Nick Cunningham

The Best Documentary Feature prize went to Hacking Hate by Simon Klose (Sweden, Denmark, Norway) while the Documentary Feature Best Cinematography and Best Editing Awards went to Ezra Wolfinger for Shelf Life (United States) and Rupert Houseman for Antidote (United Kingdom) respectively. The Albert Maysles Award for Best New Doc went to Debra Aroko and Nicole Gormley for their Searching for Amani (Kenya).

Relentless Memory, a film about indigenous peoples and human rights, world premieres in International Competition. Piropolis, telling the story of a firefighting company fighting simultaneous devastating fires in Chile, has its European premiere. Meanwhile in MeetMarket, A Troop of Bears is presented. The doc project tells the story of the encounter between the son of a disappeared detainee and the man who betrayed him during the Chilean military dictatorship.

In the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, 11-year-old Vrej is, in equal part, philosopher, dreamer and realist. He wants to be a dentist, but is fully aware that he is being prepared for combat, as are all the kids of his age, both and girls. “He was just a child full of wonder, full of dreams, but also very much older [than his years],” says director Hairabedian of her subject. “His personality was what really attracted the lens, and that's what kept us going.”

The documentary pitching has finalized the project selection for its 28th edition, scheduled to take place in Riga 1-6 September 2024. The selection includes 22 projects currently in development and production, as well as four projects at post-production stage within the forum's Coming Soon session.

The Whickers, founded in 2015 and named after the legendary British broadcaster and documentarian Alan Whicker, this year celebrates 10 years of collaboration with Sheffield DocFest. On June 16 the annual £100,000 Film and TV Funding Award will be handed out, as well as a £20,000 development prize. June 15 sees The Whickers and Sheffield DocFest Podcast Awards, valued at £5000 and £2000 respectively. Consultant Art Director Jane Ray explains her organisation’s rationale and modus operandi to BDE.

Back in the 1980s Genesis P-Orridge was described as “too shocking, even for punks,” this coming on the back of his sexually graphic performances at London’s ICA in 1976 together with his equally notorious then-girlfriend Cosey Fanni Tutti. But David Charles Rodrigues’ new doc reveals another side to Genesis. Yes, he was formidable and dangerous, but he was also a genuine intellectual and a philosopher years ahead of his time, as well as a loving dad. “You can live for your art and be this extreme artist and musician and thinker, but also part of your extremeness is living with unconditional love for your family,” the director tells BDE.

50 films make up the competition sections (International, French, First Film, Flash and Cine+) of the 35th edition of FIDMarseille. Of these, 42 are World Premieres, 5 are International Premieres and 3 are French Premieres. The festival opens June 25 with Grand Tour by Miguel Gomes and closes June 30 with Alain Guiraudie’s Miséricorde.

The winners of the Doc Alliance Awards 2024 were announced June 6 at the award ceremony of Docudays UA in Kyiv. The prize for the Best Feature Film, endowed with 5,000 euros, went to The Landscape and the Fury by Nicole Vögele. Crushed by Camille Vigny received the Doc Alliance Award for Best Short Film, endowed with 3,000 EUR. Both awarded films were the nominations of Visions du Réel.

The feature doc, directed by Jayson McNamara and Andrea Tortonese, concerns the life of the esteemed Argentinian activist and feminist icon Norita Cortiñas. Fonda joins fellow executive producers, Oscar® winner Gustavo Santaolalla and author/activist Naomi Klein. “It is an honour to have Jane’s support and backing,” says director Jayson McNamara. “As a respected artist across generations, she is the ideal person to be bringing light to the story of an activist such as Norita.”

Ukrainian Anna Kurkurina is many things, a queer world champion powerlifter, a social media influencer with 350,000 followers and a protector of thousands of animals which are also the victims of the war in Ukraine. Her kindness also extends to fellow Ukrainians such as filmmakers Tetiana Dorodnitsyna and Andrii Lytvynenko ever since they met in 2019. “Every time we came to ‘Mama’s home’ she would feed us, she would take care of us,” Dorodnitsyna remembers. “From those five years grew up a friendship.”