Interviews

Elizabeth: A Portrait In Parts, a Special Screening at Visions Du Réel, may seem an uncharacteristic project for the late Roger Michell, director of the romcom Notting Hill. It’s an entirely archive-based documentary looking at the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II. However, as its producer Kevin Loader points out to BDE, it has many of the same qualities as his feature films.

When director Peter Entell’s father was 75, he sent his son a letter suggesting he should make a film about old people. “It’s fun to be old,” was one possible title his father suggested. Entell took his father at his word. The documentary he made, premiering in the Burning Lights competition at Visions Du Reel, doesn’t portray old age in quite the way the father first anticipated. The director explains more to Business Doc Europe.

In his feature doc No Place for You in Our Town (screening in Visions du Réel Latitudes and presenting at Movies That Matter, following its world premiere at CPH:DOX), Bulgarian director Nikolay Stefanov returns to his home town of Pernik to look at the lives of some of football club FC Minyor’s most die-hard supporters, who are part of a once-prospering, now struggling, mining community.

The Movies That Matter Industry programme gets into full swing April 7 after easing of restrictions on face to face engagement in The Netherlands, and following its initial online roll-out during lockdown. Industry manager Emma Romeijn tells Business Doc Europe what to expect over the coming days. “The red thread throughout our industry program is the idea of impact,” she underlines. 

In 2022 Visions du Réel promises to explore the “wide spectrum” of documentary and non-fiction, Artistic Director Emilie Bujès tells BDE on the eve of the festival’s live 53rd edition. “We have a mission to pull strings in all directions as far as possible.” Of the 124 films in official selection, 84 are world premieres and 15 are international premieres. Films will compete in International Feature, Burning Lights, Swiss and International Medium/Short-length competitions.

When she speaks to Business Doc Europe, US filmmaker Sierra Pettengill is in Zagreb for this week’s screenings of her documentary Riotsville, USA at ZagrebDox. She has come to town straight from CPH:DOX in Copenhagen. The festival dates are racking up for the film (sold by Dogwoof) which premiered in Sundance but is also due to screen at Hot Docs, at the Seattle International FF and in New Directors New Films in New York.

Northern Irish director Kathryn Ferguson’s feature doc Nothing Compares has its subject, Sinéad O’Connor, as its narrator. ‘Powerful’ and ‘heartrending’ are among the terms that reviewers have used to describe the film, which premiered at Sundance and screened in Copenhagen last week. The director explains to BDE how and why she was drawn to the life and work of the mercurial and very brilliant Irish singer-songwriter.

British filmmaker Ben Rivers and French musician and artist Félicia Atkinson are yet to meet in person - but audiences at CPH:DOX last week enjoyed an unusual collaboration between the duo. Atkinson provided new voice-over and musical accompaniments for two of Rivers’ films, Urth (2016) and Look Then Below (2019). The soundtracks were performed ‘live.’ Rivers was too busy with other work to travel to Copenhagen but he made time to speak to Business Doc Europe.

Dutch firebrand and iconoclast Renzo Martens is taking on Jesus in his next project, which he pitched at CPH:FORUM 2022. Part fiction/part documentary, a key driver for Martens is to enable the Congolese cast and crew, led by Matthieu Kasiama (who will play Jesus), to buy back the land stolen from them over 100 years ago, using their participation fees paid to them up front.

The World Cup. 1971. Crowds numbering in excess of 100,000 in Mexico City’s iconic Azteca stadium. But you’ve never heard of it. Why? Because it was a women’s tournament, and one conveniently airbrushed out of history. Until now. “I think it's no exaggeration to say that we have actually uncovered one of the greatest secrets in sport,” Copa 71 co-director Rachel Ramsay told the professional audience at Forum 2022.