We are excited to announce that we will be attending the Marché du Film at Cannes for the first time to participate in Cannes Docs’ Doc Talks, joined by Chicken & Egg Award recipients filmmakers Ilinca Calugareanu (2023), Alisa Kovalenko (2024), and 2024 (Egg)celerator Lab recipient Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest director Viv Li. Viv will also premier her short film Across the Waters in the Competition section.
2022 (Egg)celerator Lab recipient The Wife Of director Volia Chajkouskaya and 2022 Critical Issues Fund recipient Intercepted are also part of the Cannes Docs programming.
The event will take place from Thursday, May 16 through Wednesday, May 22. More details below.
Saturday, May 18
Doc Talk > Filmmakers Collectives Rising up in Eastern Europe 2:00 PM GMT+2 Volia Chajkouskaya, Irina Gelashvili, Lyuba Knorozok, Marta Krzeptowska Moderated by Selin Murat
East and Central European countries have experienced severe upheavals in the last 10 years, from right-wing governments and active aggressive wars to external political meddling. However, documentary cinema is bursting with creativity and captivating audiences across the world. Filmmakers in the region however find themselves in double-roles, both as artists pushing boundaries of documentary filmmaking and activists on the picket lines fighting for what is theirs or in the case of Ukraine, on the frontlines of war. A conversation with these ambitious and courageous filmmakers about how their filmmakers’ collectives support their everyday struggles and successes.
The Chicken & Egg Award provides unrestricted funding and mentorship to help women and gender-expansive filmmakers advance their creative and business goals at a critical juncture in their careers. Filmmakers Ilinca Calugareanu and Alisa Kovalenko, in conversation with Chicken & Egg Pictures CEO Jenni Wolfson, reflect on their award year and share their values, their breakthroughs, and what is at stake as they redefine success for themselves.
Monday, May 20
Special Screening: Intercepted 9:30 AM GMT+2 dir. Oksana Karpovych prods. Giacomo Nudi, Rocío B. Fuentes
Doc Talk > Towards a Universal Values System in Documentary: Dismantling Borders for Greater Equity 2:00 PM GMT+2 Viv Li, Kiyoko McCrae, Alemberg Ang, Opal H. Bennett, Adam Piron Moderated by Devika Girish
The Golden Age of Documentary, as the last 5 years have been labeled, may not have stabilized finances for the industry at large, but it has undeniably garnered more press and audience attention to documentaries. Our films play and win awards in the main competitions of A-List Festivals including Cannes, and are featured on the front page of major news outlets all over the world, making us more interconnected internationally than ever before. Under such scrutiny and when real life is involved, how can we work together to create a set of ethical or values-based guidelines to ensure equity, fairness, and safety? As our world currently feels turned upside down, let’s explore how our values are changing and if common ones can be agreed upon.
The 31st edition of Hot Docs will take place across Toronto this year from Thursday, April 25 to Sunday, May 5. We are thrilled to announce that 2020 Chicken & Egg Award recipient Nishtha Jain’s film, Farming the Revolution, is having its world premiere along with 4 other supported films and 5 films from supported filmmakers are on the lineup this year!
Hot Docs is North America’s largest documentary festival, conference, and market, and embodies a deep commitment to gender parity, with 54% female directors in this year’s official selection, according to their press release. Two of our staff members will be in attendance so be sure to stay in touch via our social media channels for some exclusive content at the festival!
Look Into My Eyes was supported through Lana Wilson’s 2019 Chicken & Egg Award and is having its Canadian Premiere in the Special Presentations section.
Xixi– World Premiere dir. & prod. Fan Wu prods. Sona Jo, Venice De Castro Atienza, Yoonsoo Her
Yintah– Canadian Premiere dirs. & prods. Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano prods. Bob Moore, Katie McKay, Mila Aung-Thwin
Meet Our Team at Hot Docs
We are exhilarated that our Senior Program Manager Elaisha Stokes and Program Assistant Will Tamura will be in attendance at the festival. They will be attending Chicken & Egg Pictures-supported screenings and industry events. Make sure to say hi!
We’re thrilled to share that the newly-announced 37th season of POV will feature four Chicken & Egg Pictures-supported films and two supported filmmakers within its slate of 14 feature documentaries. As an organization dedicated to a thriving, inclusive documentary ecosystem, we’re proud these films and filmmakers will be spotlighted on America’s largest running nonfiction series. POV’s streaming platform and extensive reach offer a remarkable opportunity to amplify the voices of diverse filmmakers, allowing these films to reach diverse audiences who might not otherwise find them. More accessible films make for a stronger documentary landscape! We urge you to take a look at the full 37th season of POV here, and thank you for your continued support to bring these films to life.
