The workshop residency DocsConnect Conscious Filmmaking Residential Lab in Sitges, Spain.

Boris Bakal is traveling to Taskovski #DocsConnect, a five-day residency in Sitges, Spain, which provides an opportunity for professional development through lectures, mentorship, and networking with film experts. The program covers key topics such as project development and pitching, distribution, innovative storytelling, the impact of AI on the industry, conscious leadership, and mental health and well-being. The residency will take place from October 17-21.

Boris Bakal will participate in this residency to develop his new film “Island of Donkeys” – marking the beginning of the development of a film that explores the heterotopia of a Croatian island.

Besides Bakal, fifteen participants from around the world will live and work together under the guidance of mentor Irena Taskovski, who has over twenty years of experience in international distribution and film production, supported by leading experts from the documentary industry. The program includes lectures, hands-on workshops, and sessions on topics related to the production and promotion of documentary films.

Irena Taskovski is an award-winning producer and distributor. She has mentored and advised numerous film institutions, including HBO Europe and the Asian Cinema Fund. Her career spans work on various international projects, and she is known for her engagement in promoting and distributing films with strong social impact. Through her workshops and mentorship, she aims to inspire new generations of filmmakers to develop their skills and create impactful projects that can contribute to social change.

“I expect that this film development workshop will open up various perspectives for shaping my new film and that the encounter with creators from around the world will inspire unplanned ideas for this or new projects!” – says Boris about the residency.

“Island of Donkeys” is not Boris Bakal’s first film. Earlier this year, in April, he presented his long-term work encapsulated in the film “Vitić Dances.” This feature-length documentary is about Bakal’s and the Shadow Casters‘ 20-year struggle to restore a multi-residential building in Zagreb, a masterpiece of modernist architecture, through collaboration and conflicts with the local community (co-owners and tenants), which becomes a metaphor for the entire Croatian and European society, its dynamics, controversies, and misconceptions. A hypertextual story exploring the purpose and futility of individual efforts for the common good.

The film has received numerous awards and has been showcased at many festivals. Some upcoming festivals where it will be screened include the Lund Architecture Film Festival in Sweden and the Cuzco Underground Cinema Festival in Peru.

Boris Bakal is a director, actor, and intermedia artist who has been creating theater and film projects, performances, and multimedia installations for over forty years. His works have been presented or produced at festivals and events in more than twenty countries around the world. As a guest lecturer, he has given talks at numerous universities, symposiums, conferences, and panels. Since 2001, he has been leading Shadow Casters, an international artistic platform that has received numerous awards and recognitions in Croatia and abroad.