Kouzi Productions

10/08/2024

Read my latest interview with Diak on the occasion of her film Dad’s Lullaby World Premiere at Sarajevo Film Festival 2024

I met Lesia Diak at the Doku Rough Cut Boutique workshop in Cluj in 2023. A young filmmaker, she appeared serious and was an attentive listener. Now, a year later, her film is set to premiere at the Sarajevo Film Festival. I sense it will travel far; I'm confident she'll make it to the European Film Awards. An interview is an opportunity to discuss both publishable and unpublishable matters, to foster mutual understanding. Lesia was generous and trusting. While speaking with her, I felt transported to the intimate moments captured in her film—the honest atmosphere of a small apartment and the intensity of the editing room. Lesia said, 'I need to have eye contact with my protagonist,' even as she operated the camera. Feeling responsible for sharing her subjects' private moments, she decided to reciprocate by revealing aspects of her own life as well.

I met Lesia Diak at the Doku Rough Cut Boutique workshop in Cluj in 2023. A young filmmaker, she appeared serious and was an attentive listener. Now, a year later, her film is set to premiere at th…

04/08/2024

Press Kit of Dad's Lullaby is life. Please check it here and ask us for interviews and press screeners before the Sarajevo festival.
bit.ly/dadslullabyepk

🎬 Dear journalists and filmmakers, the press kit for our upcoming film Dad's Lullaby is now live! And it is much more than just a press kit. We invite you to dive into extra content, a captivating interview with the director-producer Lesia Diak, stills from the film and the characters, and all the background details that bring this emotional tale to life. Access the press kit now to explore the heart and soul of Dad's Lullaby ahead of its premiere at SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL.
Press screeners are available upon request.
The director, Lesia Diak, is available for interviews.

29/07/2024

Here it goes again Alice On & Off goes SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL! And yes we love it!

Continuing its remarkable journey through international festivals and receiving multiple awards, we are happy to announce that Alice On & Off has been officially selected for the Documentary Competition at the SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL2024. The debut feature by Isabela von Tent will be screened on August 20.
�Festivals - Awards�- TIFF Transilvania International Film Festival, 2024 | FIPRESCI Award - Best Romanian Film, Best Debut Romanian Days Award, “What’s Up, Doc?” Special Mention �- ANONIMUL International Independent Film Festival, 2024�- Krakow Film Festival, 2024 | World Premiere

Don't miss Alice On & Off on the 20th of August at 15:00h at Cineplexx Hall 1, the director von Tent will be present for a Q & A with the audience!

26/07/2024

19 films are selected by Rada Secic for the Doc Competition of 30th Sarajevo Film Festival! I have collaborated in the audience development in the past 3 years with 6 of them! Even if you miss Sarajevo, take a note, you will meet them for sure in one of the coming festivals!

DAD’S LULLABY / TATOVA KOLYSKOVA, Lesia Diak (Ukraine, Romania, Croatia, 2024, 78 min.) – World premiere

YOUR LIFE WITHOUT ME / AZ ÉLETED NÉLKÜLEM, Rubi (Hungary, Sweden, 2024, 72 min.) – World premiere

ALICE ON & OFF, Isabela Von Tent (Romania, 2024, 86 min.) – Regional premiere

CENT’ANNI, Prelog (Slovenia, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Austria, 2024, 87 min.) – Regional premiere

FRAGMENTS OF ICE / FRAGMENTY LYODU, Maria Stoianova (Ukraine, Norway, 2024, 95 min.) – Regional premiere
and

PAVILION 6 / PAVILJON 6, Goran Dević (Croatia, 2024, 69 min.) – Regional premiere

Here is the lineup for the Sarajevo Documentary Competition. A big thank you to Business Doc Europe for featuring the main picture of Dad’s Lullaby to illustrate it! Read about it

“This year’s selection can be described as ‘fishing in the river of time,’” says programmer Rada Šešić.

25/07/2024

Dear friends, we’re so happy to announce our collaboration for the audience development of ‘Dad’s Lullaby’ world premiere at the Sarajevo Film Festival 2024! Of course we will be present for this spectacular premiere together with the Director Lesia Diak and the producers Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan, Elena Martin and Hrvoje Osvadić.
Meet me (Dimitra Kouzi) at Sarajevo from 17-20/8❤️

Dear friends, we’re so happy to announce that ‘Dad’s Lullaby’ our first feature length documentary, is celebrating its world premiere at the SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL2024! Officially selected for the documentary competition, the film will be screened on August 18.

After 6 years in the making, this crafted documentary will hopefully engage the viewers in a deeply intimate experience. Immensely grateful and deeply honored to be part of the 30th edition of this amazing festival, the entire creative team is starting the countdown and both the producers and the director will be in Sarajevo for the premiere.

