CEO & CO-FOUNDER, DISTRIFY, UK

A multi-award winning film producer (including a BAFTA Scotland New Talent Award) and a pioneer in film distribution strategy. He made his first documentary while still a teenager and won an audience award at SOFA Film Festival in Portland, Oregon. Peter moved to Scotland in 2000 and made “Just to Get a Rep” – the definitive film on graffiti art and hip-hop culture, which premiered at Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2004. Since then his numerous films have won many awards, played at countless festivals, been sold for television broadcast in many countries, and have been downloaded tens of thousands of times. Peter is regularly invited to speak on panels at film festivals throughout Europe and the U.S.
Peter also brings 15 years of experience managing and developing online software applications. He has specialised in Rich Internet Applications development and has designed and programmed award-winning eCommerce and eCommunity applications for clients ranging from large financial institutions, governmental organisations, and commercial clients. He built the website for The D-Word online community of documentary professionals and is well known throughout the industry.
He combined his experience in the film industry and online digital experiences to co-found Distrify – the revolutionary marketing and distribution toolset. Peter has worked closely with co-founder Andy Green on the production and distribution of a number of films and together they have developed an innovative way to promote and sell films via online film trailers using Distrify.

Distrify
www.distrify.com

Distrify is a powerful suite of digital tools that turn the entire internet into a movie marketplace.
Consumers discover new films through word-of-mouth, recommendations, or reviews. With Distrify’s unique trailer-based shop, consumers do not need to find another platform once they see your trailer – they can simply click “Rent” or “Buy” or “Cinemas” and watch or engage instantly. People enjoy discovering and sharing things they like, and Distrify makes sharing and discovering films fun, simple and profitable. Distrify works best for the new generation of producers and distributors who are actively engaging with their audience online (and offline) and using social media.

PHOTOGRAPHER, DENMARK

Born in 1968 in Kvistgaard, Denmark.
At 15, He began to work after school as a freelance photographer for the local daily Helsing?r Dagblad. Admitted to the school of Journalism as a student of Photojournalism and as a trainee photographer at Ekstra Bladet in Copenhagen.
After graduating in 1991, he was hired on a permanent basis by Ekstra Bladet. That same year he won his first Danish Press Photographer of the Year award; He is today the only photographer to have won that award three times.
In 1993, Jan Grarup moved to Berlin to work as a freelance photographer for a number of Danish magazines and newspapers. One year later, he returned to work in Denmark.
In 2000 Jan Grarup won a first prize in the international World Press Photo competition for his coverage of the war in Kosovo. The category was `People in the news – stories`- and he claimed the same award in this year’s World Press Photo for his story from Ramallah. The Ramallah story has also given him a number of awards in other Danish and international competitions including The POY International World Understanding Award.
In 2000 He joined RAPHO in Paris.
Beginning with the fall of the communist regime in Romania in 1989, Jan Grarup has covered numerous wars and conflicts around the world; he was an eyewitness to the Gulf war, the genocide in Rwanda, the siege of Sarajevo and to the Palestinian uprising against Israel in 2000 until now where his story continuous with the boys from Hebron.

STRATEGIC POLICY COORDINATOR AT VRT

Philippe is Strategic Policy Coordinator at VRT, the Flemish public broadcaster in Belgium. He has a Master degree in Social Communication at Erasmus Hogeschool, Brussels and was previously programme manager for documentary at VRT. Philippe is/was member of EBU Documentary Group, European Documentary Network, National Coordinator INPUT, Executive Council FIAT/IFTA, CONTOUR, Flemish Film Fund, Flemish Commission for Audiovisual Arts. He teaches documentary & use of archive at Ghent University.
VRT, the Flemish Radio- & Television Network is the public broadcasting network of the Flemish Community in Belgium. VRT’s objective is to ‘reach a maximum number of viewers and listeners with a range of programmes which excite and satisfy the interest of viewers and listeners.’ This objective and the conditions associated with it, are laid down in the coordinated media decrees as well as in the management contract with the Flemish government. As the public broadcaster of the Flemish Community, the aim of the VRT is to provide society with a special added value. Our public value comprises a cultural, social, democratic, and economic dimension. By creating distinctive radio- and television networks, the VRT meets its objective of reaching a wide audience as well as certain target groups by way of high-quality programming.

