Nick Cunningham

The traditional presentation of highlights from the previous year’s Ji.hlava IDFF selection will commence March 5 with a screening (plus Q&A) of The World According to My Dad by Marta Kovářová in the European Parliament in Brussels. More screenings and Q&As are planned through to March 7 both in Brussels and Ghent. Further Echoes of 27th Ji.hlava IDFF presentations are planned over the following months for Romania, New York, Poland, Serbia and Slovakia.

DocSoc announces professional development opps for the 6-month producer programme RISE, and for the Producing Truths programme aimed at mid-career producers outside of London. The organisation also invites applications from disabled UK docmakers, producers and editors to participate in a virtual delegation to IDA’s Getting Real 24 conference (15 - 18 April). Additionally, details of TikTok MicroDoc Challenge announced, plus Made of Truth BFI Doc Society Short Film Fund now open.

Al Jazeera Documentary (AJD) Industry Days has announced the call for projects for its third edition that will take place from 14-16 September 2024. Entries are open from March 4 to the deadline day of May 31. AJD Industry Days runs in parallel with the Al Jazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival (AJB DOC) which is organized for 13 to 17 September 2024 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The ‘Balkan Watchers – Media Program for Documentary Films and Podcasts’ aims to amplify the voices engaged in investigative and independent journalism through documentaries and podcasts as alternative forms of critical reporting. Aimed at journalists and filmmaker activists, 10 film and 10 podcast projects will be selected, with 3 of each to receive financial support (€25,000 per film, €5000 per podcast). Submission deadline extended to March 8.

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.