Documentary
Eight documentary makers to participate in ‘International Trailblazers’ at Mipdoc
MUMBAI: Mipdoc, the international documentary market, which takes place in Cannes France in April 2007 has announced that eight visionary documentary-makers have been chosen for the second edition of the International Trailblazers.
This is an initiative designed to recognise creativity and innovation in the documentary field.
For the second consecutive year, the event is sponsored by the Sundance Channel and organised with the support of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The International Trailblazers will take place at Mipdoc, which will be held on 14 and 15 April 2007 in the Intercontinental Carlton Hotel, Cannes.
The eight selected works have been drawn from Europe,Asia /Pacific, the Americas and Africa and chosen by an international selection panel made up of well-known documentary associations and festivals. The selection panel is made up of: The International Documentary Association (IDA – USA), Hot Docs (Canada), The European Documentary Network (EDN – Denmark), Encounters (South Africa), EBS International Documentary Festival (EIDF – South Korea) and the association of all Japan TV Programs (ATP – Japan).
The eight candidates were selected according to:
– Innovation and Creativity: the use of new techniques in filming and story-telling, setting trends, opening new pathways for others…
– Originality: Content that provides a model, which is “different” or risk-taking.
– Breakthrough: Where there is a significant difference made in the genre, such as increased audience for documentaries, press coverage, public reception…
The 2007 ‘International Trailblazers’ are – Marshall Curry (USA, selected by IDA), Larry Weinstein (Canada, selected by Hot Docs), Paolo Trombetti (Italy, selected by EDN), Uldis Cekulis (Latvia, selected by EDN), Jean-Marie Teno (Cameroon, selected by Encounters), Vincent Moloi (South Africa, selected by Encounters), Gan Chao (China, selected by EIDF) and Nao Kubota (Japan, selected by ATP) – All eight Trailblazers will attend Mipdoc, where a special Mipdoc Opening Lunch will be given in their honour, bringing together the documentary professionals at Mipdoc and the ‘International Trailblazer’ organisers.
Reed Midem director of the television division Paul Johnson said, “The second edition of the International Trailblazers will honour eight emerging and acknowledged filmmakers who through their creativity and desire to tell a story in their own way are pushing the documentary genre forward. Mipdoc delegates will have the opportunity to share the vision of some truly exceptional documentary producers.”
Following the first edition of the International Trailblazers at Mipdoc 2006, two films have been acquired by the Sundance Channel, Conversations on a Sunday Afternoon directed by Khalo Matabane (South Africa) and the documentary Georgi & the Butterflies produced by Martichka Bozhilova (Bulgaria).
Commenting on her selection as an International Trailblazer, Martichka Bozhilova said, “It is very encouraging to have been chosen as a Trailblazer and to have our work acknowledged by such key documentary specialists. Making documentaries is a passion and a challenge. I am delighted to receive this tribute for what I have always tried to achieve – to be creative and take risks in a documentary world that is becoming more and more standardised and commercially dependent.”
Mipdoc 2006 saw a 13 per cent rise in participation with 432 companies from 57 countries. 385 acquisition executives attended and production and sales companies sent 1,189 programmes to the digital screening library of which 769 were appearing at the market for the first time. There were a total of 26,000 screenings over the two days.
MUMBAI: From Ranthambore with roar. This World Tiger Day, BBC Player is sinking its claws into the untamed heart of India with Legendary Tigers of India, a gripping documentary that prowls onto screens this Independence Day, 15 August . Narrated by the late, legendary conservationist Valmik Thapar, the film is more than just stripes and stares. It’s a moving chronicle of survival, strength, and the shifting story of India’s national animal. Thapar, one of the world’s foremost tiger experts, spent a full monsoon-to-monsoon year tracking a new generation of Bengal tigers deep within Ranthambore, one of India’s most iconic tiger reserves.
With intimate access and five decades of experience behind the lens and in the wild, Thapar offers rare glimpses of tigers not just as apex predators, but as emotionally complex, intuitive creatures navigating shrinking habitats and growing human presence.
The film roars to life from Thapar’s own jungle home at the forest’s edge, blending dramatic visuals with a deeply personal narrative. From mother cub dynamics to solitary alpha males, the documentary captures the instinctual ballet of survival, mating, territoriality and raw jungle drama woven through the lens of ecological urgency and reverence.
Premiering exclusively on BBC Player in India via Tata Play Binge and Prime Video (add-on subscription required), this special release is BBC’s tribute to India’s tiger legacy. With India currently home to more than 70 per cent of the world’s wild tigers 3,682, as per the 2023 census the documentary feels both timely and timeless.
In an age of noisy content, Legendary Tigers of India invites audiences to pause, listen, and marvel. Not just at the majesty of the tiger, but at a conservation journey that began with 1,411 tigers in 2006 and roared back in triumph. This isn’t just a documentary. It’s a call to protect what still prowls.
