EURODOC

Overview

EURODOC is an intensive, selective training program for mid-career documentary producers, not a grant in the conventional sense. Founded in 2000, the program has run for over 26 years and built a network of more than 1,800 members from 75 countries. The 2026 edition is the 26th annual program.

The program accepts producers with a creative documentary project at the development stage and takes them through three residential sessions across Europe over eight months, from March to October. Between sessions, participants develop their project and build relationships with co-producers, broadcasters, and funds they meet during the program. The program also accepts a small number of producers without a specific project and industry professionals as observers.

EURODOC receives approximately 200 applications annually and selects up to 40 participants: 30 project-holding producers, approximately 5 producers seeking career development without a project, and approximately 5 observers (executives from film funds, commissioning editors, programmers). The program is supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, which keeps tuition fees lower than comparable international training programs.

The 2026 edition runs across three sessions:

• Session 1 - Development: March 1-7, 2026, in Porto, Portugal (in partnership with Porto/Post/Doc)
• Session 2 - Co-production, Financing & Packaging: May 31 - June 6, 2026, in Tallinn, Estonia (in partnership with the Estonian Film Center)
• Session 3 - Meetings with the Decision-Makers: October 4-10, 2026, location TBD

What EURODOC Provides

Training Curriculum - Across the three sessions, EURODOC covers the full range of documentary production fundamentals:

• Assessment of the artistic project, script, and director's intentions
• Negotiation and clearing of rights (copyright, music, archive)
• Financing of development, production methods, and budgeting
• Identification of potential international partners
• Co-production methods and schemes
• Preparation of trailers, pitch decks, and pitches
• Digital and AI tools for documentary production
• Ethical challenges with protagonists, stories, and co-production ethics
• Crew and company management
• Marketing, distribution, and sales strategies
• Current evolution of the EU and global documentary film markets

Network Access - The EURODOC alumni network of 1,800+ members from 75 countries is the program's most durable asset. Graduates gain access to industry events and accreditations at partner festivals and markets, memberships to affiliate organizations, consulting on demand, promotional support for projects, and lifelong learning resources. The network frequently produces concrete co-production partnerships, broadcaster interest, and fund applications that continue long after the program ends.

Decision-Maker Meetings - The third session is dedicated to meetings with decision-makers: commissioning editors from broadcasters and platforms, fund representatives, and sales agents. This is where the development and packaging work from the first two sessions gets tested against real market interest.

Costs and Scholarships

The total cost for the full program is approximately 7,000 EUR for participants based in Europe, broken down as:

• Tuition fee: 3,000 EUR
• Residential costs (accommodation for all 3 sessions): 4,000 EUR

These are flat rates booked directly by EURODOC with partner hotels. Travel costs to reach the three sessions are not included and are at the participant's own expense.

Scholarships - EURODOC allocates scholarships to 30% of the total number of participants each year, covering part or all of either tuition fees and/or accommodation expenses, depending on individual circumstances. Priority is given to participants from countries with low production capacity (Group B countries), participants from countries with no training support available, and participants with proven financial need. Dedicated scholarships from private and public partners may also be available with specific eligibility criteria.

Eligibility

Who Can Apply - Any producer with several years of practice who has already produced at least one feature-length documentary film. EURODOC does not select producers who are also directing the film project they are applying with. The application is attached to one person, not to a company, and to the main producer who is the primary rights holder of the project.

Three participant tracks:

• Project Holders (30 seats): Producers with a documentary project at the development stage. A director must already be attached to the project. The project should not be fully financed by October 2026, nor too early to present to decision-makers.
• Producers Without a Project (approximately 5 seats): Producers seeking career development who may not have a project at the right stage but want to reach a new scale in their career.
• Observers (approximately 5 seats): Senior professionals from the documentary industry (executives from film funds, commissioning editors, programmers).

Geographic Distribution - 70% of selected participants must be European citizens or citizens of Creative Europe member countries (you may live outside Europe). 30% are non-European citizens. 10% are from low production capacity countries.

Project Requirements - All types of documentaries are eligible: essays, investigation, first-person, archival, animation documentary, etc. Feature-length films, TV series, and creative documentary series are all eligible. It can be a debut film or a project from a seasoned director. Visual/filmed material must be provided with the application.

Priority Groups - Applicants from underrepresented groups (including women, BIPOC, Indigenous/Native, MENA/SWANA and diasporas, LGBTQIA+, refugee/exiled, disability-identifying) are given priority in selection.

Application Process

Applications are submitted through EURODOC's online platform. The registration deadline for the 2026 edition was November 26, 2025 at noon Central European Time. Results are announced via email in the third week of December.

Required Materials (project holders, in a single PDF, 15 pages max, 10MB max, in English):

• Cover page with title and name of the producer
• Logline and story summary
• Director's intentions
• Budget and financial plan in EUR or USD
• Production strategy
• Biography and filmography of director(s)
• Biography and filmography of producer(s) including the applicant
• Presentation of the production company
• Links to previous films of director(s) with passwords
• Links to previous films of producer(s) with passwords
• Trailer, teaser, or visual samples of the project (max 10 minutes)
• Letter or short video explaining motivation (max 4 minutes)

For producers without a project: Submit CV, company profile, and motivation letter/video by email once the call is open.

You may re-apply the following year if not selected, preferably with a new project. You can attend EURODOC's international annual program only once.

Who Should Apply

Mid-career documentary producers who have produced at least one feature-length documentary and have a project with genuine international co-production potential. EURODOC is particularly valuable for producers outside the major documentary markets (US, UK, France, Germany) who want to connect their work to European broadcasters, funds, and co-producers. The program is not suited for emerging producers or those who have not yet produced a feature-length documentary - local workshops are more appropriate at that stage.

Producers who are also directing their own projects should note that EURODOC explicitly does not select producer-directors applying with their own film. If you are a director-producer, you may apply as a producer with a different director's project, or apply to a director-focused program instead.

See Also

For understanding international co-production deal structures, see the Distribution Deals blog post. For documentary producers building a multi-territory financing plan, the Revenue Forecast Calculator can help model returns across broadcast, streaming, and festival windows. For budgeting an international co-production with multiple territory revenues, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator.