The East Doc Platform (EDP), the largest co-production, funding, and distribution event for documentary filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe organised by the Institute of the Documentary Film hosted the first Council of Europe's 2025 Series Co-Production Development Awards. The awards aim to foster creative collaborations in series co-production and empower independent producers.

The Award, worth €50,000, went to the following project: 

"NEAR LIGHT – Second Lives of Murderers"

Romania

SCRIPTWRITER: Niccolò SALVATO

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Melancholia Pictures

Synopsis: The lives of three young inmates interweave as they strive to rebuild their lives, grappling with guilt and societal misconceptions. From the Czech Republic to Italy and Romania, the protagonists gain exclusive access to a rehabilitation program that allows them to travel from prison to work each day, existing in a limbo between incarceration and the outside world.

The jury was composed of: 

• Barbara BOUILLON, Arte G.E.I.E, France
• Michael KASCHNER, ZDF, Germany
• Alessia SONAGLIONI, Council of Europe, France

The jury has chosen a documentary series project that gives a voice to individuals struggling to reintegrate into society. The creator's multi-layered approach to their personal stories helps to humanise these individuals. It proposes a moving alternative narrative to the dominant fictional version of murderers in a clear dramatic structure.

Two other Awards will be distributed in 2025. To learn more, visit the webpage of the selected partnering co-production markets.