News

In the ‘Meet NHK’ session at Sunny Side of the Doc, Shin Yasuda, Head of International Co-productions and Acquisitions at NHK, presented a selection of current and future projects and, together with members of his team, highlighted his company’s acquisition and international co-production opportunities. NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) celebrates is 100th anniversary in 2025.

Directed by Olaide Sadiq and produced by Ahmed Peerbux, Anna Prichard and James Saville, the film world-premiered at the 32nd Sheffield DocFest. Festival Creative Director Raul Niño Zambrano and Managing Director Mimi Poskitt commented: “Grenfell: Uncovered is one of those documentaries that stays with you, it’s courageous, meticulous, and absolutely necessary.”

Java Films will once again present the €3000 Roch Bozino Engagement Award at Sunny Side 2025, in honour of the company’s late founder. The prize will be given to a project within the Current Affairs & Investigation or New Voices pitches. Highlights of Java’s SSD slate include Zelensky (directed by Yves Jeuland, Ariane Chemin and Lisa Vapné), which received a Special Screening at Cannes. In addition, the company’s new DocRoom initiative (YouTube) boasts 80,000 views across 70 countries for its first offering, Lie to Me by Bår Tyrmi and Dag Mykland.

The Grand Jury Award for the International Competition went to Welded Together by Anastasiya Miroshnichenko while the Grand Jury Award for the International First Feature Competition was won by Comparsa directed by Vickie Curtis and Doug Anderson. This year DocFest presented 51 World Premieres, 16 International Premieres, 8 European Premieres, and 39 UK Premieres from 68 countries of production. All awards…

Eight projects will be presented in La Rochelle, four of which are competing within Sunny Side’s themed pitch sessions. The other four are at various stages, from development through to post-production. The projects are represented by Polish Docs Pro which delivers wide‑ranging promotion of the Polish documentary scene at a slew of international events throughout the year.

The awards of the second Doxumentale were handed out June 19 with the Best Documentary award going to The Age of Water by Alfredo and Isabel Alcántara. The festival runs to June 22, serving up a feast of documentary storytelling across different media, comprising forty documentary films, ten live podcasts, readings from nine new non-fiction books, a curated kids’ programme and seven VX projects. Thereafter, selected films will show online to June 30. All awards…

Executive producer Salla Kozma (pictured) announced June 19 the launch of her new Monaco and Finland-based film and TV production company Pig & Horse Productions. She also announced a “dynamic slate” of high-quality documentaries and unscripted formats, foremost among which is the high-end doc Reflections of Gaugin which “delves into the mystifying world of infamous art, wealth and power.”

In Sheffield, Amilcar Infante and Sebastián González’s Unwelcomed has its European premiere in Journey, while two new Chilean projects are selected for MeetMarket. At Sunny Side of the Doc, 3 Chilean docs are selected across the market’s pitch sessions. “As the Ministry of Cultures, we remain committed to the audiovisual sector, supporting the presence of Chilean works and projects in major documentary markets and festivals,” says Carolina Arredondo, Minister of Cultures, Arts and Heritage.

The pitch event, to run during Ji.hlava Industry Days (Czech Republic, October 28–31), is dedicated to the “new generation of European producers, new formats, innovative trends, and visions for the future.” This year will see a special pitch section focused on Croatia, which is the Ji.hlava Industry guest country 2025. The deadline for applications is June 30.

Netflix has secured UK streaming rights to the feature documentary, The Cancer Conflict, directed by Thomas Meadmore and produced by Go Fish Films. The film, which delves into the personal journeys of two cancer patients navigating the complexities of treatment choices in an era rife with misinformation, is set to premiere on the platform on July 8. Sales are handled by Java Films.