Sat., May 10 | 10:00 p.m. | The State Ethnographic Museum
Short Pitch Program
(one-on-one meetings at 11:30 - 13:30)
The Short Pitch Program is a curated program designed to support short documentary film projects from Central and Eastern Europe in the development or rough-cut stage.
Five selected projects will be presented to an audience of key industry professionals through an 8-minute moderated pitch followed by a Q&A session. The pitching forum will be led by Emilia Mazik and aims to connect emerging filmmakers with sales agents, festival programmers, commissioning editors, and other decision makers.
Prior to the public presentation, participants will take part in individual consultations with industry experts to refine their pitch decks and prepare for effective communication of their projects.
Following the pitch, filmmakers will engage in pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings with invited guests from across the international documentary landscape.
The Short Pitch Program is part of a broader initiative to enhance the visibility of short-form documentary filmmaking in the region and to support the professional growth of its creators on the international stage.
Organisers: Institute of Documentary Film, Millennium Docs Against Gravity
Partner: Millennium Docs Against Gravity
Moderator: Emilia Mazik
Projects:
AMMA, DO GIRAFFES CRY?, dir. Kartikeya Saxena, prod. Ondřej Šejnoha, Kartikeya Saxena (Czech Republic)
EYELASHES AND SAND CRYSTALS, dir. Daryna Mamaisur, prod. Olha Tuharinova (Ukraine)
INSIDE, dir. Dorota Vinová, prod. Barbara Janišová Feglová, Roman Pivovarník (HITCHHIKER Cinema) (Slovakia)
KONTREWERS, dir. Zuza Banasińska, prod. Aleksandra Aleksander (Poland)
RECIPES FOR LIFE, dir. Péter Becz, prod. Julianna Ugrin (Hungary)
Award:
SILVER EYE AWARD for short documentary to support directors with innovative approach, authors of films that create social impact, filmmakers who dare to open discussion on serious topics, and creators offering unique points of view. The winner receives a trophy award and a year-long festival distribution service at East Silver Caravan.
Tutor & Moderator
Emilia Mazik is a freelance short film programmer and industry expert based in the Netherlands. She worked as a programmer at Short Waves Festival in Poland from 2014, later becoming festival director (2019-2022). She co-founded Talking Shorts, an online magazine for short films. In 2022, she became Head of Industry at Kaboom Animation Festival and in 2024, Curator & Executive Producer of Industry Forum at Cinekid. She is also on the selection committee of Film Fest Gent.
Admission with Industry/Media accreditations or by email request at industry@againstgravity.pl
English language event
