documentary professionals, in-depth articles exploring the state of documentary filmmaking in various parts of the region, as well as insightful texts on current trends, funding, etc. The portal also boasts the largest published databases of completed and upcoming documentary films from Eastern Europe, an industry directory, as well as trailers and original video content. www.DOKweb.net is IDF´s key online project that provides comprehensive details on all IDF´s activities and links them with general information service.
Institute of Documentary Film’s Activities
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Founded in 2001, the INSTITUTE OF DOCUMENTARY FILM (IDF) is a non-profit training and networking centre based in Prague, Czech Republic, focused on the support of East European documentary films and their wider promotion. Our activities support filmmakers through all stages of completion – development, funding, production, post-production, and distribution. We aim at individual filmmakers (tailored consultations), groups of carefully selected professionals with projects or films (Ex Oriente Film, East European Forum, East Silver, Doc Launch, etc.), broader professional community (East Doc Platform), as well as the general public (portal www.DOKweb.net). We closely work with key int. festivals, broadcasters, distributors, sales agents, markets, or training initiatives and serve as the GATEWAY TO EAST EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY FILM.

East European Forum



This year we are introducing Doc Presentations, followed by Feedback Round Tables. A major change is that the project presentations (pitches) in a big forum are not immediately followed by discussion. Instead, a series of discussions will take place at round tables within a smaller group of CE’s at each table. Read more details on the new format and its implications for our participants and experts.

 

EAST EUROPEAN FORUM
October 21 - 28, 2010
Jihlava / Czech Republic

Please read through an overview of features in this year's Doc Presentations and Feedback Round Tables. Comments and remarks on the benefits and drawbacks of the new model have been kindly provided by our head tutors Marijke Rawie and Mikael Opstrup.


DOC PRESENTATIONS

  • Each project will have up to 10 minutes to present trailer + pitch
  • There will be no discussion right after the presentations
  • The moderator can ask a few additional questions after the presentation in case something in the pitch could potentially be misleading or unclear

FEEDBACK ROUND TABLES

  • Access to Feedback Round Tables is granted only to accredited observers
  • There will be 5 round tables with several commissioning editors
  • Projects will rotate every 15 minutes
  • Each project will have 15 minutes at each table, i.e., a total of 5 x 15 minutes for in-depth project discussion
  • Each table will have its own moderator
  • At the beginning of each discussion, the participants will deliver an up to 1-minute pitch reminder summary
  • Each table will have its own notetaker so that the participants can later read the transcript of the discussion
  • After the Feedback Round Tables, individual meetings will be arranged for selected projects


Benefits and Drawbacks of the New Format:

+ Commissioning editors will have more time to get to know the projects + director/producer teams
+ With more time left for discussion, questions from CE's can be more in-depth
+ Teams will have more time and opportunities to talk about their current project, as well as about their past projects, etc.
+ Teams present their project in a more relaxed setting

- Commissioning editors can be more straightforward and direct in the round-table setting, asking perhaps more unpleasant questions than they would have in the open pitch format (hence the brief project summary, see above in Feedback Round Tables)
- Quite a lot of time passes before the first project in the Doc Presentations gets to sit down with the CE's
- Q&A immediately after each presentation often generates a lively debate that can draw in the CE's
- CE's will not be able to keep good track of each other's opinions and preferences regarding the projects; this may be important in joint presale or co-production decisions.  


Marijke Rawie adds some words of advice for the participants: "As always, be honest, be passionate, be prepared to answer questions; do not be shy or aggressive, but assertive and friendly; ask questions yourself if you do not understand a question of the commissioners. Prepare yourself for the commissioners that are at your table, know their names, know their slots, know if they can decide for themselves or if they have to 're-pitch' your project to their colleagues at their station, know how much they might be able to invest in your story, etc."


For more details about the Forum, please contact:
Ivana Miloševič
Project Coordinator
ivana@dokweb.net
www.dokweb.net