Develop your documentary project with specialized tutors
DOC.LAB Coimbra is an event focused on the development and viability of documentary film projects through workshops and meetings with filmmakers, producers and stakeholders from the national and international documentary market.
The lab will be divided into two groups.
The LAB will be divided into two groups, one focused on developing storylines and the other focused on presenting the project in pitch format. A total of 16 projects will be selected, with 8 projects in each group.
SCRIPT LAB
Focused on scriptwriting for documentaries.
For projects in a less advanced stage of development, with little visual material collected, which require work on the project argument and other texts, without participating in the pitch session, but with the possibility of scheduling meetings with players present at the festival.
PITCH LAB
Focused on public presentation of projects in a pitch session.
For projects in a slightly more advanced stage of development, which already have a teaser (required for project registration) and that work will focus on presenting the project in a pitch session on the last day of the lab, to players present at the festival.
SCRIPT LAB
DAY 01
Projects presentation and brainstorming session (30 minutes for each project).
DAY 02
Examples of arguments, synopses, justifications, and approaches provided by the tutors. Detailed description of what should be included in each item.
DAY 03
Individualized analysis of the texts for each project and time allotted for participants to work with these texts.
DAY 04
Participants will work on their texts with tutors available for individual feedback.
DAY 05
Final considerations regarding the projects. Participation in meetings with stakeholders.
SCRIPT LAB TUTORS
Margarida Cardoso
Margarida Cardoso is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers in Portuguese cinema. Her work offers a profound exploration of collective memory, the Colonial War, and postcolonialism in Africa. She gained international recognition with *A Costa dos Murmúrios* (2004) and the documentaries *Natal 71* and *Kuxa Kanema*. In 2024, she released *Banzo*, a historical drama filmed in São Tomé about the melancholy of slavery, which was selected to represent Portugal in the race for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.
Catarina Alves Costa
Catarina Alves Costa is a filmmaker and anthropologist. She has directed the films *Orlando Pantera* (2025), *Margot* (2022), and *Pedra e Cal* (2016), among others. She is a professor at Universidade Nova de Lisboa in the fields of visual anthropology and film. She currently directs the Center for Research in Anthropology (CRIA).
PITCH LAB
DAY 01
Presentation of the projects and brainstorming session (30 minutes for each project).
DAY 02
Analysis and commentary on the teasers for each project.
DAY 03
Individualized feedback on the texts of each project and time for participants to work on these texts.
DAY 04
Pitch rehearsal and new considerations regarding the teasers.
DAY 05
Pitch sessions and participation in meetings with other players.
PITCH LAB TUTORS
Jorge Pelicano
Jorge Pelicano is a Portuguese documentary filmmaker. He began his professional career as a video journalist at SIC Televisão. Over the course of 15 years, his work as a journalist allowed him to cover events in various regions and conflicts—from the war in Afghanistan to the earthquake in Haiti—to experience diverse realities, and to win numerous awards, including the prestigious “Gazeta Award” in Portugal. As a director, he has won dozens of awards, including two Sophia Awards for Best Documentary, the highest honor bestowed by the Portuguese Film Academy.
Ralf Tambke
Ralf holds a degree in film from the Federal University of Fluminense and a specialization in screenwriting from the HFF—University of Film and Television in Munich, Germany. He has taught at the Federal University of Fluminense, Estácio de Sá University in Rio de Janeiro, the International Film Academy in Rio de Janeiro, and the University of Southern Santa Catarina in Santa Catarina. Ralf also produced the Brazilian film and culture festival—BRASIL PLURAL—in 13 cities across Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. He has been the executive producer at Plural Filmes since 1994, producing dozens of fiction films and documentaries.
Meetings with players
All projects selected for DOC.LAB Coimbra will have the opportunity to schedule meetings with distributors, producers, and sales agents present at the Festival.
Player presentations
There will also be a space for players to present their companies and the type of content they are looking for.
Invited Players
The full list of companies attending the event and meetings will be announced soon.
Venues
The DOC.LAB Coimbra tutoring process will take place at the Seminário Maior de Coimbra, with one group in each space. At the end of each day there will be a happy hour to promote interaction between the two groups.
