A transformed festival is now a marketplace for deal-making and fundraising by doc-makers, as some fine films are recognised with awards
This year's Sheffield documentary festival ended with veteran film-makers scratching their heads. Since Doc/Fest was launched 16 years ago, both the festival and the industry it covers have changed beyond recognition.
In its early days, Doc/Fest showcased the output of what was still a structured world in which elite gatekeepers called the shots. This year, 65 films were still shown, including 15 world, five European and 23 British premieres. Yet the emphasis was on networking, tip-swapping, deal-making and fundraising by the film-makers themselves, all of whom were grappling with a world ever more in flux.
During recent years, the number of industry delegates to Doc/Fest has increased four-fold: this year it stood at around 2,000. In Sheffield's fabled MeetMarket, 175 power-brokers haggled over 64 projects with film-makers from 22 countries; a thousand meetings were...
This year's Sheffield documentary festival ended with veteran film-makers scratching their heads. Since Doc/Fest was launched 16 years ago, both the festival and the industry it covers have changed beyond recognition.
In its early days, Doc/Fest showcased the output of what was still a structured world in which elite gatekeepers called the shots. This year, 65 films were still shown, including 15 world, five European and 23 British premieres. Yet the emphasis was on networking, tip-swapping, deal-making and fundraising by the film-makers themselves, all of whom were grappling with a world ever more in flux.
During recent years, the number of industry delegates to Doc/Fest has increased four-fold: this year it stood at around 2,000. In Sheffield's fabled MeetMarket, 175 power-brokers haggled over 64 projects with film-makers from 22 countries; a thousand meetings were...
- 11/9/2010
- by David Cox
- The Guardian - Film News
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