INTERVIEWS
Amundsen to embark on new seafaring doc
Ahead of the July 12 world premiere of his feature doc Click the Link Below (Doc Edge NZ), Norwegian filmmaker Audun Amundsen announced that he has commenced photography on a “breathtaking” new sailing doc (working title: Aleutian Dreams) which will follow two families, including Amundsen’s own, as they prepare for a daring voyage through one of the world’s most remote & visually stunning maritime regions.
FID Marseille Flash Comp: A Prelude by wendelien van oldenborgh
Dutch filmmaker wendelien van oldenborgh discusses her provocative new short film about transgenerational protest, selected for FID Marseille 2025. Each of the characters embodies defiance in their own way, whether elaborately, or with a greater degree of reflection. “In struggles, as in solidarity, although we look for our roles to play, we can also be there as an anonymous self,” the director tells us in her film.
Karlovy Vary/FID Marseille: Action Item by Paula Ďurinová
In Action Item, Berlin-based Slovak director Paula Ďurinová addresses the subject of personal burnout and depression, shifting away from personal reflection to collective analysis. The film, selected for both Karlovy Vary Proxima and FID Marseille International Competition, affirms that 21st Century anxiety is a result of the systemic conditions in which we are forced to live and operate. This recognition can, conversely, serve as a springboard for justifiable anger, resistance and change. Ďurinová gets angry with Business Doc Europe.
Doc Edge NZ: Click The Link Below by Audun Amundsen
In his new film, Norwegian Audun Amundsen immerses himself in the murky world of money-making online gurus. Click The Link Below, a premiere at New Zealand’s Doc Edge and sold by Sideways Film, profiles some of these internet marketeers who promise immense and instant wealth and success to those who buy their often eye-wateringly expensive online courses. Amundsen explains more to BDE.
Doc Edge NZ: A Quiet Love by Garry Keane
In Garry Keane’s latest film, world-premiering July 4 at Doc Edge New Zealand, we meet three Deaf couples, all Irish, who navigate their challenging lives with strength and resilience, using the medium of Irish sign language. “Telling stories through sign language is challenging, but making this unique film was profoundly moving and creatively stimulating,” says Keane, who led a largely Deaf crew in the film’s realisation.
Doc Edge Festival (NZ): The Promise by Daan Veldhuizen
Daan Veldhuizen discusses his urgent new documentary, receiving its international premiere in the festival’s Edge of Impact category, about how, after after transferring control of their former colony West Papua to Indonesia in 1962, the Dutch set in motion years of genocidal violence against the West Papuan people. “I’ve always felt that Dutch culture is not completely honest about its own role in the world and about its historical relevance,” Veldhuizen comments.
NEWS
10th Verzió DocLab Final Call for Applications
The 5-day intensive documentary development workshop will take place 8–12 November 2025 at the Central European University Budapest Campus. Applications are sought from directors, editors and producers with first or second feature-length documentary projects. The Lab focuses on story development and editing, offering emerging European docmakers the opportunity to strengthen their projects with the guidance of experienced mentors. The deadline for applications is July 31.
Nordisk Panorama unveils its 2025 selection for Forum and...
The 2025 edition of Nordisk Panorama Forum and Market (18-23 September) will present 54 projects from 140 entries. “The selection includes notable filmmakers who make their return to Nordisk Panorama as well as new talent emerging on the Nordic scene," write organisers.
31st Sarajevo FF announces Doc Competition Programme
The programme includes 12 feature-length and 8 short documentary films. “More than half of the titles in this year's programme reflect the need to reconceptualize human relationships as a particularly necessary value,” says Sarajevo doc programmer Rada Šešić. “It is interesting that in most films in these gloomy times, or precisely because of this, the authors celebrate the power of love as the strongest driver of life, whether they are family or war stories.” he 31st Sarajevo FF runs August 15 to 22.
Feature docs at 82nd Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival unveiled July 22 the official line-up for its upcoming edition. Two Italian documentaries feature in Competition (incl Gianfranco Rosi’s Sotto le Nuvole), while 19 play Out of Competition. Nine docs are selected for Classics. This year, Alexander Payne will serve as the President of the Jury which also includes Stéphane Brizé, Maura Delpero, Cristian Mungiu, Mohammad Rasoulof, Fernanda Torres and Zhao Tao. The 82nd Venice FF takes place August 27 to September 6.
Thessaloniki Doc Fest invites submissions for 28th edition
Submissions for the Oscar® qualifying Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (5-15 March 2026) are now open. The Festival has four competition sections: Feature Length International Competition, Newcomers International Competition, >>Film Forward International Competition and Immersive: All around cinema International Competition. Submission deadline: Nov 30. Early bird deadline: Sept 15.
FIPADOC 2026 call for entries
The 8th edition of FIPADOC will be held in Biarritz from January 23 to 31 2026. Deadlines: September 26 for films eligible for non-competitive selection or for Francophone Panorama selection (already broadcasted on TV or released in cinemas). October 6 for new films eligible for Grand Prix competitions and other competitive selections.
REVIEWS
Sheffield Int’l Comp review: Welded Together by Anastasiya Miroshnichenko
A beautifully shot examination of the troubled life of a young welder in modern-day Belarus trying to unite her fractured family against all the odds, Welded Together plays out like a narrative drama, but with a greater sense of emotional resonance, and made with a real sense of heart and compassion.
Sheffield Int’l Comp review: The Gas Station Attendant by Karla Murthy
An affectionate and gently insightful examination of an immigrant story, Karla Murthy’s respectful and thoughtful film charts her father’s journey from India to America, mainly based on a series of recorded interviews with him while he was working the night shift at a Texas gas station. What the doc does quite wonderfully is act as a warm-hearted tribute to an immigrant life and a reflection on the importance of family kindness.
Cannes ACID review: Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk by Sepideh Farsi
The Israeli targeted killing of Fatma Hassona, a photojournalist in Gaza, just one day after the ACID selection of Sepideh Farsi’s documentary about her was announced, has cast a dark shadow over the Cannes Film Festival. The powerful and minimalist film has become an international cause célèbre, and artistically, the documentary is worthy of all the attention.
MDAG opening film review: Coexistence, My Ass! by Amber Fares
It takes a brave, thoughtful - and importantly, compassionate - person to focus their comedy spotlight onto one of the most awful situations of modern times, and that is exactly what Israeli activist-comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi does in her comedy show, which draws on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, offering up a prescient and unique voice amidst all the horror.