Following an initiative of the Filmboard Berlin-Brandenburg, we organised the first DAYS OF DOCUMENTARY BERLIN-BRANDENBURG in 2001. This training programme on market mechanisms covers the content, objectives and audiences for audiovisual products from the Berlin-Brandenburg region. Primarily, we want to establish the best way to enhance the production and the positioning of these films, creatively as well as commercially.

We aim to improve the quality and marketing of German films. This programme is based on the experiences and insights we have gained through our international VERTICALstrategies seminars. As with VERTICALstrategies, we want to convey to producers in the region that a film is not finished until it has reached its audience. Producers should be thinking during the production process about how to bring the film to market, be it the cinema, broadcast media or video/DVD. The earlier producers include vertical thinking into the production process, the easier, more economical and more likely it will become for the film to be distributed successfully.

The programme includes the following topics: European market data, distribution costs, funding by the FFA, interfaces from production to the market, success factors for a cinema release of documentary films, legal issues, secondary rights, business plan, packaging, presentation, pitching, marketing and international markets.

With the DAYS OF DOCUMENTARY we have also created an industry forum and our events in Leipzig have enabled us to link up with the media region of Middle Germany.

The DAYS OF DOCUMENTARY are made possible through the collaboration and support of AKADEMIE DER KÜNSTE and the DISCOVERY CAMPUS Masterschool. We want to thank our sponsors GEYER Berlin, KODAK, KINOTEXT and especially the MDM MITTELDEUTSCHE MEDIENFÖRDERUNG for the hospitality in Leipzig.

Objective : Sustainable improvement of quality and more successful marketing of German audiovisual products.