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The 27th Baltic Sea Forum for Documentaries (BSD) takes place in Riga, Latvia 3-10 September 2023. The main focus of the BSD pitch event is full-length creative documentary projects, but cross-media applications are also welcome. Applications are invite from the wider Baltic Sea region countries, Eastern Europe and Caucasus region, and from other countries if the documentary subject relates to the region. Deadline for submission: 12 June.

Twelve new projects will be presented May 12 during the first Progress Pitching Session of Millennium Docs Against Gravity Industry (Poland). “Our goal is to create an event that will make a real contribution to the development of documentary cinema in Poland and will be a space for filmmakers to establish contacts and promote Polish films abroad,” says MDAG Head of Industry Anna Szczypińska.

This year, 42 projects from 23 countries will compete for the best pitch across seven thematic pitching sessions all supported by key industry partners. Project holders will present their works before a panel of key industry decision-makers consisting of leading broadcasters, funders, platforms and foundations. #SSD23 will be held 19-22 June, once again in La Rochelle, France.

The Amsterdam-based fund is now accepting submissions for IBF Classic, the grant program that supports doc projects in development or (post-)production, with funding of up to €7,500 and €25,000 respectively per project, in addition to tailored support from the Filmmaker Support department. The deadline is June 10 2023.

The purpose of the award, valued at €20,000, is to provide support in the development of a comprehensive impact campaign for a project at post-production phase participating as a CineLink Work-in-Progress or in the Docu Rough Cut Boutique programme. The award is made in association with Think-Film Impact Production. Industry Days, the professional arm of the Sarajevo Film Festival, will run August 13-18.

The leading UK docfest invites audiences and professionals alike to “spark [their] curiosity” for documentary from June 14 to 19. The film programme includes 37 World Premieres, 20 International Premieres, 10 European Premieres, 47 UK Premieres and 8 retrospective films - all from 52 countries of production. The fest opens with the world premiere of Paul Sng’s Tish.

Cannes Classic docs on the Croisette in 2023 include works on the late Jean-Luc Godard, the Rassam-Berri dynasty, Liv Ullmann and filmmakers discussing the future of cinema, a la Wim Wenders’ Room 666 (1982). Other subjects getting the doc treatment, as announced May 5, are Agnès Varda, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Anita Pallenberg, Michael Douglas and Warner Bros, as the studio celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023.

As doors opened May 3 on the 38th DOK.fest Munich, Deputy Festival Director Adele Kohout outlined to Business Doc Europe the raison d’être behind Germany’s biggest doc event. “We see ourselves as a relevant platform for mediation, participation and exchange between audiences and the creative industry, and thus also as ambassadors for documentary film,” she said.

Sales company Split Screen has acquired world rights for Planet B, the third feature by filmmaker and climate activist Pieter Van Eecke, which celebrated its world premiere at Visions du Réel. The film is produced by Hanne Phlypo for Belgian production outlet Clin d'oeil films in co-production with Katja Draaijer and Frank Hoeve for BALDR Film (the Netherlands), broadcaster VRT and Shelter Prod.

Parts 1 and 6 of Mettler’s 7-part feature series were presented at Visions du Réel 2023. The Burning Lights Competition was won by Knit's Island, shot entirely from inside a video game. The National Competition winner was Chagrin Valley. “It is…an honour and a pleasure that the Grand Prix will once again be awarded to a Swiss production, which – and this is already a certainty – will go down in the history of cinema.” said VdR Artistic Director Emilie Bujès. All winners…