Montreal, Monday, December 9, 2024 - The 20th edition of Forum RIDM, presented by the Canada Media Fund (CMF), came to a close on November 27. The event enabled participants to engage in networking activities with documentary professionals from home and abroad, as well as discussions and workshops on current industry issues. The event was also an opportunity for Doc Lab Montréal and Rough Cut Pitch participants to present new projects to international representatives.
At the conclusion of their pitch sessions, a number of participants were awarded grants and support aimed at helping them develop their documentary projects. The winners were announced at a closing ceremony attended by partners, participants and guests of this year’s edition.
As part of Doc Lab Montréal, presented by Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada, 16 awards were offered to Canadian and international participants:
FEATURE DOCUMENTARIES
The ROYAL PHOTO SUPPORT, offered by Royal Photo, valued at $2,500 in filming equipment rental services, was awarded to the project To These Lands I Returned by Yann-Manuel Hernandez.
The MAIN FILM SUPPORT, offered by Main Film, consisting of a grant of $2,000 in equipment rental, $500 in cash, and a one-year subscription to Main Film's services, was awarded to the project Tehran : Good/Bad or Worse by filmmakers Farnaz and Mohammadreza Jurabchian, produced by Étienne de Ricaud (Caractères Productions).
The EURODOC MENTION, offered by EURODOC, consisting of an accompanied consultation and a one-year membership to EURODOC, was awarded to the project El Lugar y la Esperanza by filmmaker Ariagna Fajardo Nuviola, produced by Julio Raúl Vega Garcés (Torrentes Filmes).
The EURODOC AWARD, offered by EURODOC, consisting of €700 in cash and a one-year membership to EURODOC, went to the project In the Shades of a Royal Palace by filmmaker Hend Bakr, produced by Tamer Nady (Cellar Door Studio).
The CINEGROUND SUPPORT, offered by CineGround and consisting of $5,000 worth in post-production services, was awarded to the project Like the Knots of Our Oaks by filmmaker Loïc Darses.
The ROGERS AWARD, consisting of a $1,000 cash prize provided by Rogers, went to the project Shape of Silence by filmmaker Varun Trikha, produced by Margit Lillak (Tiny Desk Productions).
The DIRECTORS GUILD OF CANADA AWARD, consisting of $1,500 in cash offered by the Directors Guild of Canada was awarded to filmmaker Bruce Thomas Miller for the project Starry Night, produced by Kevin Dong (Tall Hero Films).
The PARATI FILMS SUPPORT, offered by Parati Films, for translation services into French or English, was awarded to the project Mujer Partera by filmmaker Valentina Ortega Backhoff, produced by Antonia Lema and Carlos Alberto Cuesy Díaz.
The DOK.FEST MÜNCHEN AWARD, offered by the professional market of Bavaria's DOK.fest München, a was awarded to the project Like the Knots of Our Oaks by filmmaker Loïc Darses, giving him the opportunity to take part in the next edition of DOK.forum München in May 2025.
The Doc Lab Montréal feature film jury was comprised of Léonard Cortana (Inclusion Programs and Strategic Partnerships Manager, EURODOC), Zeynep Güzel (Head of Doc Station, Berlinale Talents) and Benjamin Hogue (Executive Director, Les Films du 3 Mars).
SHORT AND MEDIUM-LENGTH FILMS
The ROYAL PHOTO SUPPORT, offered by Royal Photo, which provides equipment rental services worth $2,000, was awarded to the project Ariane’s Thread by filmmaker Luiza Cocora.
The VITAL DISTRIBUTION AWARD, offered by Vital Distribution and worth $500 in cash, went to the project Plumage by filmmaker Mingzhe Zhou, produced by Yiqian Zhang (Touchstone Productions).
The VIDÉOGRAPHE SUPPORT, offered by Vidéographe, which consists of $500 in editing suite or equipment rental and a one-year membership to Vidéographe services, was awarded to Manuel Orhy Pirón for his project John Banks.
The SLA LOCATION SUPPORT, offered by SLA Location, valued at $2,500 in film equipment rental services, was awarded to the project Haven by filmmaker Mirkö Lafrenière and producer Irène Bessone (Art&Essai).
The LUSSIER & KHOUZAM SUPPORT, offered by Lussier & Khouzam, in the form of a $1,000 sponsorship for legal services, was awarded to the project Canoe Racers by filmmaker Maïlys Flamand.