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR, UK

Research professor at Edinburgh College of Art and Director of Scottish Documentary Institute. After graduating in Anthropology and Women’s Studies, she started her film career with Steel Bank Films (1982), a Channel 4 film workshop based in Sheffield. She is an experienced director, producer & exec producer on the international scene, having worked on numerous documentaries for broadcast (Ch 4, BBC, Arte, RTP, RTBF…).
In 2003 she founded Scottish Documentary Institute and ever since acts as co-producer and exec producer on award winning Bridging the Gap scheme: In 2002, she co-produced “Fellini, I’m a Born Liar”(France) nominated for Best European Documentary; in 2007 “State of the World” (Portugal), an omnibus film directed by various filmmakers from around the world, including Apichatpong, Chantal Akerman, Wang Bing which premiered at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and most recently “I Am Breathing” (Scotland/Denmark).
For the past 12 years she has been part of Africadoc, a training scheme for young African talent and its unique pitching forum in Senegal, as well as running documentary-led workshops with the British Council in North Africa & Middle East, and enjoying being part of the documentary development schemes in Latin America through DocMontevideo and TAL.

DOCUMENTARY CONSULTANT, DENMARK

Born 1947. Worked with short and documentary films for more than 20 years at the Danish Film Board – as press secretary, head of distribution and information, and as a commissioning editor. Articles for national and international newspapers and magazines. Co-founder of Balticum Film and TV Festival, Filmkontakt Nord, and the Documentary of the EU. Has given documentary courses and seminars in more than 40 countries. In 2004 was awarded the Danish Roos Prize for his contribution to the Danish and European documentary culture. From 1996 (when it began), to 2005 – director of EDN (European Documentary Network). Given the EDN Life Achievement Award in 2005. From 2006 a freelance consultant and teacher in Danish and European documentary matters, including Head of Studies at Ex Oriente, Prague until 2008. Consultant for Parallel40, Barcelona, programmer and Head of Pitching Forum of DOCSBarcelona. Selecting consultant for the festivals Magnificent7 in Belgrade, Message2Man in St.Petersburg, and DOKLeipzig. Teacher at the documentary film school Zelig in Bolzano, Italy. Tutor at several MEDIA training programmes. Writes for www.filmkommentaren.dk

FILM EDITOR, DENMARK

Educated film editor from The National Film School of Denmark, and has a track record of 11 features and feature length documentaries. Commissioning editor for The Danish Film Institute (DFI) from 2006-2010. Producer since 2010 and producer of The Secret Flight (2014), Mercy Mercy (2012) and associate producer of the Canadian/Danish feature film Eddie (2012). Nørgaard also holds a Master Degree of Leadership and Innovation in Complex Systems from Copenhagen Business School, 2012.

HEAD OF STUDIES, EDN, DENMARK

Mikael has been a dedicated documentary filmmaker since he made his first S-8mm documentary, in 1977, now hidden from the public in his cellar. For most of the 80’s Mikael worked with distribution and the theatrical release of documentaries.
In 1988 he studied scriptwriting at the Danish Film School. Worked as a freelance production manager up through the 90’s and organized the film festival Films from the South from 1995 – 1998. Made a desk-cross-over from 1998-2002, as production adviser at the Danish Film Institute. Mikael began his exclusive career as a tutor at the EDN workshops during the same period. Attended EAVE 1998/99.From 2002-2008 was a co-owner and producer at Final Cut Productions in Copenhagen. Has produced a number of international documentaries, among them The German Secret (Joris Evens Competition, IDFA 2005). An EDN Executive Committee Member from 2005–2009, during the last year as Chairman. Now serves as Head of Studies at EDN.

