Nick Cunningham

Formerly head of Mercato Internazionale dell'Audiovisivo’s Scripted Division, Tridente succeeds Lucia Milazzotto as overall director of MIA, whose eighth edition will be held in Rome from 11 to 15 October 2022. “My ambition is to produce a high-quality new edition of MIA, representing a turning point that will meet the needs of the global industry’ ecosystem and bringing content in all its formats and genres at the centre of the market," she says.

The dok.incubator workshop announced April 19 the final selection of filmmakers whose international projects will be supported in 2022. “During the selection process we searched for films reflecting current social and political situation. I believe we brought up fresh and diverse perspectives on topics that carry an important message about the contemporary world,” says Andrea Prenghyova, dok.incubator CEO.

Running May 18-27 the non-competitive Cannes section includes two doc features in 2022; Annie Ernaux’s film The Super 8 Years (France), made jointly with her son David Ernaux-Briot, and De Humani Corporis Fabrica (Fr-US) by Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor. The 2022 selection is the final one overseen by outgoing artistic director Paolo Moretti.

Creative feature-length documentary projects and docuseries from the region of Central and Eastern Europe at all stages of development and early production are invited to apply for the 3-part Ex Oriente Film workshop 2022, to be held in La Rochelle and Ji.hlava (June an October 2022 respectively) and Prague in March 2023. The extended application deadline is now Monday, April 25.

Previously the deputy director of Locarno Pro, Sophie Bourdon will join Visions du Réel as head of VdR Industry on July 1 2002. "The growing success of VdR-Industry is the fruit of the equally visionary and competent commitment of my predecessors Madeline Robert and Gudula Meinzolt…It is a great honour to step into their shoes and contribute to support independent filmmaking in all its diversity,” she says.

Dutch/Turkish filmmaker Ahmet Polat’s documentary I am a Bastard comprises a journey into the past that lead character Rashif never thought he ever wanted to take, to discover the truth about his absent father. It is the first production of Studio Biarritz, the Dutch-based production house founded by Corine Meijers.

In International Competition the Grand Jury Prize went to L’Îlot, by Tizian Büchi; Special Jury Award to Bitterbrush by Emelie Mahdavian. In Burning Lights Comp the Jury Prize was won by A Long Journey Home while the Special Jury Award went to Herbaria, by Leandro Listorti. In National Comp the Jury Prize was handed to Fuku Nashi by Julie Sando. The Special Jury Award went to Le Film de mon père, by Jules Guarneri. The Audience Award was won by Fire of Love by Sara Dosa.

The short film Aralkum by Munich-based filmmakers Daniel Asadi Faezi and Mila Zhluktenko looks to reverse, at least cinematically, the desertification of the Aral Sea between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Commissioned by the Tashkent International Film Festival, who provided the pair with a full crew, the film is lyrical, tragic and inventive in equal measure. The filmmakers talk to Business Doc Europe.

The VdR-Industry Awards 2022 were announced April 13. With more than 2100 accredited professionals from over 80 countries, the Festival says it has broken the Industry attendance record of last year's hybrid edition (+27%). “With its numerous prizes and grants, VdR-Industry and its partners reaffirm their determination to support independent documentary filmmaking in all its diversity,” say organisers. Festival Awards will be presented on Saturday April 16.

Other winners include Alex Pritz's The Territory (Activist Documentary Award) and Myanmar Diaries by the Myanmar Film Collective which picked up the Camera Justitia Award. My Uncle Tudor by Olga Lucovnicova won the Shorts Award while Abdallah Al-Khatib’s Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege won the Students’ Choice Award.