Cannes Docs/Marché 2020

The CIRCLE Women Doc Accelerator training initiative presents four docs-in-progress during Cannes Docs, each from a CIRCLE alumnus. Founder and program director Biljana Tutorov tells BDE about each, in a round-about way.

A Black Jesus, directed by Luca Lucchesi and produced by Wim Wenders, poses a poignant and pertinent question. How can the residents of a Sicilian village worship a black Jesus but disregard the refugees who pray in the same church?

“Cinema needs to defend itself like never before,” the IDFA Creative Director tells BDE. “A thousand persons watching the film at home over a week are not equal to 1000 persons in a cinema watching the same film.”

Speaking to Business Doc Europe, Nikolaus Geyrhalter, director of Our Daily Bread and Homo Sapiens and one of the heavyweight auteurs of European documentary, has revealed details of his new corona-virus themed feature doc, The Standstill (sold by Autlook).

Leading French docs sales agent Anaïs Clanet has given details of her new venture, Reservoir Docs, which is being launched during the Cannes Marché.

Academy Award-nominated Brazilian director of The Edge of Democracy to join Doc Talk about the convergence between political and autobiographical documentaries in Latin America. Kick-off 17.30 CET

Three Greek documentaries-in-progress are presented June 22 at the Cannes Marché, including Michael Klioumis’ Made in Vain, about the pursuit of the body beautiful.

35% budget cut means fewer films in overall selection but doc levels same as 2019 with 8 films each in Italian/international programmes. At Cannes, Torino FF presents 4 docs-in-progress, together with Festival dei Popoli and the Piemonte/Toscana Film Commissions.

Leading Berlin-based doc sales specialist Rise and Shine presents a slate of recent festival successes, as well as Scars, the new film by Agnieszka Zwiefka, featuring in German Films Previews.

Leading Russian outfit Metrafilms is getting back into the documentary groove with an espionage thriller as embroiled and complex as anything found in dramatised spy movies.