News

Espresso Media, the UK-based independent factual sales outfit, heads to Sunny Side of the Doc with a new slate spanning factual entertainment, premium science, true crime, world affairs, social documentary and history. “In a challenging distribution landscape for independent factual producers, it matters to us that we keep championing ambitious, high quality documentary work across every genre we operate in," comments Colette Webber, Acquisitions Manager.

Munich-based global factual content provider Autentic will this week present a new slate of summer releases within the categories of current affairs, history, wildlife and travel. Furthermore, the company recently announced its acquisition of Leipzig-based boutique distributor Albatross World Sales. With this acquisition, Autentic expands its portfolio by more than 600 hours of premium programming, the company underlines, particularly in the nature & wildlife genre, as well as science, travel & culture, and history.

The AI film Post Truth has won Best Art Feature Film at the 42nd Asolo Art Film Festival (Italy), with Sydney-based sales outfit Odin's Eye Entertainment claiming this to be the first time an AI-generated feature has been lauded in a juried competition at an established international festival. Accepting the award in Asolo, Turkish director Alkan Avcıoğlu quoted John Cage: “I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”

The China Pavilion returns to La Rochelle in 2026, housing a strong delegation of broadcasters, streaming platforms, producers and distributors. China Hour is scheduled for June 23 (15.30 to 16.30), during which professionals can discover the latest projects, trends and co-production opportunities from one of the world's most influential documentary markets. “We position ourselves as a ‘connector of cross-cultural narratives,’” China Pavilion’s Liu Wei tells Sunny Side.

BDC Discoveries has issued a final call for submissions for its 2026 edition. The closing date for applications is June 30. The Balkan Documentary Center (BDC) is a platform dedicated to supporting and developing documentary film related to the Balkan region, connecting filmmakers, producers, and industry professionals across borders.

Sheffield DocFest 2026 wrapped a “record-breaking” year June 16, attracting over 45,000 cinemagoers and nearly 2500 delegates from 74 different countries to 6 days of films, talks, industry sessions, workshops, parties, performances and parades across Sheffield. The festival is one of the biggest showcases for documentaries around the globe and this year featured 107 films from 66 countries and over 200 screenings including 45 World Premieres, 17 International Premieres, 6 European Premieres, and 37 UK Premieres.

DOK Co-Pro Market has put out its final call for author-driven documentary, animated doc and – as of 2026 – feature animation projects. “The animated fiction projects will focus on artistic feature-length films with theatrical potential, alongside series suited for platforms and broadcasters – all targeting adult audiences, a rising segment in the animation industry,” write organisers. The call for applications closes July 1.

Sheffield Industry’s biggest prize, The Whickers Pitch, Film & TV Funding Award 2026, which includes a pot of £120,000, went to Children of Honey directed by Jigar Ganatra and Emanuel Musa Marco. The Whickers Development Prize of £25,000 went to Welcome to Our Bathhouse directed by Tommaso Barbetta. All prizes…

Ultimate Thunder was unveiled June 15 as winner of Sheffield DocFest’s Audience Award. The other award winners were announced June 14 at a ceremony held at Sheffield’s Crucible Playhouse. Thirty-seven films competed this year across the five prestigious competition categories at Sheffield DocFest, the UK’s leading documentary festival. The top prize in International Competition went to Filthy (Sucia – Per què no vas fer res?) by Bàrbara Mestanza and Marc Pujolar. All winners…

Guardian Documentaries and arte.tv have joined forces to support filmmakers making documentary shorts, exploring the theme of Democracy at Stake in Europe. Announced at Sheffield DocFest, the initiative opened for submissions 11 June 2026 and invites filmmakers from across Europe to pitch character-led short documentaries examining the challenges facing democratic societies today.