INSPIRATION workshop Moldox Lab 2025
Want to level up your documentary filmmaking skills?
Join the INSPIRATION workshop Moldox Lab 2025 in Chisinau and turn your idea of a social relevance project to the next level!
What does the workshop offer?
The INSPIRATION Workshop is designed to assist young and inspired filmmakers from Moldova in developing their social-issue documentaries. Our skilled mentors will guide the participants through all the steps in documentary film development, production and co-production processes.
The young film directors will learn:
- The essential elements of documentary film scriptwriting;
- How to write the synopsis in a manner in which it will truly reflect the subject of the film;
- How to pitch the stories to attract the interest of potential co-producers and patrons of the European documentary film market.
Workshop agenda
During the workshop (November 24 – November 30) you will learn how to further develop your project, you will work on the trailer and learn about study cases. In addition, in the workshop sessions you will focus on writing and pitching effective proposals to present your project to potential financiers and organizations in the field.
The workshop will conclude with one-on-one meetings and public pitching of the participant’s documentary projects. When the film project will be ready, it will premiere at Moldox Festival. The European industry experts will select the four best projects to attend networking and training programs in Europe.
Eligibility Criteria
The INSPIRATION workshop is aimed at experienced filmmakers, journalists, and visual storytellers who are already working on a subject for a documentary and want to increase their knowledge of producing and co-producing in Europe.
- To get the most from the workshop, applicants should have the projects in the early development stage (synopsis, treatment, research) or in production.
- The topic of the films must have a solid social topic and should be of local realities or related to Moldova.
- Participants have at least two years of experience in filmmaking or TV documentary production.
- Participants are proficient in English.
- Participants are residents of the Republic of Moldova (this also includes refugees and beneficiaries of temporary protection in Moldova) or have a project that is co-produced with the Republic of Moldova or a project that is co-directed with a resident of Moldova.
*Note: Inspiration Lab alumni can apply with a new project, however, preference will be given to participants that have not participated in the past LAB editions.
How to apply
- Fill in this application form together with a summary of your CV by September 30, 2025!
- (Optional) Send an online preview of the project (sequence cut around 10 min or longer) with English subtitles and password to lab@moldoxfestival.com. In case you don’t have subtitles, send the English dialogue.
The participation is free of charge!
About the mentor
Melody Gilbert is an Emmy-nominated and Alfred I. duPont Award-winning director who has directed and produced 20 documentaries. Her films have been screened at prestigious film festivals and distributed internationally.
She is also a passionate mentor, teaching and inspiring emerging filmmakers and visual journalism students at universities around the world. For the past four years, she has been teaching at the American University in Bulgaria, and for five years at Northwestern State University in Louisiana.
Melody is also a tutor and mentor in pitch training programs across Eastern Europe, including the Balkan Documentary Center in Sofia and Moldox in Moldova. She is the founder of “Documentary Boot Camp,” a short-term intensive training program that helps aspiring filmmakers achieve their dreams in documentary filmmaking.
*Important
- Applications that do not include all required materials and/or do not respect the deadline will not be considered.
- Projects participating in the Inspiration Workshop should – once finalized – mention their participation at the Moldox Lab and the Moldox Lab visual identity (logo) in their credits.
For other questions, please contact us at the lab@moldoxfestival.com.