True Story Institute of Documentary Film

Ivona Remundová talks with Mariam Chachia and Nik Voigt directors of the documentary film Magic Mountain.


After recovering from tuberculosis Mariam has a recurring nightmare about being kept high up in the mountains, in the middle of the forest in an old palace where outcasts live. One day, Mariam goes to meet the secret community to overcome her fear.In becoming friends with the tuberculosis patients of Abastumani and sharing joy and pain with them, Mariam finally overcomes her fear. But Abastumani shares a forgotten story that was never told, the ghosts of the past reveal something much more sinister than Mariam’s personal nightmare, they expose the nightmare of a whole country.

Nicole Jennifer Adelman talks with Kumjana Novakova about her new powerful film - Silence of Reason. The film focuses on one case of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, known as the Foča Rape Camps trial.

Silence of Reason celebrates the strength of the women survivors and amplifies their voices. 

Listen to the latest True Story episode and learn how significant was the court case in the fight against sexual slavery, violence against women and war crimes, and what led Kumjana to work on such a hard but important topic.

International expert in project development who left a considerable mark on the global documentary industry, tutor and visionary entrepreneur Mikael Opstrup and experienced director, Ex Oriente tutor and one of the founding members of the Institute of Documentary Film Ivana Pauerová Miloševičová set down with our host Ivona Remundová to talk about the two decades of documentary film training. What did they learn by teaching others? What are the issues of the industry they see over and over again? How did the Central and Eastern European documentary industry change?

Listen an interview with Alisa Kovalenko and Stephane Siohan, the producer and director of the documentary We Will Not Fade Away. 

This film focuses on a group of teenagers from the Donbas region of Ukraine as they train to go on an expedition of the Himalayas. Kovalenko and Siohan talk about the devastation caused by the full scale invasion of Ukraine, how the meaning of the film has changed since the invasion, and the role of art in times of war.

Eluned Zoë Aiano and Alesandra Tatić discuss in our podcast their approach as filmmakers, based on the bonds of intimacy and trust established with the protagonists over the years.

Throughout the filming process of the film Flotacija, the directors have strived to portray the protagonists and their culture in an ethical and respectful manner, while also showing how the privatization of the mine and real estate has affected their lives.

The story of the film started almost 9 years ago, initially focused on the topic of dragon hunting in the Serbian Vlach community. As filmmakers grew closer to the protagonists, they realized that the people of Majdanpek themselves and the social context they are embedded in are what truly make the situation interesting and relevant to the wider world.

“Flotacija”, in English literally “froth flotation”, is a process used in industrial mining to separate minerals from ore, which produces otherworldly black bubbles that simmer in pits.

With director Ana Maria Vijdea about her short documentary film May the Earth Become the Sky, portrait of 48-years old woman who is trapped between two worlds, awarded by the Institute of Documentary Film at Ji.hlava IDFF 2022.  The interview was conducted by Ivona Remundová.