The Balkan Documentary Center’s new initiative, Balkan Watchers, concluded its final phase at Sofia DocuMental, providing a platform for critical storytelling through journalism-driven films and podcasts. The program, funded by Creative Europe Media and in collaboration with One World Romania, supports journalists, filmmakers, and activists facing challenges in the Balkans and beyond. On October 3, participants presented their projects to key industry professionals, and on October 5, six winning projects (three films and three podcasts) were awarded financial support by an international jury. The initiative aims to foster cross-border collaboration and promote democratic values through media, with documentaries receiving €25,000 and podcasts €5,000 each.

Here are the winners:

BALKAN WATCHERS PODCASTS:

TAXI TAXI 

Creator: Vladic Ravich

Producer: Sopho Chkheidze

Country: Georgia 

‘This clever, well-thought out format aims to introduce sophisticated audio storytelling to a new market by revisiting existing stories and rendering them in engaging audio form, with a smart plan for distribution on a number of different networks. The team has strong experience and a clear vision for the project, with provision built in to select the most effective stories and discard the others.’

KAYA’S PURSUIT 

Creator: Marta Kasztelan

Producer: Marta Kasztelan

Country: Poland 

‘This brave project is taking on a sensitive and intimate subject – childhood sexual abuse – and asking tough questions about knowledge and culpability. The producer has a strong protagonist and a clear public purpose in changing Polish law on the statute of limitations. This is an ambition we are honoured to be able to support.’

ALEX’S NEW JOB 

Creator: Alex Lungu

Producer: Andreea Tănase

Country: Romania

‘We were immediately caught by the brilliant trailer which took a well-known story – about online scams – and told in a fresh and lively way, as we follow our hero down the rabbit hole, dragging his long-suffering partner with him. Witty, contemporary and investigative, this is a model for a long-form narrative podcast and should be a hit.’

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BALKAN WATCHERS FILMS:

WAVE

Director: Mariam Chachia
Producer Mariam Chachia
Co-producer: Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan 

Production: OpyoDoc; Kino Elva (Georgia)
Co-production company: Manifest Film (Romania)

Country: Georgia-Romania

‘The jury appreciated bravery to make a film under really difficult conditions. Film that amplifies the democratic voice and urgent fight against censorship and against the power of oligarchs.’

THE FOREST GLADE 

Director: Oksana Savoskina

Producer: Iryna Cherhenets

Co-producer: Loránd Balázs Imre 

Production company: hromadske 

Co-production company: filmDOUGH

Country: Ukraine

‘This documentary portrays a unique place where people seek physically- and/or mentally healing due to war. After three weeks they go back to the front or try to find their way into civilian life. The chosen style where “The forest Glade” itself is our guide, combined with astonishing camerawork and creative editing, convinced the jury that of a creative approach and the urgency of the topic has to be awarded.’

LOST AND FOUND: UNCOVERING THE TRUTH

Director: Laurentiu Garofeanu

Producer: Laurentiu Garofeanu

Production Company: Mekanism Media

Country: Romania

‘This third award goes to a film project that speaks of a broad, important issue that has marked our region for the past 40 years (the child adoption practices).Still, it does this through a very personal and emotional story, on the quest of finding again a lost identity and a place in this world. This struggle of the characters is echoed by the tenacity of the filmmaker.’

The jury of Balkan Watchers consisted of Margje de Koning (artistic director of Movies That Matter, NL), Alexandro Solomon (festival director of One World, Romania), Ondrej Kamenicky (festival director of One World, Czech Republic), Velislava Popova (editor-in-chief of Dnevnik.bg) and Hugh Levinson (commissioner at BBC Radio 4).