I will be in Prague from March 19–23 for the final session of the Ex Oriente Film 2025/26 cycle.

Since 2023, I have served as one of the four lead mentors for this Institute of Documentary Film (IDF) flagship program—one of the largest and oldest development initiatives in Europe.

This session marks the culmination of the year-long program. Alongside the core lead mentors and invited experts, I will continue guiding filmmakers through their final development stages, including intensive consultations, financing strategies, and pitch rehearsals. The week concludes with the East Doc Forum, where 25 projects will be presented to a panel of international broadcasters, distributors, and co-producers.

In addition to my mentoring role, I will be attending the final pitching sessions and holding meetings to discuss the current No Nation Films slate and explore new collaborations.

For me, this final term with Ex Oriente reinforces a deep commitment to the Central and Eastern European documentary community and the vital role of intergenerational mentorship in independent cinema.

Learn more: East Doc Platform 2026

#EastDocPlatform #ExOrienteFilm #Mentorship #NoNationFilms #DocumentaryCinema

Mar 15-20

I am heading to Copenhagen with my producer Orwa Nyrabia for CPH:FORUM 2026 to present my next film project, JOUD.

This marks the first time in many years that we are pitching a project and attending CPH:DOX.

The forum is a key opportunity to discuss new international co-productions and reconnect with colleagues and partners.

Discover the full selection: CPH:FORUM 2026 Projects

I am back at EICTV in Cuba for the Master’s International Film Program (February 1–13, 2026), leading another two-week intensive workshop on self-referential documentary filmmaking with 11 film master students.

This is an immersive workshop exploring the art of authoring and imagination within the constraints of reality. Through rigorous writing and filming exercises, I work with a new group of filmmakers to unearth their unique voices and catch the core of their drive and desire to make films, to communicate and connect – a people, a vision, a warning, or a history – that lies at the core of filmmaking.

It is a privilege to return to this unique environment of vital creative conversations in the free-spirited school.

Thank you for a great experience and happy to be again and again in Cuba.

#DocumentaryFilm #SelfReferentialCinema #EICTV #FilmmakingWorkshop

This summer, I am happy to accept the renewed invitation from South Korea’s Media Contents Education Department (RAPA) and begins a new one with the EBS International Documentary Festival (EIDF).

I will join along side Brigid O’Shea and Heejung Oh, as international mentors for the GPA programme, which supports emerging South Korean documentary producers.

After an initial online feedback session on July 25, I will take part in the Pitching Workshop in Seoul (August 15–17).

The workshop focuses on preparing projects for the international arena. While, last year I mentored GPA participants at the final on-site workshop held in Amsterdam in preparation for their IDFA participation, this year I start with them much earlier on the on-set.

From August 20–23, I will also serve on the jury of the EIDF Industry programme, evaluating projects at K-Pitch Fresh, H!-Docs Pitch, and Young Pitch—all initiatives designed to help Korean and Korean-led international co-productions develop and connect with broader audiences and collaborators.

Right after, I’ll be heading again to Bali to resume my duties as a lead mentor at the Storytelling lab at Docs by the Sea 2025.

Docs By the Sea (DBTS) is an annual international documentary lab and forum based in Indonesia, dedicated to cultivating creative documentary projects from Asia towards international collaboration and distribution opportunities.

I have already worked closely with the filmmakers through a series of online sessions in July to refine and shape their projects in both group sessions and intensive 1-on-1 sessions.

Onsite in September, I will regroup with them along side the other mentors to prepare them for the pitching forum.

The entire cohort from all labs will pitch their film projects during the pitching forum in September to representatives from the international Documentary film sector visiting Bali.

For more information about DBTS 2025, please visit their website.

The 2025 edition of Ex Oriente Film kicks off in Sheffield this June, and I return as lead producer mentor.

Twelve selected creative documentary projects begin their development journey during this opening workshop, held in collaboration with Sheffield DocFest.

Alongside my mentorship role, I will present my lecture under the evolving title Shaping Destiny of the Film: The Director–Producer Pact, exploring the dynamics and nuances of collaborative authorship and decision-making in documentary practice.

Ex Oriente is led by the International Documentary Institute in Prague for over two decades resonates with our engagement with shaping resilient creative structures and building lasting networks across borders and cultures.

I am honored to work along side their capable and collaborative team as well as along the other good leading mentors as well as the variety of guest mentors we host every year who enrich our perspective and outlook.

More about Sheffield DocFest, Ex-Oriente.

I’m heading to the Visions du Réel International Film Festival to co-lead the VdR–Development Lab, a program dedicated to the artistic and narrative development of documentary film projects.

For the second consecutive year, I’m also selecting the recipients of the No Nation Films Fellowship Awards. This collaboration between Visions du Réel International Film Festival and No Nation Films supports emerging filmmakers with a six month mentorship.

The festival runs from April 14–21, 2024. You can learn more about the VdR–Lab and the festival’s industry events on the official website: https://www.visionsdureel.ch/en/vdr-industry/.

This March is quite busy.

First stop will be at EuroDoc first session in Italy, where I am a guest tutor working with filmmakers in individual one-on-one sessions, before I head to Tallinn to join the Ice & Fire documentary workshop as a mentor, working alongside editor Anne Fabini and head of studies Mikael Opstrup which whom I share films that we collaborated on, and mentored along side them in other international workshops.

This is the fifth edition of Ice & Fire which brings together early-stage documentary projects from Finland and Estonia, creating space for exchange and reflection on creative process.

Then I will head again to Prague for the closing session of Ex Oriente Film’s 2024–2025 edition, which I’ve been co-leading over the past year with a team of fellow mentors. The final session, held within the East Doc Platform, brings together filmmakers and industry peers to reflect on how each project has grown and shifted over time.

Sunday, February 16, at HAU1

Orwa Nyrabia – my producer and partner – and I, were invited to open Berlinale Talents with our reflections on our journey as duo filmmakers and creative partners in an open and candid conversation drawing from our latest REPUBLIC OF SILENCE.

We shared insights into our projects both internationally and regionally. We discussed our introspective and evolving sense of space and belonging, as well as the intersection of the personal and the political in cinema.

For more information about the event : https://www.berlinale.de/de/2025/programm/202518129.html