Who I Am Not dir. Tunde Skovran prods. Andrei Zinca, Danielle Turkov, Paul Cadieux, Patrick Hamm, Amy Shepherd, Edith Weil, Daniel Szandtner, Janos Kovacs
We are thrilled to see four Nest-supported films in this year’s lineup for Sheffield DocFest and four supported films in the MeetMarket selection. There were also seven films from supported filmmakers across the festival. Among others, 2020 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee The Boy and the Suit of Lights is having its World Premiere. The festival will take place between Wednesday, June 12 to Monday, June 17, 2024, and will be attended by two of our staff members, Kiyoko McCrae and Tobi Phang-Lyn. We hope to see you there!
The Boy and the Suit of Lights was a participant of the 2020 (Egg)celerator Lab and is having its World Premiere in the International First Feature Competition.
The 19th edition of Sheffield DocFest’s flagship pitching forum, the MeetMarket, will take place on Thursday 13 and Friday 14 of June 2024. The slate includes 50 documentary projects, in development or at production stage, to be pitched in one-to-one meetings to international and UK industry representatives and experts. In this year’s lineup, there are three 2024 (Egg)celerator Lab grantees as well as a Research & Development Grantee. Learn more:
Program Director Kiyoko McCrae and Industry & Artist Development Manager Tobi Phang-Lyn are going to be in attendance at the festival. They will be taking meetings with filmmakers, watching supported films, participating in roundtable discussions, and hosting an alumni happy hour.
Chicken & Egg Pictures is proud to announce that five supported films and six films from our alumni are included in the second edition of DC/DOX Film Festival. This year’s lineup consists of 60% filmmakers who identify as women or nonbinary. The festival will take place in Washington, DC, from Thursday, June 13, through Sunday, June 16.
The Reality Check Forum at DC/DOX is intended to be a dedicated space for fostering dialogue and collaboration within the documentary film community. This includes numerous panels, workshops, performances and masterclasses offering valuable resources and best practices for keen filmmakers. We are proud to have so many filmmakers from our community and our CEO Jenni Wolfson participating in this year’s forum!
We are excited to announce that we will be attending the Marché du Film at Cannes for the first time to participate in Cannes Docs’ Doc Talks, joined by Chicken & Egg Award recipients filmmakers Ilinca Calugareanu (2023), Alisa Kovalenko (2024), and 2024 (Egg)celerator Lab recipient Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest director Viv Li. Viv will also premier her short film Across the Waters in the Competition section.
2022 (Egg)celerator Lab recipient The Wife Of director Volia Chajkouskaya and 2022 Critical Issues Fund recipient Intercepted are also part of the Cannes Docs programming.
The event will take place from Thursday, May 16 through Wednesday, May 22. More details below.
Saturday, May 18
Doc Talk > Filmmakers Collectives Rising up in Eastern Europe 2:00 PM GMT+2 Volia Chajkouskaya, Irina Gelashvili, Lyuba Knorozok, Marta Krzeptowska Moderated by Selin Murat
East and Central European countries have experienced severe upheavals in the last 10 years, from right-wing governments and active aggressive wars to external political meddling. However, documentary cinema is bursting with creativity and captivating audiences across the world. Filmmakers in the region however find themselves in double-roles, both as artists pushing boundaries of documentary filmmaking and activists on the picket lines fighting for what is theirs or in the case of Ukraine, on the frontlines of war. A conversation with these ambitious and courageous filmmakers about how their filmmakers’ collectives support their everyday struggles and successes.
The Chicken & Egg Award provides unrestricted funding and mentorship to help women and gender-expansive filmmakers advance their creative and business goals at a critical juncture in their careers. Filmmakers Ilinca Calugareanu and Alisa Kovalenko, in conversation with Chicken & Egg Pictures CEO Jenni Wolfson, reflect on their award year and share their values, their breakthroughs, and what is at stake as they redefine success for themselves.
Monday, May 20
Special Screening: Intercepted 9:30 AM GMT+2 dir. Oksana Karpovych prods. Giacomo Nudi, Rocío B. Fuentes
Doc Talk > Towards a Universal Values System in Documentary: Dismantling Borders for Greater Equity 2:00 PM GMT+2 Viv Li, Kiyoko McCrae, Alemberg Ang, Opal H. Bennett, Adam Piron Moderated by Devika Girish
The Golden Age of Documentary, as the last 5 years have been labeled, may not have stabilized finances for the industry at large, but it has undeniably garnered more press and audience attention to documentaries. Our films play and win awards in the main competitions of A-List Festivals including Cannes, and are featured on the front page of major news outlets all over the world, making us more interconnected internationally than ever before. Under such scrutiny and when real life is involved, how can we work together to create a set of ethical or values-based guidelines to ensure equity, fairness, and safety? As our world currently feels turned upside down, let’s explore how our values are changing and if common ones can be agreed upon.
