News

FIPADOC Industry kicks off today, January 18, once again with a stated intention to join the international and French doc industries in a frenzy of co-pro collaboration. And right now in Biarritz that means face to face interactivity, which is very much to the satisfaction of festival chief Christine Camdessus, who talks to Business Doc Europe.

“It’s a meditation on trans humanity, and I’ve never seen another film like it,” comments Canadian actor, producer and activist Elliot Page about Nicolò Bassetti’s new film, a coming-of-age story about four friends who share important turning points in their lives and their gender transition. The film is set to world premiere in Berlinale Panorama.

The doc forum is an annual international documentary incubation-cum-pitching event for Indian and Asian filmmakers. The forum focuses on intensive development of creative storytelling skills and creation of co-production opportunities. Three sessions running in March April and May 2022. Submissions deadline: February 6.

Eleven highly diverse docs are selected for a 2022 Berlinale Forum Main Programme designed to demonstrate the pull of precisely observed matter. “However much the pandemic may have paralysed life in our societies, filmmakers worldwide have lost none of their inventiveness and artistic desire. The works…are a dazzling demonstration of this,” say festival programmers.

The Swiss docfest (7 to 17 April 2022) will celebrate the life and work of revered Italian director, screenwriter and producer Marco Bellocchio with the presentation of its Honorary Award. The homage will include a Masterclass and a retrospective of selected works of ‘one the most significant oeuvres in contemporary filmmaking.’

A delightfully immersive and engrossing examination of a country set over a 10-year period, Jessica Beshir’s rightly acclaimed film offers up an enthralling portrait of Ethiopia, blending lyrical moments with reflection on myth and spirituality and told with a refreshingly gritty honesty.

Fifteen films unveiled in BAFTA Documentary longlist. Flee additionally listed in both Animated Film and Film Not in English Language categories. Summer of Soul also in Best Editing category while The Most Beautiful Boy In The World listed in non-English Language category. Second round of voting opens January 14, closes January 27. Noms to be announced February 3, with third round of voting scheduled Feb 9 to March 8. The Bafta ceremony to take place March 13.

DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival, originally planned as a hybrid event for cinemas and online, will now be held as an online-only event 31 Jan to 6 Feb due to current Covid restrictions in Finland. The new industry event DocPoint FINEST Market, showcasing new Finnish and Estonian docs, will accompany the festival.

Katrine Kiilgaard has been appointed Managing Director of the organization behind the three biggest Danish film festivals CPH:DOX, CPH PIX and BUSTER. Together with Artistic Director Niklas Engstrøm, she will have the overall responsibility for running and further developing the festivals.

New collaboration supports diverse filmmakers around the world and films exploring the theme of migration as ‘a central story of our time.’ Three selected short docs will each receive $25,000 in grant support, individual project mentorship, and ‘career advancing public activations’ to assist in the completion and distribution of the projects.