EDN DIRECTOR, DENMARK

Before becoming the EDN Director Paul Pauwels was Managing Director for the Belgium production company Congoo bvba. Paul has a long track record of working with international documentary co-productions from both a commissioning and production point of view. He has been the managing director of the media academy ETMA, commissioning editor for the Belgium public service broadcaster VRT and has almost 30 years of experience with producing documentaries for the national and international market.
In addition to these positions Paul Pauwels has been a tutor, moderator and expert at many European workshops and seminars, member of Eurovision Documentary Workgroup and one of the first Chairmen of EDN.

HEAD OF PROGRAMMING CULTURE & SCIENCE, MDR/ARD, GERMANY

Born in Cologne, Germany, Dr. Claudia Schreiner studied American History, Political Science and Archaeology in Cologne and New York. She worked for ZDF as a Freelance News Reporter, a Reporter and Anchor for RIAS, a Foreign Correspondent in Washington, D.C. and Head of Programming of Family and Current affairs at MDR/ARD, Dresden. She is currently Head of Programming of Culture and Science for MDR/ARD, Leipzig – responsible for factual, history, science, culture and religion programming, as well as, documentaries, features, magazines and live broadcast of cultural events.

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR, ESTONIA

Riho Västrik was born on August 4th, 1965. He graduated from Tartu University in history and journalism, and received an MA in Film Arts from the Baltic Film and Media School. His big interest in mountaineering was the first reason to consider making documentaries, as the beauty of mountains and human suffering yearned recording. Since 2003 Riho has become attracted to Siberia and the Far North. He has directed and produced films about the Taimyr Peninsula, Sami reindeer herders and musk oxen. Riho is an associate professor at the Baltic Film and Media School, and runs the production company Vesilind.
Latest films as a director: Burden of a Fire, 59 min, 2013; Man with a High Hat, 50 min, 2012; Journey to Ararat, 68 min, 2011; Crests and Troughs: the Life of a Coastal Fisherman, 50 min, 2011; Lake and the City, 27 min, 2010; In the Footsteps of Middendorff, 78 min, 2006

POLISH TELEVISION, POLAND

TVP is the only public broadcaster in the territory of Poland. TVP1 – Channel 1 is one of the main channels out of the 12 that currently operate in TVP. TVP1 broadcasts the latest in news, politics, world events, movies, TV series, documentaries, information and education. The channel is intended for viewers of all ages, with programming that places an emphasis on high quality and journalistic integrity.

Magdalena Borowska is responsible for documentaries suitable for current slots in TVP1. As TV audiences are very demanding, we are focused on quality docs such as human stories with tension, emotion and tears, shocking and surprising stories, which are interesting and attractive for viewers. We are also looking for wildlife, blue chip docs about nature and incredible animals. Unfortunately, due to poor financial condition, we are forced to almost exclusively buy finished production rather than pre-sale or coproduction.

ARTE, FRANCE

As a public service television channel, ARTE showcases Europe’s rich cultural diversity. Its purpose is “to conceive and produce television programmes which, in a broad sense, are cultural and international in character and conducive to promoting understanding and co-operation between European nations”. Its originality lays in the fact that it targets audiences from different cultural backgrounds, in particular French and German. Documentaries account for 40% of the programming. With investigative documentaries ARTE responds to the most urgent challenges and questions of our times, particularly in Europe. Historical and geopolitical analyses are applied, and special attention paid to the new generation of bloggers.

Claudia Bucher is head of THEMA and Geopolitics ARTE G.E.I.E. since January 2013. From 2010-2012 she was deputy head of documentaries (ARTE G.E.I.E.), in charge of current affairs programs. From 2000-2009, commissioning editor in the theme evening department. THEMA investigates current political, socio-economic, environmental, and public health issues. The GEOPOLITICS-slot observes and analyses the accelerating changes in world globalization.

