Astra Film Lab is a project development program for filmmakers to develop and strengthen their creative documentaries. It is a project-based intensive program, taking place concurrently with Astra Film Festival, consisting of workshops, mentoring from industry experts, one-to-one meetings and a public pitch to an audience of industry representatives.

Astra Film Lab emphasizes projects and teams from the region, aiming to facilitate exchanges within Europe and beyond. The goal of the program is to offer an auspicious platform to filmmakers currently developing internationally relevant stories that originate in countries belonging to what has been described as the “Eastern Bloc” to present their work and develop professional networks.

Following the submission of projects for Astra Film Lab, we were pleased to note the quality of projects, the wide spectrum of subjects, themes, approaches and the vitality of the documentary film industry.

The selected projects are:

- Behind the Eyes (Andrada Popan-Dorca, Ana Preda, Romania)

- Blind Pit (Federico Schiavi, Italy/ Latvia)

- Carrying the light, camera and bolt cutter (Ripsime Grigoryan, Russia)

- European Union Wolf (Jadran Boban, Croatia)

- Forbidden (Anelise Salan, Romania)

- Funeralzzi (Olena Fedyuk, Ukraine/ Italy/ Poland)

- Hatchery (Máté Fuchs, Hungary)

- Men:women – one on one (Stanislav Donchev, Bulgaria)

- Nava mamă (Ana Vijdea, Romania)

- On Term (Mihai Nichiforeac, Moldova)

- Welcome to New Karabash (Olga Delane, Germany/ Poland)