The 15th edition of the Beldocs Festival, one of the leading documentary film festivals in this part of Europe, will be held from May 11th to 18th in Belgrade. More than 100 premieres of the best documentaries from all over the world will be screened in twelve program selections, in our country.
“We are proud to have grown continuously for 15 years, as a festival and as an organization. This year, we are focused on attracting a new audience, because we know that the excitement and passion for the bold, authentic and creative films is shared and found inspiring by many people. Having in mind that, in terms of genre, documentary films are a fast growing segment, in terms of production, but also in terms of popularity, we are sure that we will offer a unique festival experience, “said Mara Prohaska Marković, director of Beldocs Festival.
“We are dedicated to finding the best current films, new media and technologies, meeting top authors, facilitating networking for film experts, developing new films. We want to influence the future and make a difference in our society by developing new filmmakers and authorial expressions. We are looking forward to the upcoming Beldocs Festival, which is a unique opportunity to watch the best documentaries from all over the world for the first time in our country,” said Marko Grba Singh, artistic director of the Beldocs Festival.
Beldocs + a platform for watching movies
A new, regional platform, Beldocs +, has been launched, offering documentaries from previous editions of the festival. The Beldocs + VoD platform was launched with the aim of improving the availability of top documentaries to viewers, and is available in Serbia and other Western Balkan countries via the website www.beldocs.rs.
An invitation to filmmakers
The call for project applications is open until March 15th. Industry segments of the festival will include Beldocs in Progress, a workshop and pitch training, Beldocs Kids & Youth, a youth project development workshop, and XR Academy, a three-day project development workshop from 13 countries, with cash prizes for film projects to develop future films. and organize meetings with representatives of investors, TV stations, VoD platforms, rights acquisition agencies, production companies. More information can be found here.
Recommendations from the program of the 15th Beldocs Festival
JFK Revisited: Through The Looking Glass directed by Oliver Stone. The film follows the investigation into the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy and presents many documents and testimonies that confirm that the US intelligence service, the CIA, is behind the assassination of Kennedy.
Babi Yar. Context, and Mr. Landsbergis, directed by Ukrainian director Sergei Loznica. Babi Yar. Context follows the Nazi massacre of 30,000 Jews in just three days in September 1941. Mr. Landsbergis is a film about the “singing revolution” in Lithuania on the road to independence from the Soviet Union and its main protagonist Vytautas Landsbergis.
Directed by Amilie van Elmbt and Maya Duverdier, Dreaming Walls marks the culmination of a long luxury renovation of the legendary Chelsea Hotel, a famous oasis of counterculture in the 1960s and a paradise for famous artists and intellectuals such as Patti Smith, Janice Joplin and the stars of the Warhol Factory.
The festival is supported by the European Union, through the MEDIA segment of the Creative Europa program.
About Beldocs
Beldocs is held every year in May in Belgrade. Founded in 2008, it is divided into 12 program units, and organizes over 100 premiere screenings every year, during the eight days of the festival, which are shown at more than 7 locations. The Beldocs Festival awards 6 prizes in four competition programs. In addition to film screenings, it hosts a series of panels, Master Class lectures, and industry workshops, with cash prizes for the development of future films. Every year, it brings together over 150 international experts, authors and producers in the audiovisual industry. More than 200 partners in Serbia, the region and Europe support the work of the Beldocs Film Festival. A creative team of over 20 members is behind the Festival, including experts in film, design and the arts. Since 2017, Beldocs has been a partner in European projects: #europeanfilmchallenge, AVA Doc, Moving Cinema and is a member of the European Documentary Network. For more information, visit www.beldocs.rs.