WHAT IS IT

DOC LAB POLAND is the largest and most multi-faceted program for documentary filmmakers organized in Poland for Polish projects, focusing on supporting auteur, creative documentary filmmaking.

DOC LAB POLAND features a comprehensive program for the development of film projects, based on workshops, individual consultations and panel discussions, as well as a workshop leading to the pitching, aimed at establishing co-production deals for projects participating in the program, or supporting the promotion and distribution of the produced films.

Foreign film professionals (producers, sales agents, distributors and festival representatives) are welcome to listen to public pitchings and to take part in one-to-one meetings with representatives of participating projects.

DOC LAB POLAND is aimed at Polish professional documentary filmmakers and to foreign film professionals who would like to cooperate with Poland. The program consists of two parallel components:

• DOC LAB START – the development of documentary film projects in their early phase of production (development, early shooting) plus DOCS TO START pitching and coproduction market – meetings with international producers.
• DOC LAB GO – consultations on the first rough drafts of the documentaries plus DOCS TO GO! presentation and distribution market – for distributors, representatives of festivals, TV/VOD commissioning editors and sales agents.

Presentations and meetings of DOC LAB POLAND are aiming for starting co-productions, exchanging ideas and experiences and attracting partners for cooperation on making, financing and distributing documentaries. These activities are organized as part of the Krakow Film Festival.

The main objective of the program is to enhance the artistic value of the selected projects, while increasing their festival and distribution potential. The long-term objective of the DOC LAB program is to promote the art of documentary film among viewers in Polish cinemas and actions aimed at introducing full-length documentaries into cinemas and promoting Polish documentary film abroad.

DOC LAB POLAND is organized by the Władysław Ślesicki Film Foundation, in association with the Krakow Film Festival.

Polish partners of 2023 program are: Canal+, Warsaw-Mazovia Film Commission, Mazovian Institute of Culture, Cracow Film Commission, Krakow Festival Office, Warsaw Film Festival, American Film Festival, Smakjam, Orka, Fixafilm, MX35, Cafe Ole.

International partners of 2023 program are: DOK Leipzig, IDFA Film Festival, Institute of Documentary Film and Docudays UA.

Media Patron of 2023 program are: Film&TVKamera, Magazyn FilmPro, Polish Docs, Magazyn Filmowy SFP, Magazyn Ekrany, Filmowe Centrum Festiwalowe, cinema.pl, siłanauki.pl,

In 2023, the programme was co-financed with funds from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage’s Culture Promotion Fund – a state purpose fund.