Nick Cunningham

In his paean to the wonders of nature, feature debutant Ed Sayers turns to old tech, in the form of Super 8, to offer us a new way of seeing. For Super Nature, which world-premieres October 12 at BFI London FF, 40 collaborators from around the world filmed their natural habitat using this wonderfully imperfect format, replete with its scratches, graininess and oversaturation, and submitted their efforts to Sayers. “If anyone who sees this film has any change in their attitude towards the natural world that we live in, and that we are a part of, then great,” he tells BDE.

Doc winners are Edition 96 by Ahmad Naboulsi (Lebanon) which won the MIA Development Award for Outstanding Doc Project and POV-Point of View by Luca Murphy (Italy) which picked up the Paramount New Stories Award. The GEDI Visual Award for one of the titles selected for the Italians Doc It Better showcase went to Pestiferus Lupus by Ludovico Serra and Luca Jankovic, while a Special Mention was given to Fish Don't Close Their Eyes Audrey Gordon.

Following its Venice World Premiere (Official Selection Out-of-Competition), and ahead of its UK premiere at BFI London Film Festival, Global Constellation announced it has sold exclusive UK/EIRE distribution rights of Broken English to VUE LUMIÈRE, as well as a raft of other international sales. Directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, and featuring Tilda Swinton, the film offers up a dynamic and experimental career-spanning portrait of the late, great Marianne Faithfull.

Thirteen new US and Asian projects will be presented October 29–31 during the 29th Ji.hlava IDFF. Seven projects are from the United States, while six are from East and South-east Asia. These join the previously announced projects from Europe and Croatia, this year's Ji.hlava Industry guest country. This year’s Ji.hlava IDFF will run October 24 to November 2.

Belgium-based Moldovan filmmaker Olga Lucovnicova talks to Business Doc Europe about her dramatic new documentary, which previewed at Flanders Film Days. In the film Olga investigates her family legacy of suicide in Russia, starting with her grandma Antonina, whose letters to her son Slava (Olga’s father) set the whole filmic odyssey in motion. “I hoped that with this film, I would reunite the family and then it will be a happy ending,” Olga tells BDE. “But everything changed when the war in Ukraine started…”

Two-time Oscar-winner Ben Proudfoot makes his feature debut with The Eyes of Ghana, produced by Oscar-nominated Moses Bwayo and exec-produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. It is a film about a remarkable political legacy, a love for cinema, and the discovery of a rich cinematic archive far away in a London vault. And at its core is Ghanaian filmmaker Chris Hesse, who has one final mission to undertake before his days come to an end. Proudfoot and Bwayo talk to BDE before the film’s international premiere October 9 at BFI London Film Festival.

DOK Leipzig has revealed the competition line-up for its 68th edition, completing the 2025 film programme. A total of 78 films, including 30 world premieres, are competing for Golden and Silver Doves across the four competitions. “Most of the films sent to us in the post-pandemic period have dealt with family situations and inner thoughts. This year, however, numerous documentaries and animated films have returned to looking outward,” says festival director Christoph Terhechte.

The 33rd edition of the festival’s co-production/co-financing market unveils a “compelling” line-up of projects, welcoming an array of newcomers and seasoned filmmakers. “The selection demonstrates how versatile the domain of the documentary filmmaker and new media artist is,” says Adriek van Nieuwenhuijzen, Head of IDFA Industry. “Through the use of inventive cinematic language and formats, these projects bring underexposed stories while also exploring non-narrative expressions, both of which provide context in a society marked by turbulence and uncertainty.”

CPH:DOX, EAVE and IMS announced October 8 selections for the fifth edition of the CHANGE programme, that seeks to “empower" documentary film projects from the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. For the 2025/2026 edition, eight teams will join the co-production training workshop series, concluding with a presentation of the projects to the international industry during CPH:DOX 2026.

In Volkan Üce’s new feature doc Two Square Metres, presented at Flemish Film Days, Tayfun is the go-to undertaker for the Belgian Turkish community, many of whom want to send their deceased loved ones back to their former homeland to be buried. If you are expecting a grim and depressing film about death, then think again. Üce’s film is a loving and funny portrait of a good dad and sassy businessman whose natural tendency towards compassion is matched only by his considerable money-making acumen. The director talks to BDE.