Nick Cunningham

Revered filmmakers Oliver Stone and Vitaly Mansky to deliver masterclasses at the 25th Ji.hlava IDFF. Opening film is by Belarusian filmmaker Andrei Kutsila and concerns the persistence of hope despite the failure of democracy (and subsequent protests) within Belarus after the parliamentary elections of 2020. All juries are announced and closing awards to be given by an AI.

Hot Docs and the Panicaro Foundation announced 20 October $80,000 CDN in CrossCurrents Doc Funding to four international projects, and with R&M Lang Foundation its support of two films ($15,000 CDN total) via the CrossCurrents International Doc Fund. Ten Canadian projects receive development and production grants totaling $245,000 from the CrossCurrents Canada Doc Fund, established with the support of Netflix.

The 18th VERZIÓ Human Rights Doc FF (Hungary) will showcase 64 films from 35 countries 9–14 November in cinemas across Hungary, and online, 15–21 November. “These documentaries bring us closer to current human rights issues, such as our impact on the environment, ways to overcome physical-emotional trauma, young people striving for a better future, and stories from journalists, teenagers and activists who are challenging power and rigid systems.”

Ji.hlava IDFF announces the European projects for its 2021 financing, co-production and networking event “dedicated to supporting European documentary production in its diversity and creativity.” Eleven projects in development and ten projects in production or post- including feature docs, fiction films with doc aspects, hybrid and experimental, cinema expanded, VR/AR and live docs.

With Luminous and Frontlight sections comprised mainly of world prems, the fest also presents first competition selections within Short and Youth Doc Competitions. IDFA also announces titles in its interdisciplinary program IDFA on Stage, chief among them the world premiere of the newly restored Dziga Vertov film The History of the Civil War (pictured). The 34th edition of IDFA takes place November 17-28.

“It’s a joy,” says Doclisboa co-director Miguel Ribeiro about his festival’s return to its 11-day late October slot. “A collective joy…there's really a feeling of beautiful anticipation of a big collective celebration.” Between 21 and 31 October the festival will present 249 films, including 51 world premieres and 28 international premieres. Nebulae, Doclisboa’s industry networking “space,” is returning in a hybrid format, running October 21-25.

Following the 2020 success of its 21-director short film anthology, The Uncertain Kingdom is collaborating with UK distributor Picturehouse Entertainment on a development fund for feature-length projects. The Uncertain Kingdom Development Fund will support projects that “interrogate” British culture, “asking who we are, how we got here or where we are going,” say fund organisers.

Acclaimed producer/director R.J. Cutler (The War Room, American High, Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry) came to MIA to assess the current state of the documentary landscape and to look forward to what the non-fiction filmmaking community has in store, all the time referring back to his ground-breaking body of work. “Neo-verité is the future and the future is now,” he maintained.

Lazio Frames Award goes to ‘Marina Cicogna, The Producer’ by Andrea Bettinetti and produced by Riccardo Biadene for Kama Productions. NAT GEO Award for Best Pitch goes to while Massimo Brega’s ‘Odyssey: Behind the Myth,’ produced by Camilla Tartaglione for Kepach Production. The seventh edition of MIA takes place in Rome October 13 to 17 2021.

In Luca Manes’ feature documentary project, a concave object being used as a flower pot turns out to be part of a US bomber that crashed and sank in the Mediterranean during the crucial 2WW Battle of Anzio in 1944. The discovery of the object’s provenance changes irrevocably the lives of three men who previously had no idea of each other’s existence. Producer Leonardo Baraldi explains more.