04/10/2021 - Nearly 250 professionals from all over the world are taking part in this market for documentaries from the European and Mediterranean region, where 57 projects are being presented

For the second year in a row, the MEDIMED Euro-Mediterranean Documentary Market is organising an online edition. The market aims to put independent producers in contact with TV channels and audiovisual platforms – mainly those from Europe and the Southern Mediterranean region (the Maghreb, the Middle East and Turkey) – as well as with distributors from all over the world, in order to facilitate commercial and professional exchanges, and promote audiovisual co-productions. For this, the 22^nd edition, 250 professionals have been accredited, hailing from 50 countries: 50 TV channels and audiovisual platforms, 20 distributors, plus representatives of festivals and other markets, such as Italian Doc Screenings, Movies that Matter, FIPADOC, Sunny Side of the Doc and the Cinema Verité Film Festival, among others. Various funds have also been accredited.

The MEDIMED programme is rounded off by the Industry Talks, discussions that are open to all audiences. The first, set to be held at 6 pm on Monday 4 October, is entitled “Women Make Documentaries”, and will be presented by filmmakers Almudena Carracedo and Susana Guardiola, who are both representatives of CIMA (Association of Female Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media). On Tuesday 5 October, at the same time of day, there will be a seminar on rights, agreements and licences for documentary films, to be led by Danish lawyer Lisbet Matz-Lyons. At 1 pm on Wednesday 6 October, three European distributors – Kathryn Bonnici (Java Films), Aleksandra Derewienko (CAT&Docs) and Nathalie Giboire (GAD Distribution) – will unveil their top tips for understanding international distribution.

That same day, at 6 pm, Mette Hoffmann Meyer, of The Why Foundation, will explain the workings of this platform, which enables social research documentaries to be made available worldwide. Last but not least, on Thursday 7 October, at 6 pm, Giorgos Angelopoulos (director of the Production Office at the Greek Film Centre), Venia Vergou (director of the Hellenic Film Commission) and Elias Demetriou, from the Co-production Department of Greek pubcaster ERT, will break down the benefits of co-producing with Greece, as well as the tax incentives that the country has to offer.

Under the management of Sergi Doladé, MEDIMED has become a prestigious international rendezvous for documentary professionals. It is co-organised by APIMED (International Association of Independent Mediterranean Producers) and DIPLOCAT, and it boasts the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya and ICAA, among other bodies. Its video library offers almost 400 documentaries of all genres, which TV programmers and distributors can watch up until the end of October.

One novelty at MEDIMED 2021 is that it has organised the New Players Co-production Pitch, set to take place on Tuesday 5 October. In this new section, 13 projects from countries or regions with a low production capacity have been selected, and they will be presented to around 30 seasoned European producers. The event thus sets up an innovative opportunity to forge new professional networks between producers from all over the world. There are 51 projects from 23 countries set to partake in the pitching sessions this year. The majority are being presented in the main section,Pitching Forum, whose activities are taking place on 7 and 8 October. On Monday 4 October, in the Anti Pitch section, eight projects at an advanced stage of production will be under the spotlight. Athird section, entitled Speedy Pitch, featuring projects in their very early stages, consists of bilateral meetings between the producers and representatives of television channels/distributors.

More information, including details of all of the selected projects, can be found here.

(Translated from Spanish)