28th BALTIC SEA FORUM FOR DOCUMENTARIES
Riga, Latvia
INDUSTRY DATES: 1 – 6 September 2024
| Pitching Sessions | 5 – 6 September 2024, Riga |
| Pitch Training Workshop | 1 – 4 September 2024, Riga |
| CE MEDIA Workshop – Tools for documentary audience reach: AI and beyond | 4 September 2024, Riga |
| Description | An international co-production pitching forum focused on feature length creative documentary projects from and on the Baltic Sea region, Eastern Europe, Caucasus region. It is the only pitching forum in the Baltic region focused solely on documentaries. It was established in 1997, and it is organized by the National Film Centre of Latvia. |
| Activities in 2024 | In-person event consisting of: · pitch training workshop of the selected projects; · pitching session of 18 selected projects followed by individual meetings; · BSD Coming soon pitching session of up to 4 films in post-production stage pitched in previous BSD editions followed by individual meetings; · film program. |
| Decision makers of BSD 2023 | Agne Biliunaite, LRT, Lithuania Aleksandra Derewienko, Cat & Docs, France Alex Szalat, Docs Up Fund, France Anna Ferens, TVP, Poland Arianna Castoldi, Mediawan Rights, France Bernd Seidl, SWR, Germany Christa Auderlitzky, Filmdelights, Austria Diana Karklin, Rise and Shine, Germany Henna Khan-Hussain, BBC, UK Inka Achte, Raina Films, Finland Jasmina Vignjevic, Syndicado, Canada Jenny Bohnhoff, MetFilm Sales, UK Jenny Westergaard, YLE, Finland Judith Vreriks, EOdocs, the Netherlands Liina Murd, ERR, Estonia Natalia Arshavskaya, Current Time TV, USA Natsu Kawakami, NHK, Japan Nevena Milasinovic, Lightdox, Switzerland Petar Mitric, Taskovski Films, UK Thomas Beyer, MDR, Germany Vikija Valdmane-Rozenberga, LTV, Latvia |
| Awards | · Baltic Sea Docs award; · East Doc Platform award; · more TBA |
| Who can apply | · Independent production companies from the wider Baltic Sea Region countries (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden) · Independent production companies from Eastern Europe and Caucasus region (not eligible in 2024: production companies from Russia) · Independent production companies from other European countries if the project relates to the regions and eligible countries specified above and/ or if there is a regional co-producer. |
| What kind of projects | Producers may enter up to 3 projects each. Apart from feature length creative documentaries the BSD also invites cross media projects and documentary animations. One project may be submitted for selection up to 3 times. Projects pitched in the previous editions are ineligible. Priority is given to projects having some financial commitment from broadcasters or film institutions, however it is not essential for being selected. Projects by first time filmmakers are also welcome and eligible. |
| Application Deadline | 10 May 2024 |
| Application process | To apply for the pitching session fill in an online Application Form, providing following (in English):
To apply for BSD Coming soon pitching session fill in an online Application Form, providing following (in English):
– Please indicate in the Notes section that you are applying for BSD Coming soon. While filling out the form, we suggest saving it regularly to ensure that the information is stored properly. |
| Application and participation fees | There is no application and participation fee |
| Contact Details for Application | The link to application form is available online at balticseadocs.lv. For any further enquiries please contact us at balticforum@nkc.gov.lv or call +371 25440039. |
| Selection | Selection of projects made by an international Selection Committee will be announced by 7 June 2024, and the contact person of the project will be notified about the results via e-mail. The main criteria of the selection will be the international potential and creative approach of the project entered. The decisions of the Selection Committee will be final. |
| Observers | Producers may attend BSD as observers without pitching a project (it allows to observe pitching sessions, attend industry events, networking events, film program). Fill in an online Application form by 29 July 2024, the notification will be sent out by 7 August. |
| Pitching | Each project has 7 minutes for pitching (language – English), with further time for discussion. The pitch has to be supported with a trailer (subtitled in English). |
| Individual Meetings | Individual meetings with decision makers will be held on 5-6 September. |
| Workshops | A Pitching Training Workshop will be organized from 1-4 September. The filmmakers will work intensively on their project presentation with the aid of 6 international tutors with extensive industry experience. In addition to this, a professional editor will give advice on the structure of trailers. We strongly advise to take part in the workshop, as its usefulness has been proven over the years.
TUTORS, BSD 2023 |
| Film Program | Parallel to the Baltic Sea Docs industry activities, a program of selected documentary films will be screened from 3 – 8 September 2024. |
| All Deadlines | 10 May 2024 – project submission 7 June 2024 – announcement of selected projects 29 July 2024 – observer registration |
| We look forward to receiving your projects! |