CIRCLE training initiative

🎙️ Doc Talk | #EthicalFilmmaking How can better communication help foster safer and more equitable working relationships in documentary filmmaking? Drawing on legal and therapeutic counselling perspectives, this panel examines how filmmakers can build stronger working relationships through more intentional communication, building healthier and more equitable collaborations throughout the filmmaking process. Curated by DAE – Documentary Association of Europe (@docassociationeu ) in association with CIRCLE Doc Accelerator (@circleaccelerator ). 📅 Learn more about the panel, and add this conversation to your agenda! 👉 Link in bio over at @cannes_docs — #CannesDocs #MDF26 #MarcheDuFilm #Cannes2026

CIRCLE is heading to Cannes 🎬✨ Join us across a series of events dedicated to documentary filmmaking, collaboration, and meaningful conversations during this year’s @cannes.docs & @marchedufilm 📍 DOCS-IN-PROGRESS – CIRCLE Showcase 🗓 Monday, 18 May | 11:45–13:00 CEST 📌 Screening Room Lérins 1 Discover a selection of exciting documentary projects in progress presented to festival programmers, sales agents, and industry professionals looking for bold new stories and collaborations. 💻 The showcase will also be available online for Cannes Docs online badge holders following the onsite presentation. 🎙 DOC TALK – Communicating the Stakes in Documentary Filmmaking 🗓 Monday, 18 May | 16:30–17:30 CEST 📌 The Viewpoint (Lérins) Curated by DAE (@docassociationeu ) & CIRCLE Doc Accelerator, this panel explores emotional, ethical, and creative challenges in documentary filmmaking through legal and therapeutic perspectives. 🤝 CIRCLE Group Consultation 🗓 Wednesday, 20 May | 17:15–18:15 CEST 📌 Riviera H4, Marché du Film An informal opportunity for filmmakers and producers to connect with CIRCLE Programme Manager Agustina Figueras, present their projects, ask questions, and exchange ideas in a collegial setting. ✨ Attending from the CIRCLE team: Biljana Tutorov, Programme Director Agustina Figueras, Project Manager We look forward to meeting filmmakers, partners, and friends in Cannes 🌴

🎬AMAZONAS by Clara Lopez Rubio will be featured at @cannes.docs 2026 as part of this year’s Circle Doc Accelerator showcase! In Waorani territory in the Ecuadorian Amazon, ancient trees are felled as the first road cuts into the forest. Two grandmothers envision opposing futures: Nancy yearns for the privileges of life beyond the forest, while Huanginkamu strives to protect her ancestral territory. As the filmmaker questions what her presence sets in motion, the three women co-imagine together a world rooted in care rather than power. Directed by Clara López Rubio @claralopezrubio Produced by Laura Dauden (Forward Films, Spain @_forwardfilms_ ), Isabela Parra (Caleidoscopio Cine, Ecuador), Anke Petersen (Jyoti Film, Germany @jyoti__film ) Clara López Rubio is a DFFB-trained documentary filmmaker who spent nine years following the Assange case, resulting in her documentary Hacking Justice (2021), broadcast on several European public television stations and has presented her work internationally, receiving support from institutions including ICAA, DAMA Proyecta, Berliner Projektfonds, FFA, and NRW Filmstiftung. #cannesdoc #circleshowcase#circledocaccelerator #eurimages #creativeeuropemedia

🎬SISTERS We’re proud to present Tereza Bernátková’s film as part of @cannes.docs 2026 Circle Doc Accelerator showcase! In a remote institution in former Czechoslovakia in the late 1950s, Catholic nuns care for teenage girls labeled mentally disabled, hidden from society. One nun holds a camera and films their daily lives. Decades later, survivors revisit these images, revealing a powerful story confronting women’s place in society, politics of institutional care, and enduring inequality. Directed by Tereza Bernátková. Produced byDagmar Sedláčková, Natália Pavlove (MasterFilm, Czech Republic) @masterfilmprague Tereza Bernátková graduated in International Relations and Media Studies at Masaryk University and in Documentary Directing at FAMU in Prague. Her films were twice part of the Czech Joy selection at Jihlava IDFF: Solos for Members of Parliament (2018, Special Mention Prize) and Techsquat (2015). She collaborated with Czech TV as a director on several films based on archival material, both from official institutional archives and personal footage. Whether in The History of the Czech Communist Party or in her other films, Tereza approaches archives as a lively source of alternative, off-modern histories that challenge dominant narratives. #cannesdoc #circleshowcase#circledocaccelerator #eurimages #creativeeuropemedia

