Project submission guidelines 2026

30th BALTIC SEA DOCS
Riga, Latvia

Baltic Sea Docs is an international co-production pitching forum focused on feature length creative documentary projects from and about the Baltic Sea region, Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus. 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.

Industry Dates: 6–13 September 2026

Pitching sessions: 10–11 September 2026, Riga
Pitch Training Workshop: 6–9September 2026, Riga (for Coming Soon projects – 9 September only

Activities in 2026:

In-person event consisting of:

a pitch training workshop for 18-20 selected projects;
pitching of 18-20 selected projects followed by individual meetings;
a “Coming soon” session of up to four films in post-production stage from previous BSD editions;
a film programme.

Decision Makers of BSD 2025:

Awards: 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 the Caucasus region (not eligible in 2026: 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 three projects each. Apart from feature length creative documentaries, BSD also invites cross media projects and documentary animations. A project may be submitted for selection up to three times. Projects pitched in previous editions are eligible only for the Coming Soon session and may participate in this session once.
Priority is given to projects that have secured some financial commitment from broadcasters or film institutions, however it is not a requirement for selection. Projects by first time filmmakers are also welcome and eligible.

Application Deadline: 6 May 2026

Application Process:

Fill in an online Application Form (link will be active from 4 March) (while filling out the form, please save it regularly to ensure that the information is stored properly), providing following information (in English):

· short description of the production company, producer and director (max 150 words each),
· short description of the production company, producer and director (max 150 words each),
· short synopsis of the project (max 50 words),
· long synopsis of the project (400-600 words),
· print quality photo representing the project, photo of the producer and other filmmakers pitching the project,
· a link to the trailer/visual material of the current project with English subtitles (mandatory already for the selection process)
· director’s statement about the project explaining the creative vision (preferably as a short video uploaded at the “Notes” section),
· when applying for the Coming Soon session, indicate this in the “Notes” section.

Application and Participation Fee:

None

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 26054287.

Selection:

Selection of projects made by an international Selection Committee will be announced by 4 June 2026, 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 Baltic Sea Docs as observers without pitching a project, with access to pitching sessions, industry events, networking events, and the film programme. To apply, please complete the online application form (available from 5 June 2026) by 27 July 2026. Notifications will be sent out by 31 July.

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 10-11 September.

Workshops:

A Pitching Training Workshop for new projects will be organized from 6–9 September. The filmmakers will work intensively on their project presentation with the guidance of 6 international tutors with extensive industry experience lead by documentary consultants Mikael Opstrup and Tue Steen Müller. In addition to this, a professional editor will give advice on the structure of trailers. We strongly advise taking part in the workshop, as its usefulness has been proven over the years. Participants of Coming Soon session have to attend the pitch rehearsal on 9 September.

TUTORS, BSD 2025

Film programme:

Parallel to the Baltic Sea Docs industry activities, a programme of selected documentary films will be screened on 8–13 September 2026.

All deadlines:

6 May 2026 – project submission
4 June 2026 – announcement of selected projects
27 July 2026 – observer registration

We look forward to receiving your projects!