JAVA FILMS, FRANCE

Java Films is one of Europe’s leading independent distributors specialising in documentaries and current affairs. Founded in 2005, we have expanded rapidly to secure contracts for award-winning programmes like Envoye Special and 30 Minutes. Our documentaries have been selected for prestigious festivals including the IDFA, Sundance and Hot Docs, and have been nominated for or won awards including international Emmys, Goyas, the Prix Albert Londres Award and the Jury Special Prize (FIPA). To promote our films effectively, we attend an average of 20 markets and festivals per year, including IDFA, MIPDOC, Docs Barcelona, Sunny Side, Medimed and Sheffield. We have output deals with channels in Latin America and Europe, and are also involved in co-productions and pre-sales.

WIDE HOUSE, FRANCE

Anaïs Clanet opened Wide House, Wide’s documentary branch, with Loic Magneron in early 2011. Wide House represents The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 that sold in more than 20 territories theatrically and to broadcasters; Elena by Petra Costa and My Father And The Man In Black by Jonathan Holiff, among other theatrical documentaries. The company also internationally handles one of the largest cinema and ballet documentary collections including Bergman & Magnani: The War of Volcanoes and Milos Forman, What Doesn’t Kill You…
Wide House is Wide’s documentary branch founded in 2010. The company’s focus is internationally promoting and distributing cross-cultural, social, creative and innovative titles for all rights and media. Wide House handles 5 to 10 new feature length documentaries per year, and a wide range of TV programs. Wide House provides a global service in securing production financing and presales with appropriate partners for specific projects. Wide House has the know-how to launch and increase the commercial value of films with the right festival strategy.

DR SALES, DENMARK

DR Sales, the sales department of DR (the Danish Broadcasting Corp.), is Scandinavia’s largest international TV-distributor. We distribute and sell films and TV programmes produced by DR as well by independent production companies around the world. Our focus is great stories in all genres, but we specialise in documentaries as well as handling projects in production for international co-productions and pre-sales. We are looking for new, engaging projects with contemporary stories – unique stories and strong narratives for an international audience.

MA.JA.DE. FILMPRODUKTION / DECKERT DISTRIBUTION, GERMANY

Heino Deckert is producer and managing director of ma.ja.de. Filmproduktion based in Leipzig and Berlin and holds a share in Blinker Filmproduktion based in Cologne as well as running Deckert Distribution, a distribution company for documentaries.
He was born on June 23rd 1959. He has studied law in Berlin and graduated from the German Film and TV Academy Berlin (DFFB) in 1991. Upon graduating he founded the production company ma.ja.de Filmproduktion.

In 1995 Mr. Deckert founded d.net, an informal union of six European colleagues joining forces to exchange ideas and initiatives. Since the establishing of d.net the producers finished more than 30 internationally co-productions together and became a significant player on the international film market.

Heino Deckert produced more than 50 documentaries, among them several films by Thomas Heise as well as Staub (Dust) by Hartmut Bitomsky that had its international premiere in 2007 at the International Film Festival in Venice. Close to Heaven by Titus Faschina has been the only German film in the international competition at DOK Leipzig 2010. As a co-producer ma.ja.de. was involved in The 3 Rooms of Melancholia by Pirjo Honkasalo which won two prices in Venice 2004, and in Rabbit à la Berlin by Bartek Konopka and Piotr Rosolowski which was nominated for an OSCAR for Best Short Documentary in 2010. One of his latest productions, ¡Vivan las Antipodas! by Victor Kossakowsky, premiered at Venice Film Festival 2011 and was nominated for the European Film Award.

The catalogue of Deckert Distribution includes titles like: The Three Rooms of Melancholia, Citizen Havel, Recipes for Disaster, Blockade, Rabbit à la Berlin and The Machine Which Makes Everything Diappear.

In 2005 Heino Deckert founded ma.ja.de. fiction and produced his first fiction film in 2006 with documentary filmmakers Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth. The film Khadak was premiered in Venice and won the Lion of the Future. Altiplano, Brosens’ and Woodworth’s second feature film, premiered at Semaine de la Critique Cannes in 2009. Documentary filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa’s feature debut My Joy was selected for the main competition in Cannes in 2010. His second feature In the Fog was invited to the Cannes competition in 2012.