The T&S COOP SUPPORT, offered by T&S Coop, in the form of a $500 grant for subtitling services, was awarded to the project Rosie by filmmaker Kellie Nadeau.
The PARATI FILMS SUPPORT, offered by Parati Films, for of three production coaching sessions, was awarded to the project In the Night Trees Grow by filmmaker Stéphane Mukunzi.
The Doc Lab Montréal short and medium-length film jury was comprised of Serge Abiaad (Distributor and Sales representative, La Distributrice de Films), Severine Roinssard (CEO - producer, Parati Films) and Tam Dan Vu (Artistic Director - Head of Communications, Travelling Distribution).
This year, two Doc Lab Montréal spots were reserved for emerging Indigenous filmmakers in collaboration with Wapikoni. Following a call for applications, these reserved seats were offered to Maïlys Flamand with the project Canoe Racers, as well as Nathalie Rankin and Roxanne Lauzon for their project Sally’s Courage.
Additional spots were also reserved for Alexandre Forgues for the project Dans le pit, thanks to the Regroupement des artistes réalisateurs de la francophonie canadienne (RACCORD), for Manuel Orhy Pirón for the project John Banks, thanks to UQAM, and for Luiza Cocora for Ariane’s Thread, thanks to the Conseil des arts de Montréal’s Regard sur Montréal residency initiative.
ROUGH CUT PITCH
GRANDÉ STUDIOS SUPPORT, offered by Grandé Studios, worth $7,000 in filming equipment rental services, was awarded to the project Skin of the Sky by filmmaker Andrea Bussmann.
FORUM RIDM PRIZE of $1,000 in cash offered by Forum RIDM was awarded to the project On the Serbian Border by filmmakers Federico Cammarata and Filippo Foscarini, produced by Stefano Centini.
The Rough Cut Pitch jury was comprised of Jinseok Kang (Programmer, DMZ International Documentary Film Festival), Giovanni Marchini Camia (Member of the Feature Films selection committee, Locarno Film Festival) and Lorena Morin (Sales Agent and International Distribution, Split Screen).
Several Doc Lab Montréal participants from outside Montreal and Quebec received financial support through the PETER-WINTONICK TRAVEL GRANT, an initiative made possible by the generosity of the Canadian documentary community: Intuitive Pictures, Invisible Hand Productions, EyeSteelFilm, Kensington Communications, Picture This Productions, John Walker Productions, Colonelle Films, Bunbury Films, Fathom Film Group, and Cinema Politica.
This year, Forum RIDM is proud to bolster its support for emerging filmmakers from across the regions of Quebec (outside of metropolitan Montreal) with the TaCIC - TREMPLIN TERRITOIRES GRANT. In collaboration with TaCIC, FranC doc, Bande Sonimage, SPIRA and Paraloeil, this regional project development grant was awarded to Raphaëlle Ainsley-Vincent and Samuel Bellefleur, for their project Récits de maisons et de transhumance, which will receive complete and in-depth support throughout the various stages of its creation.
Forum RIDM was a resounding success thanks to the generosity of numerous collaborators, partners, participants, industry representatives and experts.
Forum RIDM thanks its partners
The 20th edition of Forum RIDM, presented by the Canada Media Fund (CMF), was made possible thanks to the support of our partners and collaborators. Forum RIDM would particularly like to thank its institutional partners, including: the Gouvernement du Québec, the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC), the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications (MCC), the Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie, Emploi-Québec and Telefilm Canada. Forum RIDM also thanks its main partners, including Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada, Rogers and the Bell Fund, as well as its many associate partners and collaborators.
About Forum RIDM
Forum RIDM aims to stimulate the production and distribution of independent documentaries, both nationally and internationally, by promoting the exchange of information and meetings between the various professionals in the documentary industry. Discussions, conferences and workshops on major current issues will bring together over 400 filmmakers and representatives of various production, broadcasting and distribution companies over five days.
About the Canada Media Fund
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) fosters, develops, finances, and promotes the production of Canadian content and applications for all audiovisual media platforms. The CMF guides Canadian content towards a competitive global environment by fostering industry innovation, rewarding success, enabling a diversity of voices, and promoting access to content through public and private sector partnerships. The CMF receives financial contributions from the Government of Canada and Canada’s cable, satellite, and IPTV distributors.
The 21st edition of Forum RIDM will take place in November 2025.
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Caroline Rompré | pixelleX communications | 514-778-9294 | caroline@pixellex.ca