Sunny Side of the Doc, the international community and marketplace dedicated to documentaries, has revealed the 42 projects that will compete in the co-production pitch sessions of its 36th edition, to be held June 23-26, in La Rochelle, France.
This year’s call for projects has attracted 328 documentary submissions from 56 countries, including 15 new countries. Since the creation of the “New Voices” category in 2023, half of all submissions have been first or second films, and over 50 percent of the projects selected are produced by women.
“This 2025 selection does more than simply reflect the state of global documentary filmmaking — it drives its transformations, responds to broadcasters’ expectations, and stands out through its eclecticism” explained Aurélie Reman, managing director of Sunny Side of the Doc. “Facing new co-production dynamics, the 42 selected projects from 22 different countries offer a remarkable panorama of pitches that deeply resonate with our times — while exploring bold narrative formats. In line with our theme ‘New Routes to Storytelling’, I am thrilled to showcase these authentic stories that combine truth, creativity, and financial feasibility, while highlighting on the international stage the talents who have the capacity to shape a more inclusive and sustainable future for our industry.”
The selected projects, competing for the Best Pitch Prize, will be pitched across seven thematic sessions, supported by industry partners including PBS Distribution, Blue Ant Media & Love Nature, RTBF, Al Jazeera Documentary & AJB DOC, and ZDF Studios. Each selected project will receive a cash reward based on the available sponsorship.
Sunny Side of the Doc has also announced the six selected projects for the Sunny Innovation Lab, a training program dedicated to non-linear documentary formats, such as podcasts, VR, AR, immersive installations, AI, and video games.
Winners in each category will be announced the day after their pitch session, during the daily Awards Café in the Meeting Area.
Read the official selection here.
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