Sunny Side of the Doc Names Global Pitch Winner

Organized by Sunny Side of the Doc, the first edition of the Global Pitch awarded its main prize to The Hungarian Playbook, directed by Bence Máté and produced by Germany’s Film Five.

The Hungarian Playbook follows the heroic struggle of a handful of young journalists against the propaganda machine of prime minister Viktor Orbán. The Global Pitch Award was endowed with €3,000 ($3,590) by sponsors Real Stories and Off the Fence and included two full passes for the next edition of Sunny Side of the Doc.

From February 2 to 3, more than 320 professionals from 52 countries—including 86 international decision-makers—attended the online presentation of 12 investigative and current-affairs documentary projects that explore the world’s status, inspire change and shine a light on actions for the future.

Among the Global Pitch jury experts were Ellen Windemuth, CEO of Waterbear Network (The Netherlands); Claudia Bucher, head of THEMA and Geopolitics ARTE G.E.I.E (France); Debra Zimmerman, executive director of Women Make Movies (U.S.); and Lauren Ezell Kinlaw, senior story editor at Frontline/PBS (U.S.).

“We found it difficult to choose just one film as we were quite impressed with the breadth and quality of the twelve selected projects. Ultimately, we felt The Hungarian Playbook stood out in its coverage of a timely and urgent story that is not only important in Hungary, but in all of Europe and across the globe,” commented Lauren Ezell Kinlaw. “The project speaks to the threat posed by the rise of far-right movements and autocratic leaders in countries around the world, and the courage of journalists fighting both within and outside the system.”

The Global Pitch is the first event in a series of targeted and editorialized activities that will be part of an annual Passport, which will offer both established and emerging industry professionals the opportunity to maintain and develop their network, enhance their projects around tailored meetings and follow key trends. Passport holders will be able to access throughout the year: a directory of qualified contacts, Meet the Executives sessions, professional meetings and debates, mentoring opportunities for new talent and essential resources for the profession. Passports will be available at a price of €185 ($221) excluding tax and can be converted into an accreditation pass (Full Pass on-site or Digital Pass online) for the 2021 hybrid edition of Sunny Side of the Doc/PiXii Festival. Further, anyone with accreditation to the market will automatically enjoy access to the content included in the Passport to Sunny Side of the Doc.

The 32nd edition of Sunny Side of the Doc and the 5th edition of the PiXii Festival will be held online and in-person from June 21 to June 24.

Mathieu Béjot, director of strategy and development at Sunny Side of the Doc, said: “Despite a plethora of online offerings and a certain ‘Zoom fatigue,’ the Global Pitch’s success confirms just how relevant it is to offer targeted market activities based on our main theme, #StorytellingMatters, in 2021. The pandemic threatens to deeply affect the ecosystem of industry events. Sunny Side of the Doc intends to take advantage of the digital opportunities to support and expand its international community of documentary and immersive experience professionals. We look forward to being reunited on the docks of La Rochelle next June!“