Event Coverage
Documentary pitching in a new age
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CANNES: “Pitching is not a matter of life and death, it is more than that.” This is how European Documentary Network (EDN) director Lena Pasanen ended the workshop session on How to pitch? at MipDoc, at the Hotel Carlton in Cannes in the south of France.
Hosted with Paul Pauwels, project manager of the European Television Management Academy, the session was well attended and proved an eye opener to many.
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Pauwels said: “The world of television has changed. No longer is one person – the commissioning editor – the decision maker, it is teams that decide, based on the profile of the broadcaster. Therefore you keep things simple, bullet points, not too much detail, in one or two sheets of paper. Have a big picture so that they can remember, have visual impact.” He added that: “Once they buy in these people become your evangelists internally within their organisation. Once they are sold on your idea that is.”
Added Pasanen: “Please don‘t catch the commissioning editors when they are eating; it is annoying. Also don‘t corner them in the toilet. If you get them in the lift, make sure you have a one-liner which will get their attention. Also make sure you have your contacts in each page pat down and clear so they can get in touch with you later.” After the commissioning editor shows interest, you will have put together a four five page document pointed out Pauwels, packed in with a lot of research. “They will ask you, why you want to make this documentary? If they don‘t get a feeling, this is a documentary you want to die for, they will drop you,” he said. “Then they will ask you when you can deliver,” he added. “You will sign agreements and then they will then set milestones for you, for getting more financing, if you don‘t deliver on your milestones, they will probably pull out.” The EDN TV guide is a good reference tool for a database of European Documentary Makers, he added. According to him, a bound script is needed very early, after the commissioning editor has shown interest. “This probably will come within four months of interest. You can do it in advance, it depends on the topic. Though of course the script changes as you produce. A very good research file is what you should work on, if not a script.” On the question of linking with a distributor he said that it is important to start talking to distributors very early; not when it is finished. “Remember if a documentary has gone to festivals, it is finished. So show the distributor when you have 20-30 minutes to show,” he said. He added that development cost should be 15 per cent of the project, “A sum of 5,000 euros can be good for research, fliers, EDN sessions etc. Documentaries cost 100,000 to 500,000 euros, it‘s a business, and producers who have the pockets should be your partners.” But he cautioned that deals should be done carefully. “Sometimes film makers have to pay money to distributors, because of costs,” he added.
Pasanen pointed out that broadcasters have fixed slots genre wise. So you cannot cross over genres, have history and science in a project, she said. Pauwels pointed out that the positive side is that the European television market is going to explode with 5,000-6,000 broadcasters slated to come up. “You will get 500-1000 Euros per broadcaster. To recover your costs you have to have a 360 degree experience like DVDs, books, mobile, websites dgitial channels for smaller audiences”,” he said. Additionally, a route for recovering costs is to have different versions of the same documentary for different channels, opined Pasanen. “You need to know your broadcast partners needs…you must face the fact you need to do versions…for instance for one of our projects the Spanish people wanted emotions ,Germans wanted to know how they did it, the English wanted something else.” Both emphasised that the various windows of sale and creating versions can open up a rights nightmare. “Broadcasters want to cover themselves; they want all the rights whether DVD, or online or what have you. It‘s a just in case option even if they don‘t know what to do with them, You have to make it clear that they will have to deal with them or get more production budget, ” highlighted Paul. He added that currently this issue is open and no solution has been found. “Within three years an economically sustainable model will be found when with mobile TV, broadband will take off. Until then it will be a test period. There will be victims. But you can work with advertisers, brands, to help lower costs,” he opined. |
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Event Coverage
Anime India announces Amazon MX Player as co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata 2026
MUMBAI: Riding high on the success of its blockbuster Mumbai debut, Anime India is accelerating its nationwide expansion with the announcement of Amazon MX Player as the co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata. The partnership marks a significant step forward in the festival’s mission to deliver large-scale, accessible, and fan-first anime experiences across the country.
Scheduled for 14 and 15 February 2026 at the iconic Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, Anime India Kolkata will launch the first regional chapter of what is set to be a year-long, multi-city tour. As the curtain-raiser for the 2026 circuit, the Kolkata edition aims to fuse the energy of global Japanese pop culture with India’s fast-growing community of anime, manga, and pop-culture fans.
A household name in digital entertainment, Amazon MX Player brings unmatched reach and cultural relevance to the Anime India platform. With its expanding focus on anime and youth-driven content, Amazon MX Player’s involvement as co-presenting partner reinforces Anime India’s vision of making anime culture more inclusive breaking barriers of language, geography, and accessibility to connect with fans nationwide.
Anime India Kolkata 2026 will showcase cosplay competitions, interactive zones led by the Indian Gunpla Community, India-39 Vocaloid Community, The Japan Curry, and Adda-o-Otaku by The Otaku Guild. Fans can join tournaments across fighting games, Pokémon VGC, and more. Acclaimed Japanese director Susumu Mitsunaka (Haikyu!!) will attend as guest of honour, appearing in panels and live sessions. Positioned as an immersive celebration of fan culture and industry collaboration, the Kolkata edition marks the beginning of Anime India’s nationwide expansion.
Sharing their perspective on the partnership, Amazon MX Player director Aruna Daryanani expressed, “Anime in India has evolved from a niche interest into a mainstream cultural movement, driven by an increasingly engaged and passionate fanbase. At Amazon MX Player, our focus is on expanding access by bringing anime to audiences across the country for free and in multiple local languages. Our association with Anime India reflects our commitment to supporting the growth of anime in India and deepening connections with fans, while continuing to build Amazon MX Player as a trusted destination for free, high-quality entertainment.”
“Anime India Kolkata is a celebration of how anime has grown beyond entertainment into a powerful cultural and creative force. By bringing fans, creators, and industry leaders onto one shared platform, the festival is helping define the future of pop culture in India,” said Anime India co-founder and director Neha Mehta.
The debut edition of Anime India 2025 in Mumbai attracted over 29,000 fans, quickly cementing its status as a landmark celebration of anime and Japanese pop culture. Riding on this overwhelming response, the Kolkata chapter is projected to draw more than 40,000 visitors across two days, positioning it as one of the biggest anime conventions ever held in eastern India.
Anime India is focused on bringing together fans from across the country to create a truly pan-India celebration of anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, and Japanese culture. With plans to expand into four key metropolitan hubs in 2026—east (Kolkata), north (Delhi), west (Mumbai), and south (Hyderabad)—the festival seeks to deliver globally benchmarked experiences while supporting and uplifting creators, artists, and fan communities throughout India.
