Sunny Side of the Doc presents 35th edition, Eyes Global Expansion

The international documentary market Sunny Side of the Doc concluded its 35th edition on June 27 in La Rochelle, France, attracting 2,100 participants from 68 countries. The four-day event themed ‘Mapping the Future’ saw 90 exhibitors and 250 international decision-makers in attendance.

The program featured keynotes from PBS, an

Seven pitch sessions highlighted international co-production opportunities, with winners coming from Australia, Iran, France, Ireland, Canada, Malaysia, Kenya, Germany and the US. Five women were among the award recipients and three winners presented debut projects.

Mathieu Béjot, director of strategy and development, said: “In the current context marked by social polarization, the rise of extremism and international geopolitical tensions, Sunny Side supports the powerful and impactful documentary genre more than ever.”

Looking ahead, general manager Aurélie Reman outlined plans to expand the event’s global reach. “Our goal is to bring together documentary talent from five continents within an increasingly resilient and determined community,” said Reman.

The organization announced the development of Sunny Academy, aimed at nurturing new generations of storytellers worldwide. As part of this initiative, Sunny Side will host pitch sessions at the first LatAm Content Market in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from March 10 to 13, 2025.

Upcoming events include the eighth edition of PiXii Festival in La Rochelle and Rochefort from October 17 to 20, 2024, and the 36th edition of Sunny Side of the Doc in La Rochelle from June 23 to 26, 2025.

The market continues to diversify and includes different elements of the documentary value chain, including impact actors, archives and distributors who are playing an increasing role in the pre-financing of projects.

Sunny side of the winners of the Doc 2024 prize

PITCH SESSION WINNERS

Best Science Pitch (Sponsored by PBS Distribution) “The Brain Garden” Storyland PTY LTD. (Australia) Director: Randall Wood

Pitch for Best New Voices (Sponsored by Al Jazeera and AJB DOC Film Festival) “Dream of the Wild Oaks” Seven Spring Pictures (Iran) Director: Marjan Khosravi

Best Global Issues Pitch (sponsored by RTBF) “Inside Gaza” Factstory, AFP – Agence France Presse (France) Director: Hélène Lam Trong

Special Jury Mention: “Silence of the Lams” EZ Films (Ireland) Director: Ciaran Deeney

Best Arts and Culture Pitch (Sponsored by Al Jazeera Documentary Channel and AJB DOC Film Festival) “The Shape of Blue” Intuitive Pictures inc. (Canada) Director: Sybilla Patrizia

Campaigns with the best impact “The Myth of Monsters” Gather Together (Malaysia) Director: Beatrice Leong

Best Pitch for Nature and Conservation (Sponsored by Blue Ant Media & Love Nature) “Empalikino” Ripple Productions Ltd (Kenya) Director: Eric Mwangi

Best history pitch “Our Sister Angela: Black Power in the GDR” Florianfilm GmbH (Germany), Dare Pictures (United States), La Lutta (United States) Directors: Jascha Hannover & Katharina Warda

Special jury mention: “The Curse of Sugar” Hauteville Productions (France) Director: Mathilde Damoisel

SPECIAL PRICES

AIDC Award: “Dream of the Wild Oaks” (Iran)
Pitch the Doc Award: “A Satellite for Buru Laï” (France)
Student Choice Award: “Ba’s Book” (Canada)
IMZ Award: “Niemeyer 4Ever” (France)
Roch Bozino de l’engagement Award: “Stories and sentences” (France)
Impact Social Club Award: “Every other girl” (Gambia)
Award for Best Impact Film: “Unwelcomed” (Chile)
Award of the Institute for Documentary Film: “A Satellite for Buru Laï” (France)
DocEdge Award: “Yurlu | Country” (Australia)
Films That Matter Award: “Yurlu | Country” (Australia)
Al Jazeera Documentary Industry Days Award: “Inside Gaza” (France)