Lau Haizetara Documentary Co-Production Forum: Highlights

SAN SEBASTIAN — Projects exploring the ethical dilemmas of an AP photojournalist, the transformation of a Spanish-Chinese gangster into a monk and a personal journey by Eric Cantona stood out at the 20th Lau Haizetara Documentary Co-Production Forum, part of the San Sebastián Festival.

The pitches were presented to a stellar lineup of commissioning and programming execs, including Mehdi Bekkar of Al Jazeera, Sergio Ramos from AMC Networks and Cleo Veger of Dogwoof. 

Their collective expertise, which also took in top outlets like Arte France, Movistar Plus+ and the Sundance Institute, highlighted the forum’s relevance. 

“This is a compulsory meeting for us. We are not so concerned by slots, what counts is for the story to be relevant to us,” said Elsa Rodríguez Monje, non-fiction selection and commissioning editor at Movistar Plus+.

A major award winner, “Barrabás,” directed by Daniel Martínez-Quintanilla Pérez, partners with Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Rodrigo Abd to get intimate with the contradictions of photojournalism. Abd’s journey through conflict zones is captured on a large wooden analog camera as he revisits the people and places he once photographed. The film challenges the glorified image of war journalists, questioning the role of mainstream media in global conflict coverage. Produced by Rafa Molés and Pepe Andreu of SUICAfilms, “Barrabás” merges war, ethics, and reconciliation across 12 years of world history.

Directed by Xisi Sofia Ye Chen and produced by Lacima Producciones, The South Project and La Fábrica Nocturna, “From Dawn to Dawn” gains unusual access to the Chinese underworld in Spain. Through the lens of a sister documenting her brother’s life, A Wen – once a gangster and businessman in Barcelona – faces the pressures of his dual existence and eventually returns to a monastery in China. The film examines this dual existence, blending personal and cultural reflections, as the director explores the moral complexities of her brother’s world.

Barcelona-based Sábado Películas, led by Gaudi-nominated director Tian Riba (“Oswald. El falsificador”), presented “The Retreat,” a documentary feature that explores three interwoven stories from the Spanish Civil War. At the heart of the film is the discovery of war-time photographs by renowned photojournalist Robert Capa, whose images, lost for 70 years and found in Mexico, led Eric Cantona to recognize his grandfather in a photo taken at the Argelers refugee camp. 

Cantona, along with his two brothers, will guide viewers through the documentary as they retrace their grandparents’ steps, uncovering forgotten family history and shedding light on the enduring impacts of war and exile.

With solid potential for broad market appeal, “Good and Evil – How To Sell The World a Lie,” directed by Emmy-nominated Kelly Nyks (“The Age of Consequences”) and produced by Solent Production, Doxy Films Netherlands and Creative Company Media, reexamines the Stanford Prison Experiment. 

The film aims to debunk the myth behind Professor Philip Zimbardo’s conclusions and expose how the media played a role in distorting the narrative of human nature. An archival-only approach adds a timely reflection on misinformation and the nature of truth in modern times.

Earlier in development but well-pitched was “Peter,” directed by Lucía Montero Sánchez de las Matas and produced by Carlota Darnell, Cornelius Films, singled out as an emerging producer to watch by Variety. This documentary follows Lucía as she collaborates with three amateur Spanish actors to recreate the enigmatic figure of Peter, a mysterious Englishman she encountered weekly when living in London. 

Points go to director Aurela Berila for bringing her subject, the ‘Albanian Madonna’ Adelina, along to the event. “Adelina,” produced by Tabahana Films, explores the rise of the pop star whose bold, transgressive performances challenged the norms of 1990s ex-Yugoslavia. Through a feminist lens, Berila’s documentary delves into Adelina’s defiance against ethnic repression and patriarchal constraints, blending archival footage with the director’s own journey. 

“This is a very good market,” Proinsias Ní Ghrainne, commissioning editor at Ireland’s TG4 said, “year on year the projects are quite exceptional as compared to the bigger markets.”

Of the 15 projects pitched, two were Basque, while the remaining 13 hail from a diverse array of countries including Germany, Kosovo, Denmark, Peru, Serbia, Italy, France, Argentina, and Spain.

XX Lau Haizetara Documentary Co-Production Forum Awards

MUSIC LIBRARY AWARD

“La Noche de la Infancia” – Xixi Sofía Ye Chen
Produced by: Lacima Producciones, The South Project, La Fábrica Nocturna
(Spain)

DOGWOOF AWARD

“Barrabás” – Daniel Martínez-Quintanilla
Produced by: Muyuna, SUICAfilms, Associated Press
(Spain, Peru)

EPE-IBAIA-ELKARGI AWARD

“Barrabás” – Daniel Martínez-Quintanilla
Produced by: Muyuna, SUICAfilms, Associated Press
(Spain, Peru)