HER Docs Forum 2025
HER Docs Forum is an event for women active in the world of documentary film. The third edition of the Forum will take place on 18–19 September 2025 in Warsaw. Workshops and panel discussions will be led by invited experts from Poland and abroad.
18.09.2025
Austrian Cultural Forum, Próżna Street 7/9
10:00 am – 10:50 am
Opening of the Forum & conversation with Vibeke Løkkeberg i Mina Nybakke
Following the screening of Long Road to Director’s Chair by Vibeke Løkkeberg on Wednesday, 17th September, the opening session will continue with a short conversation with authors of the film – Vibeke Løkkeberg i Mina Nybakke. We will explore the presence of women in film and the experiences that shaped the creation of the film.”
Moderation: Katarzyna Trzaska – Polish Female Filmmakers Association
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Networks of Creative Support
Supporting women in film and the arts today takes many forms, facing both significant challenges and new opportunities. In this session, we will introduce organizations working at the intersection of film, education, and distribution, which have been strengthening the voices of women and minorities in culture for years. We will discuss their practices and strategies, as well as how we can better join forces to create a shared space for diverse perspectives.
Participants:
- Alexia Ruiz Munoz – EWA Network
- Charlotte Ducos – SWISS FILMS / Loreley Films, Switzerland
- Ira Tantsiura – FILMA, Ukraine
- Alexa Cardas – F-Sides, Romania
- Katarzyna Trzaska – Polish Female Filmmakers Association
Moderation: Maria Krauss – Women of Film
12:45 pm – 2:15 pm
Motherhood in artistic work
What is the everyday life of mothers–creators like? What support systems exist in Poland and internationally? Together with the Warsaw Observatory of Culture, which prepared a report on motherhood in creative work, we will explore the experiences, challenges, and strategies for preventing burnout. The conversation will focus not only on difficulties, but also on solidarity, mutual support, and ways to navigate the creative and professional process as mothers.
Participants:
- Aleksandra Wiechowska – Warsaw Culture Observatory
- Agnieszka Strzeżek – illustrator and painter, one of the initiators of the “Mother Creators” collective
- Jaśmina Wójcik – visual artist, director and author of listening-focused, participatory socio-artistic actions
- Tereza Simikova – director, producer, consultant
Moderation: Marta Golba-Naumann – HER Docs Foundation
2:15 pm – 3:15 pm
Networking lunch
3:15 pm – 5:30 pm
Workshop: Microaggressions in creative environments and the workplace
The creative industries are dynamic but also contain invisible barriers. Microaggressions—subtle, often unconscious words, gestures, or behaviours—can undermine a sense of belonging and affect creative processes. This workshop will explore what microaggressions are, their forms, and how they affect women in professional settings. Participants will learn how to recognise and respond to them, and how to build more inclusive, supportive environments.
Format: lecture + interactive discussion + case studies + individual, pair, and group exercises.
Facilitator: Dr Sandra Frydrysiak (she/her) – cultural studies scholar, sociologist, gender studies expert.
19.09.2025
Goethe Institut, Chmielna Street 13A
10:00 am – 11:30 am
Meeting with directors Eliza Kubarska and Natalie Haala
A conversation with the directors Eliza Kubarska and Natalie Haala about the art of documentary filmmaking shaped by journeys across continents and encounters with diverse cultural contexts. Their films emerge from places that are both remote and universal, offering stories that resonate far beyond their origins. The discussion will also touch on the balance between the demands of expeditions and the rhythms of everyday and family life. This meeting invites reflection on passion, resilience, and the search for a personal voice in a rapidly changing world.
11:45 am – 1:15 pm
Who tells whose story, and why?
This talk will focus on representation, diversity, and inclusion in documentary filmmaking, as well as on the complex relationship between creators and protagonists. We will explore how to practice responsible storytelling, create safer creative environments, and account for diverse social and cultural experiences.
Participants:
- Stephanie Brockhaus – director of the film “Azza”
- Marta Pessoa – director of the film “Rosihna and the Other Wild Animals”
- Alejandra Nieves Camacho – Diversity and Anti-Discrimination Officer at the Berlin University of the Arts
Moderation: Gosia Juszczak – director
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Moving Narratives: Storytelling and Communication Beyond the Screen
How do we reach new audiences? How can stories be told across platforms and engage younger generations? This session focuses on innovative distribution strategies, multiplatform storytelling, and building communities around urgent stories.
This discussion will focus on new forms of distribution and promotion for documentary films, as well as strategies for building communities around important topics. We will talk about multi-platform storytelling, innovative audience engagement tools, and ways to bring documentaries to the places where they are needed most.
Participants:
- Karolina Sienkiewicz – Publicist, Distributor, SO FILMS
- Joanne Popinska – XR filmmaker, documentarian, sociologist, Infinite Frame Media
Moderation: Anna Ramskogler-Witt – The Good Media Network, Berlin
2:45 pm – 4:00 pm
Producer–director collaboration
Every film is the result of teamwork, with the producer–director relationship being particularly crucial. This session will explore different models of collaboration, ways to navigate conflict, and the opportunities offered by a partnership-based approach in filmmaking.
Participants:
- Katarzyna Malinowska – Head of Young Creators Programs, Munk Studio
- Zofia Kujawska – Producer
19.09.2025
Kinoteka
16:00
Debate: Experiment in Cinema – How it is Done in Europe
In Poland, the dissemination of experimental cinema remains relatively niche, while in countries such as Austria or the Netherlands there are far more channels for promotion, exhibition, and distribution, enabling it to reach a wider audience. What facilitates the functioning of experimental cinema in different contexts, and what limits it? What strategies, challenges, and opportunities do creators and distribution companies face?
Participants:
- Isabella Reicher – sixpackfilm, Austria
- Edith van der Heijde – EYE Filmmuseum, Holandia
- Claudia Slanar – Diagonale Festival, Austria
- María Vera – Kino Rebelde, Portugalia/świat
Moderation: Weronika Zalewska and Ewelina Węgiel
