SeedBed Lab 2026 · Documentary Editing for Resilience
Ready to take your craft to the next level?
Are you an emerging documentary film editor — by age or experience? SeedBed Lab is created for editors who want to sharpen their storytelling skills, gain confidence in the editing room, and develop their own documentary projects in an inspiring international environment.
Open Call · 2026
You're in the right place.
If you're looking for professional growth, creative empowerment, mentorship, and a community of filmmakers who understand your journey — this call is for you.
The Lab
Three in-person workshops in Poland, Germany and Moldova, plus one-on-one online mentoring and three online lectures. Sept–Dec 2026.
For whom
Emerging documentary film editors from Ukraine, Poland, Georgia, Moldova and Belarus — or citizens of these countries residing in Poland or Germany.
Fees
€250 for editors
€150 for their project directors joining Workshop 3
Covers tuition, travel, accommodation, and breakfast & lunch at all in-person workshops as well as online programme elements.
Timeline
Call opens: 20 July 2026
Application deadline: 9 August 2026, 23:59 CEST
Selection announced: mid-August 2026
Who can apply?
You are eligible if you:
- are a citizen of Ukraine, Poland, Georgia, Moldova, or Belarus — or hold the citizenship of one of these countries and currently reside in Poland or Germany;
- identify yourself as a documentary film editor;
- have documentary footage or a documentary project (short or feature-length) in the early stages of development;
- are comfortable working with professional editing software;
- are available to participate in the entire lab programme (Sept–Dec 2026).
What awaits you?
- hands-on training with experienced documentary editors and industry professionals;
- one-on-one mentorship tailored to your project and creative process;
- practical tools for ethical editing and documentary storytelling that help navigate disinformation, propaganda, and polarised narratives;
- support in finding and strengthening your own editorial voice;
- time and guidance to move your documentary project forward, tackle creative challenges, or develop a new idea;
- a chance to become part of an international community of filmmakers, collaborators, and peers that continues long after the Lab ends.
How it works
Three workshops, one growing cohort.
Workshop 1
Poland
Warsaw
17–22.09.2026
for editors only
Workshop 2
Germany
Location TBC
22–27.10.2026
for editors only
Workshop 3
Moldova
Location TBC
Late Nov 2026
for editors and directors (if participating as a team)
Additionally: one-on-one online mentoring sessions, three online masterclasses, networking opportunities, resources, and more.
Editors are not technicians — they are co-authors of reality.
In an era of hybrid warfare and information manipulation, how a story is cut determines whether it is trusted.
Who we are
About SeedBed Lab
SeedBed Lab: Documentary Editing for Resilience is a capacity-building project for young documentary film editors and directors from Poland and EaP countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Belarusians in exile).
SeedBed Lab brings together filmmakers and civil society organisations to promote ethical storytelling, strengthen resilience against propaganda and disinformation, and foster cross-border collaboration. Through documentary film, we encourage critical thinking, nuanced storytelling, and narratives that counter polarisation, helping build a more resilient, informed, and democratic public sphere.
Whether you're refining your first documentary or expanding your editorial practice, SeedBed Lab offers the space, guidance, and community to help your work — and your confidence — grow.
Objectives
- Increase the agency and visibility of emerging documentary film editors.
- Develop participants' storytelling capacities to depict complex political and social realities, verify information, and resist manipulated and polarised public discourse.
- Empower emerging documentary film professionals to build and sustain international collaborative partnerships.
- Support long-term career sustainability and mental health within precarious working conditions and fragmented career ecosystems.
Methodology
- Mentored, hands-on editing practice using documentary film footage, guided by experienced editors and industry professionals.
- Participant-centred, needs-based learning, tailored to individual professional development goals and skill levels.
- Facilitated cohort-based reflection and feedback sessions.
- Critical analysis of documentary films and editing methodologies — narrative construction, dramaturgy, ethics, and editorial decision-making through case studies and screenings.
- Networking and industry exchange with peers and established documentary professionals.
People
The people behind it
Natalia Imaz
moredox gUG, Germany
Monika Franczak
Komos Foundation, Poland
Ella Shtyka
Indie Media Polis, Ukraine
Ion Gnatiuc
ALT Film, Moldova
Partners
Collaboration across borders.
Each organisation contributes local expertise, professional networks and resources to the project.
Initiated by
In partnership with
Main funder
We're here to help your work, your network — and your confidence — grow.
Whether you're refining your first documentary or expanding your editorial practice, SeedBed Lab offers the space, guidance, and community you need.