Sunny Side '23

In Garry Keane’s intimate feature doc project, we meet four Deaf couples who tell their personal stories about how love blossomed, in the process weaving a rich tapestry of Deaf experience over a period of 70 years. “With your support we want to reach broad audiences who are fascinated to dive into this unknown world,” Irish producer Anne Heffernan told the Sunny Side audience.

Produced by Good to Know (Paris), Science’s Forgotten People is a 20 x 5-minute animated doc series that tells the amazing stories of scientists who, despite their brilliance, their brains and their groundbreaking discoveries, were not recognized by their peers. Many of these scientists were, inevitably, women. The Sunny Side pitch was made with the assistance of Jocelyn Bell Burnell, the discoverer of the pulsar.

Archive is in the frame at Sunny Side 2023 with two Industry sessions Wednesday June 21. The first session introduces three new sector organisations that have launched in France, Germany and Spain over the past 12 months, while the second session is set to address archives and innovation. Both are moderated by archive producer & copyright clearance specialist Elizabeth Klinck. “There's a real need for archive producers, people who understand the process artistically, financially and logistically,” she tells BDE.

At Sunny Side of the Doc 2023, BDE caught up with Catherine Le Clef, CEO and Head of Acquisitions and Sales of Paris-based sales agent CAT&Docs. The Paris-based sales doyenne emphasised how “rigour, respect, curiosity, diversity and innovation” underline the company’s editorial policy and commitment “to meet the demands of national and international markets.”

Polish Docs PRO returns to Sunny Side in 2023 with a delegation of 5 producers representing nine projects. These include profiles of two giants of Polish cinema, the controversial Roman Polański and the maverick Andrzej Wajda, and four projects from production company Kijora. “Polish producers are very professional and well prepared for the international co-productions, which makes them very good partners," underlines KFF Sales & Promotion MD Barbara Orlicz-Szczypuła.

The first 2023 Ex Oriente Film workshop, a 3-part film training programme for doccers from CEE, takes place June 17-21 at Sunny Side. This year 12 feature and, for the first time, 5 doc series projects are selected. “Sharing experts and mentors and opening Ex Oriente sessions to SSD attendees also contribute to building bridges between participants from Central and Eastern Europe and the international documentary community," says Sunny Side’s Mathieu Béjot.

Eight Chilean doc companies have sailed in for Sunny Side 2023. These include Bioesférica Filmes whose Diary of an Infiltrator is presented in the June 22 History Pitch session. “For years, there has been considerable interest from Sunny Side of the Doc in fostering a more robust presence for Chile; abroad, there is a high value placed on our productions,” says Paula Ossandón, director of Chiledoc.

This year, 42 projects from 23 countries will compete for the best pitch across seven thematic pitching sessions all supported by key industry partners. Project holders will present their works before a panel of key industry decision-makers consisting of leading broadcasters, funders, platforms and foundations. #SSD23 will be held 19-22 June, once again in La Rochelle, France.

Sunny Side of the Doc’s seven pitching sessions will run 19 to 22 June 2023 in La Rochelle, France. Forty-two pre-selected projects will be presented to a panel of industry insiders from around the globe, including leading commissioning editors, buyers, funds, sales agents, distributors and co-production partners.

The next edition of Sunny Side takes place June 19-22 in La Rochelle (France). “Viewers will hold center stage as Sunny Side of the Doc will address some of the industry's most burning issues through the lens of audiences,” write organisers. This year, pitches will be divided into two main categories: Specialist Factual and Focus of the Year. The deadline for submissions is midnight CET on April 6.