workshop programme – Interaction

Interaction Doc Workshop Programme 2026

18 – 24 August 2026, Požega (Serbia)

LECTURES

For all Workshop participants:
From 18 to 24 August 2026, the participants of the Workshop will explore various aspects of creative documentary film with our experts. The lecturers at Interaction Doc Workshop 2026 are Rada Šešić, programmer of the documentary competition at the Sarajevo Film Festival and the Trieste Film Festival, and Corina Schwingruber Ilić, award-winning filmmaker whose short All Inclusive screened at over 250 festivals including Venice, TIFF, and Sundance. Her feature documentary Dida won the Audience Award at Dok Leipzig, and her latest short Been There premiered in Locarno, earning a Special Mention and a European Film Award candidacy.

Rada Šešić: I have an idea! NOW WHAT?

During the workshop, participants will work with Rada Šešić, film director, lecturer in the field of film, and curator, who has 30 years of experience consulting on projects at the international level in Europe and Asia (IDFA, IFF Rotterdam, Sarajevo Film Festival, Polish Docs to Start and Docs to Go, Balkan Discoveries, Last Stop Trieste, Rough Cut Lab at Vision du Réel, Kerala Film Festival, Doc Edge Kolkata).

Through this unique exploration of creative documentary film, participants will examine different film styles, as well as get to know the specifics of various festivals and markets, and find answers to the following questions:

WHAT do I want to say?
HOW do I want to say it?
Does HOW fit WHAT?
Where to go with my rough cut?
How could my project gain visibility?
Where to go for finishing funds?
My film is ready! How can I be noticed on the international scene?
How do I make a festival strategy?
Do I need an IMPACT strategy?
Can I do PR myself?
Do I need a sales agent?

Corina Schwingruber Ilić: Finding Your Voice: Artistic Approaches to Documentary Filmmaking

In this workshop, participants explore how documentary film themes can be translated and realized through a unique creative vision. Moving beyond standard reporting techniques, we focus on the creative possibilities of visual storytelling, asking: How can we elevate our documentary subjects into compelling artistic statements?

Filmmaker and editor Corina Schwingruber Ilić will share insights from her own artistic journey with concrete examples, while participants bring their own film projects or thematic ideas to explore diverse strategies for creative implementation together.

DOC IN PROGRESS PROGRAMME

For 5 Workshop participants whose projects are selected for development:
Five participants whose projects are selected for development will first present their projects (19 August), and then develop them through individual and group consultations with tutors and other participants (20 – 24 August). The list of tutors for the Doc in Progress programme of the Workshop will be announced in mid-April.

The Doc in Progress programme includes:

1) Presentation of selected projects for development to other Workshop participants, lasting 30 minutes per project (10 minutes for the presentation + 20 minutes for discussion), 19 August.

2) Individual consultations with tutors – Each participant will have 5 individual consultations with 5 tutors, lasting one hour per tutor, from 20 – 24 August.

Candidates can apply with projects in development, regardless of length (short or feature-length documentary) or the stage the project is currently in (development, production, or rough cut).

The participation fee for the Workshop is:

1000 EUR for participants not taking part in the Doc in Progress programme.
1200 EUR for participants with a project in development participating in the Doc in Progress programme.

The participation fee can be paid in two installments or in full.

JOINT PROGRAMMES

Meet2Talk – an accompanying program designed for participants in all Interaction programs. It is intended for their acquaintance, networking, discovering new perspectives on documentary film, and initiating discussions on topics important for short creative documentaries.

Interaction festival – an international festival, launched in 2022, dedicated to short creative documentaries up to 40 minutes long that contribute to pushing the boundaries of documentary film with originality and innovation. Candidates for participation in the Camp and Workshop can submit their short creative documentaries for participation in the Interscreen programme of the Interaction festival.