Nick Cunningham

The Grierson Trust has compiled a list of must-see documentaries as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations. These “genre-defining documentaries chart the history and development of the genre from the 70s to the present day, forming an exciting selection of work which every factual film lover should see,” writes the organisation, which is partnering with BBC iPlayer to screen 20 of the films.

The 2nd edition of the Forum, running October 27-28, will 16 feature projects in development, production and post-production. The selected projects include diverse genres and audiovisual formats – such as fiction films with documentary aspects, hybrid, cinema expanded, experimental and short films. New awards in 2022.

Doclisboa director Miguel Ribeiro outlines the importance of Lisbon’s annual documentary celebration, both to international industry and Portuguese public alike. “It is a place of encounters and connections through cinema, with film at its center,” he explains to Business Doc Europe. The 20th edition of Doclisboa kicks off 6 October, running for the next 11 days.

Running 10-24 October both online and in-person, CONNEXT, an initiative of Flanders Image, the audiovisual export agency for Flanders and Brussels, will present 26 new and upcoming Flemish and Brussels-initiated documentary features and works-in-progress (both features and series, including VR) to the international sales, distribution, finance and festival professionals in attendance.

Mad About The Boy – The Noël Coward Story, to be directed by Barnaby Thompson, will chronicle the life and career of the famed playwright, director and flamboyant wit, and will be released in 2023, the 50th anniversary of Coward’s death. International star Adam Lambert will sing the iconic theme song.

Films by Sasha Kulak, Sofía Brockenshire, Mila Turajlić and Nikolaus Geyrhalter are selected for International Competition. Major new docs in German Competition include works by Heinz Emigholz, Katharina Pethke and Brenda Akele Jorde. Competing for the Golden and Silver Doves this year are 74 films, 48 of which are being screened in Leipzig as international or world premieres.

Doc'n Roll Film Festival (27 Oct-13 Nov) returns to big screens nationwide this autumn for its 9th London edition as well as a 13-city UK-wide tour that offers a programme of premiere music documentaries. “An experience-led festival, Doc’n Roll brings its events to life with live Q&As with directors and musicians, special DJ sets, afterparties and post-screening gigs,” write organisers.

The acquisition will see Brilliant take on the dual role of Head of MetFilm Distribution and MetFilm Sales. MetFilm Distribution will aim to release six to eight titles per year, starting with the heffield DocFest Audience Award-winning doc A Bunch of Amateurs directed by Kim Hopkins, which is set for a November rollout in UK cinemas.

Selections for IDFA Competition for Short Documentary and the IDFA Competition for Youth Documentary were presented Sept 27. The festival also announced the international premiere of Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi’s Personality Crisis: One Night Only, and a special tribute to the late Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius.

Following the Aug 30 announcement of the 13-film European Documentary shortlist for the European Film Awards, Mark Cousins’ A March On Rome has been added. Five feature films have also been added in the Feature Film category. After the upcoming two-stage nomination and voting process undertaken by the 4,400 Academy members, the winners will be announced at the Awards in Reykjavík on December 10.