European Doc Features Thriving but Industry Fears Streamer Standardization
Lise Pedersen Cannes Film Market sidebar Cannes Docs has kicked off as new stats show documentary film in Europe is thriving with the number of productions nearly back to pre-pandemic levels.This rebound is echoed across film production in general which, according to European Audiovisual Observatory figures, returned to pre-crisis levels in 2021, albeit with significant variations between countries.There is consensus among industry actors that platforms have played a key role in creating a new appetite for documentary films among audiences, particularly younger viewers.“I would say the boom comes very much from a change in storytelling, because Netflix came with a new audience for documentary,” says Elodie Polo Ackermann, managing director of Imagissime, one of French media giant Mediawan’s doc film labels. “Documentary, especially in France, used to be produced in a very traditional style with ‘the voice of God’ – a very journalistic commentary – and the idea of putting the story in the middle of the room was something that pretty much came with Netflix,” adds Ackermann, who produced Netflix’ first documentary original in France, the true crime series “Who Killed Little Gregory?”.Documentary series, in particular, are the new trend.