Balkan Documentary Center

For the second year the Balkan Documentary Center organises a workshop for 7 creative documentary projects from the region. During one week the participants met tutors like Aleksandar Manic (”The Shutka Book of Records”), Boris Mitic (”Goodbye, How are You”), DOKLeipzig festival director Claas Danielsen, ETMA director and former producer Paul Pauwels, web-documentary director Stefano Strocchi and myself, who gave an introduction to European documentary scene and commented on the projects participating. It is organised by Agitprop, the production company behind several internationally acknowledged productions like ”Georgi and the Butterflies” and ”Mosquito Problems and other Stories” (photo). Two more sessions follow, in Istanbul and in Kosovo. Here are some text clips from the site of BDC, one more fine training initiative supported by the EU MEDIA Programme:

The Balkan Documentary Center (BDC) is an initiative of the team behind AGITPROP production company. On the one hand, it is a virtual network and framework for support, our very own 0700-BALKANDOCU helpline. On the other, it is a brick-and-mortar actual house in downtown Sofia to be equipped with everything necessary to make this support technically possible, from research lab to production equipment and post facilities.

Our focus is catalyzing the creation and distribution of critical minded documentaries and social campaigns in the Balkans. We want to bring together the creative potential of filmmakers, journalists and media professionals with the resources of civil society institutions and businesses that are up for supporting documentaries. In the end, what we want is to bring the documentary scene of our region to international standards, still keeping the fresh ideas, originality and Balkan drive.

For this we have come up with three intertwined lines of activities: 1) Educational and institutional support, 2) Promoting debate and increasing the level of awareness, and 3) Foster networking and international collaboration.”

Yes, “agitprop” this is, an idea and practice!

http://bdcwebsite.com/

http://agitprop.bg/#/info/home

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Tue Steen Müller
Tue Steen Müller

Müller, Tue Steen
Documentary Consultant and Critic, DENMARK

Worked with documentary films for more than 20 years at the Danish Film Board, as press officer, festival representative and film consultant/commissioner. Co-founder of Balticum Film and TV Festival, Filmkontakt Nord, Documentary of the EU and EDN (European Documentary Network).
Awards: 2004 the Danish Roos Prize for his contribution to the Danish and European documentary culture. 2006 an award for promoting Portuguese documentaries. 2014 he received the EDN Award “for an outstanding contribution to the development of the European documentary culture”. 2016 The Cross of the Knight of the Order for Merits to Lithuania. 2019 a Big Stamp at the 15th edition of ZagrebDox. 2021 receipt of the highest state decoration, Order of the Three Stars, Fourth Class, for the significant contribution to the development and promotion of Latvian documentary cinema outside Latvia. In 2022 he received an honorary award at DocsBarcelona’s 25th edition having served as organizer and programmer since the start of the festival.
From 1996 until 2005 he was the first director of EDN (European Documentary Network). From 2006 a freelance consultant and teacher in workshops like Ex Oriente, DocsBarcelona, Archidoc, Documentary Campus, Storydoc, Baltic Sea Forum, Black Sea DocStories, Caucadoc, CinéDOC Tbilisi, Docudays Kiev, Dealing With the Past Sarajevo FF as well as programme consultant for the festivals Magnificent7 in Belgrade, DOCSBarcelona, Verzio Budapest, Message2Man in St. Petersburg and DOKLeipzig. Teaches at the Zelig Documentary School in Bolzano Italy.

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