Nick Cunningham

Albert Serra’s bullfighting doc won the Golden Shell at the San Sebastian Festival's 72nd edition. The film follows bullfighter Andrés Roca Rey over the course of a single day. The feature doc Chaplin – Spirit of the Tramp by Carmen Chaplin won the Irizar Basque Film Award. The festival ran September 20-28.

Producer Sandra Enkvist tells BDE about her new project, directed by Vesa Kuosmanen, which pulls back the curtain on a dramatic period in Finland’s queer history. “In the 80s, the fear of AIDS was universal, and its legacy still echoes in the lives of the survivors among us. We want to make a film which breaks free from the fear that has shaped so much of queer history,” she says.

The prizes of the 35th Nordisk Panorama were handed out September 24. Best Nordic Documentary went to Life is Beautiful by Mohamed Jabaly while the New Nordic Voice gong was won by Camilla Jämting for Project Dad. The Young Nordic Award prize went to Marianne Olsen Ulrichsen for Warrior Heart. The City of Malmö's Audience Award was granted to Balomania by Sissel Morell Dargis. Nordic Documentary Producer Award to Danish Sara Stockmann.

“This project is vital because it tells a story that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. Its themes of family, dependency, and the human need for connection are timeless, and its heartfelt portrayal of these issues will undoubtedly engage audiences worldwide,” says producer Juha Löppönen of The Beauty of Errors, a portrait of a family for whom home is the epicentre of everything.

The Norwegian/Finnish In Cod We Trust is described as a portrait of a town, and a meditation on home and belonging. “To a fishing village, at the very top of the world, in the far north of Norway, people from all over the world have come in search of a better life. It creates an exciting symbiosis of people, and a society completely out of the ordinary,” producer Benedikte Bredesen tells Business Doc Europe of her FFA project.

Riding with Death is a poetic feature documentary that shows the emotional impacts of the tuberculosis outbreaks in Finland between 1920-60, and details the sanatorium culture that emerged. “We feel that after the Covid-19 experience, the film gives us necessary historical perspective. Many of us suffered alone during Covid-19, but it did not have to be that way. The rich sanatorium culture in Finland shows us another approach,” says producer Markku Tuurna.

“Women named Pauliina is a vital and necessary project because it dives deep into the complex layers of identity, appearance, and societal expectations placed on women,” director Punkki tells BDE ahead of her FFA presentation of the project. “Through the unique and powerful stories of two women [Punkki herself and professional bodybuilder Pauliina Talus] the film addresses issues that are rarely explored in mainstream media, making it essential for both investment and audience engagement.”

The 21st Verzió program, running November 6-13, will dedicate special sections to the themes of decolonization and disinformation, and will also showcase Armenian, Ukrainian, and British selections. The festival's opening film will be the Hungarian-French-Croatian co-production Kix, a film about skateboarder kids, making its Hungarian debut. “Verzió helps us uncover the problems that are often hidden behind false surfaces, bringing us closer to reality,” the festival writes.

Running October 29 to November 1, Industry Days highlights include the New Visions Forum and Market, the Emerging Producers presentation of 18 up-and-coming European film producers, the Festival Identity workshop and creative hub for film festival representatives, and the Matchmaking Accelerator during which 500+ one-on-one meetings will take place. And more…

The inaugural Dokumentale International Documentary and Media Festival Berlin (10-20 October) has announced the ten films selected for its Competition programme. The documentaries, which include 8 German premieres and two international premieres, will compete for the main prize of €20,000, of €10,000 will go directly to the filmmakers while the remainder will support marketing efforts around the film's release.