Nick Cunningham

The People’s Choice Documentary Award was presented to Barry Avrich for Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been, while the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award was presented to Matthew Rankin for Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney. Honourable Mentions went to The Black Box is Orange by Yuula Benivolski (Best Canadian Discovery Award), and Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story by Adrian Buitenhuis (Best Canadian Feature Award).

“Claus Melvad is an extraordinary inventor whose autism, ADHD, OCD and Tourette’s are both a source of huge challenges and, in his own words, his superpowers,” Danish producer Signe Skov Thomsen tells BDE of the subject of An Unlikely Hero, pitched at Nordisk Panorama 2026. But can Claus’ technology shed light on a crucial blind spot of climate science - that of rising sea levels? And can he prove to himself and his daughters, who have inherited his diagnoses, that he can make a difference and play his part in saving the world?

“Out of Place stands out through its intimate approach to Palestinian exile and culture, combining a deeply personal story with broader contemporary questions of identity, belonging, and displacement,” Swedish producer Mónica Hernández Rejón tells BDE of her Nordisk Panorama project, in which exiled Gazan director Mohammed Fares Al Majdalawi returns to his homeland where he senses an unspoken shift in the city, its people and himself.

In his debut feature doc, Ömer Sami sets out to revive the memory of his legendary childhood idol, the teacher Scott Peake, but what he discovers en route is far more complex than he had imagined. “The film reminds us of the value of teachers and their ability to profoundly affect generations. Whatever was invented in Scott’s stories, his impact on his students was real,” says Danish producer Monica Hellström of Ström Pictures.

Throughout his much-documented fall from grace, Finnish Olympic champion Mika Myllylä filmed his family with his home video camera, from which another, deeply personal story emerges. “The project combines a highly recognisable Nordic figure and major sports archive with an intimate family story that does not depend on prior knowledge of Mika,” producer Pasi Hakkio tells BDE of his Nordisk Panorama WIP. “That gives the film two routes into an audience: the very strong Nordic recognition of Mika, and the much broader international themes of family, addiction, elite sport, shame and inherited patterns.”

IFFR Managing Director Clare Stewart, who jointly leads the organisation with Festival Director Vanja Kaludjercic, is stepping down from the post after her fourth edition in the role. She will remain involved with IFFR, dedicating her focus to the continued development of the Displacement Film Fund, the short film grant initiative founded and led by Cate Blanchett, and for which IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund acts as Managing Partner.

The industry programme of Nordisk Panorama kicks off in earnest this weekend, heralding 5 days of intense pitching, deal-making, networking and debate in the Swedish city of Malmö. The Forum runs 20-22 September, while the market kicks off September 18. As healthy as the Nordic doc industries are, NP’s Lea Maria Strandbæk Sørensen underlines to BDE how its professionals must look beyond their regional partners to ply their trade. “No-one is served by being self-sustained within the bubble, never looking out, and never collaborating with anyone else," she stresses.

Eleven feature documentaries, two docuseries and two TV one-offs have been selected for the MIA (Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo) 2026 Co-pro Market. A further seven documentaries will be presented in the new Doc Connect programme. Across all sectors, 67 projects will be presented this year, selected from more than 530 submissions from 82 countries. The upcoming edition of MIA will run October 19 to 23 in Rome.

In 2027, the European Film Market (EFM) will introduce the EFM Doc Series Pitch, a new international platform for documentary series projects in development. Up to 10 projects from around the world will be invited to pitch and meet potential co-production, financing, commissioning and distribution partners during the Berlinale Series Market in February 2027. The initiative is co-curated with DOK.forum, the industry platform of DOK.fest München. Deadline for submissions: October 1.

The second edition of NLWave (30 Sept to Oct 2), the international showcase presenting upcoming Dutch features, documentaries and animation, is set to launch NxtWave, comprising four shorts by rising Dutch filmmaking talent. These include the multi award-winning How to Catch a Butterfly by Kiriko Mechanicus, and Nina Broers’ Student Academy Award-winning Where is my Sex Drive.