Director – Script Writer: Lesia Diak; Delegate Producer: Lesia Diak; Producers: Lesia Diak from Drama Free, Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan, Elena Martin from ; Co-Producer: Hrvoje Osvadić from Petnaesta umjetnost; Director of Photography: Lesia Diak; Editor: Gorgan; Sound Designer: Sebastian Zsemlye; End Credits Composer: Margaryta Kulichova; Poster Design: , Maar, Audience Development: Dimitra Kouzi Kouzi Productions

15/06/2024

If you are in Cluj and TIFF don't miss the Romanian Premiere of Alice On & Off. It has been great to collaborate with this nice filmmakers producer Irina Malcea and director Isabela Tent for reaching out to the international audience with a tailor made communication strategy. After 10 years of making this wonderful film no wonder that they now smile so happily!

24/05/2024

Dimitra Kouzi Interviews von Tent, Alice On & Off Luna Film before the world premiere in the international competition at Krakow Film Festival 2024
read it here

Dimitra Kouzi: What made you stay with Alice and film her story for more than ten years? Isabela von Tent: The story goes back to 2014. I was in film school and, for an exam, I needed to make a doc…

15/05/2024

It is great to work with nice people! Keep an eye on Alice On & Off, it is premiering at Krakow Film Festival in the main competition. Now we need the press to be mobilised and a few more great festivals! For more please check our fantastic press kit! Voila https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/140qq-cc-axk5Gpqkz85iijK63xE5KeX-

"Seven years ago (2017), fresh out of film school, Isabela introduced me to the world of Alice through her short documentary. This short film laid the groundwork for our feature collaboration. From the moment Alice appeared on screen, I was captivated. Her complexity, unconventional beauty, wit, and resilience resonated deeply with me, and I empathize with her as an unloved child. I couldn't help but wonder: what path might Alice's life have taken if she had experienced a childhood filled with love?
Over the past seven years, I've had the privilege of witnessing Isabela's remarkable growth as both a woman and a filmmaker – a journey for which I'll always be grateful. Through Alice's experience with love's presence and absence, I hope viewers will be inspired to look inward and realize that we all share a fundamental yearning for connection, security, and love."
Irina Andreea Malcea, Producer

Alice On & Off will celebrate its world premiere at Krakow Film Festival 2024 in the international competition (premiere 29/5)

DIRECTOR & DOP: Isabela Von Tent
PRODUCER: Malcea Candea, Luna Film
EDITOR: Letiția Ștefănescu
SOUND: Osman
SOUND DESIGNERS: DRAGOMIR
MUSIC: Stratan, Diblea
POSTER DESIGN: Candea

A Luna Film PRODUCTION

SUPPORTED BY THE Centrul National al Cinematografiei / Romanian Film Centre WITH THE SUPPORT OF Cinema City Romania, Avanpost MEDIA,
IN COLLABORATION WITH THE TVR (Televiziunea Română) ROMANIAN PUBLIC TELEVISION (TVR)


Audience Development and Press: Dimitra Kouzi Productions

Developed at
2023 DOCU Rough Cut Boutique
2023 Pitch the Doc by European Women's Audiovisual Network - EWA
2021 Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest
2021 fARAD
2018–2019 Ex Oriente Film Workshop
2018 ZagrebDox Pro
2017 Astra Film Festival Doc Tank

10/05/2024

Audience development and press work for a great film:

Alice On & Off shot and directed by Isabela Von Tent over the course of 10 years, produced by Irina Andreea Malcea Luna Film premiering at the feature length competition at Krakow Film Festival 2024.
Watch the trailer of the film exclusively
and read the article by Vladan Petkovic at Cineuropa

10/05/2024 - Romanian director Isabela Tent's first feature-length documentary follows the titular character over ten years, through skewed family dynamics, online s*x work and substance addiction

09/05/2024

Thank you for the invitation excited to be part of the Documentary Film for Young Audiences Forum within the framework of Millennium Docs Against Gravity! A lot of interesting captivating docs are coming up.

After a several months of preparation 7 Polish documentary projects for young audiences in the development phase are presented to a panel representatives of the international and polish film industry. We undertake the consultancy role, eager to review some amazing projects and delighted to see them being realized!

The film projects were developed during the fourth edition of LET'S DOC. DOCUMENTARY IDEAS LAB, organized by the Andrzej Wajda Centre for Film Culture.

Millennium Docs Against Gravity

26/04/2024

Interview ‘NORWEGIAN DEMOCRAZY’ on the occasion of its INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE @ HOT DOCS 2024!
Bård Kjøge Rønning and Fabien Greenberg (Directors/Producers)
interview by Dimitra Kouzi

Freedom of speech played out at the street level: A deep dive into the extreme Islam-critical group SIAN (Stop the Islamization of Norway) and the chaos they cause.

