News

IDFA 2023 opening film A Picture to Remember by Olga Chernykh has been acquired for world sales by Stranger Films Sales (France). The film will world premiere in IDFA’s Envision competition and marks the first time a Ukrainian film will open the Amsterdam-based fest. “We firmly believe in the therapeutic potential of documentaries like this,” says Stranger Films Sales’ Tijana Djukic.

Ji.hlava IDFF unveiled its winning films October 29. Photophobia by Ivan Ostrochovský and Pavol Pekarčík took home the Best Czech Doc Award, while the Opus Bonum Award for Best World Doc went to Elvis Lenić's Ship from Croatia. Maia Gattás Vargas, the Argentine director, was honoured for her original approach, and Hungarian director Béla Tarr received recognition for his contribution to world cinema.

In International Comp, the City of Lisbon Award went to la tierra los altares by Sofía Peypoch (Mexico). The RTP International Comp Jury Award was awarded to the Belgian production Terril, by Jorn Plucieniczak. In Portuguese Comp, the HBO Max Award for Best Film went to As Melusinas à Margem do Rio by Melanie Pereira, while the Sociedade Portuguesa de Autores Award was handed to Memories of a Perfect Day by Davina-Maria El Khoury.

Producer and programmer Paula Astorga was unveiled October 29 as the new director of Doclisboa International Film Festival. Astorga directed Mexico’s National Cinematheque from 2010 to 2014, where she was in charge of its ‘complete renovation.’ Former director Miguel Ribeiro, who has worked at Lisboa for 11 years in various capacities, leaves to coordinate and program the cultural space Casa do Comum.

The Ji.hlava New Visions Forum: Europe & U.S. Docs Awards (ten in total) were handed out 27 October as doors closed on this year’s Industry event. Additionally, the festival announced the creation of the Ji.hlava/JB Films co-production project. Next year, up to €110,000 will be distributed to creative documentaries from the region of Central and Eastern Europe.

In French director Clément Deneux’s project, the renowned Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase explores self-acceptance through a bicycle trip love story. “The real-time animated piece that maximizes the medium's potential, offering viewers full freedom of movement and a sense of story participation in a documentary about a feature film that was never produced,” the jury said.

Ji.hlava Industry (Oct 25-29) is gearing up for another four days of pitching, networking and deal-making as 1300 professionals descend upon on the historic Czech town. “We want to be the melting pot for people from across the whole of Europe - north, south, east and west,” says Jarmila Outratová, Head of Industry. Not to mention the cohort of US producers who once again will present their new doc projects during the Ji.hlava’s New Visions Forum.

With 357 films across 7 competitive and 11 non-competitive sections, the Ji.hlava programme is particularly intense in 2023, chock full of doc from emerging and established makers alike, and presented to a highly cinephile Czech audience. “We don't think that daring and personal films ignore audiences. Quite the opposite. Documentary film has long been the most diverse and vibrant part of the audiovisual landscape, and interest in it continues to grow,” says festival director Marek Hovorka.

UK-based international sales outfit Impronta Films announced October 23 its global rights acquisition of Ehsan Khoshbakht's feature doc Celluloid Underground. Produced by Mary Bell and Adam Dawtrey for Bofa, with funding from the National Lottery via Screen Scotland and the BFI Doc Society Fund, the film world-premiered at London FF earlier this month. The international premiere will be at Morelia IFF on October 24.

The winners of Doclisboa’s Arché and Nebulae pitch awards were announced October 22. For its ninth edition, Arché gathered film projects from 10 countries around the globe, including Brazil, Argentina and Colombia. The eight Nebulae Award competitors were all produced or co-produced in Finland, the guest country for this edition.