Business Doc Europe

During the European Film Promotion event, Dutch doc producer Olivia Sophie van Leeuwen will be presenting Willemiek Kluijfhout’s new doc project The Woman Who Made Van Gogh Famous, which tells the story of Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Vincent’s sister-in-law who changed art history by safeguarding his legacy after his death. “It's a brilliant story that needs to be told and it stands for so many more stories that are not in the history books,” says van Leeuwen. “Without her, nobody would know of Van Gogh.”

Christophe Dimitri Réveille’s partly-animated new feature doc tells the remarkable story of three of Che Guevara’s trusted followers who made a remarkable 2600-mile trek to safety after Che’s execution in Bolivia. Réveille, 48, has an intriguing background for a documentary maker. He’s an actor and acting coach. “What’s the connection between an acting coach in New York and the survivors of Che Guevara?” he muses to BDE. “It’s that they were hiding in the shadows of well-known people.”

In Gabin, director Maxence Voiseux follows his eponymous character, a precocious and sensitive boy from a rural background in northern France, over an entire decade of his life, from 8 to 18. On the one hand, the boy is fiercely proud of his roots and very loyal to his family’s way of life. On the other, he wants to “do something different” and this quickly puts him in conflict with his father. “For me, he [Gabin] is a strong cinema character because has to deal with these two sides of his life,” Voiseux tells BDE.

“I’m stating the obvious by saying that filmmakers and film festivals have a crucial role to play in preserving democracy, free speech, critical thinking, and in resisting reactionary ideologies,” a candid Pierre-Alexis Chevit, Head of Cannes Docs, tells BDE before doors open on the 2026 edition. The event kicks off May 14, and will culminate May 19 with Doc Day, which this year will include top-level contributions from the likes of Mstyslav Chernov, Mark Cousins, Ema Ryan Yamazaki and David Greaves, as well as the Docs-in-Progress Awards Ceremony.

Marcin Borchardt explains to BDE what led him to make his new feature documentary My Themersons, about the life and work of artists and filmmakers Franciszka and Stefan Themerson. “What moves me most…generally is their refusal to separate intellectual life from emotional life,” Borchardt says. “Stefan could write highly sophisticated philosophical texts and at the same time produce works full of absurd humour, tenderness and vulnerability. They were both profoundly serious and profoundly playful at once. That combination is extremely rare.”

Polish filmmakers Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert talk to BDE about their new doc which, in turn, focuses on the work of a rehabilitation centre for victims of war, a Ukrainian transgender artist and dancer now living in Poland, and the Open Group artistic collective that explores the impact of the war on Ukrainian civilians. “I think we were quite sensitive observers,” says co-director Englert who, with Szumowska, learned the power of quiet observation when studying film in Łódź. “That’s the way of storytelling we always favour. Without words, you can say a lot.”

Amazomania, Nathan Grossman’s indictment of the colonial legacy, wins Best Film Award. The Travelers by David Bingong takes the award for Best Catalan Film at the 29th edition of the festival. The Audience Award goes to Moritz: Corren las liebres by Lorena Ros) while the Jury Award is won by Manuel Correa for Antaviana: Atlas de la desaparición. The festival closed with a record-breaking 12.300 attendees, 28 sold-out screenings, and 70% occupancy of theaters. All awards…

Chilean doccers are out in force at Cannes Docs 2026, where they will, for the first time, partner with Colombian counterparts during the May 18 Docs-in-Progress Chile & Colombia Showcase. Meanwhile, at the Marché, a diverse doc slate — including animated series, feature films, and emerging auteur voices — looks set to entice international buyers and investors. “Our documentary films generate high expectations in international markets,” says Paula Ossandón, Director of Chiledoc. “Proof of this are the sold-out presentations we have held at the Marché du Film and the awards received for five consecutive years at Cannes Docs.”

For the 7th year, CIRCLE Doc Accelerator has selected four alumni to present their works-in-progress as part of the Cannes Docs program. The exclusive training programme for women and gender-expansive filmmakers has been a consistent source of films that go on to make their mark on the international festival circuit. “Each work in progress reflects the richness and diversity of our community — distinct voices, bold perspectives, and nuanced storytelling,” says CIRCLE programme director Biljana Tutorov who, together with Petar Glomazić this year won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary for To Hold a Mountain.

Five Nordic documentaries at advanced stages of production were pitched to international decision-makers during Cannes Docs’ Docs-in-Progress, with teams from Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Sweden seeking festivals, sales agents, distributors, gap financing and impact partners. The session was hosted by Elisabeth Aalmo of the Norwegian Film Institute.

The Vienna-based outfit has picked up the debut film for world sales following its world premiere at Hot Docs & European premiere at Visions Du Réel 2026. The film follows Eka, one of the last remaining 'bissu', the spiritual leaders of the Bugis, one of the largest ethnic groups in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. A bissu is a recognised as a separate gender that is believed to embody both masculine and feminine souls, and which once held a special place in society and religious beliefs.

On May 14, the official MDAG Awards Ceremony took place at the Dramatic Theatre in Warsaw. The Grand Prix – Bank Millennium Award went to To Hold a Mountain by Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić. For the first time at MDAG, the award of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) was presented, with the prize going to A Fox Under a Pink Moon by Mehrdad Oskouei, Soraya Akhlaghi. All awards…