Docs-in-Progress

Meet the 2023 Presenting Partners! Join us for a series of 8 showcases and 32 projects in total.

Each year, Cannes Docs partners with a number of institutions and organizations from different parts of the world to showcase curated selections of docs-in-progress in the final stages of post-production and aiming to hit the circuit within a few weeks or months.

These showcases of docs-in-progress are primarily designed for decision makers looking for fresh new titles, in particular festival programmers and sales agents. The projects are also generally in search of post-production funding or general gap financing, and sometimes still open to co-production opportunities.

All the showcases are composed of four projects, each presented in the form of a pitch and a 10-minute excerpt of the rough cut.

Meet this year’s Presenting Partners below! 👇

2023 PRESENTING PARTNERS

Scotland Showcase | Friday 19 May

Screen Scotland and Scottish Documentary Institute (SDI) are thrilled to bring to Cannes four bold, thought-provoking and ambitious feature documentaries, and to showcase Scotland as a first-class place for documentary filmmaking and co-production. Screen Scotland is the national body that drives the development of all aspects of Scotland’s film and TV industry, through funding and strategic support. SDI is a documentary centre specialising in training, production, and distribution.

Canada Showcase | Friday 19 May

Telefilm Canada, in partnership with RIDM (Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal), is proud to showcase Canadian talent in Cannes. Canada’s long tradition of nurturing creative documentaries is reflected in these four film projects, representing the diversity of Canadian stories. All are at the final stages of production and ready for distribution opportunities.

Scandinavia Showcase | Saturday 20 May

Scandinavian Films is the umbrella organization for the Danish Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, Icelandic Film Center, Norwegian Film Institute and Swedish Film Institute. We are excited and proud to present four projects from filmmakers who deliver documentaries on a high professional level with a great diversity of stories. All projects are in the final stages of production and soon ready to hit markets and festivals.

Italy Showcase | Saturday 20 May

Cinecittà on behalf of the Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with Doc/it, is proud to support 4 Italian works in progress within Cannes Docs. Four unique documentary projects by Italian upcoming talents will be showcased in Cannes. An opportunity for the Italian documentary film professionals to enhance knowledge of the international market and foster opportunities of collaborations.

Chile Showcase | Sunday 21 May

ChileDoc, the Chilean documentary promotion agency, is supported by ProChile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chilean Documentary Corporation CCDoc. Together, they form a collective force that is more than just a sector. Aimed to promote the Chilean documentary industry at various markets and festivals, ChileDoc and ProChile are delighted to return to Cannes again to demonstrate the strength and innovation of Chilean cinema.

Spain Showcase | Sunday 21 May

Proud of the unique feature documentary films coming from Spain, ICEX Trade and Investment, along with ICAA Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts, in partnership with ZINEBI – Bilbao International Festival of Documentary and in collaboration with the Gijón International Film Festival (FICX), are excited to present an exceptional Spanish Showcase. Four projects in the final stages of production, about to hit the festivals circuit, ready for distribution opportunities, that reveal the plurality of Spanish documentary filmmakers.

Docs by the Sea Showcase | Monday 22 May

Docs by the Sea is an international documentary lab and forum based in Bali, Indonesia that champions independent documentary filmmakers from Asia. Through the program’s talent development and incubation programs, it has supported films that have received international and local awards and recognitions across the globe. In partnership with Taiwan Film & Audiovisual Institute (TFAI), Taiwan Docs and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), we are pleased to present four exciting projects from the region in Docs-in-Progress.

CIRCLE Showcase | Monday 22 May

CIRCLE Women Doc Accelerator is an exclusive annual training programme for women-identifying documentary filmmakers who are seeking support to develop their films and broaden their professional skills. Through three tailor-made modules, participants work with experts in order to advance their projects, develop a better understanding of the industry landscape and prepare for the future. With each new generation, the CIRCLE network expands, providing a valuable resource for its alumnae as they build their careers and continue on their filmmaking journeys.

Docs-in-Progress Jury

 

Karim Aitouna | Producer, Haut les Mains Productions

Karim Aitouna is a film producer who works between France and Morocco. Among others, he has produced films such as I Am the People (2014) by Anna Roussillon, presented at ACID at the Cannes Film Festival, The Night and the Kid (2015) by David Yon, selected at the Berlinale Forum, Controfigura by Rä Di Martino, presented at the 74th Venice International Film Festival, Poisonous Roses by Ahmed Fawzi Saleh, in selection at the Rotterdam IFF, and recently the documentaries Dans la maison by Karima Saidi & Gevar’s Land by Qutaiba Barhamji (presented at IDFA 2020), and Europe by Philip Scheffner, presented in 2022 at the Berlinale. Aitouna is a member of EAVE and EURODOC. He is a consultant and speaker for numerous funds, labs and festivals (IFFR Pro Days by Rotterdam IFF, Open Doors Pro by Locarno IFF, Les Ateliers de l’Atlas, Red Sea Film Fund, Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montréal, etc).

