Nick Cunningham

Vicente joins the Sundance Institute from Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where she spent the past three years as Executive Director and Co-Head. Vicente succeeds CEO Keri Putnam, who stepped down earlier this year. Vicente Comes to Sundance “primed to further its mission as a fierce advocate for independent artists that inspire and influence all around the world,” says the 29 September statement.

Kim A. Snyder’s critically acclaimed Sundance selection Us Kids has secured its first major international sale with ZDF (Germany). It is the first of a batch of other deals that include Australia/New Zealand (Madman), Norway (VGTV) and Hong Kong (PCCW), with others currently under negotiation. The film has won seven awards, including the Full Frame Award for Human Rights.

Arché, the project development lab of Apordoc, will take place October 21-31 onsite during Nebulae, the industry programme of Doclisboa International Film Festival. This year, 12 projects at different stages of production, and hailing from 7 countries, were selected from the overall number of 109 submissions from 18 Ibero-American countries.

Ji.hlava New Visions is a financing, co-production and networking event dedicated to supporting documentary production in its diversity and creativity. Eight US projects in development will be presented October 28 while eight US projects in production/post-production will be pitched October 29 to potential co-producers, distributors, sales representatives and film festivals across Europe.

IDFA has unveiled two focus programs for its upcoming edition: The Future Tense and unConscious Bias. The festival also announced plans for the 15th edition of IDFA DocLab, and the corresponding theme program Liminal Reality. 19 titles are added to IDFA 2021 selection. The 34th edition of the festival runs November 17-28 in Amsterdam.

Flemish online showcase to present new documentary/non-fiction projects, works-in-progress and screenings of upcoming and completed titles from film and TV docmakers. Directors include Berlin Golden Bear 2021 winner Olga Lucovnicova, Steven Dhoedt with two projects and award-winning producer/director Koen Mortier, plus new content from leading doc houses. The platform goes live 4 October, runs to 15 October.

Finland’s largest film industry event Finnish Film Affair closed its 10th edition September 24. Organised both in Helsinki and online, the international event was attended by a total of over 400 guests from 27 countries. Top documentary prize went to director Kaisa Rastimo and producer Ella Ruohonen for Nasrin’s Voice. (Plus all pitch highlights)

The seventh edition of MIA (Oct 13-17) takes place once again in Rome’s Palazzo Barberini, Cinema Moderno and Cinema Quattro Fontane. Nine feature doc and four docuseries projects are selected for MIA Unscripted: Doc Pitching Forum. Keynote will be given by R.J. Cutler. Cosima Spender and Valerio Bonelli to give joint masterclass. Joy Russo named as key protagonist of MIA Scripted.

Oliver Hirschbiegel’s new film The Painter, a docufiction collaboration with leading German visual artist Albert Oehlen, starring Ben Becker and narrated by Charlotte Rampling, has been picked up for international sales by Picture Tree International. Mike Downey executive produces the Hirschbiegel/Oehlen Production which is currently completing in post-production.

15 productions across the German Competition for Long Documentary and Animated Film and the German Competition for Short Documentary and Animated Film. Among them are 11 world premieres, one European and 3 German premieres. Female filmmakers are heavily represented in the German Competition, having directed seven of the eight long documentary films nominated.