The La Rochelle-based industry gathering will host new projects zooming in on human resilience, societal issues, and cultural expression.

The 36th edition of Sunny Side of the Doc, unspooling from June 23 to 26 in La Rochelle, France, promises an exciting convergence of documentary professionals from around the world. With over 2,000 attendees, including 300 decision-makers representing more than 1,000 companies, the French event is set to feature more than 70 industry sessions designed to foster collaboration, innovation, and discovery. This year’s line-up boasts 42 projects from 22 countries competing for the prestigious Best Pitch Prize, with Nordic productions shining brightly among them.

In detail, Nordic filmmakers will bring a powerful range of stories that capture human resilience, social challenges, and cultural expression.

In the Current Affairs and Investigation sidebar, Mathare Fathers, a collaboration between Sweden’s Nordic Eye Productions and France’s Morgane Production directed by Mattias Grosin and Iyanu Omoboye, offers a gripping portrait of three single fathers living in Nairobi’s Mathare shantytown. Battling corrupt police forces, poverty, and the lure of old habits, these men strive to secure a better future for their children — a testament to hope and determination against overwhelming odds.

In the Arts and Entertainment strand, Norwegian-Finnish project King Annie will explore identity and transformation through the eyes of Annie, a queer small-town person who moves to the big city and encounters a vibrant drag house scene. Produced by Indie Film Bergen and Polygraf and directed by Benjamin Garcia Langeland, the film follows Annie’s Rock and Roll Drag King alter ego, Maple Thorpe, as they challenge drag culture and seek to conquer the stage.

Meanwhile, Life Through a Lens, produced by Sweden’s The Motor Moving Pictures and helmed by Andreas Eidhagen, will unpack the lasting impact of Lennart Nilsson’s iconic photographs. The pic promises to reveal the delicate balance between art, science, and ethics, showing how a single image can shape politics and influence lives over decades.

Nordic stories also extend into themes of rehabilitation and human dignity. In particular Ivo Zen’s Chess Behind Bars, a co-production involving Norway’s Folk Film with Switzerland’s A Belle Film, Germany’s Dirk Manthey Film and Dutch outfit Basalt Film, follows inmates worldwide who engage in national and international chess tournaments. Each strategic move represents their effort to move beyond past mistakes and reclaim their futures. The project is included in the Impact Campaigns showcase.

Finally, the New Voices section will host The Other Gaza, a deeply personal project by Swedish production firm Sard Films AB and director Wafa Jamil Espvall. The doc aims to blend intimate home footage with raw war diaries to document her family’s fight for survival amid genocide, offering a moving testament to Palestinian resilience.