Luxembourg–Slovakia co–production Ora Et Labora won the Docu Talent award for most promising project as part of the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival’s documentary focus at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Seven documentaries from Central and Eastern Europe, all targeting theatrical release in the next year, were presented as part of Docu Talents From The East’s showcase at Sarajevo’s CineLink Industry Days.
Dzhovani Gospodinov’s Ora Et Labora explores monastic life in the 21st century, at Germany’s oldest monastery. Gospodinov is a Luxembourgish-Bulgarian filmmaker, and the film is lead-produced by Luxembourg production company Amour Fou, with Slovakia’s Sen Film a co-producer. The award includes an invitation to the Ji.hlava New Visions Market 2026.
“For its exceptional access, humanity and irreverence, and the meaning of time in a timeless place, we award this very personal and unique take on generations and belief,” said the jury, which featured Serbian director Ognjen Glavonic.
Slovakian director Sára Prokopová’s Retuning won the distribution award. It examines the radical shift in control of independent public media that came from a 2024 change in political power in Slovakia. Tereza Tokárová produces. The prize includes €3,000 of in-kind support for the film’s release on documentary streaming platform DAFilms.
“It remains true that if you’re a filmmaker from Eastern Europe, your film is much less likely to be screened at festivals in Western Europe than those of your Western European colleagues,” said Marek Hovorka, director of the Ji.hlava festival. “That’s why, for the past 22 years, we’ve been showcasing selected films as part of Docu Talents, drawing attention to them and helping facilitate their festival distribution.”
Emerging Producers
Ji.hlava has also selected 17 European producers, plus producer Kyoko Takenaka from Japan, for its Emerging Producers programme. Japan is the guest country of the 2027 programme.
The programme consists of three workshops taking place at the Ji.hlava festival in October 2026, during the Berlinale in February 2027, the venue of the third session in spring 2027.
The next edition of Czech festival Ji.hlava takes place from October 23 – November 1. The country of focus will be Montenegro. Applications remain open until August 31 for Ji.hlava / JB Films support scheme, with €110,000 to be awarded to three or four documentary and hybrid films in production or post-production from Central and Eastern Europe to support distribution.
Ji.hlava Emerging Producers 2027
Stephan Herzog / Austria
Martina Netíková / Czech Republic
Rosalien Hollestelle (Netherlands)
Friedemann Hottenbacher (Germany)
Leonidas Liambeys (Greece)
Péter Nadori (Hungary)
Isabella Rinaldi (Italy)
Louise Byrne (Ireland)
Đorđe Vojvodić (Montenegro)
Justyna Rutkowska (Poland)
Bruno Moraes Cabral (Portugal)
Ion Gnatiuc (Republic of Moldova)
Michaela Kaliská (Slovakia)
Jerca Jerič (Slovenia)
André Robert (Spain)
Olha Tuharinova (Ukraine)
Nađa Lapčević (UK)
Kyoko Takenaka (Japan – guest country)
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