First contact

First Contact – named after the eponymous film by Robin Anderson and Bob Connolly, whose 40th anniversary was in 2022 – completed ParisDOC’s offer to producers, in partnership with Ateliers Varan.

First Contact invites producers to discover 9 projects currently in the writing stage, which are based on research in the social sciences, hard sciences or artistic creation. 

For French speakers only

First Contact 2026 – Invite only

In 2026, 6 projects from the Ateliers Varan’s writing workshop, “Science in images, from research to the cinematic narrative”, will be presented. We also invited the Ardèche Images’ documentary school, La Fémis’ documentary film workshop and the Brouillon d’un rêve grant from LaScam to each present a project.

DISCOVER THE 2026 PROJECTS (FRENCH ONLY)

Monday 23 March
L’ÉSEC
105 Boulevard Raspail, Paris 6e

10 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Presentation of the 9 projects in writing

SIGN UP FOR THE PRESENTATIONS
(FRENCH SPEAKING PRODUCERS ONLY)

1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Lunch* / One-on-one meetings
*free lunch reserved to the producers having booked a meeting

SIGN UP FOR THE MEETINGS
(FRENCH SPEAKING PRODUCERS ONLY)

As part of our partnership with the Sacem, composers were also invited to the presentations and encouraged to engage with the project holders during the one-on-one meetings organised by Cinéma du réel.

The different support schemes offered by the Sacem and the Île-de-France region were presented during the day.