At DocedgeKolkata 2025, Business Doc Europe caught up with Aleksandra Derewienko, Head of Sales at CAT&Docs, a Paris-based sales agent company, who spoke candidly with BDE, sharing her expectations of the industry event.
Invited as one of the core ‘decision makers’ at the documentary pitching forum, Derewienko revealed that “strong stories that balance narration well with visuals,” sit on the sweet spot of content that CAT&Docs looks for. Within the Indian documentary landscape, she looks for stories with “global but local” appeal.
“I found quite a few projects that have these elements. These are stories highlighting issues faced by local communities that are common everywhere in the world. These are stories that everybody can understand.”
She adds that in a general sense, human rights stories and systematic political issues usually fare well for CAT&Docs as “the emotions are always real.”
In the recent past, the company has been responsible for global distribution of several India-origin films, including While We Watched (2022) by Vinay Shukla, which peers urgently into the state of journalism in India. The documentary follows Indian journalist Ravish Kumar and unravels the profession in links with the country’s social fabric. The political thriller was the winner of DocPoint’s International Competition, receiving the award for the Best International Documentary. It also achieved noteworthy accolades at the Busan International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival.
In the past, CAT&Docs also brought Powerless (2013) and Placebo (2014) to global screens, with both centring on themes of human interest and social issues. The former was awarded with the Best Film Award in the India Gold Section of the 15th Mumbai Film Festival, while the latter was honoured with a Special Jury Award at EBS International Documentary Festival.
“I find Indian filmmakers to be very cinematic”, Derewienko chimed. “They have a very sensitive kind of outlook towards characters and are able to find very interesting stories that resonate everywhere. They often place big emotions and family stories in a bigger context, bring some very unique stories from different regions, and provide a glimpse into something completely different than what you know.”
In terms of her prospective engagement with DocedgeKolkata, Derewienko had limited information to disclose. “There are some projects that I like, but they are in the development stage.”
However, she elaborates that for projects of interest that are presently at production stage, “we can arrange pre-sales, arrange networking regarding the film, suggest funds and producers and even help with the writing strategy for the same. In addition, we can help with preparation for media, distribution and festival strategies.”
Regarding CAT&Docs’ distribution, Derewienko highlights that the majority of the current clients are still in the television space. However, the company also works with theatrical, distributors, educational, distributors, and in-flight catalogues. “It’s very rare that one film fits in all the boxes. So for us, it’s very important to have a proper circuit for our films.”
For acquired documentaries, popular distribution territories include Europe, North America and Asian markets including Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Indonesia. The African and LATAM markets are usually accessed through global channels, she informs.
Sharing her concluding thoughts on the event, she beamed, “I think DocedgeKolkata has a very good selection of the projects — they are very strong in visual sense, as well as in terms of topics and characters that they’re presenting. I just wish I had a suitcase of money with me so I could support them immediately and finish the production!”