Heino Deckert lectures on production and distribution of documentaries for organisations such as EDN and Ex Oriente and is group leader of Eurodoc. He was the chairman of the European Documentary Network (EDN) from 2006-2008.

TASKOVSKI FILMS, UK

Taskovski Films is a London based international sales and production company producing independent documentary films. We welcome innovative, playful and risky forms of filmmaking capable of engaging and surprising audiences around the globe. Our passion is discovering new talent and creative, author-driven stories. Our portfolio includes multi-award winner documentary Czech Dream by Vit Klusak & Filip Remunda; People I Could Have Been and Maybe Am by Boris Gerrets – winner of IDFA, Visions du Réel, Hot Docs; Cooking History by Peter Kerekes – Special Jury award at Hot Docs 200; Work Hard – Play Hard by Carmen Losmann – FIPRESCI award, Ecumenical Jury award at DOK Leipzig 2011. We are looking for author-driven, creative docs with a strong authorial point of view. Our focus is on social and human rights issues, politics, history, people & society, gender equality, personal stories, culture and arts.

VENTES-CBAWIP-SALES, BELGIUM

With a journalism and communication degree and a European master’s degree in film writing and analysis, Thierry has a journalistic background for the press and specialized cinema press, and was a reporter-producer for radio magazines prior to working internationally in 1998 with documentary films, initiating, the commercial unit of CBA-Centre de l’Audiovisuel à Bruxelles and WIP-Wallonie Image Production. He actively participates in decision making at events for coproduction and pre-sales at the East European forum, Prague, Visions du Réel, Nyon, Sheffield Meet Market, Baltic Sea Forum, Medimed pitching and Dok Leipzig coproduction meetings, as well as for IDFAcademy or Forum IDFA. The Belgian export and pre-sales catalogue Ventes-CBAWIP-Sales provides creative documentary stories with a P.O.V. on society, history, geopolitics, arts & culture, with a priority for feature-length with an hour–long TV version. Thierry’s international selection favours current affairs with creative cinematography and a human angle on society and geopolitics, keeping world sales, pre-sales and international co-productions in mind.

IKON, THE NETHERLANDS

Born in 1964. Education: Theatre science (University of Amsterdam). Radio, Film and Television Course (University of Bristol, UK). After completing her studies Margje de Koning made many documentaries for different broadcasting companies. In 2004 Margje de Koning became a part time teacher of Culture & Media Studies (Film & Television at the University of Amsterdam). In August 2004, Margje de Koning became Commissioning Editor for a documentary slot of 52 min docs – producing and co-producing creative documentaries on contemporary social, social-cultural and moral issues with a strong human interest angle. From January 2005 de Koning was responsible for the Television Department at Ikon television. As of January 2012, Margje de Koning is Head of Radio, Television and New Media at Ikon.

EFI, ESTONIA

The Estonian Film Institute (EFI) is responsible for supporting professional Estonian film production and promoting Estonian film culture. It operates under the auspices of the Estonian Ministry of Culture, and its budget for 2013 is EUR 3.88 million, which is mainly used to finance features, shorts, animation, and documentaries (EUR 535 500). The Estonian Film Institute represents Estonia at international film festivals, markets and organisations. International productions are supported only with an Estonian co-producer on board.

Kaarel Kuurmaa was born in Tallinn, Estonia. Studied theology, history and religious anthropology at Tartu University. Has been working as a festival programmer at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) since 2006. From 2009, programming for Docpoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival. Head of the Tartu open air film festival tARTuFF. Curates a weekly documentary programme at the Estonian Art Museum Kumu. Has been a regular contributor to Estonian press publications, writing about films and theatre. Since 2013, works for the Estonian Film Institute as Documentary Film Commissioner.

