Paris – MIPDoc, the leading factual content screenings and conference, will mark its 20th anniversary with a rich line-up of world premiere screenings and keynotes from some of the documentary genre’s global heavyweights. Organised by Reed MIDEM, MIPDoc takes place in Cannes, France, on 1-2 April 2017, ahead of the world’s entertainment content market MIPTV, which runs 3-6 April.
MIPDoc will this year put coproduction more than ever to the fore through a series of premium events and unique opportunities to discover new projects for commissioning and coproduction, including the MIPDoc International Pitch; the Matchmaking sessions* with some of the most influential buyers and commissioners; and a keynote super-panel entitled “Factual Titans Speak International Coproduction” (Saturday 1 April at 5:15pm in the Grand Theatre).
Speakers confirmed for the latter are Ralf Rueckauer, Vice President ZDFE.factual (Germany); Kyle Murdoch, Managing Director, NHNZ (New Zealand); Pamela Aguilar , Senior Director, Programming and Development, PBS (USA); Yuan Tian, Head of International Coproduction, CCTV9 (China); Hélène Ganichaud, Deputy Director, ARTE (France), and Jens Monath, Commissioning Editor TerraX, ZDF (Germany).
Just as MIPTV has built a reputation for hosting major world TV premieres, MIPDoc is a key launchpad for premium international titles. This year’s edition features two World Premiere Screenings of major international coproductions. On Saturday, Big Pacific, a blue-chip exploration of the Earth’s biggest ocean and its inhabitants is presented by ZDF Enterprises; and on Sunday, Tokyo Phoenix: The Rise of Modern Japan, a look at how the Japanese capital has rebuilt itself after catastrophic events to become a vibrant megalopolis, will be showcased by NHK and CC&C.
Also on Saturday, FOX Networks Group Content Distribution will unveil an exclusive preview of Origins: The Journey of Humankind as part of the MIPDoc Networking Lunch at the Majestic Hotel. “Origins” explores the dramatic history of humanity through images and music, presented by philosopher and TV personality Jason Silva, who will be in Cannes to promote the show along with Tim Pastore , President, Original Programming and Production, National Geographic Channels.
On Sunday, PBS International, PBS, and Arte are presenting a MIPDoc Showcase featuring selected extracts from the highly anticipated series “The Vietnam War” with filmmaker Lynn Novick. This immersive 10-part documentary series directed by Novick and Ken Burns tells the epic story of one of the most divisive and misunderstood conflicts in history, and will be co-presented in Cannes by Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming at PBS.
Elsewhere, speakers so far confirmed for the MIPDoc International Coproduction Summit include: David Royle, EVP, Smithsonian Networks (USA); Conrad Riggs, Head of Unscripted, Amazon Originals (USA); Laura Fleury, Vice President, Nonfiction and Alternative Programming, A&E Television Networks (USA); Bo Stehmeier, SVP Global Sales, Red Arrow International (Germany); and Nicolas Deschamps, Producer, Gédéon Programmes (France).
*The MIPDoc Matchmaking event with buyers and commissioning editors from around the world includes representatives from SVT (Sweden), National Geographic (UK), Sky (Italy), Al Jazeera (Qatar), Arte (France), CBC Television (Canada), STR (Mexico), NHK (Japan), ProSiebenSat.1 Media (Germany), and RTP (Portugal).
