DocsValencia will feature prominent figures from the international documentary industry in its 2025 edition, including representatives from spaces like Berlinale, Sundance Institute, Hot Docs, and Fipadoc, among others.
In the ninth edition of the non-fiction film festival, the professional laboratory DocsLab-À Punt will be expanded, taking place from May 9 to 17. This expansion has led to the opening of two parallel workshops for the first time, with eight selected projects in each.
The first workshop will be led by Emiliano Mazza, focusing on the early stages of development and storytelling. The second workshop, facilitated by Martha Orozco, will concentrate on projects in more advanced stages, emphasizing production. This decision was made due to the significant increase in applications from projects in both development and ‘work in progress’ stages.
This edition of DocsLab reaffirms its commitment to providing training and support to new voices in documentary filmmaking, establishing itself as one of the most robust industry platforms in the national landscape, as highlighted by the organization in a statement.
One of the workshops will be conducted by Martha Orozco (Mexico), a renowned producer known for her work on films addressing social and political issues. As the founder of MartFilms and an advisor to major international labs, her production ‘Allende, mi abuelo Allende’ received the L’Oeil d’Or at Cannes in 2015. She has been a teacher since 2005 and the director of the Production Department at the prestigious EICTV, the International School of Film and Television in San Antonio de Los Baños, Cuba. Since 2019, she has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The second workshop will be led by Emiliano Mazza de Luca (Uruguay), a director and producer with experience in film, live performances, and concert cinema. He served as the impact director and co-designer of the successful social impact campaign #LaRevancha. He has provided guidance in spaces such as the INCAA Incubator (Argentina), Bolivia Lab, CineIndigenous (USA), and Good Pitch (Mexico).
Inti Cordera (Mexico) will serve as the coordinator for both labs, overseeing the Docs in Progress (DIP) space. Scheduled for the mornings of May 13 and 14 at Octubre CCC, this segment will feature the presentation of two films each day in a ‘rough cut’ state for feedback from experts and potential sales or collaborations. Inti is the co-director of the International Festival DocsMX and has a track record of over a hundred documentary projects and television programs. He has served as a judge at numerous festivals and is actively involved in training processes in Latin America and Europe, as well as being a member of the International Documentary Association.
PROFILES
This year, key international figures will participate as tutors and experts in DocsLab. American consultant Bruni Burres, the main advisor at the Sundance Institute and a global reference in impact documentaries, will return to the DocsLab. Canadian Heather Haynes, the programming director of Hot Docs, one of the world’s most prestigious non-fiction festivals, will also join this edition.
Christine Camdessus from France, the director of the Fipadoc festival and a producer of films like ‘Five Broken Cameras’ and ‘Forman vs. Forman’, will be present. Isona Admetlla from Germany, the coordinator of the Berlinale World Cinema Fund, a consultant and specialized teacher in funding and audiences, will also be part of the team. Margot Mecca from the Festival dei Popoli and the +RAIN Film Festival represents the new generation of European programmers.
Millán Vázquez-Ortiz, founder of Agencia Freak, will share his expertise as an international distributor and mentor to new filmmakers at institutions such as EICTV (International School of Film and Television in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba). Tania Delgado, director of the Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Cuba, with a long institutional trajectory at ICAIC, will also participate. Leonard Cortana from the BIPOC program of Eurodoc will provide insights on diversity and inclusion in the industry.
Completing the group are journalist Javier Marín, current director of innovation at Agencia Efe; Silvino Puig, programming manager at Cines Lys and co-founder of the distributor Carácter Films; and audiovisual translation experts Begoña Ballester-Olmos and Rocío Broseta, who will also serve as judges in DocsLab-À Punt, responsible for awarding the Bbo Prize valued at 4,000 euros to one of the selected projects, in collaboration with the Bbo Subtitulado company.
The inclusion of these international references confirms DocsValencia’s commitment to supporting emerging and established filmmakers in their journey towards the production, distribution, and internationalization of their films. DocsLab-À Punt once again becomes a privileged space for learning, networking, and growth in the realm of documentary filmmaking.
The festival is sponsored by the Generalitat Valenciana – Institut Valencià de Cultura and Ajuntament de València – Acció Cultural, Patrimoni i Recursos Culturals, with the collaboration of À Punt Mèdia, IVACE Internacional, Fundación SGAE, Centro del Carme de Cultura Contemporània (CCCC), València Film Office, La Mutant, Octubre CCC, Colegio Mayor Rector Peset, the International Documentary Film Festival DocsMX, AC/E, CREA SGR, PIAF, AVANT, AVAPI, EAVF, EDAV, PAV, FNAC, Munk, Cines Lys, Restaurante La Principal, Biotopo, Pasaparola, Laba, and the Master’s Degree in Audiovisual Content at the Universitat de València, as well as Cervezas Águila, Royal Bliss, Aquabona, Fuze Tea, and Jameson.
