Cannes Docs Unveils Packed Program for First Virtual Edition
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As part of its annual showcase of documentary filmmaking, the Cannes Film Festival has unveiled a full program during this year’s virtual Marché du Film that will offer documentary professionals a dedicated platform to network and a tailored slate of industry events.
From June 22-26, Cannes Docs will recreate the popular Doc Corner strand of previous festivals with an online documentary showcase that includes virtual exhibitors, curated selections of docs-in-progress, workshops, panel discussions, co-production speed meetings, one-on-one consultations and online social get-togethers.
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“Now that we are only a few days away from launching the Marché du Film Online, we realize how much creativity, hard work and commitment it takes to transport a film market to the digital sphere,” said Cannes market head Jérôme Paillard. “We are proud to team up with leading partners in the documentary field on this special edition to offer industry professionals around the world a new efficient market model where they will be able to discover projects, screen films, and find business partners.”
Among the buyers, distributors, VOD platforms and sales agents taking part will be ten featured virtual exhibitors: Antidote, Antipode, Article Films, CAT&Docs, Cinephil, Dogwoof, Metfilm Sales, Rise and Shine World Sales, Ruth Films and Sweet Spot Docs.
Cannes Docs will also showcase a curated selection of docs-in-progress in the final stages of post-production, presented by eight major international festivals and organizations, including CIRCLE Women Doc Accelerator; Festival dei Popoli and Torino Film Festival (in collaboration with Toscana Film Commission and Piemonte Film Commission); FIDBA – Festival Internacional de Cine Documental de Buenos Aires; Film Development Council of the Philippines; New Zealand Film Commission; ParisDOC – Cinéma du Réel; Telefilm Canada, in partnership with RIDM and Hot Docs; and Docudays UA, in cooperation with the Ukrainian Institute. The full line-up can be found here.
“I am truly thrilled that the shift to online didn’t stop the ongoing expansion of the number of docs-in-progress showcases within the Cannes Docs program,” said Cannes Docs head Pierre-Alexis Chevit. “We’ll be presenting no less than 32 projects in finalization stage – i.e., eight more than the last two years – curated by film commissions, festivals and organizations from all parts of the world.”
He continued: “We also multiplied the number of awards, and are counting on a substantial number of decision makers attending (including of course some who can’t usually attend Cannes physically). All of this solely to give a maximum number of chances of success to all the projects, for them to hit the market and festival circuit magnificently!”
Potential co-producers and funding partners will also be able to connect through a three-day series of Co-Pro Speed Meetings with 14 featured projects selected by key festivals and organizations, including Cinema For Change, CPH:DOX, DMZ Docs, DOK Leipzig, IDFA, IEFTA, Ji.hlava IDFF, La Fabrique Cinéma/Institut français, Visions du Réel and When East Meets West. The complete list of projects can be found here.
Also on the program are daily Doc Talks hosted by key festival partners. The line-up includes “Documentary production, now and beyond,” hosted by CPH:DOX on June 22; “History through me: The autobiographical/political trend in Latin American docs: A conversation with Petra Costa and Andrés Di Tella,” hosted by It’s All True – É Tudo Verdade on June 23; “East-West Index 2020: Which regions are under-represented in programming of film festivals and why?”, hosted by Ji.hlava IDFF on June 24; “Non-fiction film distribution: Which role for festivals in the films’ journey?” hosted by Visions du Réel on June 24; and “Digital/Physical: Rethinking festival programming, A DOK Leipzig 2020 case study,” hosted by DOK Leipzig on June 25.
On June 26, Congolese documentary filmmaker Dieudo Hamadi will appear in discussion with Directors’ Fortnight programmer and film critic Claire Diao. Hamadi’s latest feature, “Downstream to Kinshasa” (En route pour le milliard) (pictured), is the first Congolese film to be an official selection in the history of the Cannes Film Festival.
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