Residency

The Rough Cut Residency

An editing residency in Berlin for films in the rough-cut stage. The residencies last between 10 to 12 weeks where editorial teams (director/co-directors and editors) reside in Berlin and edit their cuts (ideally) to completion. Submissions for the residency are currently closed.

Documentary filmmaking is challenging, especially for filmmakers taking daring approaches to their topics. The roadblocks faced by documentary directors and producers often lead to a compromise of individuality, bravery, and liberty. Unfortunately it has become commonplace for many documentary filmmakers to forego the time needed to properly discover and develop their points-of-view and voices as storytellers, thereby resulting in shorter development and editing phases.

The DOX BOX Fund is established to help at these crucial moments when creativity is stifled and the integrity of a film project is compromised, specifically targeting and responding to the challenges faced by filmmakers in the stages of development and editing. It also seeks to extract them from the distractions of everyday life and provide them with the space to focus on their work.

The RESIDENCY is not only a technical and financial opportunity, as it offers participants a safe, enlightening and professional environment in which to reach the best decisions in the editing of their films as well as being coupled with consultancy sessions that are required/requested by the granted filmmakers.

Former Grantees

Fish Killed Twice Egypt | 70 minutes | Feature-length documentary by Ahmad Fawzi Saleh (director) and Mostafa Noor (editor)

My Head Is Not A Graveyard  Syria & UK | 45 min | Short Documentary by Zaher Omareen (director)  and Valerie Smith (assigned editor)

Happily Ever After Egypt |40 min | Short Documentary by Nada Riyadh (director) and Ayman El Amir (editor)

Black Stones Syria & Egypt |45 min | Short Documentary by Usama Ghanoum (director) and Annette Muff (assigned editor)

Rude Refugee’s Diaries Syria | 56 min | Mid-length documentary by Juma Hamdu (director)  and Sebastian Heidinger (assigned editor)

Bread & Angels Morocco & France | 70 minutes | Feature-length documentary by Rachid Biyi (director) and Laurent Lombart (editor)

The Vote Egypt & UK |100 min |Feature-length documentary by Hanan Abdalla & Cressida Trew (co-directors) and Barbara Toennieshen (assigned editor)

Landless Moroccans Morocco & Algeria |60 min |Mid-length documentary by Soraya El Kahlaoui & Intissar Jbeiha (co-directors) and Sabrina Hakim (editor)

The Normal Way Tunisia & France |75 min |Feature-length documentary by Erige Sehiri (director) and Hafedh Laaridhi (editor), Katja Dringenberg (Supervising editor)

Amal Egypt, Lebanon & France |90 min |Feature-length documentary by Mohamed Siam (directors) and Katja Dringenberg (Supervising editor)

Where did Ramses Go Egypt |60 min |Mid-length documentary by Amr Bayoumi (director) and Doaa Fathy (editor), Katja Dringenberg (Supervising editor)

The Colonel Stray Dogs Libya, UK & South Africa |90 min |Feature-length documentary by Khaled Shamis (director) and Katja Dringenberg (Supervising editor)

Tiny Souls Jordan & Tunisia |75 min |Feature-length documentary by Dina Nasser (director) and Najwa Khcheimi (editor), Katja Dringenberg (Supervising editor)

The Way Home Syria & Lebanon |60 min |Mid-length documentary by Wael Kedlo (Director) & Orwa El Mokdad

Red Card Comoros & France | 87 min |Feature-length documentary by Mohamed Saied Ouma (Director) and Lova Nantenaina (editor)

The Trailer & Assembly Residency

This residency is designed to assist filmmakers in the beginning of their journeys on their respective projects by giving fast access to editing facilities. This support is suitable for filmmakers who might need to develop trailers and assemblies to apply for further funding or conceptualize their visual material for further development.

As the organization redefines its focus for the period 2025-2028, The Trailer & Assembly Residency is currently on hiatus in 2024.

Read more about the Residency and previous grantees below.

Forms of Support

Membership in the DOX BOX Community and access to webinars and resources.

Access to the DOX BOX fully-equipped professional editing suite for a period ranging from 1 to 4 weeks in Berlin.

Technical and artistic support in the form of consultancies (when requested).

Previous Grantees

Karam Ghossein – After Breakfast – Lebanon

Hassanein Khazaal – Beautiful Country – Iraq

Jasmina Metwally – Laila and the Poet – Egypt

Ammar Obeid – Would you play it again – Syria

Najib Abidi – Bitter Like Honey - Tunisia

Alex Bakri – The Last Projectionist – Palestine

Oscar Debs – Cine Runis – Lebanon

Karam F Ali & Casey AJ. – Chopped – Palestine