International documentary marketplace Sunny Side of the Doc has revealed the 42 projects from 23 different countries that make up the official selection for its 34th edition.
The projects will participate in pitch sessions in front of more than 300 international decision-makers, including major broadcasters, streamers, foundations, distributors, buyers and other investors looking for stories with the biggest impact.
This year’s call for projects received 320 responses from 56 different countries (compared to 275 in 2022), 43% of which were led by female filmmakers. The pre-selection committee selected the 42 most inspiring and promising projects.
The Specialist Factual strand, which has a cash prize of €3,000 ($3,280), focuses on the topics Global Issues, Wildlife & Conservation, Science, History and Arts & Culture, while Focus of the Year with a cash prize of €2,000 is over two specific pitching sessions: New Voices, Impact Campaigns.
Mathieu Bejot, director of strategy and development at Sunny Side of the Doc, said: “We are delighted with the number, quality and diversity of issues, themes and formats of the projects submitted. The selected projects come from 23 different countries and make us question major planetary issues, such as migration, women’s rights, disability, and of course the impact of climate change, which are present in all documentary genres. Stories great and small use history and humour to challenge our historic, scientific and cultural convictions by offering a diversity of perspectives, particularly from a large number of young directors and new voices. They aim to shake things up, as evidenced by the incredibly powerful projects proposed for the session dedicated to impact campaigns.“
Over June 19-22, at La Rochelle, France, the 42 selected projects will compete for the Best Pitch Award in each of the seven themed pitching sessions, sponsored by industry partners, including PBS, Blue Ant Media & Love Nature, RTBF, Al Jazeera Documentary & AJB Doc, Waterbear Network and CCTV9.
Explore the 2023 projects here.