🎬PORTRAIT OF A by Rand Beiruty is heading to @cannes.docs 2026 as part of this year’s Circle Doc Accelerator showcase! Andrea is a young Romani woman in eastern Germany who runs toward love at sixteen, eloping with her boyfriend. He is unfaithful, but leaving him is not simple. Over seven years we follow Andrea through love, betrayal and motherhood, weaving in stop-motion animation into an ongoing dialogue with the filmmaker about compromise and the choices we make. Directed by Rand Beiruty Produced by Jude Kawwa & Rand Beiruty, co-founders of Shaghab Films (Jordan) Rand Beiruty is a writer, director and creative producer. Her debut feature documentary ‘Tell Them About Us’ premiered at CPH:DOX 2024 and received the German Documentary Film Award 2025 for an emerging filmmaker and the ECFA Award for Best European Feature Documentary for Young Audiences. Her short animated documentary ‘Shadows’ premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival and went on to screen at 100+ festivals, winning over 20 awards. #cannesdoc #circleshowcase#circledocaccelerator #eurimages #creativeeuropemedia

🎬INTIMATE REVOLUTIONS by Julia Maryanska is part of CIRCLE Doc Accelerator @cannes.docs 2026 showcase! Rebelling against the traditions of her Polish family during her American upbringing, Julia forges her own path in countercultures, documenting her queer, polyamorous life over 15 years. The birth of her daughter brings her back to Europe to confront her mother and the inherited scripts of womanhood. Together, they come to see liberation not as a destination, but as a negotiation with time, body, and power. Directed by Julia Maryanska. Executive Producer by Marc J. Francis (Speakit Productions, United Kingdom) Julia Maryanska is a Polish-American filmmaker and photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, working at the intersection of justice, eros, and culture-building. She has contributed to award-winning films including My Reincarnation and Regarding Susan Sontag, and co-directed The Village of Lovers. #cannesdoc #circleshowcase#circledocaccelerator #eurimages #creativeeuropemedia

#CannesDocs presents the CIRCLE Showcase! 🔍 @circleaccelerator — the international training initiative for women and gender-expansive filmmakers — is proud to present its four docs-in-progress showcasing the talent of their alums from around the globe! Each project will be showcased through a pitch and a 10-minute excerpt from the rough cut, aiming to grab the attention of doc decision-makers, festival programmers and sales agents. 🎥 Save the date! 👇 📅 18 May | 11:45 | Lérins 1 Screening Room Learn more about the projects 👉 Link in bio over at @cannes.docs — #MDF26 #MarcheDuFilm #Cannes2026 #DocsInProgress

CIRCLE, uz podršku Filmskog centra Crne Gore, organizuje besplatnu dvodnevnu radionicu za filmske autorke koje rade na igranim i dokumentarnim projektima. ⏰Kada: 23–24. april
 🏛️ Gdje: Podgorica
 Za rediteljke i producentkinje Bez obzira na to da li ste iskusne ili na početku karijere, i da li ste u ranoj fazi razvoja projekta, u produkciji ili postprodukciji — dobrodošle ste! Tokom dva dana, kroz proces će vas voditi nagrađivana scenaristkinja i producentkinja Bianca Oana (Collective – dvostruka nominacija za Oskara; Touch Me Not – Zlatni medved, Berlinale). Ovo je prostor za razmjenu ideja, različitih perspektiva i unapređenje vašeg filma. Imamo još samo nekoliko slobodnih mjesta! 💪🏽 🔗Link za prijavu u opisu profila. Join our CIRCLE Workshop in Podgorica CIRCLE, in partnership with Film Centre Montenegro, is offering a free 2-day workshop for women filmmakers working in fiction and documentary. ⏰When: 23–24 April
🏛️Where: Podgorica Whether you’re developing a project at an early idea stage or already in progress, you’re very welcome to apply. Over two days, you’ll work closely with award-winning screenwriter and producer Bianca Oana and industry expert Brigid O’Shea, who will guide you through your project in a supportive and collaborative setting. This is a space to share ideas, exchange perspectives, and move your film forward. 💪🏽 We have just a few places left! 🔗Link to registration form in bio.

