Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival’s Docu Talents from the East returns for its 22nd edition, presenting seven documentary projects from Central and Eastern Europe to industry decision-makers at CineLink Industry Days during the Sarajevo Film Festival. Running since 2005, the programme connects festival advisors, distributors, buyers and international journalists with new work from the region in post-production. This year’s projects will be presented on Sunday, 16 August, with an award ceremony following on Monday.
Two prizes will be awarded at the ceremony. The Docu Talent Award recognises the most promising project in the selection. The DAFilms.com Distribution Award offers 3,000 EUR in-kind toward a two-year VOD release across the Americas, Europe and Asia. This year’s jury comprises Martichka Bozhilova of Agitprop, Carmen Gray, Nina Numankadić of DAFilms, Jarmila Outratová of Ji.hlava and filmmaker Ognjen Glavonić.
The 2026 selection includes seven mid-length and feature documentaries at the post-production stage, spanning eight countries. Bernadsky Garden (Ukraine, dir. Bohdan Prykhodko) follows a public garden near the Kramatorsk frontline. Retuning (Slovakia, dir. Sára Prokopová) documents a strike committee resisting the political capture of public media. Orbán and Me (Hungary/Canada, dir. Réka Pigniczky) follows the director’s attempts to interview Viktor Orbán ahead of Hungary’s 2026 elections. Two further projects turn to family history. 40 Maria Luisa Boulevard (Bulgaria, dir. Kristina Spassovska) follows a filmmaker rehearsing an unfinished film in her family’s Sofia apartment. Love Exposed (Czech Republic/Slovakia, dir. Filip Remunda) follows a woman’s attempt to reconnect with her photographer father. Ora et Labora (Luxembourg/Slovakia, dir. Dzhovani Gospodinov) is set at a German Benedictine abbey. Hotspot. A Docutherapy (Poland, dir. Michał Bielawski) follows a climate-focused therapeutic process in Lower Silesia.
Since its founding, Docu Talents from the East has served as a launch pad for the region’s documentary output. Honeyland, among its past selections, went on to receive two Academy Award nominations. The programme runs as part of the Visegrad Accelerator, supported by the International Visegrad Fund, and its next call for submissions opens in spring 2027.
