Alongside a jam-packed film programme, Docs Ireland 5 returns with its most stellar industry programme to date with panels, workshops and networking events staring producers, programmers, and industry professionals from all over the world.

On Thursday 22 June the Docs Society will host an Emerging Talent Training Day giving new talent an opportunity to gain skills and contacts. That evening there will be a panel discussion on cross border collaboration called Celebrating the Gains, Addressing the Gaps in the Grand Central Hotel presented in partnership with Screen Producers Ireland.

Docs Ireland will host its Marketplace on Friday 23 June at 2 Royal Avenue for documentary makers and funders from all over the world to create connections that will produce the next instalments of ground-breaking documentaries.

Hosted by audience designer Síle Cully, a range of panels and discussions on Engaging Audiences will occur. Panels include a take on Share.DOC, an introduction to Doc Alliance, a talk from NOISE Film and TV on Documentary film PR, a discussion on DIY distribution and a conversation with leading documentary sales agents.

Additionally, there will be three keynote industry panels. These are:

• A discussion on current trends in the documentary market hosted by BAFTA Award winning filmmaker and documentary trainer Andy Glynne. BBC NI, BBC Storyville, POV, RTÉ, S4C, TG4, YLE and more will be represented.
• The Festival Programmers Session with Mads Mikkelsen (Head of Programme CPH.DOX) and Heather Haynes (Associate Director of Programming Hot Docs).
• The Place of Markets Documentary Landscapes with guest speakers from Cannes, IDFA, Documentary Association of Europe and East Doc.

The Northern Ireland Screen Pitch will also take place on Saturday 24 June for filmmakers to pitch their documentary idea to industry professionals with the possibility of being awarded £7500 towards a teaser.

Industry passes are on sale now. The pass is £85 for professionals and £55 for students. There is also the option to pay separately for some events. More information can be read at www.docsireland.ie.

The full Docs Ireland 5 programme will be launched on Thursday 25 May at The Black Box, Belfast.

Roisin Geraghty, Head of Industry and Marketplace at Docs Ireland said:

“At Docs Ireland, our key aim is to support the island of Ireland’s documentary filmmaking community. 

We do this through our core industry initiatives – the Docs Ireland Marketplace, the IGNITE Talent Development Programme and the Northern Ireland Screen Pitch, and through our ancillary industry events and networking opportunities, which cater to filmmakers at all stages of their careers. 

This year we will host sessions exploring current trends in non-fiction festival curation, meet with international broadcasters to discuss their commissioning practices, and focus on engaging audiences for documentary film, as well as collaborating on events with Screen Producers Ireland and Creative Europe Desk Ireland. We will also continue our long-standing partnership with Doc Society, hosting an Emerging Talent Day with the aim of fostering creativity and conversation, disseminating information and boosting the confidence of new storytellers to develop their creative non-fiction filmmaking practice.

I do hope that there is something that piques the interest of every documentary filmmaker within this year’s programme.”

Docs Ireland is funded by Northern Ireland Screen, Belfast City Council, Department Of Communities, Film Hub NI, BFI FAN, Screen Ireland and Arts and Business.

And proudly sponsored by TG4, BBC Northern Ireland, Birra Moretti and HastingsHotels.