Booming Cannes Market adds Doc Corner

The Cannes Market has launched a series of initiatives aimed at supporting the burgeoning documentary market.

“We’ve noticed that more and more documentaries are being sold at the market,” commented the market’s executive director Jérôme Paillard [pictured].

“Out of some 4,600 titles on offer at the market, 14% of them will be documentaries, up from 11% last year and 10% in 2010,” he continued.

The market has created of a dedicated space called Doc Corner, where buyers can screen some 350 documentary titles, and is also organising a programme of selective meetings with key figures in the documentary world.

The meetings will kick off with Thom Powers, creator of the Stranger Than Fiction screenings in New York as well as a programmer at the Toronto Film Festival and DOC NYC.

Other doc executives participating include Peter Jager of Autlook, Andy Whittaker and Anna Sissons of Dogwoof and Popup Cinema, and Andrew Mer of Snag Films

Representatives of the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), Danish CPH: DOX, France’s Sunnyside of the Docs, Spanish Docs Barcelona, Swiss Visions du Reel and Chilean Parallel 40 are also attend.

Paillard says overall the market has registered a 9% jump in individual participants this year, to some 1100 attendees.

“What’s interesting is the high number of producers attending, accounting for about 40% of the participants. It’s a sign people come here not just for finished films but to find projects and finance too,” commented Paillard.

The market’s Producers Network programme also kicks off Thursday with its packed programme of round tables with some 100 professionals.

Its Producers Workshop, aimed at fledgling producers, will mark its second year. Participation has doubled with 300 participants signing up for the three-day event.

Attendees will attend coaching sessions on how to navigate the market and pitch their projects and can also sign up for a guided tour of it halls.