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 creative documentary film and its wider promotion.

We closely cooperate with Central and East European film directors and producers and provide in-depth development support for their projects as well as international promotion. We also work with key international festivals, broadcasters, distributors, sales agents, markets, film institutions, film schools, MEDIA Desks, training programmes, national film centers and various film portals, and serve as the GATEWAY TO EAST EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY FILM – an indispensable source of documentary projects and films from Central and Eastern Europe.

Our activities support filmmakers and producers through all stages of completion – development, funding, production, post-production, distribution and ongoing promotion. Over the past eleven years, our activities have developed into a comprehensive chain of support that offers assistance to 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 (networking within our Industry Programme), as well as the general public (portal www.DOKweb.net).

We are happy that during the 11 years of IDF´s existence, over 100 have been developed, produced and successfully completed within our activities. Another more than 800 completed films have been part of our distribution support. The result of our continuous efforts is a strong and friendly network of filmmakers from all of Eastern Europe. Our past participants often come back with new projects and offer important feedback which we use for further improvement.

Our Activities:

• EX ORIENTE FILM

  Open to projects in development
  Ex Oriente Film is an international workshop dedicated to the development and funding of creative documentary films in Central and Eastern Europe. At three week-long residential workshops, participants in cooperation with established directors, producers, tutors, audiovisual experts and commissioning editors develop their documentary projects, search for funding, international partners and for new ways to successfully complete their films. After attending the Ex Oriente Film workshop, the projects receive support through our Doc Launch Programme, until their completion and entry into the East Silver Market.

• EAST EUROPEAN FORUM

  Open to projects in development and production
  The East European Forum is the region’s largest meeting of East European documentary filmmakers with Europe's and North America’s leading commissioning editors, distributors, buyers and film fund representatives. Directors and independent producers offer their projects for co-production, pre-sales or other forms of financial support. Since its foundation in 2001, the Forum has provided East European filmmakers with an alternative to the current practice of funding documentaries from public film funds and local broadcasters. After being pitched at the East European Forum, the projects receive support through our Doc Launch Programme, until their completion and entry into the East Silver Market.

• DOC LAUNCH

  Open to projects in late production and post-production
  Doc Launch supports East European documentary films in the production and post-production stage on their way to distribution. It consists of the annual Doc Launch presentation - a public presentation of 9-10 handpicked feature-length documentaries from Central and Eastern Europe in rough cut stage - and the year-long Doc Launch programme that supports past participants of Ex Oriente Film, East European Forum and Doc Launch at international events, providing them with consultations and networking opportunities to facilitate distribution. Doc Launch supports and surveys East European projects in post-production and directs them to the East Silver Market.

• EAST SILVER

  Open to freshly completed films in the distribution stage
  East Silver is the first documentary market dedicated exclusively to Central and Eastern Europe. Its main goal is to provide an annual overview of new documentary releases, and to create a comprehensive catalogue and a digitized video library, accessible to a broad circle of film professionals - broadcasters, major film festivals, sales agents - throughout the year. East Silver's activities also include the East Silver Caravan, the East Silver TV Focus, Silver Eye Awards, and East Silver Online Streaming, all designed to provide distribution support.

• CZECH DOCS PROJECT

  Dedicated to Czech documentary community
  The Czech Docs Project organizes a slate of support activities for Czech documentary film. On top of stimulating the development of documentary films, it also encourages documentary promotion and distribution. Its activities include regular seminars on current trends and subjects for Czech filmmakers and producers; the annual catalogue Czech Documentary Films and the Presentation of Upcoming Czech Docs, the latter two prepared in cooperation with the Czech Film Center. Working closely with the East Silver Market, we also submit selected Czech documentaries to major Czech and international film festivals.

• EAST DOC PLATFORM

  East Doc Platform is an umbrella event that introduces traditional IDF activities, designed to support East European documentary in all stages of development, in Prague. The foundation of the industry programme consists of on East European Forum, Doc Launch Presentation, Project Market and East Silver Videolibrary, systematically leading individual projects from the original idea through to distribution. All the East Doc Platform guests have an opportunity to take part in the open programme, including master classes of renowned directors, case studies, seminars and lectures. East Doc Platform is the meeting point for 120 East European filmmakers and producers who seek creative, financial and distribution support, and more than 70 key international festival programmers, commissioning editors, buyers, distributors, sales agents, film fund and organization representatives who will be able to choose from some of the most promising films and projects in Central and Eastern Europe. With its solid backgound East Doc Platform helps creative documentaries can fine-tune their story and visual style, and find suitable partners for co-production and distribution.

• www.DOKweb.net

  Open to all website visitors
  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.

Contact:
Institute of Documentary Film,
Školská 12, Prague 1, 110 00, Czech Republic
www.dokweb.net, idf@dokweb.net, +420 224 214 858
You can follow IDF on Facebook and Twitter.