Coordination
DOC.LAB Coimbra will be coordinated by multi-artist Inês Moura. With a multidisciplinary perspective, Inês collaborates not only to ensure the smooth running of the activities, but also artistically, sharing her impressions of the projects.
Inês Moura
She holds a degree in Fine Arts and a Master's degree in Arts. She works with photography, drawing, sound, and performance, exploring themes such as borders and identity. Awarded the BES Revelation Prize, she directs the Semente Atelier in Coimbra.
Awards
Each category will be competing for the prizes:
Best Pitch or Best Argument.
In addition to the trophy, the winning projects will be entitled to a space in the 2027 edition's catalog to promote their project.
There is no cash prize planned, but if it becomes financially viable, participants will be notified and this information will be disseminated through the festival's official channels.
Submissions Open
Find out the details and application dates.
Submission Fee
20 euros
Participation Fee
if selected
100 euros
Submission Deadline
20 DEZ. 2026
The lab runs from
15-19 MAR. 27
How to submit your application
Projects must be presented in PDF (up to 15 pages), with or without design, provided they contain the following information in a single file:
-
Project name, filmmaker, and country and city of origin.
-
Short synopsis (up to 500 characters).
-
Argument/Treatment (up to 5000 characters).
-
Creative process (up to 3000 characters, note on how the project will be filmed and edited, citing the use of narration, interviews, archive images if applicable).
-
Filmmaker's personal note (up to 3000 characters).
-
Filmmaker's Bio (up to 500 characters).
-
Link to teaser (for projects in the Pitch group).
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Filmmaker's Photo.
-
Link to previous works by the Filmmaker.
-
Reference photos for the project (horizontal).
How to submit your application
- Feature documentary projects in the development stage may apply to DOC.LAB Coimbra.
- Projects from all countries are welcome.
- Projects must be in Portuguese or English.
- The lab will be held in person and the full participation of the filmmaker is mandatory if the project is selected.
- A second person may participate with the main filmmaker, provided they act as a producer, screenwriter, or co-director.
Projects selected in previous editions
FAQs
Feature documentary projects in development stage are eligible to apply to DOC LAB. Projects from all countries are welcome.
Projects must be presented in PDF (up to 15 pages), with or without design, provided they contain the following information in a single file:
-
Project name, filmmaker, and country and city of origin.
-
Short synopsis (up to 500 characters).
-
Argument/Treatment (up to 5000 characters).
-
Creative process (up to 3000 characters, note on how the project will be filmed and edited, citing the use of narration, interviews, archive images if applicable).
-
Filmmaker's personal note (up to 3000 characters).
-
Filmmaker's Bio (up to 500 characters).
-
Link to teaser (for projects in the Pitch group).
-
Filmmaker's Photo.
-
Link to previous works by the Filmmaker.
-
Reference photos for the project (horizontal).
-
There is no limit to the number of projects per proposer.
In person in Coimbra, Portugal. Once the project is selected, the project director must fully participate in the laboratory activities. If this is not possible, the place will be available for the first alternate project.
The submission fee is €20 per project. Each selected project must pay a participation fee of €100 to join DOC.LAB Coimbra. In return, they will have 5 days with experienced tutors working on their projects and the possibility of presenting their projects to audiovisual market agents who will attend the festival.
Registration closes on December 20, 2026, at 11:59 pm (UTC-1).
The submitted projects will undergo an evaluation process that will result in the selection of 16 participating projects. Candidates will be notified of the results by email at the end of February.
Selected participants will have free access to all sessions of the DOC.Coimbra Festival, as well as tickets to the festival party and other social events of the festival.
DOC.LAB Coimbra does not cover participants' accommodation and food costs, however, selected participants will receive discounts on accommodation and food at partner hotels and restaurants.
DOC.LAB Coimbra does not cover the transportation costs (train, plane, or bus tickets) of the selected projects, but will provide all possible assistance for participants to find the best way to travel to Coimbra.
The selected projects commit to including a card with the mention "PROJECT DEVELOPED IN DOC.LAB COIMBRA" among the film credits.