The DOXS RUHR Film Festival will convene a unique Think Tank under the banner of the YES-Young European Realities initiative on 28 October 2024, during its 12th edition. This event will address a pressing question: How can documentaries be produced and distributed to engage and inform young audiences in today’s fragmented media landscape?

The YES! Think Tank, organised in collaboration with the D4K alliance, aims to foster new strategies for creating documentaries that resonate with younger viewers. With a backdrop of increasing threats to #free speech#, the initiative explores how documentaries can offer young people perspectives beyond their immediate realities. Two workshops will focus on production, development, and strategies for co-creation, while exploring distribution and networking opportunities.

The event will feature a select group of 25 professionals, including filmmakers, festival curators, and distributors, with notable figures such as #Karolina Śmigiel# and #Gudrun Sommer# leading the discussion. In addition to the workshops, a public panel titled «The Power of Purpose» will be held, questioning how documentaries for young audiences can challenge preconceived notions and explore issues of representation and responsibility.

The initiative is part of a broader European effort to increase the visibility and impact of documentaries for young audiences, with the aim of shaping cultural awareness and challenging dominant narratives. Supported by various European institutions, the Think Tank marks the beginning of a series of events aimed at enhancing collaboration and innovation in this field.