Business Doc Europe

Poland’s vibrant documentary sector, and that of Ukraine, will once more be in the frame at KFF Industry, the professional arm of Krakow FF, with attention again focussed on the Docs to Start and Docs to Go presentations of 21 new and ambitious projects. “It seems only natural that, since Ukrainian filmmakers have been cut off from opportunities for artistic and professional development, we should help if we are in a position to do so,” Industry boss Katarzyna Wilk tells BDE of KFF’s solidarity with neighbouring Ukraine.

Brazilian Eliza Capai’s delightful feature documentary engages the talents of a group of young girls, living in one of the poorest parts of Brazil, to examine the business of…well, being young girls (as well as some other big topics, such as death and religion and their future lives). Despite their poverty, such is director Capai’s confidence in her protagonists, who operate as de facto co-creators of her film, we could be watching any kids from any city in the world, and from any socio-economic background. “We were in this fluidity of creation,” Capai delightedly tells BDE.

In the Synthetic Sincerity lab, researchers are looking to inject authenticity into AI characters, using characters from director Marc Isaacs’ own documentaries to do so. In return, they allow him to film the process. In his own playful way, Isaacs is asking some very challenging questions about our evolving relationship with AI, and where reality begins and ends. That said, the documentary may be hi-tech in concept, but decidedly low in budget. “I made this film for £8,000. There is something about the independence that gives you,” Isaacs tells Business Doc Europe.

The 66th edition of Krakow Film Festival opens May 31 with Marc Isaacs’ Synthetic Sincerity, ahead of seven days of frenetic doc activity, both for public and Industry. During the festival, one of the oldest events within the international calendar dedicated to doc (and animation), audiences have the opportunity to watch around 200 films from across the planet, with documentaries competing in International and National Competitions. Festival director Barbara Orlicz-Szczypuła and Artistic Director Anita Piotrowska talk to Business Doc Europe.

The third edition of Doxumentale, Berlin’s celebration of all things documentary, kicks off May 27, running through to June 7. “Positive stories are still happening despite the despair of our world,” Artistic Director Anna Ramskogler-Witt tells Business Doc Europe before doors open on the 2026 roll-out. “And I think we need them as an inspiration…I think we are trying to offer insights and spaces for conversations, and inviting exchange. And whoever wants to join is very welcome."

As Millennium Docs Against Gravity (MDAG) looks back on another record-breaking edition, festival head Artur Liebhart argues that documentary cinema’s challenges remain unchanged — but so do its opportunities. Running May 8–17 across Warsaw and seven other Polish cities before continuing online until June 2, this year’s edition unfolded against a familiar backdrop of industry concern: shrinking financing, cautious platforms and an increasingly competitive documentary landscape. Yet if anxiety was in the air, so too was a determination to keep building international bridges. BDE reports.

Sheffield DocFest announced May 29 the jury members for the festival’s five competitive sections; International Competition, International First Feature Competition, International Short Film Competition, the Tim Hetherington Award and the International Alternate Realities Competition. Also announced are further additions to the public and industry programme, including two additions to the Talks Programme and three new premieres for the Film Programme. Sheffield DocFest runs from 10 - 15 June.

The awards of the 19th edition of Beldocs International Documentary Film Festival were presented May 26 at the Museum of the 1990s in Belgrade. Juries across all competition sections honoured films distinguished by “artistic originality, cinematic innovation, and strong social and emotional impact.” The Thing To Be Done by Srđan Kovačević picked up the International Competition Award while Sunset by Miloš Jaćimović won Best Film in Serbian Competition. All awards…

The eighth Docs Ireland festival returns to Belfast this June, presenting “a bold and globally resonant programme exploring truth, power and storytelling in a rapidly changing world,” and opening with Steal This Story, Please! by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. During the festival’s Marketplace, 35 Irish, UK and international projects will be pitched to international decision makers. Docs Ireland 2026 runs 16-21 June.

Over 70 international representatives from broadcasters, distributors, film funds, and production companies will participate online and in person in Tel Aviv next month during the 28th edition of CoPro, Israel’s leading co-production market. The event will mark “a recommitment to the distinct value of documentary films amidst the instability in the region,” write organisers.

During her Cannes Docs’ Doc Day keynote, titled The Edit Is The Film, Japanese-British filmmaker and editor Ema Ryan Yamazaki offered a candid and highly personal reflection on the role of editing in documentary cinema, drawing on her work on the Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated Black Box Diaries (2024) and the more recent American Doctor (2026).

Pegah Ahangarani’s Rehearsals For A Revolution, directed by Pegah Ahangarani, was handed May 22 the L’Œil d’or, the main doc award at Cannes 2026. “This film allows us to enter the intricate and complex reality of contemporary Iran through a braiding of personal, historical, and poetic cinema,” the jury said. Alexander Murphy received a Special Mention for Tin Castle.