DOCUMENTARY BUYER, RUSSIA

Studied art history at Moscow University; for more than two decades worked as fellow researcher and film interpreter at Illusion, the USSR Film Archive Theatre. In the 70-80s, Grigory Libergal worked at the All-Union Radio where he produced more than 500 music programs. In 90s he worked for the Soviet Export Film Agency, where he participated in joint projects with Paramount and 20th Century Fox. Mr. Libergal is one of Russia’s top specialists in cinematography, TV programming and cinema history. From 1994–2007 Grigory was the Program Director at Internews for the Open Skies Program. This project helped to distribute more than 2500 of the best Russian and foreign documentaries to hundreds of Russian TV stations. Libergal has produced more than 30 documentaries, including such well-known films as Everything about Vertov (2002), Dreams about Alfeon (2002), and Dziga and his Brothers (2002). Now Grigory is the curator of Documentary Programs for the Moscow IFF, buyer for the TV Kultura creative documentary Smotrim Obsuzhdaem show, as well as for other broadcasters in Russia and Ukraine. He is also one the owners of the Right Film Company, which distributes documentaries on BluRay, DVD and new media.

LITHUANIAN TELEVISION

Lithuanian National Radio and Television – LRT is Public broadcaster. LRT operates 2 national TV channels, 1 satellite channel and 3 Radio channels.
The TV first – has few slots, which consist of wild-life and travel type of docs.
The LTV2 is a culture channel with 52 min. slots for docs.
The LTV World is channel for Lithuanians in United States with 52 min. slots for docs about Lithuania.
Number of co-productions per year, average budget
LRT, its Film Studio department is making approx. 8-10 films/year. 6-7 of them are national or international co-productions. LRT’s input mostly is technical equipment, and technical assistance. The financial input is not available.
Special demands and new initiatives: The preferences in international co-productions are given to projects related to historical, cultural, political, social issues, with stories related to Lithuania.

ESTONIAN PUBLIC BROADCASTING, ESTONIA

Studied cultural theory at the Estonian Institute of Humanities (now a college of Tallinn University) from 1996, and began taking film and video classes at Tallinn University in 2002 in the department which was later the source for the Baltic Film and Media School. Working on the set of the worst Estonian film ever, eventually brought her to the family of the Black Night Film Festival as organizer of the Sleepwalkers Student Film Festival, and its film courses from 2003-2006. From 2004 Head of Cinema Sõprus at Tallinnfilm, bringing Arthouse screening and distribution back to life in Estonia. When Tallinnfilm started managing the newly built Arthouse cinema Artis in 2009, she was responsible for programming and finding audiences for the mainly European content. Head of Acquisitions of Estonian Public Broadcasting from summer 2013.

LATVIAN TELEVISION, LATVIA

Latvian Television is the national broadcasting company receiving part of the assets from the state and partly financed by advertising revenues. LTV broadcasts on two channels – LTV1 and LTV7.
The priority of LTV1 is documentaries produced in Latvia or films reflecting a subject related to Latvia’s society, history, politics, etc., as well as documentaries tackling relevant current affairs and social issues. LTV7 has several 52 min documentary slots (weekdays at 21:00) for programmes focusing on history and civilisation, current affairs, people and places, wildlife, popular science.

BBC STORYVILLE, UK

BBC Storyville is the BBC’s flagship feature documentary strand. With a key role in the international documentary community, supporting directors with editorial expertise and vital funding, as well as providing viewers in the UK with the best in quality character-driven documentaries from around the globe. The strand looks for ambitious, narrative, contemporary films to commission in co-production with other funders, to pre-buy or acquire. Screening over 350 films, from some 70 countries, the strand has garnered a staggering array of awards: 4 Oscars, 18 Griersons, 3 Peabodys and 4 International Emmys. As part of the editorial team, Shanida works in Development and Commissioning, bringing titles such as TPB-AFK, Expedition to the End of the World to the strand. Shanida is also across the Factual Acquisitions slate which places factual programming throughout the BBC. Shanida also writes for publications including The Quietus and BBC Online, and has been juror for a number of International film festivals. Storyville 2012/13 titles include: TPB-AFK, Why Poverty, Queen of Versailles; The House I Live In; The Albino Witchcraft Murders; From the Sea to the Land Beyond and The Reluctant Revolutionary.

