Six days of intense work, 16 international projects, 13 international tutors (and three observers), six lectures and 12 screenings – this is the most concise summary of the July’ session of the workshop for the development of creative and hybrid documentary films Ex Oriente Film + Refineri held in Rijeka (21.-26.07.) and organized by the Institute of Documentary Film from Prague and the Association UKUS from Rijeka.

Rada Šešić, Jean-Pierre Rehm, Amra Bakšić Čamo, Mikael Opstrup, Šejla Kamerić and Audrius Stonys held the lectures opened to public, while in Art-kino Croatia Summer stage the public had the chance to see Episode in the life of iron picker (dir. Danis TanoviĆ), then films by Jean-Pierre Rehm’s choice Mille Soleils (r Mati Diop, France) and Mambo Cool (by Chris Gud, Colombia), films by Audrius Stonys Alone, Uku Ukai and Ramin, films by Šejla Kamerić What Do I Know, Luck, Apollo: First war cinema and 1395 without red. Also, there was a “hidden” beach screening in the beach bar Pajol of Filip Remunda’s Naked people and Ivo Trajkov’s Movie.

Ex Oriente Film + REFINERI workshop held in July in Rijeka was only a part of the year-round educational program of the platform REFINERI by the Association UKUS from Rijeka. The first part of the training was held in April and the next will be held in November, while in July Ex Oriente Film was combined with REFINERI.

Ex Oriente Film also has three sessions, of which Rijeka was the first, the second is in October at the International Documentary Film Festival Jihlava in Czech Republic and the third one will be held next spring in Prague.

The program was carried out with the support of HAVC, City of Rijeka, Foundation Kultura Nova, the MEDIA Programme of the EU, and in collaboration with Art-kino Croatia and in partnership with the Institute of Documentary Film in Prague.