News

The May 21 Chile showcase of four docs-in-progress is designed for international decision makers looking for new titles, in particular festival programmers and sales agents. In the main, the new Chilean projects (presented by Chiledoc) are looking for post-production funding or general gap financing, and are sometimes still open to co-production opportunities. Some of the projects’ producers talk to BDE.

On May 20, Cannes Docs hosts a special Italian showcase focused on four Italian works-in-progress at advanced post-production. The initiative was organised by Cinecittà on behalf of the Directorate General of Italy’s Ministry of Culture and in collaboration with Doc/it, who tells how the projects are characterised by a strong international appeal for both festivals and theatres and are “ready to meet the expectations of the market.”

Documentaries on the Croisette may be sailing on a sea of fiction, but a safe harbour for all doccers can be found at Cannes Docs in the Riviera, where Pierre-Alexis Chevit and his colleagues have again created a bespoke market programme of pitches, presentations, key notes, debates and special screenings, culminating with the thought forum Doc Day on May 23. The Cannes Docs chief explains his event to BDE.

The 2023 programme includes: 21 Industry sessions, Craft Summit sessions, 4 Marketplace sessions, 4 Live Pitch sessions, The Filmmaker Challenge (with Kevin Macdonald), an Alternate Realities Summit, 6 Marketplace Rough Cuts and selected BFI DocSociety Works In Progress screenings (by invitation), as well as the 2023 MeetMarket pitching forum.

The top doc in International Competition programme was named as Thiiird by Karim Kassem. The award for Best Serbian doc went to A Field Guide to Coastal Fortifications by Tijana Petrović, while the Eurimages Audentia Award, valued at €30,000 and earmarked for the development of winning director’s next film, went to Estonian Anna Hints for Smoke Sauna Sisterhood.

The 19th edition of Docu Talents from the East, a presentation of top new doc projects from Central and Eastern Europe, will take place August 13 during the Cinelink Industry Days at Sarajevo FF. “Each year, we discover more and more exceptional documentary projects and daring authors coming from Eastern Europe,” says Marek Hovorka, director of Ji.hlava IDFF. The deadline for submissions is May 31.

An astute and insightful delve into the relationships and rivalries within The Rolling Stones in those formative years, Nick Broomfield’s archive-heavy film, which premiered May 15 on the BBC, elegantly explores the freedom and exuberance of the 1960s - a time of intergenerational conflict and sexual turmoil – and how the story of Stones co-founder Brian Jones reflected those glorious but also troubled times.

Theatre of Violence (Lukasz Konopa & Emil Langballe) picked up the Main Competition award, valued at €10,000. The VIKTOR DOK.deutsch prize prize (€7,500) went to Greta’s Birth by Katja Baumgarten. Cyrielle Raingou’s Le Sectre of Boko Haram won the VIKTOR DOK.horizonte Competition - Cinema of Urgency award (€5,000). The FFF Talent Award (€5,000) went to She Chef by Melanie Liebheit & Gereon Wetzel.

Eight new Polish projects aimed at kids will be presented May 15 as part of the Forum of Documentary Film for Young Audiences, at the 20th Audiences Millennium Docs Against Gravity (Poland). The projects have been developed over the past year within the LET’S DOC. DOCUMENTARY IDEAS LAB organized by Andrzej Wajda Centre For Film Culture. MDAG Industry also announced winners of its first Progress Pitching session.

Eight new Polish projects will be presented May 13 during the Pole Position pitch session of Millennium Docs Against Gravity Industry (Poland). “The films that are in our festival programme and presented at Pole Position tackle complex and difficult subjects with sensitivity, depth, and insight, showcasing a unique perspective on Polish society and culture,” says MDAG Head of Industry Anna Szczypińska.