Cinéma du Réel is opening a window dedicated to classic documentary and to those who make them, showcasing films and providing a forum for conversation and debate. No less than fiction, documentary cinema has a rich and valuable history filled with great filmmakers and masterpieces. It is also bristling with remarkable restoration initiatives and archival efforts that require support. While the classic films market has been primarily focused on works of fiction, this part of the festival is meant to encourage classic films distributors, exhibitors and broadcasters to expand their offer to documentary films.
First created in 2020, this event provides project coordinators (professionals overseeing film rereleases or restorations, DVD releases, monographic screenings, and theatrical and online film distribution) with a large public exposure, creating an environment meant to help documentary heritage films gain a wider audience of viewers. The purpose of this event is to bring together a wide range of industry professionals sharing the same ambition and working at all stages of the production cycle (production, restoration, festival programming, distribution, exhibition, streaming platforms/VoD). In this way, this initiative aims to foster the emergence of new projects through a multichannel distribution network that provides a variety of outlets.
Projects are selected based on the active research carried out by our teams in cooperation with European institutions and private structures involved in the restoration and distribution of classic films.