Sunny Side 24

The new Sunny Side of the Doc award bears the name of the Java Films founder, who passed away in 2023 and “who always loved coming to La Rochelle.” The €3,000 prize will be awarded to a project in the Global Issues or New Voices pitch that "best engages with the humanitarian issues of today or inspires us to make a difference."

ShareDoc founder Anne Marie Borsboom talks to Business Doc Europe about her QR code initiative that enables immediate financial engagement by audiences as soon as the credits roll. “We exist to amplify the social impact of documentaries for the protagonists/charities involved in the project,” she says. “We believe in guiding the audience towards immediate action while bridging the gap between the documentary industry and documentary lovers.”

Nine Polish projects will be presented at Sunny Side of the Doc 2024 by some of the country’s leading doc production houses, including Silver Frame, Kijora Film, Smart Films, AP Mañana and Short Docs Media. The delegation arrives under the aegis of Polish Docs Pro, led by Barbara Orlicz‐Szczypuła, Director of KFF Sales & Promotion and Katarzyna Wilk, Head of Polish Docs.

The La Rochelle conversation sought to explore the different programming strategies for nature and wildlife docs and shows, while acknowledging that humans are taking centre stage within the content, forging emotional connections to convey a powerful conservation message, with Indigenous communities leading the way. But are stories with human characters connecting wider audiences with nature?

After snagging the Best Pitch award in the Global Issues section of this year’s Sunny Side of the Doc (24-27 June), Business Doc Europe spoke to Renaud Lavergne, Factstory producer of Inside Gaza, helmed by Hélène Lam Trong and the Agence France Press (AFP) Gaza team. Lavergne and his crew embarked on the project after the events of October 7.

On 26 June, Sunny Side of the Doc hosted a panel focusing on documentary and factual programming funding titled "Show us the Money! " The talk, moderated by The Bridge Managing Director Amanda Groom, sought to explore some of the more successful examples of innovative new financial structures and commercial models that are already working for documentary and factual producers.

Sunny Side of the Doc announced Feb 7 the project Replica as winner of the Global Pitch Award for Global Change. The pitch event took place online 6-7 February. Replica is directed by Chouwa Liang and produced by Axel Rise Films (Australia) and The Why Foundation (Denmark). The fourth edition of the event focused on doc projects dealing with issues linked to the sustainable development objectives as defined by the United Nations.

Liz Gibbons will sit alongside fellow Beeb commissioners in La Rochelle on a panel named Meet the Execs (Tues 25 June 4pm), during which the BBC toppers will give Sunny Side delegates an insight into just how and why they greenlight films and programmes. The execs will also talk about their perspectives on co-production and acquisitions. Gibbons explains more to BDE.

“The migration crisis, feminism in Latin America, ancient cultures and political conspiracies” are the themes explored in the Chilean projects presented at La Rochelle this year. The project Unwelcomed by Amilcar Infante and Sebastián González is selected for the Impact Campaigns Pitch section. Meanwhile, María Wood Producciones and Cábala Films attend with some their latest projects, with both seeking co-production and sales.

Over four days, the La Rochelle market hosted 2100 participants from 68 countries, over 1000 companies, 90 exhibitors, and 250 international decision-makers including major broadcasters, streamers, foundations, distributors, financiers, and museums from across the world. Award Winners from seven pitch sessions were announced plus numerous other cash and in-kind prizes.