Nick Cunningham

Munich-based global factual content provider Autentic will this week present a new slate of summer releases within the categories of current affairs, history, wildlife and travel. Furthermore, the company recently announced its acquisition of Leipzig-based boutique distributor Albatross World Sales. With this acquisition, Autentic expands its portfolio by more than 600 hours of premium programming, the company underlines, particularly in the nature & wildlife genre, as well as science, travel & culture, and history.

The AI film Post Truth has won Best Art Feature Film at the 42nd Asolo Art Film Festival (Italy), with Sydney-based sales outfit Odin's Eye Entertainment claiming this to be the first time an AI-generated feature has been lauded in a juried competition at an established international festival. Accepting the award in Asolo, Turkish director Alkan Avcıoğlu quoted John Cage: “I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”

Flemish production house Harald House arrives in La Rochelle with a diverse slate of documentary projects, ranging from a journey into the mind of the late, great David Lynch, to a feature doc about a team of para-cyclists who chase their dream of competing on the world stage, even as bombs descend on their home city of Gaza. “Creatively, we are drawn to films that can have an impact, whether that impact is cultural, artistic or social,” company CEO Kristian Van der Heyden tells Business Doc Europe.

For a while at the end of 2025, the future of Sunny Side of the Doc seemed very much in doubt, but after agreeing a strategic partnership with Documentary Campus, the market returns June 22-24 to La Rochelle for its 37th edition. As ever, the core remit is to connect producers with key decision-makers in order to accelerate co-pro and business opportunities but, as Doc Campus MD Donata von Perfall tells BDE, gone are the pitch events, replaced in 2026 by a “more collaborative, discussion-driven” Meet & Match model. “The goal was efficient, meaningful exchange rather than performance,” she says.

The China Pavilion returns to La Rochelle in 2026, housing a strong delegation of broadcasters, streaming platforms, producers and distributors. China Hour is scheduled for June 23 (15.30 to 16.30), during which professionals can discover the latest projects, trends and co-production opportunities from one of the world's most influential documentary markets. “We position ourselves as a ‘connector of cross-cultural narratives,’” China Pavilion’s Liu Wei tells Sunny Side.

BDC Discoveries has issued a final call for submissions for its 2026 edition. The closing date for applications is June 30. The Balkan Documentary Center (BDC) is a platform dedicated to supporting and developing documentary film related to the Balkan region, connecting filmmakers, producers, and industry professionals across borders.

Sheffield DocFest 2026 wrapped a “record-breaking” year June 16, attracting over 45,000 cinemagoers and nearly 2500 delegates from 74 different countries to 6 days of films, talks, industry sessions, workshops, parties, performances and parades across Sheffield. The festival is one of the biggest showcases for documentaries around the globe and this year featured 107 films from 66 countries and over 200 screenings including 45 World Premieres, 17 International Premieres, 6 European Premieres, and 37 UK Premieres.

DOK Co-Pro Market has put out its final call for author-driven documentary, animated doc and – as of 2026 – feature animation projects. “The animated fiction projects will focus on artistic feature-length films with theatrical potential, alongside series suited for platforms and broadcasters – all targeting adult audiences, a rising segment in the animation industry,” write organisers. The call for applications closes July 1.

Sheffield Industry’s biggest prize, The Whickers Pitch, Film & TV Funding Award 2026, which includes a pot of £120,000, went to Children of Honey directed by Jigar Ganatra and Emanuel Musa Marco. The Whickers Development Prize of £25,000 went to Welcome to Our Bathhouse directed by Tommaso Barbetta. All prizes…

Ultimate Thunder was unveiled June 15 as winner of Sheffield DocFest’s Audience Award. The other award winners were announced June 14 at a ceremony held at Sheffield’s Crucible Playhouse. Thirty-seven films competed this year across the five prestigious competition categories at Sheffield DocFest, the UK’s leading documentary festival. The top prize in International Competition went to Filthy (Sucia – Per què no vas fer res?) by Bàrbara Mestanza and Marc Pujolar. All winners…