International documentary filmmakers and industry insiders gathered at DocFest in Sheffield, England, at a moment of political upheaval in Europe. British voters head to the polls for the general election on July 4th. In France, President Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called immediate legislative elections after French ultranationalist parties surged in voting for the European Parliament. Germany's far-right party AfD also made significant gains in the European Parliament vote. Overall, the center has held up somewhat.
The documentary community is no stranger to dealing with turbulence, whether at the macro level of major changes in the business itself or the micro level of getting a film made. The message to DocFest attendees this week was an assertion of solidarity to support one another in the face of geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
Patrizia Mancini, Sheffield DocFest Industry Director
Sheffield DocFest
“This is where we need to come together in this moment of crisis,” says Patrizia Mancini, Industry Director at Sheffield DocFest. “It’s also where creativity really shines,” she says. You have to be creative about what you can do with your story and how you can do it, even if funding dwindles or certain situations arise. [conditions] Producing a documentary can be materially more difficult. “This is where creativity can surprise us in terms of resilience.”
To build this resilience and support, DocFest hosts an annual Meet Market, bringing together doc creators and major broadcasters, streamers and distributors to take a closer look at 50 pre-selected nonfiction projects. Films that have gained support in recent years include many that have won Oscars. everything that breathes, act of murder, appearance of silence, Looking for a sweet man, 5 broken cameras, The Square, edge of democracyAnd the winner of the 2021 Cannes L’oeil d’Or Award A night without knowing anything.
Meet Market at Sheffield DocFest
Sheffield DocFest
The projects featured at this year's Meet Market were selected through an open call last fall, with 45 projects in development and 5 in the early stages. Mancini says that during DocFest, filmmakers “meet with UK and international industry representatives such as commissioning editors, buyers from public and private broadcasters, international sales agents, impact producers and other market and festival representatives to develop projects and seek collaborations.” Market’s goal is to foster collaboration and connection, enabling co-creation.”
Among the companies represented this year are Japan's NHK and Arte, France's Télévisions, Germany's ZDF, the Netherlands' VPRO, Sky, Netflix and the UK's Channel Four. That's not all. Other organizations that can provide funding and/or visibility are available, including non-profit organizations and festivals such as Hot Docs, IDFA, DOK Leipzig, Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival, Sundance, Ford Foundation, and US-based international documentaries. Association.
Jonas Walzberg/Photo Affiliation via Getty Images
“They have meetings from 9 to 6 for two days,” Mancini says. “So it’s pretty intense.”
This year, DocFest also launched a new initiative built around one of the hottest growth areas in nonfiction: podcasting. “Podcast Pitch brings together six directors of creative non-fiction audio in development, selected from around the world, to sell their ideas in front of a select group of industry experts and committee members,” the DocFest program says.
Roger Ross Williams (left) moderates a discussion about social impact documentaries.
Matthew Carey
To get the creative ideas flowing, DocFest also programs a strong lineup of lectures and panel discussions. Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams, guest of honor at this year's festival, gave two public discussions, one of which was on how to support documentaries that don't fall into the obvious categories of true crime, celebrity bios and music docs. Focused. Williams hosted a conversation with the creator of a ‘social impact documentary’. sugar cane (acquired by National Geographic from Sundance); daughters(acquired by Netflix from Sundance) as well as Union — Deadline broke the news on Friday about the film's plans for a self-distributed theatrical release. – Battle of Laikipiashooting in kenya, Stone MountainIt's a film about a Confederate monument just outside of Atlanta, Georgia.
One of DocFest's roles, at least implicitly, is to orient distributors toward material that extends beyond the boundaries of narrowly defined genres. As Mancini puts it, it's about “making the audience curious about things and not just about what they expect.” “It’s something they don’t know.”
The sustainability of a documentary career has long been a concern in North America, Europe, and perhaps everywhere else. Most document work is freelance in nature. Most directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, and sound designers do not work for agencies but as independent contractors.
“We had several conversations about how we could support freelancers,” Mancini said. “This is really a question. [DocFest] “I push certain buttons and analyze the problem and try to try different things, even though I don’t find a clear final solution.”
Sheffield DocFest hosts tutorials on AI.
Matthew Carey
There are concerns that AI could further erode the number of jobs in the sector. This is of particular concern for young people hoping to pursue a career in documentary. DocFest strives to support emerging creatives as well as filmmakers from historically underrepresented backgrounds. For example, the festival's Amplify: Production Talent is, as described on the DocFest website, “an initiative for selected entry-level production professionals to advance their careers.” The idea involves mentoring between seasoned professionals and those who represent the future of documentation.
“It’s important to share experiences and provide space for questions,” explains Mancini. “And there’s always the exchange, which I think is a really big part of Sheffield DocFest. ‘Okay, I’ve been through what it means to be an emerging filmmaker and an emerging producer…’ I can give you a tip. What I did when my time came [coming up]And how it has changed over the years.’”
DocFest also hosts the Filmmaker Challenge, a week-long opportunity for young directors to create short films and exhibit them at the festival. Oscar-nominated director Julie Cohen (R.B.G., Julia, everyone) served as a mentor for this year’s participants.
“It was really successful,” says Mancini. “It’s part of the festival’s DNA, within the program, within the team. It’s about being open to reaching people with different backgrounds and different stories.”
Sunny Side of the Doc in La Rochelle, France
Jean-François Augé – Studio West
Sheffield DocFest concludes on Monday. At the end of June, on the other side of the English Channel, an event called Sunny Side of the Doc, the world's largest overall documentary market, will take the banner in La Rochelle, France. At Sunnyside, we are also focused on nurturing co-productions, producing works, facing challenges in the field, and charting future directions to ensure that quality nonfiction works reach people around the world through streaming platforms. theatrical, broadcast TV, or linear cable.
This is the spirit defined by Mancini. “We need community. We need to build community and emphasize collaboration.”