PARIS (February 2, 2016)

Doc Corner, a Marché du Film program, and the Ford Foundation have entered into a two-year partnership that will amplify the social justice storytelling program, JustFilms, in Cannes.  

The announcement comes as Ford enters into the second phase of this multi-faceted program to reduce inequality in all its forms through supporting visual story tellers, new media projects, and organizations that work toward these ends.

The Ford Foundation places a special focus on documentary work in the field. Through a series of initiatives of the renowned programs of the Marché du Film, such as the Doc Corner, the Producers Network, NEXT and a Documentary Mixer, it is expected that this new agreement will give wider exposure to documentary cinema in Cannes and provide a vital platform to make the resulting body of work more clearly visible to key players in the global film industry.

“Visual story telling is vital to disrupting cultural narratives that drive inequality and fuel discrimination,” said Ford Foundation’s JustFilms Director Cara Mertes. “The Cannes Film Festival is an important cultural event for supporting, mentoring and strengthening filmmaker networks between the global south and global north, and highlighting the singular role contemporary documentary plays in reaffirming human dignity and justice.”

Julie Bergeron, Head of Industry Programming: “The Ford Foundation has created an incredible legacy in tackling social injustice and inequality. They support everything from ideas to institutions, to visual story tellers, new media projects and, especially, documentary filmmakers, in this regard. Their efforts have lead to revealing insights and sometimes startling exposures from filmmakers around the world, and we are proud to be partnering with them and supporting and showcasing these efforts at the Marché du Film.”

Documentary cinema is growing at the Doc Corner in Cannes. “We here at the Marché support filmmakers unearthing stories that speak of these injustices, and find it a positive endeavor to create a market place and wider exposure for such important works,” says Jerome Paillard, Executive Director of the Marché du Film. “This agreement adds a dynamic dimension to the Doc Corner. It will be the perfect home for companies deeply involved in docs.”

A new exclusive venue for Doc Corner at the Marché du Film 2016

For the next Marché du Film edition, the documentary community will be accommodated in a new exclusive area in the Marina Club, a new space in the Riviera overlooking the old harbor. Sales agents and producers will be able to book a table for the duration of the Marché and benefit from the Doc Corner digital video library. This area will be complemented with a market screening room venue specifically dedicated to documentary feature films.  

About Doc Corner:

http://www.marchedufilm.com/en/doccorner

The Doc Corner is a Marché du Film platform which consists in gathering documentary professionals as directors, sales agents, buyers, festival programmers, producers and distributors. It is a leading market place, meeting point and screening venue for documentaries that takes place at the heart of the Marché.

About Ford Foundation’s JustFilms:

Ford Foundation’s JustFilms aims to lift voices from outside the mainstream, build audiences for social justice stories, enlarge conversation on critical issues, and encourage new modes of social justice storytelling through funding independent film and digital projects and the organizations that support them. JustFilms has supported over 70 films since its launch in 2011, including the critically acclaimed films How to Survive a Plague and Gideon’s Army. In addition to Doc Corner, JustFilms partners have included: Sundance Institute, Tribeca Film Institute, Independent Television Service and Britdoc | Good Pitch.

For further information, please contact: Marie-Emmanuelle Oliver, [email protected]