Sunny side of the doc 2024

June 24 – 27

The 35th anniversary edition of Sunny Side of the Doc will take in La Rochelle and will be dedicated to the future of our ecosystem and the future of the documentary genre itself.

This year, 42 projects from 21 countries will have the privilege of competing for the Best Pitch Prize. The selected projects will be pitched in seven thematic pitch sessions, all supported by key industry partners.

"The 2024 selection is rich and balanced, and should satisfy the expectations of broadcasters while making room for promising projects that are more unexpected and in need of international exposure.” says Mathieu Béjot, Director of Strategy and Development at Sunny Side of the Doc. “The work started last year with the first season of our Australian focus resulted in a record number of high-level submissions, and the final selection includes no fewer than seven Australian projects. This 2024 selection reflects our ambition to Map the Future, and stands out for the diversity of views and treatments around major social issues - conflict, migration, climate change, the place of women, disability, the impact of technology, etc. - all of which have in common a desire to question the role and place of human beings in our environment and an ambition to have a social impact.”

The programme also includes the usual presentations given by French broadcasters of their line-ups and another by Japanese firm NHK. The Meet the Executives sessions, meanwhile, will shine a light on the needs of the BBC, Sweden’s public network SVT, National Geographic and Love Nature/Blue Ant. Likewise worth a mention are the many keynote speeches, panel discussions and case studies in the offing, notably dedicated to new writing, innovation, impact and possible uses of artificial intelligence. Last but not least, in a context of sharply declining investments in documentaries on the part of streaming platforms and an overall fall in investments from historic broadcasters, a session examining alternative finance options, from FAST economy through to funding from brands, is set to unspool.