Verzió Documentary Film Critics Workshop

Aspiring critics and writers interested in documentary cinema are invited to apply for the 4th Verzió Documentary Film Critics Workshop, held as part of the 22nd Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival. The event will take place from 11–19 November 2025 in Budapest and in cities across Hungary.

Organized in collaboration with the Doc Around Europe festival network, the workshop is designed for early-career and aspiring film critics, journalists, filmmakers, and students from across Europe. Selected participants will engage in a week-long, writing-intensive program with peers and mentors, gaining hands-on experience in film criticism with a focus on human rights and socially engaged documentary cinema.

Participants will receive accreditation to the Verzió Festival, access to industry events, and the chance to network with international filmmakers, critics, and cultural professionals. Accommodation and intra-European travel costs will be reimbursed. The working language is English, and attendance on-site for all sessions is mandatory. Online participation is not available.

The workshop will be led by Steve Rickinson, a Bucharest-based film and media critic with an international background in independent publishing and cultural programming. Rickinson is the industry editor of Modern Times Review and has been active across Europe’s documentary film festival circuit.

Eligible applicants must be based in one of 21 European countries, including Romania, Hungary, Greece, Germany, France, and several Balkan states. There is no application fee; however, selected participants will be asked to pay a €75 enrollment fee to support operational costs.

To apply, candidates must submit a film review or essay in English (or translated to English) via the online application form. The deadline is 31 August 2025, with successful applicants notified by mid-September.

For more information, contact: info@verzio.org.

Del din kærlighed
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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