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MUMBAI: Mipdoc, the international documentary market, which
takes place in Cannes France in April 2007 has announced that
eight visionary documentary-makers have been chosen for the
second edition of the International Trailblazers.
This is an initiative designed to recognise creativity and
innovation in the documentary field.
For the second consecutive year, the event is sponsored by
the Sundance Channel and organised with the support of the
National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The International
Trailblazers will take place at Mipdoc, which will be
held on 14 and 15 April 2007 in the Intercontinental Carlton
Hotel, Cannes.
The eight selected works have been drawn from Europe,Asia
/Pacific, the Americas and Africa and chosen by an international
selection panel made up of well-known documentary associations
and festivals. The selection panel is made up of: The International
Documentary Association (IDA - USA), Hot Docs (Canada), The
European Documentary Network (EDN - Denmark), Encounters (South
Africa), EBS International Documentary Festival (EIDF - South
Korea) and the association of all Japan TV Programs (ATP -
Japan).
The eight candidates were selected according to:
- Innovation and Creativity: the use of new techniques in
filming and story-telling, setting trends, opening new pathways
for others...
- Originality: Content that provides a model, which is "different"
or risk-taking.
- Breakthrough: Where there is a significant difference made
in the genre, such as increased audience for documentaries,
press coverage, public reception...
The 2007 'International Trailblazers' are - Marshall Curry
(USA, selected by IDA), Larry Weinstein (Canada, selected
by Hot Docs), Paolo Trombetti (Italy, selected by EDN), Uldis
Cekulis (Latvia, selected by EDN), Jean-Marie Teno (Cameroon,
selected by Encounters), Vincent Moloi (South Africa, selected
by Encounters), Gan Chao (China, selected by EIDF) and Nao
Kubota (Japan, selected by ATP) - All eight Trailblazers will
attend Mipdoc, where a special Mipdoc Opening Lunch will be
given in their honour, bringing together the documentary professionals
at Mipdoc and the 'International Trailblazer' organisers.
Reed Midem director of the television division Paul Johnson
said, "The second edition of the International Trailblazers
will honour eight emerging and acknowledged filmmakers who
through their creativity and desire to tell a story in their
own way are pushing the documentary genre forward. Mipdoc
delegates will have the opportunity to share the vision of
some truly exceptional documentary producers."
Following the first edition of the International Trailblazers
at Mipdoc 2006, two films have been acquired by the Sundance
Channel, Conversations on a Sunday Afternoon directed
by Khalo Matabane (South Africa) and the documentary Georgi
& the Butterflies produced by Martichka Bozhilova
(Bulgaria).
Commenting on her selection as an International Trailblazer,
Martichka Bozhilova said, "It is very encouraging to
have been chosen as a Trailblazer and to have our work acknowledged
by such key documentary specialists. Making documentaries
is a passion and a challenge. I am delighted to receive this
tribute for what I have always tried to achieve - to be creative
and take risks in a documentary world that is becoming more
and more standardised and commercially dependent."
Mipdoc 2006 saw a 13 per cent rise in participation with
432 companies from 57 countries. 385 acquisition executives
attended and production and sales companies sent 1,189 programmes
to the digital screening library of which 769 were appearing
at the market for the first time. There were a total of 26,000
screenings over the two days.
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