Bård Kjøge Rønning and Fabien Greenberg (Directors/Producers) Interview by Dimitra Kouzi Freedom of speech played out at the street level: A deep dive into the extreme Islam-critical group SIAN (St…

08/04/2024

Well done to all participants at Balkan Watchers!
Good luck with the process. It is super important that a program for investigative films and podcasts is established for mentorship and support. Powered by Balkan Documentary Center

😇 The launch of Balkan Watchers program is a fact. We are in Bucharest at One World Romania, where the first session began.

👏 Check out the list of selected projects here:
https://shorturl.at/doR57

We are happy to welcome projects from Hungary, Poland, Greece, Armenia, Romania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Kosovo*, North Macedonia. 🥰🥰🥰🥰

Welcome and we are looking forward to productive days!

Creative Europe Kouzi Productions

02/04/2024

Projects from the Balkans or filmmakers with a Balkan-related topic submit for the Balkan Documentary Center Discoveries until 15/4. The 3 module workshop is ideal for projects in development who already have a producer but also for solo directors (as an exception).
It takes place during 3 great festivals (Beldocs - Меđunarodni festival dokumentarnog filma, Balkan Documentary Center SofiaDokumental and DOK Leipzig) and is the only workshop for the region and one of the best documentary workshops to work in depth during development or preproduction.
Mentorship, Case studies, Group work, Networking, Matchmaking all included! Selected will be 7 projects and 3 observes from the industry. I (Dimitra Kouzi) will also be there working with each project on audience development and communication strategies.

🍀The pillar program of Balkan Documentary Center, BDC Discoveries, is accepting applications!

⭐ Send your documentary projects in development if you are from the Balkans or working on a Balkan-related topic.

⭐Deadline: 15 April 2024
More information here: https://shorturl.at/kqGHV
Application form: https://forms.gle/skphPmGs9G8H41kz9

Creative Europe Beldocs - Меđunarodni festival dokumentarnog filma
Национален филмов център / Bulgarian National Film Center

28/03/2024

It is never too early to work on your audience strategy! Thank you Balkan Documentary Center and DOCU Rough Cut Boutique it has been a very inspiring week for me working together with the 5 carefully selected projects in Rough Cut. I miss you all already!

18/03/2024

Super proud to collaborate with Lie to Me on the Communication and Audience strategy for the international premiere at CPH:DOX!
More details available here: https://cphdox.dk/film/lie-to-me/

‘Lie to Me’ is the story of how tech nerd and blockchain expert Bjørn Bjercke overturned the OneCoin pyramid scheme, the biggest Crypto fraud in history. But more than that, it’s also the story of how and why people keep getting scammed, directed by Bår Tyrmi, produced by Dag Mykland.

More details and upcoming screenings at CPH:DOX are available here https://cphdox.dk/film/lie-to-me/

10/03/2024

Invited and organised by Institute of Documentary Film this webinar is the perfect occasion to get an insight into audiences and communication strategies. Sign up using the link below!

We invite you to a webinar called It's Never Too Early to Design Your Audience Strategy with a renowned journalist, producer and filmmaker Dimitra Kouzi who specializes in audience development and communication strategy. When: March 14, 2024 What time: 17:00 - 18:30 (CET, Prague) Format: Zoom Webina...

01/03/2024

Passionate about uncovering untold stories in a cinematic way? Ready to tackle issues through the lens of creativity?
The Balkan Watchers program extended its deadline till March 8!

Dive into investigative journalism, submit your application and see your ideas turning into captivating documentaries or thought-provoking podcasts.

Learn more about the new initiative of the Balkan Documentary Center in Business Doc Europe https://businessdoceurope.com/balkan-documentary-centre-launches-new-training-funding-initiative/

Full call:https://bdcwebsite.com/announce.pdf Application: https://forms.gle/EjrjN3VzeaEA25fF9

Program for Documentary Films and Podcasts’ aims to amplify the voices engaged in investigative and independent journalism through documentaries/podcasts.

16/02/2024

New funding and training opportunity by the Balkan Documentary Center for investigative journalists.

Apply your investigative documentary project or podcast by 1/3!
Info here https://www.bdcwebsite.com/announce.pdf
and application here https://forms.gle/EjrjN3VzeaEA25fF9

💥Attention💥
Balkan Documentary Center is launching a brand new program and funding scheme - BALKAN WATCHERS.

Organized in collaboration with One World Romania and supported by Creative Europe, the program is looking for investigative documentary film projects and podcasts!

⭐We will select 10 film and 10 audio projects for training in three modules (two residential in Bucharest and Sofia and one online).
⭐Six projects will receive funding for completion after pitching in Sofia during Sofia Documental festival.
⭐Eligible countries: Central and Eastern Europe + Caucasus.

