Sarajevo Film Festival and Balkan Documentary Center have opened applications for the 16th edition of Docu Rough Cut Boutique, a platform supporting documentary projects in the advanced phase of editing.

The programme selects five projects from South-East Europe and the Caucasus for a tailored training process built around editorial development and industry positioning. The 2026 edition will run across three modules: Sofia (May 2026), an online module (July 2026), and Sarajevo (mid-August 2026).

The workshop structure includes editing tutorials, group sessions, and one-on-one meetings with documentary experts and industry professionals. The programme culminates during CineLink Industry Days at Sarajevo Film Festival, where selected projects are presented to funders, sales agents, distributors, broadcasters, and festival programmers, with a focus on supporting project completion and strengthening distribution and festival strategy.

Eligible projects must have a minimum of 60 minutes of edited material. Eligible countries include Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Türkiye, and Kosovo.

Team participation requirements vary by session: director and editor are expected for the first and second sessions, and director and producer for the second session. English is the working language, and participants are required to attend all project-related sessions. Producers may attend the first session if additional subsistence costs are covered.

The participation fee is €1,500 per team, covering tuition, accommodation and subsistence, plus accreditations and access to industry events.

Submission deadline: 20 March 2026. Results are expected mid-April 2026, with shortlisted teams invited to an online interview ahead of final selection.