In a time when the boundaries between truth and fiction are increasingly fragile – when reality is shaped, distorted, or ignored depending on who frames it – we believe that documentary filmmakers carry an essential responsibility: to observe, to question, and to care. 

The MakeCoProDox Forum is a unique platform dedicated to strengthening co-production in the field of creative documentary across the Balkans. Since its establishment in 2019 within the 10th edition of MakeDox, the Forum has grown into a vital meeting point for filmmakers, producers, industry professionals, and representatives from film centers in the region.

The Forum brings together a Balkan Network Group composed of representatives from national film centers and a training program for filmmakers with projects produced, co-produced, or filmed in the region. Through pitching presentations, case studies, and collective dialogue, it fosters collaboration, professional exchange, and strategic thinking on how to better support the documentary field in the Balkans. 

The 7th edition of the MakeCoProDox Forum will take place from 25 to 27 August 2025 at the Youth Cultural Center in Skopje, during the 16th MakeDox Creative Documentary Film Festival. This year, we ask: Who cares about reality? Together, we will examine what it means to engage with reality in a media-saturated world. 

We will explore the creative and ethical challenges of storytelling today, reflect on the absence of strong national support systems for documentaries, and work to build a shared vision of resilience, care, and co-creation. 

Through growing international partnerships, the Forum is also expanding its reach beyond the region. Thanks to our collaboration with the Institute of Documentary Film, we are proud to host a delegation of producers from the Visegrad region, further strengthening the East-Central European documentary connection. Additionally, for the second year in a row, the French Embassy in Skopje supports the participation of a French delegation of producers and mentors, whose presence enriches the development process of the selected projects and contributes to the Forum’s international perspective.

Moderators & mentors: 

Helle Hansen – Documentary Film Consultant 

Zeynep Güzel – Documentary Association of Europe 

Brigid O’Shea – Documentary Association of Europe 

Victor Ede – Cinephage Productions, France 

Tancrède Rivière – Writer, France 

The Forum is organized & supported by: MakeDox, North Macedonia Film Agency, French Embassy in Skopje (French Institute Skopje) – Fonds Equipe France from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Institute of Documentary Film, The International Visegrad Fund, Goethe Institute Skopje, Greek Film Center, Documentary Association of Europe, Doc Around Europe Festival Network, Sunny Side of the Doc, Creative Europe Desk MK, Youth Cultural Center Skopje.

Dates: 25-26 August 2025