The 2025 edition of Ex Oriente Film kicks off in Sheffield this June, where our CEO Diana El Jeiroudi returns as lead mentor for a third consecutive year. Twelve selected creative documentary projects begin their development journey during this opening workshop, held in collaboration with Sheffield DocFest.

Alongside her mentorship role, Diana will present her talk Shaping Destiny of the Film: The Director–Producer Pact, exploring the dynamics and nuances of collaborative authorship and decision-making in documentary practice. The workshop led by the International Documentary Institute in Prague for over two decades resonates with our engagement with shaping resilient creative structures and building lasting networks across borders and cultures.

More about Sheffield DocFest, Ex-Oriente.