The 31st edition of Hot Docs will take place across Toronto this year from Thursday, April 25 to Sunday, May 5. We are thrilled to announce that 2020 Chicken & Egg Award recipient Nishtha Jain’s film, Farming the Revolution, is having its world premiere along with 5 other supported films and 5 films from supported filmmakers are on the lineup this year!
Hot Docs is North America’s largest documentary festival, conference, and market, and embodies a deep commitment to gender parity, with 54% female directors in this year’s official selection, according to their press release. Two of our staff members will be in attendance so be sure to stay in touch via our social media channels for some exclusive content at the festival!
Look Into My Eyes was supported through Lana Wilson’s 2019 Chicken & Egg Award and is having its Canadian Premiere in the Special Presentations section.
Wilfred Buck was supported through Lisa Jackson’s 2023 Chicken & Egg Award and is having its North American Premiere in the Canadian Spectrum Competition.
Xixi– World Premiere dir. & prod. Fan Wu prods. Sona Jo, Venice De Castro Atienza, Yoonsoo Her
Yintah– Canadian Premiere dirs. & prods. Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano prods. Bob Moore, Katie McKay, Mila Aung-Thwin
Meet Our Team at Hot Docs
We are exhilarated that our Senior Program Manager Elaisha Stokes and Program Assistant Will Tamura will be in attendance at the festival. They will be attending Chicken & Egg Pictures-supported screenings and industry events. Make sure to say hi!
We were extremely proud to see 2023 Chicken & Egg Award recipient Jeanie Finlay’s retrospective at this year’s Big Sky Documentary Festival. She was alongside (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Q, 10 supported filmmakers, and Board member Félix Endara displaying their films. Of those films, five had world premieres, and two won awards. Outstanding work all! The festival occurred from February 16 to 25, 2024, in Missoula, Montana.
We were proud to watch one of our 2023 Chicken & Egg Award recipients Jeanie Finlay, a prominent documentary filmmaker hailing from Northern England, getting recognized with a retrospective at this year’s Big Sky Film Festival. Jeanie’s films tell intimate stories that resonate with audiences globally, and this retrospective featured 12 selections from her repertoire, including her most recent feature Your Fat Friend. Explore the full program here.
We were proud to see Light of the Setting Sun have its world premiere at Full Frame Documentary Festival. There were also three supported films and three alumni filmmakers in this years’ lineup. This edition marked the festival’s return to in-person activities and took place in Durham, North Carolina from April 3 to 6.
We would like to highlight the world premiere of Julia’s Stepping Stones, directed by our beloved Julia Reichert and her partner and longtime co-director Steven Bognarduring thefinal months of Julia’s life.
Chicken & Egg Pictures is proud to be part of the sixth edition of Getting Real, a biennial for documentary practitioners and focused on the business and art of nonfiction storytelling. The event takes place from Monday, April 15 through Friday, April 19 in Los Angeles.
Fourteen supported filmmakers, as well as our Program Director Kiyoko McCrae and Board Members Félix Endara, Marjan Safinia, and Alex Simon, will participate in a four day event designed to provide a space for the field to hold constructive conversations, build lasting relationships, and tackle the ethical, creative, sustainability, production, and distribution challenges facing our growing community. Please take a look at the details below.
Supported filmmakers participating at Getting Real. For details please see below. From left to right: Program Director Kiyoko McCrae, Board Members Alex Simon, Marjan Safinia, and Félix Endara.
BFI Doc Society, in partnership with FWD-Doc, is hosting a virtual Delegation of six UK filmmakers, producers, and editors who identify as disabled, D/deaf, and/or neurodivergent. In this virtual discussion on the spirit of independence, filmmakers Ella Glendining, Lindsey Dryden, and other filmmakers will elaborate on what voice, audience, and success mean to them as disabled filmmakers, and how reframing “access” beyond accessibility can create and sustain space for radical new voices in the documentary industry.
Panelists: Daresha Kyi, Keith Wilson, Gary Kam, and Vinay Shukla Moderator: Chase Whiteside (América)
Meet Our Team
Along with our Program Director Kiyoko McCrae, CEO Jenni Wolfson, COO Sarah Anderson, and Senior Program Manager Elaisha Stokes will be attending Getting Real. They will be attending panels and supporting our filmmakers. If you see them, please don’t hesitate to say hello!
