25/06/2025 - A selection of 21 French documentaries with high international potential are being presented to buyers assembled in La Rochelle

An unprecedented act is being carried out by Unifrance at the 36th Sunny Side of the Doc, where the agency promoting French films and audiovisual works abroad is rolling out its new "Watch Next from France" concept for the very first time. On the agenda is a selection of 21 documentaries which are deemed to have high potential for global circulation, which have recently been available abroad, and which are being presented alongside their trailers by Sarah Hemar, Unifrance’s Director of Audiovisual Works.

Stealing focus among the titles in the showcase is Just Listen to Women by Sonia Gonzalez. Produced by the INA (who are also steering sales) on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Veil law on abortion, this 90-minute film thrusts us into the hidden reality of illegal abortion in France before the 1975 law was adopted. Thirteen individuals from all kinds of backgrounds speak with sincerity about what an unwanted pregnancy meant at a time when abortion was prohibited. Between intimate stories, archive material and fiction, the film brings us back to a time of fear, courage and survival. It’s a powerful reminder of what we had to go through to obtain the right to choose.

Standing tall in the same Social Issues & Human Interest category, we find The Hills of Wrath – A Winemaking Epic by Léo Boudet (a 118-minute film sold by AndanaFilms), which revolves around a vineyard in the birthplace of the Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie wines, and Resist for Peace by Hanna Assouline and Sonia Terrab, which is a 64-minute road movie travelling between Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ramallah and Bethlehem, passing kibbutzim and check-points and clinging to the hope that dialogue is still possible between Israelis and Palestinians (sales: Federation MEAC) in spite of great tragedy.

Works selected for the Current Affairs & Investigation line-up, meanwhile, include TikTok, the War of Data by Vincent De Cointet (available in various formats - 2 x 45 minutes, 52 minutes and 90 minutes - and sold by Arte Distribution) and Criminal Addictions by Paul Moreira (2 x 52 minutes and 52 minutes, sold by Seventine) about the opioid epidemic in the USA, as told by its instigators in the pharmaceutical industry.

Shining especially bright in the Nature, Green & Wildlife section is Nature: The Call for Reconciliation, a 105-minute film by Yann-Arthus Bertrand (well-received in Venice in 2015 and 2019 thanks to Human and Woman), which is sold by Federation International and which charts the history of life, from its cosmic origins to its modern-day challenges. Equally noteworthy is A Journey Through Our Future by Michael Pitiot (52 minutes and 90 minutes, sold by Balanga) and Once upon a Time… The Great Plains by Thierry Robert (52 minutes and 90 minutes, sold by France tv distribution).

Catching our eye in the History category are the documentary series The Great Trials: Klaus Barbie by Gabriel Le Bomin (3 x 52 minutes, sold by Mediawan Rights) and 0 to 9: The Secret History of Numbers by Benoît Laborde (3 x 52 minutes, sold by Studio TF1), while The Wind, The Breath of the Earth by Thibault Férié (90 minutes and 52 minutes, sold by Terranoa) is being presented in Science.

Last but not least, dominating the Arts & Culture line-up are Jules Verne, The Man Who Shrank the World by Fabrice Gardel (90 minutes and 52 minutes, Studiofact Rights) and The Cloisters Odyssey by Marc Azema (52 minutes and 90 minutes, Script Line).

This "Watch Next from France" session at Sunny Side of the Doc is being rounded off by a 59-minute film and seven 52-minute films, including It’s a Mad Max World by Julien Dupuy (sold by The Party Film Sales) and Gucci, The Empire of Scandal by Olivier Nicklaus (sold by CLPB Rights).

(Translated from French)