From June 23-26, Sunny Side of the Doc, France's international documentary marketplace nestled in the charming historic seaport on the Bay of Biscay
Markets & Industry Talks
At CPH:DOX 2026, the creative doc industry bands together for a “European Netflix” and more coproductions
Daily diaries from the French documentary coproduction market in Biarritz
This year’s When East Meets West market at Trieste framed its program not in terms of scale or prestige, but of precision
DOK Leipzig 2025: Doc Together, ‘The Thing to Be Done,’ ‘Elephants & Squirrels,’ and ‘A Scary Movie’
The world’s oldest documentary festival continues its commitment to an equitable world, from supporting exiled filmmakers to its programming
At this year’s edition, the Basque festival demonstrated why it prides itself on its political conscience, with many of its titles exploring
The 3rd annual Filmmaker Forum at Hot Springs was at its best when its attendees got candid about the industry’s unsettling present and uncertain
The venerable Swiss festival featured its usual boundary-pushing works alongside industry activities that showcased documentary’s capacity to adapt
Last year, national and international press widely reported on what The Globe and Mail described as “the most tumultuous year in the festival’s history,” complete with sweeping personnel changes, social and financial pressures, and the temporary closure of their flagship Ted Rogers Cinema. Though Hot Docs managed to pull through for its 32nd year with a new executive director (Diana Sanchez, formerly of TIFF) and a replenished staff (some of the programmers, including department head Heather Haynes, returned after their prior exodus), what frightened this hamstrung fixture of Toronto’s flailing film scene was dismally clear. Social issues don’t entirely permeate the programming, nor do their chosen films observe such issues in totality, but Hot Docs has always strived to stay in tune with urgent matters of the present, especially through films that align their audience’s point of view with what will one day be the right side of history.
Founded in 2008, Doc Alliance is a collaborative network of seven key European documentary festivals—CPH:DOX, Doclisboa, FIDMarseille, Ji.hlava, Vision du Réel, Dok Leipzig, Millennium Docs Against Gravity—dedicated to promoting arthouse non-fiction cinema and supporting emerging filmmakers. For over 15 years, the initiative has played a pivotal role in strengthening the continent’s documentary scene by fostering inter-festival collaboration and increasing exposure for independent work. Spearheading many of its recent efforts is Galya Stepanova, the network’s coordinator and one of the driving forces behind its growing industry profile. Ahead of this year’s Cannes Film Festival and its Marché du Film (May 13–24), Documentary magazine sat down with her to discuss the Doc Alliance Award, long-term strategic goals, and how the network is adapting to better serve new voices and cross-border exchange.