Nick Cunningham

The documentary, directed by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó and which premiered at Sundance 2024, examines the Gross National Happiness index in Bhutan as well as the personal happiness of one of the people measuring it. Sales on Agent of Happiness are handled by Cinephil. DocsBarcelona runs May 2 to 12. DocsBarcelona Industry will run May 6 to 10.

The film, described as “a love letter to all things great and Irish” and directed/produced by Frank Mannion, has sold to Vision Films for North America, who also acquired all other international rights, excluding UK and Ireland. Quintessentially Irish will be released by Vision in US cinemas and on VOD on March 12, and by Swipe Films’ theatrical distribution arm in the UK and Ireland on April 26.

Grierson award-winning director Kate Stonehill’s debut feature doc Phantom Parrot, produced by UK producer Steven Lake, will go theatrical nationwide from March 15 in conjunction with Bertha DocHouse, Picturehouse and independent cinemas across the U.K. “In the wake of an incredible festival run where we saw sell-out screening after sell-out screening we felt inspired to put together a theatrical run for the film,” producer Lake tells BDE.

For its 55th edition, running 12 to 21 April 2024, Visions du Réel will welcome leading French director Alice Diop to its Atelier, which will entail an April 13 masterclass and a complete retrospective of her films. “[Diop’s] aim is to question French society from the margins, and she has distinguished herself due to her determination to give substance to unique journeys, exploring the personal to access the universal,” the festival writes.

CPH:DOX has revealed the line-up for the 2024 INTER:ACTIVE Exhibition, 'Who Do You Think You Are: The Body Re-examined', running March 13 - 24, 2024 at Kunsthal Charlottenborg and offering “a profound exploration into the evolving relationship between our bodies and immersive technologies.” Seventeen pieces, ranging from VR and mixed reality to AI chatbots, have been selected and will run for a new award for best immersive work.

The 20th edition of Glasgow FF will run 28 February to 10 March at Glasgow Film Theatre (itself celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024) plus venues across the city. World-premiering docs include a new restoration of Billy Connolly: Big Banana Feet, the rarely seen documentary shot during his 1975 tour of Ireland, and closing film Janey by John Archer, which interweaves stories from the comedian Janey Godley’s life with footage from her Not Dead Yet tour following her terminal cancer diagnosis.

Additionally, Direct Action by Guillaume Cailleau and Ben Russell won Best Film in Encounters, while the Berlinale Documentary Award went to No Other Land by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor. Faruk by Aslı Özge won the Panorama Fipresci Award while Teaches of Peaches won the Teddy for Best Doc. All doc awards…

Twelve Projects announced for Thessaloniki Pitching Forum (plus 3 new prizes including the €10,000 IEFTA Award for Best Documentary in Development), 11 Agora Docs in Progress, as well as five Agora Lab projects at all stages from Greece on which documentary specialists will offer guidance. In the festival’s Meet the Future initiative the focus shifts to rising talents hailing from the Czech Republic.

The renowned Spanish filmmaker will attend the opening ceremony of 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (March 7-17) in order to present his They Shot the Piano Player (2023, pictured) and receive the fest's honorary Golden Alexander for his overall contribution to cinema and culture. Organisers also announce that 66 full-length and short documentaries from Greece will be screened during the upcoming edition.

The Thessaloniki Int’l Doc Fest this year adds the Talking Heads masterclass platform to its Agora Talks programme, designed to “reshape the original form of masterclasses to foster inclusive and safe collective conversations, directly addressing the industry's needs [where] engaging discussions and diverse voices converge, creating an environment for collaborative exploration and innovation.”