There are many festivals, pitching forums, training initiatives and other resources available to filmmakers to help you get in touch with the international market. Just like the distribution of a documentary, it can be really helpful to make a strategy for the development of a new film. DOK Leipzig is one of the largest meeting places for East/West markets, so let’s discuss in detail the opportunities available and the reality of being part of the international market.

Brigid O’Shea is a native of Australia who has worked for European film festivals and documentary organisations since 2008. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts obtained in Melbourne and Berlin, and she started as an intern at the Berlinale Talent Campus. She worked for various Berlinale departments as a freelancer until 2014, including the EFM and the Co-Production Market, until taking a more focused approach on creative documentary. This came from coordinating the DOK Industry Programme from 2009-2015, which also allowed her to freelance for the Institute of Documentary Film in Prague, for Documentary Campus Masterschool, and various Berlin-based production companies. She collected many professional experiences across diverse audiovisual fields as a freelancer, before being appointed Head of DOK Industry Programme in January 2015. She regularly tutors on topics such as European co-financing, cultural management and festival strategies in places like North America and Eastern Europe.