Visions du Réel Industry unveiled March 11 its 2022 project selection. 27 projects are invited to participate in the three key forums of VdR-Pitching, VdR-Work In Progress and VdR-Rough Cut Lab. Industry activities will take place April 10-14, with strong focus placed on in-person events. A total of 511 projects were submitted for consideration this year.
Within the selection, 15 directors are female and 17 are male. Thirteen projects are directed and produced by filmmakers from countries from the global South or global East. Visions du Réel Industry events will be held on site in Nyon. Professionals can also participate online.
“We can’t wait to finally welcome back project holders and industry representatives to the shores of Lake Geneva,” comments Madeline Robert, Head of Industry and Artistic Advisor of Visions du Réel. “We feel strengthened by the lessons we have learned from the digital and hybrid editions of the last two years. In fact, they have opened up new possibilities in terms of activities format and allowed us to widen the range of professionals participating in VDR–Industry.”
“This year again, the VdR-Industry selection reflects the incredible diversity of contemporary documentary filmmaking, and its ever wider ranging influence. Instead of weakening and undermining film production, the difficulties faced by the industry and the rest of the world, seem to have strengthened the need for filmmakers to express themselves as well as the bonds within the professional community,” Robert adds.
“We are proud and happy to welcome both established filmmakers and talented newcomers, which constitute the very core of Visions du Réel’s DNA. We are also happy to offer them a relevant stage for their projects; a place to meet new partners and create reliable connections within a welcoming environment.”
In line with their stage of production, the project holders will participate in 3 different activities. Sixteen feature length projects are invited to VdR-Pitching, the international co-production and financing forum. Ready for production, the projects marry artistic ambition, strong topics and international potential:
- A Dog’s Life by Diane Sara Bouzgarrou & Thomas Jenkoe, France. Produced by Jean-Laurent Csinidis (Films de Force Majeure)
- Abandoned by Vytautas Puidocas, Lithuania. Produced by Rüka Jakentaité (Uku Films)
- Anatomy of the Night by Lionel Baier, Switzerland. Produced by Agnieszka Ramu (Bande à Part Films)
- Becoming Roosi by Margit Lillak, Estonia. Produced by Margit Lillak (Allfilm), Karolina Veetamm (Tiny Desk Productions), Nadja Smith (Inselfilm Production Gmbh)
- Bestiari, Erbari, Lapidari by Martina Parenti & Massimo d’Anolfi, Italy, France, Switzerland. Produced by Jasmina Sijercic (Bocalupo Films), David Fonjallaz (Lomotion AG)
- Donga by Muhannad Lamin, Libya. Produced by Muhannad Lamin (Khayal Productions UG)
- Faded by Pamella Edouard, France, Mauritius. Produced by Mathilde Raczymow (Les Films du Bilboquet), Selven Naidu (Making Movies)
- Future Tenses by Christos Karakepelis, Greece, France. Produced by Maria Drandaki (Homemade Films), Julie Paratian (Sister Productions)
- Girl-Tubers by Tali Yankelevich, Brazil. Produced by Leonardo Mecchi (Enquadramento Produções)
- Karatara by Place of Dark Shadows by Teboho Edkins, South Africa. Produced by Don Edkins (Day Zero Films)
- MAILIN by Maria Silvia Esteve, Argentina. Produced by Laura Mara Tablón (Rita Cine)
- NOOR by Jérome le Maire. Belgium, France. Produced by Isabelle Truc (IOTA Production), Enrica Capra (Tag Film)
- Rodeo Queens by Whitney Legge, United States. Produced by Annie Marr, Laura Tejero
- The Monsters by Manuel Abramovich, Argentina, Germany. Produced by Juan Pablo Labonia (Ruido), Manuel Abramovich
- To Use a Mountain by Casey Carter, United States. Produced by Colleen Casingham (To Use a Mountain LLC)
- Wider than the Sky by Valerio Jalongo, Switzerland, Italy. Produced by Milena Stokar (Aura Film sagl), Martina Latini (Ameuropa International)
Seven upcoming creative documentaries in their finishing stage are invited to VdR-Work In Progress, a showcase for excerpts shown in order to seek distribution opportunities, find festival entries and post-production funds:
- 5 Seasons of Revolution by Lina, Syria, Germany, Norway, Qatar. Produced by Diana El Jeiroudi (No Nations Film GmbH), Torstein Grude (Piraya Film)
- Against the Tide by Sarvnik Kaur, India, France. Produced by Koval Bhatia (A Little Anarky Films), Sarvnik Kaur (Snooker Club Films Pvt Ltd), Quentin Laurent (Les Films de l’œil sauvage)
- Hummingbirds by Silvia Castaños & Estefania Contreras, United States. Produced by Jillian Schlesinger, Leslie Benavides (I Love You Chingos LLC)
- La Bonga by Canela Reyes & Sebastian Pinzón Silva, Colombia, United States. Produced by Gabriella Garcia-Pardo (La Bonga)
- Secret Friend by Maria Augusta Ramos, Brazil, Netherlands, Germany. Produced by Nofoco Filmes, Docmakers, Gebroeders Beetz, Vitrine Films
- The Other Profile by Armel Hostiou, France. Produced by Jasmina Sijercic (Bocalupo Films)
- There Was, There Was Not by Emily Mkrtichian, Armenia, United States. Produced by Mara Adina (Vernon Films), Emily Mkrtichian (There Was, There Was Not LLC)
Four feature length projects at a finishing stage are invited to the VdR-Rough Cut Lab, a workshop for creative documentaries seeking specific feedback and advice on their most up-to-date rough cut:
- Cúcuta (Working Title) by Anaïs Michel & Braulio Jatar, Colombia, United States, Venezuela. Produced by Anaïs Michel, Braulio Jatar (Quicksand Films LLC)
- Fragments of Ice by Maria Stoianova, Ukraine. Produced by Alina Gorlova, Maksym Nakonechnyi (Tabor)
- Our Second Home by Frankie Sin, Hong Kong, Taiwan, France. Produced by Stefano Centini (Volos Films Ltd), Peter Yam (Blue Island Limited), Xavier Rocher (La Fabrica Nocturna Cinema)
- So That we Stay Alive by Amine Kabbes Mohamed, Algeria. Produced by Yacine Bouaziz, Fayçal Hammoum (Thala Films)
