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The screening of Andres Veiel’s film, about arguably the 20th Century’s most controversial filmmaker, coincides with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. “The documentary reminds us of the seductive power of images and narratives, while posing a crucial question: what is the artist's responsibility?” says DocsBarcelona Artistic Director Maria Colomer. The festival, which runs May 8 to 18, will feature Germany as its guest country and pay tribute to German producer and distributor Heino Deckert.

In addition to the strong Swiss selections in the Visions du réel programme, VdR–Industry announces 15 new Swiss projects participating within the RTS and SWISS FILMS pitch sessions, as well as in the official VdR–Pitching showcase. In addition, VdR–Industry announces a new partnership with Unifrance to welcome France as the Country of Focus, while also offering up a showcase of diverse new documentaries from Norway.

During the CPH:DOX Rough Cut session, directors Jacob Tschernia and Tomer Slutzky took to the stage to present The Alarmist, a gripping political documentary six years in the making. The Danish-US co-production traces the extraordinary political journey of Stav Shaffir, the youngest woman ever elected to the Israeli Parliament, against the backdrop of Israel’s democratic unravelling and the dramatic collapse of its political left. Screen Scotland’s Head of Unscripted Dani Carlaw moderated the presentation.

The Finnish industry delegation features five producers, “each with a unique vision and a slate of projects ready to captivate global audiences.” Additionally, the Finnish Film Fund has just invested 656,000 euros in production support; and at the Jussi Film Awards (March 21), the feature doc Once Upon a Time in a Forest won The Nordisk Film Award, worth 20,000 euros, as well as Documentary of the Year and Cinematography of the Year Awards.

BDE caught up with Elijah Stevens, producer of Barbara Forever, ahead of the project’s March 26 Work-in-Progress presentation at ParisDOC. Directed by Brydie O’Connor, the film is described as the first ever feature documentary to exclusively tell the story of the lesbian experimental filmmaker, Barbara Hammer. “Her work [has] become a blueprint for a new generation of queer and radical artists to write our own histories into existence,” says Stevens.

The Polish doc industry is enjoying a busy CPH:DOX with the co-pros My Dear Théo and The Ground Beneath Our Feet in DOX:AWARD and NORDIC:DOX respectively. Words We Never Say, the new project by Agnieszka Zwiefka is selected for Forum, while a delegation of five female producers will also attend CPH:INDUSTRY. “This is very gratifying because it proves that the goal we set ourselves when we started Polish Docs has been achieved,” says Head of Polish Docs PRO Katarzyna Wilk. “Producers and filmmakers from Poland are becoming more and more aware of their strong position in the international industry.”

“The idea was to give back to the industry after 25 amazing years,” First Hand Films CEO and founder Esther van Messel explains just why the company created its own First Hand Fund Diversity Fund to give out €25,000 in awards in cash and kind to a wide range of filmmakers and projects. Seven winners have now been chosen from over 100 submissions. She is also eyeing up a busy Spring, starting this week at CPH:DOX.

The main prize, the East Doc Platform Award 2025 for the best project in development/production, was granted to the Polish project Inner Landscapes, the feature film debut of Zofia Sawicka. The inaugural Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award 2025, worth €50.000, went to the Romanian project NEAR LIGHT - Second Lives of Murderers, while the Czech Television Award was handed to the Ukrainian project Blue Sweater with a Yellow Hole. All awards follow…

Adele Kohout will take over the direction and management of DOK.fest München as of October 2025. She replaces Daniel Sponsel, who is leaving the festival at the end of the upcoming edition (7 to 25 May 2025) to become president of the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF). From October, Maya Reichert, who currently heads DOK.education, the educational platform of DOK.fest München, will take over from Kohout as Deputy Managing Director and Deputy Director of DOK.fest München.

London-based Dogwoof, Toronto-based production company Visitor Media, New York’s Rolling Stone Films, CBC (Canada's national public broadcaster) and filmmakers Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna’s Mexico City-based production company La Corriente del Golfo have joined forces in the development of the docuseries Snow King: From Olympian to Narco.