 

Fernanda Lomba | E.P., Mundi Filmes and Co-Founder, NICHO 54

Born and based in São Paulo, Fernanda Lomba studied literature and linguistics with a qualification in German language at the University of São Paulo (USP). She started her career in the publishing market but in 2014 she turned to film and worked as a (executive) producer for different companies in São Paulo and as a researcher for documentary films.  She is also co-founder of Nicho 54, an institute founded and run by black professionals whose aim is to promote and appreciate black Brazilians in the film industry through training initiatives, knowledge exchange, curatorship and the (re)construction of imaginaries.

 

 

Angeliki Vergou | Head of Agora, Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival

Angeliki Vergou is Head of Agora, the industry section for both Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (March) and Thessaloniki International Film Festival (November). TIDF’s Agora includes the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, Agora Docs in Progress, Agora Doc Market and a variety of other exciting industry events aiming to connect and inspire documentary filmmakers while supporting them in their next steps. She is a DAE member and an alumna of various storytelling training programs and more (MIDPOINT Institute, MFI Institute, Sources2, SOFA).

 

 


 

Docs-in-Progress Awards



Docs-in-Progress Award

€10,000 cash prize and project follow-up by IEFTA – The International Emerging Film Talent Association.

Al Jazeera Documentary Award

Al Jazeera Documentary to come in as co-producer, with a minimum contribution of $15,000.

 



Post-Production Award

€5,000 grant in post-production services, thanks to the participation of Hiventy, Technical Partner of the Festival de Cannes.

 

 



Alphapanda Award

Two exclusive consultations on film marketing & social media, given by the Alphapanda team.



Think-Film Impact Award

A strategic impact workshop + an impact pitching coaching session, given by the Think-Film Impact Production team.

 

DAE Award

Free one-year memberships for the team, with all associated benefits, and a rough cut consultation with one of DAE’s senior advisors.

 

 

 

 

Docs in Orbit Invitation Award

An invitation to be featured on the Docs in Orbit podcast, including an interview with the filmmaker to be launched for the film’s world premiere, and year-round exposure on the Docs in Orbit website and social media.

 

 

 

 


 

Docs-in-Progress Mentors 

 

Heidi Fleisher

Heidi Fleisher is an independent American producer and consultant based in Paris. She previously handled international acquisitions for France 2’s creative documentary strand 25 Shades of Docs, has worked as a Development Exec for LA-based Synthesis Films, and as Head of Sales & Acquisitions for ARTE Sales. Production credits include the feature documentaries EL CASTILLO by Martin Benchimol (Berlinale 2023), WAKE UP ON MARS by Dea Gjinovci (Tribeca 2020), DON’T BREATHE by Nino Kirtadze (TIFF 2014), and the short doc collection currently in production ELEMENTAL. She works with a variety of industry events as a moderator, curator, mentor and workshop leader, and participates frequently in filmmaker and producer labs and training initiatives.
Mentor of the project holders of the Showcases Italy and Canada.

 

Zeynep Güzel

Zeynep Güzel is a filmmaker, consultant and the head of Doc Station at Berlinale Talents. Zeynep was the head of the Yeni Film Fund founded by Anadolu Kültür and !f Istanbul Independent Films Festival. Zeynep directed and produced the documentary Come Rain or Shine (2019) and produced two other documentaries Beginnings (2013) and Impressions of A Summer (2020). Zeynep works as consultant on storytelling, international grant writing, pitching and co-financing strategies including the Doc Toolbox program at Berlinale EFM, DOK Leipzig Industry and East Doc Program. Zeynep was a fellow of the 2021 Berlin Artist in Residency (AiR) at Nipkow Program with her first narrative feature film When the Sun Comes Out. Zeynep has been a senior consultant at the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE) since its foundation.
Mentor of the project holders of the Showcase Spain.

 

Nora Philippe

Nora Philippe is the director of EURODOC, an international training lab for documentary filmmakers. She is also a film director, producer and curator who has relentlessly dedicated her career to documentary cinema. Many of her films have been distributed internationally, including “Restitution?” (2021), “Like Dolls, I’ll Rise” (2018), “Job Center, Please Hang on!” (2014) and “The Ensorcery of James Ensor” (2011). As an independent producer, she launched her own company in 2012, Les films de l’air, and has produced creative documentary films for television, academic research, museums, theaters. As a programmer, she also conceived film series & symposiums for Columbia University, Institut français, Cité internationale des arts, Maison rouge, and teaches documentary filmmaking and production at various film & art schools, including SciencesPo, Ecole des Arts Décoratifs. She has served as a jury on various boards at French Regional Funds, CNC and La Scam.
Mentor of the project holders of the Showcase Canada.