YLE, FINLAND

YLE is the national public service broadcasting company in Finland with duties laid down by law. YLE operates 4 national television channels, 6 radio channels, and a growing internet service. YLE ranks first in television viewing in the country. YLE is the main purveyor and producer of domestic culture, and 48% of its television programs are made in Finland. YLE is a limited company mainly owned by the Finnish state and principally financed through television fee revenues. YLE is a media company free from commercial and political affiliations, and its programs carry no advertising. YLE was established in 1926 and joined EBU, the European Broadcasting Union, at the very beginning in 1950.

Sari Volanen is a commissioning editor at YLE Finnish Broadcasting Company. She started her career in television over 20 years ago. She currently works at YLE’s co-production department, producing short and documentary films mainly with independent Finnish filmmakers and producers. She is in charge of a strand called New Cinema on YLE Teema on Monday nights. Along with film studies in Finland, she has participated in EAVE training in 1999, Eurodoc 2006 and Sources2 – Documentary Mentor training 2008.

Director’s cut, dir. Joshua Oppenheimer, Final Cut For Real, 2012, 158’, Denmark/UK 18+

In the mid 1960s, hundreds of thousands of Indonesians were killed. The mass murderers are still in power and proud of their “heroics”. The surreally-rich but also horrifying The Act of Killing is a riveting journey inside the minds, memories and imagination of killers – a never-before challenge of global society’s notions of humanity.

This 2013 documentary film sensation has received more than twenty different jury, critic and audience awards at the most significant international documentary film festivals. Werner Herzog has called this film – ten years in the making by J. Oppenheimer, C. Cynn and an anonymous Indonesian team – a turning point in documentary film history.

Dir. Steve Hoover, David Magdael & Associates, 2012, 92’, USA 16+

A young American heads to India not knowing that his life is about to change for good. Rocky becomes a worker at an HIV and AIDS hostel for women and children in India. This pictorially rich film is a wonderful tale of love, which can stand up against the challenge of the fragile boundary between life and death, and it is a testament to a human’s ability to find meaning in life.

“With its astonishing story and fantastic editing, Blood Brother is an extraordinary documentary that will shock, inspire and leave you close to tears. Highly recommended.”
Jennifer Tate, ViewLondon

Dir. Katja Gauriloff, Oktober Oy, 2012, 90’, Finland/Sweden 18+

Four years of a Saami director’s carefully collected – often sharp but also fascinatingly beautiful “postcards from life”, from countries and canning facilities and workers, whose finished products we buy from store shelves in Europe. With the first moments of the film, the audience sets off on journey of many thousands of kilometres to various ends of the earth, to meet the folks – the cogs in the wheels of the global food production chain – and to hear of their unheard fates and dreams.

“Canned Dreams ably captures the happiness, sadness, and all the in-betweens of life, if it is resolutely more melancholic than happy, as is the nature of dreams and aspirations. A unique, tender documentary!”
Whatculture.com

Dir. Giedrė Beinoriūtė, Monoklis, 2012, 65’, Lithuania

“You don’t believe in God? I can teach you how to start believing…” The main characters in this film, with its captivatingly pure visual language – children and teens – share their views on the world around them. Moments of personal revelations create an overview of our modern-day lives – at times melancholy, humorous and dramatic. A film without exterior action, props, landscapes or special effects – Conversations On Serious Topics raises questions about loneliness, love, God, the world and human relations.

“This film is an experiment. I wanted to film as little and as attentively as possible that I wouldn’t miss a single tiny detail of the body language. I refused to film any action on purpose to concentrate on this mysterious mind travel from one eyebrow to another, from chin to eye…”
Giedrė Beinoriūtė

Dir. Marat Sargsyan, Just a Moment, 2012, 60’, Lithuania

A testament to an unstoppable zest for life – an unbelievably heart-warming film that may change your stereotypes of happy families. Father is the tale of one of the most interesting criminals of the Soviet Union, who stole around a million roubles from State institutions and hatched a plan to hijack a plane in order to escape the Iron Curtain. After 20 years in various jails, pensioner Vidas Zenonas Antonovas lives with his wife in the Lithuanian countryside, lovingly raising their large family.

