The call for applications to participate in the Ukrainian Doc Preview showcase, which provides Ukrainian documentary filmmakers with a unique opportunity to present their upcoming films which need support with promotion, distribution or additional funding, is open until 13 February. This year, the event will become possible for the third time thanks to the joint efforts of the Ukrainian Institute and Docudays UA. 

“We are convinced that professional showcases are an effective format and instrument of cultural diplomacy, and the success of the previous projects that participated in the Ukrainian Doc Preview proves this. We are happy that Docudays UA has been our reliable partner for three years and continues to help us create professional development opportunities for Ukrainian documentary filmmakers. We hope that the number 3 will bring us luck and the showcase will finally be held offline, as we have planned since the beginning of our collaboration,” noted Natalia Movshovych, head of the Film Department at the Ukrainian Institute.

The Ukrainian Doc Preview invites feature-length documentary projects at the stage of a rough cut or postproduction to participate. Before the presentation, all the participants will take part in the preparatory workshop with international experts. This year they are:

• Brigid O’Shea (Germany), advisory board member for B2B Doc and DMZ Docs;  
• Selin Murat (the Netherlands), markets manager for IDFA Forum;  
• Qutaiba Barhamji (France), one of the best-known documentary editors.

At the closed presentation, the authors of at least five feature-length documentary projects will have a chance to present their films to international experts within the DOCU/PRO Industry Platform of Docudays UA. In addition, each project will receive individual editing consultations, depending on the needs and questions of its team.

“January 2022 brought us great news: last year’s Ukrainian Doc Preview participant, Infinity According to Florian by Oleksiy Radynski, has been featured in the programme of the Rotterdam Film Festival. This year’s participants, in turn, will have an opportunity to talk to programmers from Venice, Locarno and a number of other festivals,” says Darya Bassel, director of the DOCU/PRO Industry Platform. “I am also happy for the projects which have found good partners for international sales and distribution thanks to the showcase. For instance, Eva Neumann’s film got Raina Films as its sales agent. None of this would be possible without the constant support from the Ukrainian Institute.”

The projects will be selected by an expert commission which includes representatives of the Ukrainian Institute’s Film Department and the Docudays UA team.

The participants of the previous showcases included projects such as This Rain Will Never Stop, Salt from Bonneville, Diary of a Bride of Christ, Roses. Film-Cabaret, Panorama.