More info about the program and application:https://www.bdcwebsite.com/announce.pdf

🍀 We are looking forward to receiving your applications.
🌹 Deadline - 01 March 2024

08/02/2024

Fantastic news! Congratulations Heidi Elise Christensen!
As the new Managing Director of Nordisk Panorama! Super proud of you!

19/01/2024

Learn from Athens? Exergue – on documenta 14, by Athiridis, will premiere at the Berlinale, Documentary Form.
I haven't watched the film yet but it is 840 min long and to me this opens a very interesting discussion about the right duration and the ability of the audience to concentrate! Super interesting to watch the backstage of the Documenta 14 and it's Director Adam Szymczyk. Looking forward to it.

Berlin International Film Festival - official website

22/12/2023

Apolonia Apolonia, directed by Lea Glob and produced by Lønvig Siersted. Executive Producer Sigrid Dyekjær and Danish Documentary. Academy awards shortlist for Best Documentary! Wow! Congratulations!

Just trying out some new laurels 😉

Because we're still SO excited and honored to be shortlisted for an Oscar. Thank you Academy voters.

'Apolonia, Apolonia' starring the artist Apolonia Sokol. It's directed by Lea Glob and produced by Sidsel Lønvig Siersted. Executive Producer Sigrid Dyekjaer and Danish Documentary.

13/12/2023

Spread the news! Apolonia by Glob must get the OSCAR in the category Documentary Feature Film! Share the post!

12/12/2023

Tatammm DOCU Rough Cut Boutique information meeting!
Do you have a film in rough cut stage?
Don't miss the opportunity to ask whatever you want to ask about this unique workshop and the application process - Will be all there! 20th December at 10 AM CET (Berlin, Paris time). Please register here: https://forms.gle/w4awTZ14tBVkueB86 .
You will receive the Zoom link via email.

🤗Big announcement! DOCU Rough Cut Boutique is happy to invite you to apply for our next year’s 14th edition. 🏆Join forces with us, in order to complete your documentary in post-production.

The workshop will take place in three parts and in order to apply, you have to submit a minimum of 60 minutes material, subtitled in English.

‼️The submission deadline is January 20th, 2024.‼️ Application link will be available in the following days.

👉Projects coming from the following countries are eligible to apply: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine.

💸Fee: 1000 EUR per team

🎙Join us for a Q&A session over zoom, where we will answer all questions about the application process - 20th December at 10 AM CET (Berlin, Paris time). Please register here: https://forms.gle/w4awTZ14tBVkueB86 .
You will receive the Zoom link via email.

CineLink Industry Days Balkan Documentary Center Национален филмов център / Bulgarian National Film Center

22/11/2023

To all in the Doc business colleagues: Apolonia Apolonia, by Lea Glob is NOMINATED for the European Film Award (voting deadline on the EFA platform 30/11) and is available in the Academy Screening Room.

Lea Glob’s documentary Apolonia, Apolonia earned a leading four nominations today as the IDA Documentary Awards revealed its nominees for the 39th edition of the prestigious event. Following c…

21/11/2023

IDFA 2023 highlights of Girls' Stories_documentary film premiere audience development/communication strategy!

12/11/2023

"Aga Borzym’s charming debut documentary feature"
is the quoting!

We have press for Girls' Stories_documentary film! And such a lovely article at Business Doc Europe as our audience campaign continues.

"The film has a delicious sense of joy and lightness"

Read more here

“It’s not so [usual] to have a documentary [in Poland] where the protagonists are kids.”

07/11/2023

THIS is so amazing ✨♥️
Apolonia, Apolonia by Lea Glob, produced by directed, produced by Sidsel Lonvig Siersted and Malgorzata Starońis nominated for the European Film Awards in the documentary section! I am proud to do the EFA campaign with this fantastic team!
The decision is made by the 4,600 members of the European Film Academy who have voted for their favorite, and we are so thrilled that they have chosen our film to be amongst the nominated ones.

THIS is so amazing ✨♥️

We are nominated for the European Film Awards in the documentary section!

The decision is made by the 4,600 members of the European Film Academy who have voted for their favourite, and we are so trilled that they have choosen our film to be amongst the nominated ones.

30/10/2023

We are super excited to be part of the Girls' Stories_documentary film team and create their audience development campaign for its IDFA premiere on 13/11 in the Youth Competition!

14/06/2023

at DOCU Rough Cut Boutique in Cluj Romania.

10/05/2023

Whether online or in person, I am eagerly attending festivals, markets, and other industry events around Europe. Meet me at Beldocs - Меđunarodni festival dokumentarnog filma for the Balkan Documentary Center workshop 10-14/5 or at Against Gravity in Warshaw 14-16/5.