“My grandfather had 18 children. So my goal was to beat my grandfather at it. He didn’t have other descendants like me to feel my grandfather’s spirit so well as I did.”
Vidas Zenonas Antonovas

Dir. Kristín Björk Kristjánsdóttir, Orri Jónsson, Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir, Killit Films, 2011, 65’, Iceland

An inspiring and visually playful film from Iceland, Grandma Lo-Fi: The Basement Tapes of Sigríður Níelsdóttir is a portrayal of a woman who, at 70 years of age, begins recording music and becomes a collage artist. The films authors are three young Icelandic musicians and video artists who have made a timeless film, shooting on an old-fashioned Super 8 camera with 16mm film.

She has made 59 albums (with more than 600 songs), and her first art exhibition is sold out in 7 minutes. Her famous fans include Björk, Sigur Rós and Múm. A joyful and innovative Danish grandmother, she has become one of the most prolific Icelandic composers, as well as a cult phenomenon.

Dir. Emma Davie & Morag McKinnon, Scottish Documentary Institute/SDI Productions Ltd, 2012, 73’, Denmark/UK

What is it like to raise an infant while tending to your husband, whom you’re about to lose? How do you approach blogging about a deadly disease? This film is a diary following a black-humour filled account of the final year of life of the award-winning British architect Neil Platt. Admirable inner strength, moving support from surrounding folks and many revealing reflections on life and the value of time.

What can you say about yourself and what kind of life lessons can you leave your new-born son if, at age 33, you’ve been diagnosed with an inherited genetic disorder, a terminal and fast progressing condition called Motor Neurone Disease?

Dir. Valery Schevtschenko, Vertov Studio, 2011, 17’, Russia

Every New Year, after the audience in the Kremlin, there are five thousand children on the Cathedral Square. Walking behind the fence around huge Christmas tree that is guarded by police, they are waiting to be picked up by their parents. Many children, many parents, and lots of funny and strange and hysterical reactions…a close-up of children expressing fear, courage, patience, happiness and a string of other responses forms a symbolic mirror on adult society.

Dir. Brain McGinn, Plus Pictures APS, 2012, 25’, Denmark

Ashrita Furman holds the official record for the most Guinness World Records by one individual. Born to a proper Jewish family, the owner of a small food store and lover of meditation travels the world with unstoppable passion, creating new categories for record achievement. The film is a testament to the human ability for fantasy and pursuit of happiness that inspires and encourages the often-silly societal boundaries.

Dir. Simon Klose, Nonami AB, 2013, 81’, Sweden

The story of the young Swedes – cyberpunks – who have created the world’s largest file-sharing Internet site, Pirate Bay. They are being sued by a Hollywood film studio over copyright infringement. The film follows the controversial 2009 international court hearing, allowing the audience to get to know the lives of these three talented free-thinkers “away from the keyboard”, and their battle against the biggest industry in the world – the media.

The film had its world premiere in 2013 at the Berlinale, and has been broadcast by the BBC, Arte, SVT, NRK, DR, VPRO – it’s the first film broadcast with a Creative Commons licence.

Dir. Elena Khoreva, Denis Klebleev, Dmitry Kubaso, Askold Kurov, Nadezhda Leonteva, Anna Moiseenko, Madina Mustafina, Sofia Rodkevich, Anton Serengin and Alexey Zhiryakov, Marina Razbezhkina Studios, 2012, 80’, Russia

A team of 10 young directors spend two months glued to their cameras in order to create a dynamic, multi-layered, and at times humorous but also cautionary account of the period leading up to the 2012 presidential elections in Russia. Viewers are caught up in the vortex of events and in the thrilling collage of episodes encapsulating a cross-section of contemporary Russian politics.

“Winter, Go Away! really opened the door on the irrational aspect of our modern history. This irrationality is something that neither side of the political conflict will admit to. All revolutions are insanely irrational, but historians then purge this aspect from textbooks. Here, that which cannot be understood is what carried me, as a viewer, through the film.”
Teatr.doc