The 34th Sunny Side of the Doc closed its doors June 22 after four days of busy market activity. Organisers handed out prizes to the winners within the event’s seven themed pitch sessions (see below).
Between 19-22 June, the market attracted 2,000+ participants from 64 different countries, 1,000 companies, 90 exhibitors and 300 international decision-makers including major broadcasters, streamers, foundations, sales agents, funders and also museums from all over the world, plus 40 country delegations including Spain, Chile, Canada, Australia and China.
“It’s an immense pleasure to have brought together international industry leaders in La Rochelle to promote and celebrate the genre, especially this year as France is celebrating the year of the documentary” commented Mathieu Béjot, Director of Strategy and Development. “Sunny Side of the Doc is asserting its unique status as the international market place for all forms of storytelling and documentary.”
“Now more than ever, documentary has established itself as the key genre for channels and platforms’ broadcast programming,” Béjot continued. “Our theme focused on Viewers has confirmed the public’s appetite for the genre, especially amongst younger audiences. While being instructive, informative and a source of entertainment all at the same time, documentary must also be engaging. As such, Sunny Side has strengthened its actions around impact campaigns, in particularly by introducing a new, dedicated pitching session.”
Organisers further point out that the Sunny Side conference programme was “more diverse than ever and gave the floor to French and international industry experts as well as newcomers, focusing on today’s latest trends, projects and co-productions in progress, new technology and strategies to be implemented.” Participants included: Arte, Brut, CCTV-9, Château de Versailles, CuriosityStream, France Télévisions, Canal+ and M6 groups, NHK, MET, National Geographic, Netflix, PBS, the Prado, Rakuten TV, RTBF, the Sodec, Spicee, and Téléfilm Canada.
Maïté Labat, Innovation & Digital Experiences Programmer at Sunny Side of the Doc, said of her Innovation section: “There were many wonderful encounters around immersive experiences this year. Creators, project leaders, producers, broadcasters and cultural institutions from around the world passionately exchanged ideas around new and innovative storytelling and documentary forms.”
Organisers listed highlights from the week which included the CNC study on documentary audiences, the Museum Stories panel looking at how museums use innovation to tell new stories to their audiences, the Netflix conference on the collaborative creative process between filmmaking teams in order to reach a wider audience, The Octopus Strategy on how to present a story on different formats and the new Innovative Studio VR demonstration space.
For its 35th anniversary edition in 2024, Sunny Side is calling on the doc community to shape the future of documentary and the ecosystem that supports it, around 3 central pillars: Creation, Innovation, and New Voices, organisers add.
BEST PITCH GLOBAL ISSUES This Is A Quiet Love. Produced by: Curious North Productions Ltd (Ireland) Directed by: Garry Keane
BEST PITCH SCIENCE Science’s Forgotten People. Produced by: Good to Know S.A.S (France). Directed by: Laurence Thiriat
BEST PITCH ARTS & CULTURE Fatma Said – Reviving A Forgotten Treasure. Produced by: 3B-Produktion GmbH (Germany) Directed by: Ralf Pleger
BEST PITCH NEW VOICES Life In The Shadows. Produced by: Kamay Film (Afghanistan). Directed by: K.D.
BEST PITCH IMPACT CAMPAIGNS The Pickers. Produced by: Berlin Producers Media GmbH (Germany). Directed by: Elke Sasse
BEST PITCH NATURE & CONSERVATION The Kimberley. Produced by: Wild Pacific Media (Australia). Directed by: Nick Robinson
BEST PITCH HISTORY Vietnam – Our Voice Unheard. Produced by: LOOKS Film & TV Produktionen GmbH (Germany). Directed by: Lucio Mollica
