Doc at Work is the industry platform of the Festival dei Popoli, since 2013 providing documentary projects at various stages of development and production with the opportunity to connect with international film professionals and find potential partners, funding sources, and distribution opportunities. 

This year’s Doc at Work edition, taking place from 5 to 7 November, places Croatia and Slovenia in the spotlight, in collaboration with the Croatian Audiovisual Centre and the Slovenian Film Centre. As part of the Country in Focus: Croatia and Slovenia, six documentary projects – three from each country – will be presented to Italian and international film professionals on 7 November.

The programme also includes a panel dedicated to the documentary cinemas of Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy, as well as incorporating individual meetings and networking activities aimed at fostering international collaboration.

The aim of the programme is to gain better understanding of the production and distribution systems of the three countries, strengthen collaboration, and increase the international visibility of projects and film professionals from Croatia and Slovenia.

The Croatian and Slovenian delegations will be joined by Slovenian director, producer, and MakeDox festival programmer Petra Seliškar (member of this year’s international feature film jury), Croatian producer Vanja Jambrović of Restart (jury member of the international competition Discoveries), and Croatian film critic and programmer Dina Pokrajac, director of the Subversive Film Festival and ZagrebDox programmer.

The following Croatian projects have been selected for the Country in Focus: Croatia and Slovenia programme:

• Olimbi – Mother Courage / Croatia / Director: Karlo Mlinar / Hrvoje Osvadić, 15th Art Productions
• Symbols of War / Croatia / Director: Morana Ikić Komljenović / Marin Lukanović, Filmaktiv
• The Center of the World / Director: Marko Šantić / Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro / Producers: Danijel Hočevar (Vertigo Ljubljana); Jure Bušić (Jaka produkcija)

Presentation of the selected projects will take place on Saturday, 7 November, at 10:00 at Cinema Astra, followed by a panel discussion on co-production collaborations between Slovenia, Croatia, and Italy. The panel will feature Nerina T. Kocjančič (Slovenian Film Centre), Irena Jelić (Croatian Audiovisual Centre), Jacopo Chessa (Italian Film Commissions, Veneto Film Commission), Gianluca Novel (Film Commission Friuli Venezia Giulia), Slovenian director and producer Petra Seliškar, and Croatian producer Vanja Jambrović. The discussion will be moderated by Alessandro Gropplero (FVG Film Fund).

 Film Programme  

The Doc Highlights section presents a selection of the year’s most significant documentary achievements, including internationally awarded films and world premieres, auteur portraits, and socially engaged works exploring new possibilities of cinematic expression.

One of the titles in the section is the documentary feature Yugo Goes to America, directed by Filip Grujić and Aleksa Borković, made as a Serbian-Croatian co-production (Croatian co-producer is Vanja Jambrović for Restart).

The title had its world premiere in March of this year at the prestigious International Documentary Film Festival CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, after which it won two awards at Beldocs.

The Italian Institute for Social Documentary Film is a non-profit dedicated to the promotion and exploration of documentary film dealing with sociological themes. The Institute’s primary activity is the organisation of Festival dei Popoli, Italy’s leading International Documentary Film Festival, which remains steadfast in its mission to screen outstanding documentaries, with a sharp focus on social issues and inclusivity, and with the aim of presenting a comprehensive view of the world in all its complexity and richness.