How to Join KineDok

JOIN US

FIND YOUR VENUE

SCREEN FILMS

AUTHOR: Szabolcs Szirony, Zsombor Szabolcs Pál

1. Your motivation

Take a moment to reflect on your own passions and interests. Ask yourself these three questions about your motivation, as it will be your trusty guide through this inspiring journey:

- Do I love documentaries?

- Do I care about the world around me?

- Do I find joy in building communities?

If you answered “yes” to at least two of these questions, you're the right person to join KineDok. 

2. Study-time

Please spend some time reading all the chapters of the manual How to Set Up a Screening Venue (available on kinedok.net) we put together for potential KineDok organizers.

3. Preparations

Try to think about the perfect venue for screening documentaries. Look for a place in your neighborhood or town that shares your values and can provide a projector and a big screen. Once you find the perfect venue, it's time to create your schedule. The key here is to have regular screenings that your audience can look forward to. When planning your screenings, you'll also want to look around your neighborhood and consider local cultural events. Ideally, you should schedule your events when no other competing events are happening in the area.

If you’re not the type to do it alone, try to team up with some like-minded individuals (friends, colleagues, neighbors). Nice to have a host who loves to chat with people, a tech whiz who can set up all the gadgets, a photographer who can capture stunning images for social media and a social media guru who is all about creating captivating content to communicate with your followers. Of course, it's great if you can do all of these things yourself, but working together is always easier and more fun, and most importantly, working in a team is more sustainable if you want to screen documentaries regularly. You have already made great progress. Now consider, why you want to screen documentary films and who your ideal audience should be. Once you figure that out, it’s time to contact the KineDok coordinator in your country.

4. What to Expect from KineDok

Sign a contract

You need to sign a contract between you and KineDok. It is a simplified contract, where KineDok guarantees to secure the copyright licenses for screening movies while you undertake to handle our film copies/links with care. You can browse the contract here. 

Select films

Now, dive into the KineDok Catalog and pick out your favorite movies. Be sure to choose films that you’re passionate about, especially since you’ll be facing the audience when the lights come back on at the end of the screening. By selecting movies you truly love, you’ll be able to create an engaging and authentic experience.

Promote your event  

After we sign the contract and you choose the films you would like to screen, we’ll share a Google Drive folder with the film, subtitles and PR materials. The PR package may include tips on promoting the screening event and what to post on social media, stills from the film, video introductions from guests/filmmakers, logos, trailers, posters, additional texts, and distribution materials. You can use all of that to communicate with your audience and get them excited about your planned screening.

It's for free

Becoming a member of KineDok is completely free. In addition, we offer to help promote your event on our website and social media and often arrange guests for discussion after the screening (covering their fee, accommodation, and travel). Moreover, we often make videos to promote specific venues for KineDok’s purposes and also offer them for further use to you so that you can attract more audience. We also organize annual workshops and meetings for venue managers locally and internationally. Therefore, by joining our network, you’ll establish connections with a community of venue managers and filmmakers involved in KineDok.

Additional must-dos

As a non-profit project, KineDok relies on support from public sources. Therefore, we need you to screen the sponsor reels and ensure their logos are prominently displayed at the event. All necessary details regarding this matter are explained in the “Important Info Before Screening” (you can also find it at the website under To download), which you will receive as part of the Google Drive folder containing the film and PR materials. Although most KineDok screenings are free, the decision to collect voluntary admission contributions is entirely up to you. 

Report after the screening

After each of your screenings, we kindly ask you to send us a report from the screening. The report should include the number of visitors, any discussions held and with whom, details of accompanying events, if any, etc. We also ask you to send us a minimum of two photos from your event.

Remember

After each event, give yourself a pat on the back. Cinema is magic, and fostering a meaningful conversation about important topics is one of the most important community actions. We believe that every event presents an opportunity to make a difference. By cultivating a space for meaningful conversations and community engagement, you’re helping to build a better world. Cinema holds the power to bring people together and inspire change, and you’re doing an amazing job of harnessing that power. Year after year, dozens of our documentary filmmakers, hundreds of our venues, and tens of thousands of our viewers attest to this fact.

Never forget that Kinedok is always here for you. If you ever find yourself in a bind, remember that we’ve got your back. We believe that no problem is too big or too small. We’re committed to helping you find the solutions you need.

Notes and Sources

PHOTOS:

BENIDZE, Salome a Dániel ESZTER

We live the documentary film, be there with us.

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