Cannes Docs/Marché 2020

The ‘fest’ has been taken out of the festival and all the hard work isn’t bringing the expected dividends. “Our real merchandise are emotions, and these are best shared,” First Hand Films boss Esther van Messel tells BDE.

Tel Aviv-based doc sales outfit Cinephil is partnering with French production giant Gedeon Media Group and ARTE on major new TV project, The Ark Of The Covenant (working title). Cannes label Flee also on the company's Cannes slate.

The new Documentary Association of Europe was launched at Berlinale just before the world went into meltdown. But the pandemic hasn’t slowed down DAE activities, points out founder Brigid O’Shea.

On the eve of the 2020 Marché, presented virtually this year, Pierre-Alexis Chevit, head of Cannes Docs, spoke to Business Doc Europe about organising his event under Covid.

Vienna-based documentary powerhouse Autlook is tweaking its strategy in response to the challenges presented by the Covid pandemic. (Photo by Andre Csillag/REX/Shutterstock)

MetFilm Sales are screening three titles at Cannes Marché, including Hot Docs pick-up Meat the Future. They are also pre-selling two upcoming projects - on an unknown Russian female photographer from behind the Iron Curtain, and on sustainable fashion.

London-based REASON8 Films is selling Joy Womack: The White Swan, Dina Burlis’ feature doc portrait of the American ballet dancer who went to Russia to study at the Bolshoi.

One of the first docs made during the pandemic, London-based Sasha Joelle Achilli was not prepared for what she witnessed when she returned to Italy to shoot Italy’s Frontline: A Doctor’s Diary for PBS/BBC in early 2020.

This was set to be the first Cannes outing for Ukrainian Docudays UA and promo body Ukrainian Institute. Instead, the showcase of new Ukrainian doc projects in post-production goes ahead online during Cannes Docs 2020.

Monaco-based International Emerging Film Talent Association also sponsors the €10,000 Prize for Documentary Works-In-Progress for second year.