Baltic Sea Docs 2021 announces call for projects

Baltic Sea Forum for Documentaries (BSD) is the most important documentary training and pitching event in the Baltic countries, taking place in Riga, Latvia. The 25th edition is scheduled to take place in a hybrid form from 1 – 12 September 2021, with the industry events held mostly online. The call for projects is open now and will close on 11 June. 

BSD is looking for applications from independent production companies from the wider Baltic Sea region countries (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden), Eastern Europe and Caucasus region, and from other countries if the documentary subject relates to the region. The main focus of the BSD is on full-length creative documentary projects, but cross-media applications are also welcome to apply. The international selection committee will select 18 projects to be pitched for the international broadcasters, sales agents, film funds and other industry representatives. 

 

 

Participation at BSD is free of charge. The selection results will be announced by 12 July.

Guidelines and application form is accessible on BSD website.

Every year BSD gathers around 150 film professionals from the Baltic Sea region, Eastern Europe, and Caucasus. Participation in the preparatory workshops, pitching sessions and seminars is an opportunity for filmmakers to find funding for the production of their projects and to ensure that their films reach a wide audience across Europe and beyond. 2021 marks 25th edition of the BSD, and it will be reflected in various activities of this year’s program. 

To name just a few of the films presented in recent editions of the BSD – The Jump (2020, directed by Giedrė ickytė, 2020, Lithuania/Latvia/France, Best Documentary Feature award at Warsaw IFF), My Favorite War (2020, directed by Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen, 2020, Norway/Latvia, Feature Film Contrechamp Award and the Prix du Jury Senscritique at Annecy IA, This Rain Will Never Stop (2020, directed by Alina Gorlova, Ukraine/Germany/Latvia/Qatar, Award for Best First Appearance at IDFA). 

BSD is organised by the National Film Centre of Latvia, with financial support from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia and Riga City Council. In parallel to the industry activities, BSD is presenting a film program of recent documentaries, which will be screened online and in cinemas (if the epidemiological regulations will allow it).

For further information, please contact:

Zane Balčus

Project Manager 

Baltic Sea Forum for Documentaries

Phone + 371 26054287

E-mail: balticforum@nkc.gov.lv

balticseadocs.lv 

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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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