The final La Rochelle edition of Sunny Side of the Doc wrapped this week with more than 1,500 documentary creatives and execs in attendance from 55 countries.
The 37th edition, cancelled before being resurrected in partnership with Documentary Campus, attracted a total of more than 800 companies, with 73 exhibitors, ten international delegations and some 190 decision-makers on site in La Rochelle. Next year, Strasbourg will host of a new international documentary market, supported by the CNC, the City of Strasbourg, the Eurométropole de Strasbourg and the Grand Est Region.
“This 2026 edition has been one of mobilization, and proof, once again, that the documentary knows how to reinvent itself: with clarity, with loyalty to its values, and with the conviction that certain challenges can only be tackled together,” said Aurélie Reman, MD of Sunny Side of the Doc. “Over the past 37 years, Sunny Side of the Doc has been at the forefront of every major transformation in our audiovisual sector. The international community, gathered one last time in La Rochelle, confirmed this: three days of exchanges between professionals from around the world, inspiring sessions and concrete opportunities across borders, in partnership with Documentary Campus. The determination is there to build new sustainable models and strategic partnerships, at a time when our collective ability to finance, produce, broadcast and export authentic stories that serve the public interest is at stake.”
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Donata von Perfall, MD of Documentary Campus, added, “This partnership with Sunny Side of the Doc reflected something I believe deeply: when the right movements, the right timing and the right momentum come together, real change follows for the whole market. Meet & Match and Speed Dating are two new formats born directly from this collaboration, built into these three days to support producers and their projects every step of the way. Seeing the overwhelming positive response of the participants fills me with gratitude and reaffirms the reason of a new opportunity to come.”
Roman Jeanneau, president of Doc Services, organizer of Sunny Side of the Doc, noted, “After 37 years of championing documentary film, it is time for the long-term future of the documentary market in France to be placed in the hands of the industry itself. This is an event of collective interest. We can be proud of the legacy left by Sunny Side, of its pioneering role and of the place it has occupied for nearly four decades within the international documentary ecosystem. I would like to pay special
tribute to the two founders, now deceased, Olivier Masson and Yves Jeanneau, who had the vision to create this unique market. Their intuition, their boldness and their commitment have left a lasting mark that continues to guide us today.”
