Sunny Side of the Doc Wraps Successful Connected Edition; Awards Winners Announced

Sunny Side of the Doc 2020, the Connected Edition, wrapped on June 25. The team in La Rochelle worked around the clock to pull it together and, while the buzz and spirit of the live event were sadly missed this year, the Connected Edition was a success, with more than 1,700 accredited industry professionals from more than 60 different countries taking part. The Connected Edition platform registered just under 100,000 page views, and provided registered attendees with the flexibility to attend and participate in more sessions, given that they could all be streamed on-demand – a major benefit. All projects and programs as well as conference and round tables replays will be available (for accredited professionals) via www.sunnysideofthedoc.com until September 30, 2020. Please click here for detailed breakdown of key attendance metrics.

For a quick video recap of the event, please click here.

Among the 950 companies taking part, many were able to host one of the 350 stands and pavilions at the virtual marketplace. A big question this year was whether the virtual booths would have real value, and, from our perspective as an exhibitor, having a virtual presence at the event did generate inquiries and meetings, and was worth the investment.

Over and above the networking, panel discussions and parties, the opportunity to showcase new documentary work is central to Sunny Side’s mission, so keeping this alive during the COVID lockdown was a great service to both the documentary community and the television industry. Reducing the price for accreditation and entry fees for projects and programs clearly had an impact on the number of documentaries submitted. With 1,360 projects and programs to explore via the online screening library (+134% compared to 2019), the Connected Edition was able to respond to the demand for documentary content with international potential.

“After the health crisis and lockdown which we have all faced, this is a strong signal which highlights the crucial need for new documentary productions for television channels and platforms,” remarked Mathieu Béjot, Sunnyside’s Director of Strategy and Development.

The winners of this year’s Sunny Side awards were announced live at the event, and a full list can be found here. Of special interest to the archive community, the winner of the Best History Pitch was Kozak, and the Archives Storytelling Award was as A Perfect Spy.