Faezeh Nikoozad’s IN BETWEEN, A PLACE (جایی در میانه) will have its World Premiere at @visionsdureel 2026, in the Burning Lights Competition!🔥💡 Such an important and significant selection.........! The film was presented in progress at Cannes Docs - Marché du Film 2024, as part of the CIRCLE Doc Accelerator Showcase, and received the DAE Award from the hands of Marion Schmidt 🩵 🔎 IN BETWEEN, A PLACE جایی در میانه Directed by Faezeh Nikoozad Produced by Julia Cöllen, Karsten Krause, Frank Scheuffele (Fünferfilm UG) Germany | 2026 | 95' Three Iranian women, filmmakers and childhood friends, explore through filmed correspondence the different paths their lives have taken: remaining in their native country, emigrating or living in exile. Over the course of thirteen years, the images examine the notion of home and the relationships that matter – a striking and sensitive film about friendship in times of political turmoil and repression. Congratulations, team! ✨ More info ➔ link in bio ✔️ @cannes.docs #CannesDocs @marchedufilm #MarcheDuFilm #MDF26 @circlewomendocaccelerator @visionsdureel @documentaryassociationeurope / Directed by @faezehnikoozad / Produced by @jc0llen , Karsten Krause, @frankscheuffele @funferfilm / Photography - Stephan Rosche, @faezehnikoozad , Davoud Ashrafi / Edited by Farahnaz Sharifi @farsharifi / Sound - Patrick Dadaczynski, Erick Espinosa / Music - Atena Eshtiaghi @atenaeshtiaghi / Dramaturgy - Daniel Asadi Faezi @danielasadifaezi / Poster Design - Una Helbig @unahelbig / With Hamideh Golmohammadi @hamidehgolmohamadi Narges Kalhor @nargeskalhor / Funded by @bundeskultur , @moinfilmfoerderung , @claussen.simon.stiftung / Developed at @circleaccelerator / Presented at @dokleipzig @dok.forum @cannes.docs

✨ Meet the CIRCLE Digital Empowerment Head of Programme: Katerina Cizek ✨ 🎬 A Peabody and Emmy Award-winning documentarian and a leading voice in emergent storytelling, Katerina brings over 25 years of experience in collective narrative development and new media practices. During the 1st session, Katerina will introduce the Interactive, Immersive, and Synthetic Landscape, drawing on her rich career and experience to explore the possibilities of emergent media forms for creative expression and audience connection. This new free monthly online series brings together filmmakers to engage with evolving technologies, creative approaches, and new narrative forms. ⏳ Applications close April 6 📅 First session: April 9 ⏱ Monthly 90-minute sessions 🎓 Free participation + certificate Open to CIRCLE alumni & members of partner organisations. 🔗 Secure your place via the link in bio

✨ A New Chapter Begins! ✨ Introducing the CIRCLE Digital Empowerment Programme — 8 exclusive FREE online sessions for our Alumni and Partner community exploring the future of interactive, immersive & synthetic storytelling. 🎬🌐 Led by award-winning documentarian, author, and producer Katerina Cizek, this programme takes you deep into the rapidly evolving worlds of interactive, immersive, and synthetic storytelling. Across these sessions, women and gender expansive participants will benefit from inspiring talks and real-world case studies, each followed by open discussion and Q&A. The programme provides direct access to world-class creators and curators, fostering dialogue around the intersection of artistic vision and emerging technology. 🗓 Opening Session: Thursday, 9 April 2026 🕒 3:00 PM CET | 2:00 PM UK | 9:00 AM ET 💻 Online | Exclusively for CIRCLE Alumni, Community & Partners ⏳ Places are limited — applications close 6 April 🔗 Register for FREE via the link in bio!

✨ Two CIRCLE films are heading to CPH:DOX – and we couldn't be more proud. 🎬 This year's festival marks not one, but two World Premieres 🌍 of projects developed through the CIRCLE Doc Accelerator: 🎥 SOMETHING FAMILIAR by Rachel Taparjan competing in the DOX:AWARD 🏆
developed through CIRCLE Doc Accelerator 2022 Where do you belong when the place you come from was never yours to keep?
 A deeply personal journey through adoption, legacy of abuse, and the power to write one’s own life story. 🎥 BECOMING EMA by Patricia Drati competing in the NEXT:WAVE AWARD 🌊
developed through CIRCLE Doc Accelerator 2020 A name. An identity. A transformation unfolding on screen. Patricia Drati's debut feature will leave you asking – who do we become when we finally choose ourselves? From development to the world stage 🌍 – this is what CIRCLE is all about.
Watching the filmmakers in our community bring their visions to life ✨ We are endlessly proud of Rachel and Patricia 💛 and wish them the very best of luck. 🍀