Dok.incubator, a well-known rough-cut training program for documentary filmmakers, has announced its final selection of documentaries for 2023. This year, the workshop will bring together eight project teams from Europe, Iran, and Bhutan to work with international editors, producers, and sales representatives. The goal of the program is to sharpen each film’s cut, shape its dramaturgy, and create a marketing strategy, preparing it for festival premieres in 2024.
The documentaries selected cover a wide range of topics, including women’s rights, war trauma, mental illness, and measuring happiness. The variety of themes creates an impressive mosaic of today’s world, showcasing different cultural backgrounds and filmmaking approaches. The most striking feature of this year’s selection, however, is that all eight films are directed (or co-directed) by women.
Each of the films selected has a unique story to tell, with different female protagonists fighting against various forms of oppression. For instance, in 5 Pills Away, four brave women fight against the abortion ban in Poland, shedding light on the ongoing struggle for women’s rights in the country. Zun: an Octopus under My Skin tells the story of a young Iranian woman who dreams of becoming a singer despite the cultural taboo surrounding women’s solo performances.
Other films in the selection feature strong female protagonists, including the archival documentary Racing Hearts, which tells the story of Ewy and Ursula, the first female competitive drivers for Mercedes-Benz in the 1960s. The documentary highlights the women’s determination to break down gender stereotypes and pave the way for future generations of female drivers.
Dok.incubator 2023 selected projects
- 5 Pills Away (dir. Karolina Domagalska) – Poland
- Agent of Happiness (dir. Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbo) – Bhutan, Hungary
- Just Hear Me Out (dir. Malgorzata Imielska) – Poland
- Mina and the Radio Bandits (dir. Kari Anne Moe) – Norway
- Nice Ladies (dir. Mariia Ponomarova) – Netherlands, Ukraine
- Racing Hearts (dir. Milla Bergh) – Sweden
- The Eternal War (dir. Waltteri Vanhanen) – Finland, Poland
- Zun: an Octopus Under My Skin (dir. Leila Amini) – Iran
