Apply now for the 2026 edition

Organized by Sarajevo Film Festival and Balkan Documentary Center, Docu Rough Cut Boutique is a platform dedicated to documentary projects in the advanced phase of the editing process.

Previous projects that have participated at the Docu Rough Cut Boutique include among others: DIVIA (Karlovy Vary, Christal Globe Competition 2025), The Kartli Kingdom (IDFA 2025 – IDFA Award for Best Directing – International Competition, Special Mention – Best First Feature Award), Electing Miss Santa (Talinn Black Nights award 2025), In Hell With Ivo (Dok Fest Munich, Sarajevo Offical Competition 2025), BOTTLEMAN (Heart of Sarajevo 2023 for Best Documentary), HER MOTHERS (Hot Docs 2020), THE OTHER SIDE OF EVERYTHING by Mila Turajlić, (Winner of the Best Feature-Length Documentary at IDFA), THE MAGIC LIFE OF V by Tonislav Hristov (World Cinema Documentary Competition at Sundance Film Festival), SRBENKA (awarded at Visions du Reel), SOFIA’S LAST AMBULANCE (La Semaine de la Critique Cannes).

Our team is very eager to see your upcoming documentaries and offer tailor-made training to five projects from the region of South-East Europe and the Caucasus. Over the years, our mentors have been:Kirsten Johnson, Albert Elings, Ilian Metev, Ivo Trajkov, Dimitra Kouzi, Rebecca Camisa, Ollie Huddlestone, John Appel, Dana Bunescu, Jordana Berg.

In this edition, the programme will be organized in three working modules: Sofia (May 2026), Online module (July 2026) and Sarajevo (August 2026).

We are happy to invite you to apply for our 16^th edition!

WHAT TO EXPECT AT DOCU ROUGH CUT BOUTIQUE

• The workshop programme includes editing tutorials, group sessions, and one-on-one meetings with renowned documentary experts and industry professionals.

• The programme culminates at the Sarajevo Film Festival, where five selected projects will be presented during CineLink Industry Days to key decision-makers-funders, sales agents, distributors, broadcasters, and festival programmers-with the aim of supporting project completion and strengthening distribution and festival positioning.

ELIGIBILITY & TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• Projects must have a minimum of 60 minutes of edited material.

• Eligible countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Turkiye, and Kosovo*.

• Teams must consist of a director and editor for the first and second sessions, and a director and producer for the second session. The producer may also attend the first session, provided they cover the additional subsistence costs.

• The official language of the workshop is English. All team members must be fluent in English to participate.

• Selected participants are required to attend all project-related sessions.

PARTICIPATION FEE AND ENTITLEMENTS

The fee per team* amounts to €1500 and for all modules covers:

• Tuition
• Accommodation and subsistence
• Partial Travel bursaries (Only for the first module in Sofia)
• Accreditations and access to industry events

TIMELINE AND SELECTION PROCESS

Project Submission Deadline: 10 March 2025

Announcements of results:  mid-April 2026

First module: May 2026 (provisional dates 11-15 May), Sofia, Bulgaria

Second module: July 2026, Online

Third module: mid-August 2026, Sarajevo

Please, submit your application by the deadline. Our jury will review your rough cuts and make a shortlist of projects, which will then be invited for an online interview. Then, we will make the final selection.

The submission deadline is March 10th, 2026 and you can apply using this LINK.

We are looking forward to receiving your cuts!

If you have any questions, please contact:

Neda at email@bdcwebsite.com