Sundance Embraces Elevated Nonfiction Fare as Oscar Voters Expand Definition of Excellence in Filmmaking

variety.com:

Manori Ravindran International EditorIn the streaming age, documentary filmmakers, once the long-suffering artists working in obscurity to finish self-funded passion projects, have become rock stars.

Deep-pocketed platforms like Netflix and Hulu have dished out for costly archival clearances and biopic rights, and the strategy has invariably led to awards glory.But just as the medium has become more elevated, so too has it grown increasingly global in scope, with a vast network of documentary gatekeepers venturing outside the traditional nonfiction markets of the U.S.

and Western Europe for the next big project that can go the distance to become an awards contender.“We’re growing closer together in a good way,” says Rick Perez, the newly installed president of the Los Angeles-based International Documentary Assn.

The former Sundance documentary executive recognizes the influence of the streamers, but says the nonfiction boom is mainly the result of the decades-long work of independents like global broadcasters and various institutes and funds that convene at pitch forums and markets around the world. “There’s more fluidity now between the American documentary industry and commercial sector and these very powerful international stories,” says Perez. “Part of what’s going on is that documentaries are some of the best stories on film — period.