The goal of Ex Oriente Film Programme 2015 was to cover subjects related to the development and funding of documentary films within an international context, and help filmmakers from the region to build suitable production and distribution goals from the very early production stage and link them with their outlet - the international market. The main emphasis of the core three residential sessions of the 2015 Ex Oriente Film Workshop was to support the very individual development of the twelve documentary projects at the development or early production stage and on the intensive training of professional skills of the producers and directors representing the projects. The Ex Oriente Film Follow-up Programme then continued to support the workshop participants as they faced the reality of the audiovisual market.The Ex Oriente Film workshop 2015 welcomed twelve projects, all in the development phase, from Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria/ Germany, Serbia/Switzerland, Russia/France and Turkey/Canada. The comprehensive workshop programme supplemented by online consultations in between the sessions provided the participants with multifaceted assistance by 33 tutors and experts from 15 different countries. The programme offered producers the chance to receive continual and tailored consultations on their budgets, advice on how to design efficient and realistic financing and production strategies and taught them to adapt to the ever-changing audiovisual market, while the directors were provided with individual guidance in all creative aspects of their projects in order to tell universally engaging and artistically unique stories.Thanks to the synergy with two key European documentary film festivals and the first workshop session in Croatia with local partners, as well as the strong Follow-up Support Programme with its large number of networking, promotional and distributional opportunities, the 2015 Ex Oriente Film Programme significantly helped its participants to find financing, sales, distribution and other 56 partners for their film projects and solidify their position on the international market. The interest of the decision makers demonstrated at the end of the East European Forum pitching session, which was the culmination of the 9-month long training programme, proved that 2015 Ex Oriente Film workshop edition successfully reached all of its objectives, and that all twelve projects left the programme with increased potential for finding international partners and reaching broad audiences in the future. Almost 50% of the 2015 Ex Oriente Film projects/teams found strategic partners during the course of the workshop or at the final pitching.In addition to the core Ex Oriente Film workshop sessions, the 2015 Ex Oriente Film Follow-up Support Programme effectively broadened the international network of contacts for current and alumni workshop participants and strengthened and improved their skills acquired during the course of the Ex Oriente Film workshop, as well as increased the international funding, co-production, sales and distribution potential of their projects. The participants had the opportunity to take part in various delegations to key European markets, festivals and partner training initiatives either without having to pay the accreditation fees, or for discounted fees, and were provided matchmaking support and assistance on the spot by the IDF team. In addition to this there was a regular communication flow between the team and both current and former workshop participants that included various services from providing participants with the contacts they needed, to dramaturgical, production and festival strategy consultations provided in cooperation with the workshop lead tutors.