News

IFFR Managing Director Clare Stewart, who jointly leads the organisation with Festival Director Vanja Kaludjercic, is stepping down from the post after her fourth edition in the role. She will remain involved with IFFR, dedicating her focus to the continued development of the Displacement Film Fund, the short film grant initiative founded and led by Cate Blanchett, and for which IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund acts as Managing Partner.

Eleven feature documentaries, two docuseries and two TV one-offs have been selected for the MIA (Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo) 2026 Co-pro Market. A further seven documentaries will be presented in the new Doc Connect programme. Across all sectors, 67 projects will be presented this year, selected from more than 530 submissions from 82 countries. The upcoming edition of MIA will run October 19 to 23 in Rome.

In 2027, the European Film Market (EFM) will introduce the EFM Doc Series Pitch, a new international platform for documentary series projects in development. Up to 10 projects from around the world will be invited to pitch and meet potential co-production, financing, commissioning and distribution partners during the Berlinale Series Market in February 2027. The initiative is co-curated with DOK.forum, the industry platform of DOK.fest München. Deadline for submissions: October 1.

The second edition of NLWave (30 Sept to Oct 2), the international showcase presenting upcoming Dutch features, documentaries and animation, is set to launch NxtWave, comprising four shorts by rising Dutch filmmaking talent. These include the multi award-winning How to Catch a Butterfly by Kiriko Mechanicus, and Nina Broers’ Student Academy Award-winning Where is my Sex Drive.

Mexican-Salvadoran filmmaker Tatiana Huezo will be the Guest of Honour at IDFA 2026, which takes place from November 12 to 22. IDFA will present a Retrospective of Huezo’s work, alongside a personal Top 10 film selection. Also announced is the Dead Angle: Common Ground focus program; a spotlight on pioneering American filmmaker William Greaves; and the 20th anniversary of IDFA DocLab, themed Shared Realities.

Dawood Hilmandi’s feature documentary Paikar has been selected as the Netherlands’ official entry to the 99th Academy Awards in the International Feature Film category. The film world-premiered at IDFA, where it won the Best First Feature Award and FIPRESCI Award. At Hot Docs it received the Emerging International Filmmaker Award, and has been presented at numerous other festivals worldwide including DOKfest Munich and the Guanajuato International Film Festival. The film is produced by prolific Dutch outfit BALDR Film.

Eight awards were handed out at the end of the 30th Baltic Sea Docs which this year ran September 6 to 11. The inaugural ARTE European Talent Development Award, which comprises a €10,000 development grant in exchange for a first-look deal, was won by the Lithuanian project Two of Us (pictured), directed by Jūratė Samulionytė, and produced by Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė and Danielė Kunčinaitė. A total of 26 documentary projects were selected for this year’s edition.

The Official Special Jury Prize was awarded to Naza by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor (UK). The film also won the independent Edipo Re Student Award and the Green Drop Award. The Impact Golden Globes Prize went to Letters from the Silenced Country (Listy) by Andrei Kutsila. while a Queer Lion Award went to Theo Rollason for Queer Edward II. Bibiana Rojas Gómez and Juan David Cárdenas the Mario Serandrei - Hotel Saturnia Award for Best Technical Contribution for The End of Times. The Cinema & Arts Best Film Award was won by Takashi Miike for Shumei: The Living Legacy of Kabuki.

The 22nd edition of the DOK Co-Pro Market of DOK Leipzig welcomes 35 projects from 34 countries looking to connect with new international financing and co-production partners. This year’s selection represents a wide geographic spread, spanning all continents and featuring countries typically less represented in the international film arena, including the DR Congo, Namibia, Palestine, Kazakhstan, and Nigeria. Women filmmakers also maintain a strong presence in the line-up, comprising 50 percent of directing talent.

The Ji.hlava New Visions Forum, a core industry event of the Ji.hlava International Documentary FF, will showcase a new selection of documentary projects from emerging and established filmmakers. A total of 29 projects from 15 countries will be presented during the Forum, taking place October 28–30, offering their teams the opportunity to connect with potential co-production, financing, sales, and distribution partners.