News

Sunny Side of the Doc, the international community and marketplace dedicated to linear and non-linear documentaries, revealed May 6 the 42 projects that make up the official selection for its 36th edition (23-26 June 2025, La Rochelle, France). The projects will be pitched across seven thematic sessions, supported by key industry partners including PBS Distribution; Blue Ant Media & Love Nature; RTBF; Al Jazeera Documentary & AJB DOC, and ZDF Studios.

Designed for emerging filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe, the Millennium Docs Against Gravity Short Pitch Program provides a platform for directors of short documentaries to present their work-in-progress to a curated audience of sales agents, distributors, festival programmers, and broadcasters. This year’s presentation takes place May 10 in Warsaw.

“While things like artistic values, or thematic importance are always a place to start…at the end of the day, however simple it sounds, we really are searching for the best films,” Millennium Docs Against Gravity Artistic Director Karol Piekarczyk explains his programming approach on the eve of the festival’s 22nd roll-out. The festival runs 9-18 May across seven Polish cities, and 20 May to June 2 online.

World-premiering May 9 in International Competition of the 40th DOK.fest Munich, In Hell with Ivo follows Bulgarian queer artist and songwriter Ivo Dimchev who transforms personal and social hardship into provocative public and intimate private spectacles, boldly exploring sexuality, identity, faith, and activism in a liberating celebration of queer visibility.

Still Pushing Pineapples is described as “a melancholy yet heartfelt look” into the story of Dene Michael, the former singer of UK pop outfit Black Lace. The festival also announced Professor Brian Cox as Guest Speaker. Additionally, award-winning producers Norma Percy & Lucy Hetherington will talk with UK journalist Nina Hossain. The 32nd Sheffield DocFest will run June 18-23.

The Norwegian Film Institute has awarded NOK 6.5 million (approx. €551,500) in production funding to three documentary films. The largest grants go to new projects from two of Norway's most prominent documentary filmmakers; Benjamin Ree, whose Ibelin was short-listed for the 2025 Oscars, and Margreth Olin, whose Songs of Earth was Norway’s submission for Best International Feature (also 2025).

Taking place Thursday 19 & Friday 20 June 2025, MeetMarket is part of a marketplace programme of talent development, pitches, roundtables and conferences designed to connect new projects with industry partners that runs across the festival. The selection includes 49 doc projects in development, production, and at rough cut stage, to be pitched in one-to-one meetings to UK and International industry representatives and experts.

The second Dokumentale will kick off in style June 11 with Glanz & Widerstand (Glamour & Resistance) - an immersive foray into the life of Marlene Dietrich, presented in association with the Berlin Ballet Company. Dedicated to documentary storytelling across different media, Dokumentale 2025 will present 40 documentary films, ten of which will be competing for the Grand Prize, from 12-22 June.

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) announced April 29 the appointment of Isabel Arrate Fernandez as its new Artistic Director. In her new role, Arrate Fernandez will “bear the final responsibility for the creative direction and policy of the organization, as well as the organization of the festival program, including the industry, talent and education programs, and the program of the newly opened Het Documentaire Paviljoen in Vondelpark,” the festival writes.

The Doc Alliance network of European documentary festivals has selected 8 feature-length and 8 short docs, with prize monies of €5,000 and €3,000 to support the future projects of the winners. The Doc Alliance Award will be presented during the Doc Day Lunch held at the Marché du Film on March 20. This year’s jury members are film critic Fernando Ganzo; Gerald Weber (sixpackfilm), and producer Caroline Kirberg (CEO of pong film).