‘Baltic UXO,’ ‘The Big Chief’ Win Docu Talent From the East Awards

“Baltic UXO” and “The Big Chief” won awards Sunday at Docu Talents From the East during the Sarajevo Film Festival‘s CineLink Industry Days.

Eight documentaries from Central and Eastern Europe, set for theatrical release in the next 12 months, were presented at Docu Talents From the East.

Lithuanian-German-Latvian co-production “Baltic UXO,” directed by Agnė Dovydaitytė and Alexander Belinski, and produced by Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė, took the top award, which came with $5,000, in cooperation with Current Time TV.

The film looks at how 1.6 million tons of munitions, including chemical weapons, were dumped into the Baltic Sea and the North Sea after World War II. The film explores the ecological effects on marine life and the coastal landscapes.

The jury said the project “looks very professional, features beautiful cinematography, and seems to turn a hidden secret into a universal story.” They added: “We can imagine the success of the planned impact campaign, connecting the film to contemporary conversations around environmentalism, militarism and the political decisions that happen without our knowledge.”

The DAFilms.com Distribution Award, which comes with 3,000 Euros in kind, went to “The Big Chief” by Polish director Tomasz Wolski, and produced by Anna Gawlita. The award covers an international VOD release on DAFilms.com, including the Americas, Europe and Asia, for two years.

The film centers on Leopold Trepper, a World War II spy mastermind, who faced a Kafkaesque struggle in 1970s Poland. Once a war hero, his “Red Orchestra” fame made him a target for the communists. Stripped of his job and under constant surveillance, he desperately sought a passport but this was denied. The USSR, his former ally, saw him as a burden.

News of his plight reached France. The activities of the committee for Trepper’s release began. Author Gilles Perrault urged him to emigrate, but attempts to document his story or pressure Poland were thwarted by the secret police. The French film crew faced confiscation of their footage, and baseless accusations of espionage further complicated matters.

Finally, after a hunger strike and mounting international pressure, Poland relented. Trepper left, eventually settling in Israel.

The jury said: “This project may look back to the past, but has the potential of a great modern thriller. It places in front of us a character who many will not know, and explores his controversial life through a wealth of archive footage.”

Since 2005, Docu Talents – curated by the Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival – has been a launchpad for documentaries by both renowned and emerging directors, such as Laila Pakalniņa, Vladimir Mansky, Bartek Konopka, Piotr Stasik, Peter Kerekes, Dmitrii Kalashnikov and Helena Třeštíková. Films presented had world and international premieres at major film festivals including in Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, Rotterdam and Sundance.

Marek Hovorka, director of Ji.hlava, said: “Documentarians are pioneers in the world of filmmaking, often being the first to capture and present the most current reflections of our time. This year’s Docu Talents showcase, featuring a selection of the most intriguing upcoming films from Central and Eastern Europe, highlights themes that strongly resonate today—mental health, environmental concerns, and the impact of the war in Ukraine on neighboring countries.”

During the awards, representatives of Ji.hlava revealed the names of the Emerging Producers for 2025. The program aims to promote the work of European documentary film producers and provides them with a range of networking, educational and promotional support throughout the year.

Seventeen European producers will be accompanied by a producer from Canada, which is the guest country of the 2025 Emerging Producers program. The program consists of two workshops – taking place in Jihlava in October 2024 and during the Berlinale in February 2025.

The Emerging Producers for 2025 will be Vahagn Khachatryan (Armenia), Michal Sikora (Czech Republic), Danai Anagnostou (Finland), Elise Hug (France), Michael Kalb (Germany), Loránd Balázs Imre (Hungary),
Zofia Kujawska (Poland), Daniel Pereira (Portugal), Elena Martín (Romania), Danilo Lazovic (Serbia), Monika Lošťáková (Slovakia), Zoran Dževerdanović (Slovenia), Miguel Eek Quesada (Spain), Ashley Smith (Sweden), Irene Muñoz Martin (Switzerland), Luiza Paiva (U.K.), Mariia Ponomarova (Ukraine/Netherlands), and Audrey-Ann Dupuis-Pierre (Canada).