Circle Women Doc Accelerator, an exclusive training program for female-identifying documentary filmmakers, has selected the projects that will take part in its showcase as part of the Cannes Docs program of the Marché du Film 2023.
For the fourth consecutive year, four alumnae of the program have the opportunity to present their works-in-progress during the Cannes Film Market.
Previous winners include “Twice colonized” by Lin Alluna, which won the Docs-In-Progress award in Cannes last year before premiering in Sundance and opening both CPH:DOX and Hot Docs; Ágnes Horváth-Szabó and Anna Nemet’s “Beauty of the Beast” (Nordisk Panorama Award 2020); and “Cent’anni” by Maja Prelog (IEFTA Docs-In-Progress Award 2021).
“Ever Since I Knew Myself” by Maka Gogaladze, developed through Circle 2020, follows Maka, the daughter of a strict maths teacher and high-maintenance mother, on her journey around post-Soviet Georgia to observe children in the process of education. This quest is accompanied by her intimate conversation with her mother Nino. Two women of different generations, with different experiences and clashing perspectives, reflect on parenting, education and systems of power. “Ever Since I Knew Myself” is produced by Maka Gogaladze for Georgian production company Formo Production and Anke Petersen and Lilian Tietjen for Jyoti Film in Germany.
“Rebeladas” by Andrea Gautier and Tabatta Salinas centers around the Cine Mujer, a group of women filmmakers who gathered 40 years ago to make films dealing with taboo subjects, gender violence, rape, feminicide, clandestine abortion and labor discrimination. They had been active as a collective for over 10 years. Today they reflect on violence against women and their continuous struggles, which are still prevalent in modern society. “Rebeladas” was developed through Circle 2019 and is produced by Dafne Espinosa and Julio Fernández for Perro Rojo Films (Mexico) and Manuel Diaz, Juan Gautier and Andrea Gautier for Smiz and Pixel (Spain)
In “72 Hours” by Anna Savchenko a woman’s life has been incomplete ever since her son was wrongfully accused, sentenced to death and executed within a year. From a grieving mother she transforms to a symbol of the struggle against the death penalty. Today, she shares her painful reminiscences with a theatre group of 4 young people, all displaced for different reasons. They all gather to poetically process the mother and son’s story, combining documentary theatre with media and family archives. Produced by Isabel de la Serna for Playtime Films in Belgium and Jean-Marie Gigon for Sanosi Films in France in coproduction with Volia Chajkouskaya for Voila Films (Estonia), “72 hours” was developed through Circke in 2019.
“Tata,” written and directed by Lina Vdovîi and Radu Ciorniciuc (“Acasa, My Home”), tells the story of a journalist, who discovers that her long estranged father who was violent to her as a child is now the person being abused. When she agrees to help him expose the injustice, will she also be able to heal the pain he caused her? “Tata” is produced by Monica Lazurean Gorgan for Manifest Film (Romania), Erik Winker for Corso Film (Germany) and Olivia Sophie van Leeuwen for HALAL (the Netherlands). The project was developed through Circle in 2020.
“Through the past three editions, the partnership with Cannes Docs – Marché du Film has flourished and provided us with a valuable platform to showcase the outstanding films of our alumnae. Circle projects previously showcased in Cannes have gone on to achieve major success at international film festivals, propelling the careers of their directors and bringing women to the forefront of the documentary industry,” Circle program director Biljana Tutorov said.
Tutorov added: “For each edition of the Circle Showcase in Cannes, we take special care to curate a diverse array of challenging, ambitious projects by women, that push the boundaries of the documentary form, while taking on essential, often difficult, subject matter. This year’s showcase highlights four authors whose films intertwine deeply personal stories with the wider political landscapes that frame and determine them, showcasing a variety of directorial and cinematic approaches.”
Circle Women Doc Accelerator is an exclusive annual training program for women-identifying documentary filmmakers who are seeking support to develop their films and broaden their professional skills. Through three modules, participants work with experts in order to advance their projects, develop a better understanding of the industry landscape and prepare for the future. With each new generation, the CIRCLE network expands, providing a valuable resource for its alumni as they build their careers and pursue their filmmaking journeys. In 2020, Circle started its partnership with Cannes Docs – Marché du Film.
Circle is co-funded by the European Union – Creative Europe MEDIA and organised by Wake Up Films (Serbia) in partnership with Creative Europe – MEDIA, When East Meets West Co-pro Forum, Cannes Docs – Marché du Film, documentary Association of Europe (DAE), European Women’s Audiovisual Network (EWA), International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA), Cineuropa, CED – MEDIA Office Croatia, CED – MEDIA Office Slovenia, Motovila, Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, Thessaloniki documentary Film Festival – Agora Docs, DokLeipzig, International documentary Film Festival Beldocs and EURODOC.
