Sunny Side of the Doc Unveils Official Pitch Selection

Sunny Side of the Doc has revealed its official pitch selection for the 33rd festival edition, which will take place in La Rochelle from June 20 to 23 with the central theme of New Voices.

Following the call for projects launched in February, 275 documentary projects from 46 countries were received, with two out of five coming from young directors championing their first or second documentary and half of the submissions coming from women. This year, 48 projects from 22 countries will be presented across eight pitch sessions split into three major categories.

Genre sessions include Global Issues, Wildlife & Conservation, Science, History and Arts & Culture. Under the digital creation umbrella, there will be the Immersive Experiences session as well as the Digital Na(rra)tive Stories session. Lastly, there is the Talent Hub New Voices.

The best projects from each session will be chosen by a jury of international industry experts, and the eight winners will each receive a cash prize of €3,000 ($3,200) from the respective pitch session sponsors.

Further, for the first time, a Coup de Coeur award will be presented by international student delegations to a director who has submitted a first or second documentary project.

Mathieu Béjot, director of strategy and development at Sunny Side of the Doc, said: “This 2022 official selection, with equal gender representation, is once again distinguished by the great diversity of the works presented. Forty percent of the selection—in all categories—is made up of first or second films, and new territories are being seen and heard, such as Jordan, Iceland, Kenya, the United Arab Emirates and Slovenia. The search for authenticity and new and different points of view are the main features of the majority of the works selected, some of which exist in a more original format, the podcast, which is making a remarkable entry at Sunny Side this year.”

Director Sarvnaz Alambeigi, winner of the Global Pitch dedicated to Women Voices last February, and member of the Jury in June, added: “As the winner of Global Pitch 2022, I am pleased and thankful to be invited to contribute to celebrate New Voices and hidden gems at the coming edition of Sunny Side. This provides a unique opportunity to young and talented directors, writers and producers who want to develop their work, grow in their careers, expand their boundaries and work internationally. I’m very curious and eager to see their inspiring ideas and their new look to the world through their videos.”