From exceptional storytelling with global appeal to our funding and tax credits, Canadian documentaries have something special to share with the world. From June 22 to 24, 2026, doc pros from around the world will come together in La Rochelle, France to attend the 37th edition of the Sunny Side of the Doc festival. Of course, Canada will be there!
New this year is the Meet & Match market, where 120 selected projects benefit from customized 15-minute meetings, “matched” based on interests and goals.
We’ve got six projects in the mix, including science and nature series and arts and culture features. We spoke with participating Canadian producers to get the scoop on what works in today’s global industry and what each hopes to accomplish at Meet & Match. We also explored what makes our homegrown docs attractive to international partners. (Hint: It’s all about storytelling!) Read on for more!
A NEW NATURE
Produced by Jeffrey Turner (River Road Films)
A wildlife-inspired project by River Road Films dives into the impact AI is having on our understanding of nature and animal languages, and how this new knowledge challenges our previous assumptions.
CBC has invested in the development of this series, which has digital-first potential and is being produced by 35-year industry veteran Jeff Turner and his daughter and producing partner, Chelsea Turner (also producer of the Meet & Match project Women of the Wolves). His previous successes include Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, projects for The Nature of Things, and the Canada-U.K. coproduced Island of the Sea Wolves – a four-time Emmy-winning Netflix series about Vancouver island.
A New Nature was born when Turner researched how animal languages are decoded by scientists. “This led us into how AI is used to aid this process,” he says. “As we expanded into ways AI is used by biologists, we discovered this new realm of research is providing a fundamental reimagining of nature and how it works. Advancements in AI and other technology are allowing scientists to answer profound questions about the planet.” Even in these early stages, he feels the knowledge emerging will radically transform how we think about the other life forms with whom we share this world.
When it comes to funding, coproduction offers an ideal vehicle for nature and science documentaries, he explains, since the model requires investment from multiple broadcasters to raise enough funds. (For example, another of his projects, Life on the Edge, is a treaty coproduction with Passion Planet in the U.K. “Neither of us alone had enough of a budget to tell the story the way we wanted to but by combining our projects we had the resources we needed.”) Certainly, he adds, Canadian partners can bring significant funding resources to a project. “We also have a healthy industry with government support and tax credits.”
What do you hope to achieve at Meet & Match? “We hope to meet broadcasters and distributors that are interested in our series, and secure some terrestrial and digital commissions. We hope to find new coproduction partners in other countries.”
BRINGING BACK THE LOST
Produced by Raj Panikkar (Fifth Ground Entertainment)
A few years ago, Raj Panikkar came across the work Colossal Biosciences was doing with de-extinction, and Bringing Back the Lost was born.
The science documentary series jived with the Canadian Screen Award-nominated work produced by his company, Fifth Ground Entertainment, which has been making scripted comedy and docs for 20 years. Their project Reelside was nominated for two CSAs and they’ve produced series for TVOkids.
Panikkar shares a parallel between how scientists use ancient DNA fragments to reconstruct creatures that no longer exist and the generative AI techniques his team uses to recreate extinct animals onscreen. “The AI is trained on fossil records, skeletal analysis, ecological data, and the testimony of scientists,” he says. “We worked with MARZ (Monsters, Aliens, Robots, Zombies) to create a visual demo of a woolly mammoth and her baby trekking across the tundra, which demonstrates the animation quality we can achieve!”
Panikkar feels this creativity helps make Canadian docs compelling to international partners. “We offer something genuinely different,” he says. “We’re storytellers shaped by an incredibly diverse society: Indigenous filmmakers, voices from every corner of the world, and a long documentary tradition. We tackle universal themes from a perspective that’s neither American nor European, and I think buyers really value that freshness.” He also points to Canada’s co-production treaties, public funding, tax credits, and crews and producers. “When you work with Canada, you’re getting great stories, access to financing, infrastructure, and content with a track record of traveling internationally.”
In a market commercially interested in true crime and celebrity, he’s noticed that science and natural history docs “have an impact and environmental relevance that make them better placed than most to attract funding.” As such, “the sweet spot for Canadian producers is bringing stories with a commercial or scientific engine, such as a character, a crime, a discovery, told with the craft and perspective we’re known for.”
What do you hope to achieve at Meet & Match? “We’ve successfully completed our development phase with Blue Ant Media, who offered us a development deal for the series, so I’m hoping to meet commissioners, broadcasters and distributors who can help us find non-Canadian financing to complete the financing picture for the series. The project has already received interest from several distributors. Bringing Back the Lost is a global story so I’m not prioritizing a particular region for support, but going as wide as possible.”
FINDING DORA MAAR
Produced by Daniel Weinzweig (Richdan Productions)
Like the tale it tells, the story behind the feature doc Finding Dora Maar one is one of discovery, says producer Daniel Weinzweig. While in Provence, in the South of France, he “wandered into” the Dora Maar Cultural Center. In the gift shop, he came upon an English translation of Brigitte Benkemoun’s biography-inspired memoir about the woman who was not only Picasso’s muse, but an artist in her own right as part of the 1930s surrealist movement. “I loved the book, it took me to a different place, and I said, ‘there’s a movie here.’”
Inspired, he and his Richdan Productions partner Richard Stursberg (who formerly held leadership roles at the CBC and Telefilm Canada) decided to make it happen. They raised development funds and signed on producer Martin Katz (Prospero Pictures), a Canadian icon named to the Order of Canada and known for the Oscar-nominated Hotel Rwanda, as well as multiple David Cronenberg films. Confirmed to direct is Lucy Darwin (known for Woody Allen’s Match Point), who presently lives in Ménerbes – the town Dora Maar called home. With French company Artline onboard, this Canada-France coproduction “will bring Dora Maar, the artist, out of the shadow of Picasso and into the light as a female artist with her own agency.”
While Weinzweig appreciates the present-day “appetite” for crime docs, as a Canadian producer he feels storytelling is more important than genre – which makes Finding Dora Maar well-positioned for international success. “It’s based on a French best-seller, but what distinguishes it is the story of the author.” Woven into the film’s narrative, this layer creates a detective story of sorts, “revealing surprises along the way, using archival footage and interviews with key people, Weinzweig notes. “Dora Maar’s life was extraordinary and that’s what makes it a compelling documentary.”
What do you hope to achieve at Meet & Match? “To help trigger a presale, we will be meeting with buyers and funders, since it’s Canada-France, French and U.K. buyers will be extremely important. There’s also interest from distributors. Once we have effected presale, we can raise the rest of the funds required to make the film; we already have interest from parties who have shown a keen interest in seeing this film made.”
GURBET: SEARCHING FOR ANADOLU ROCK
Produced by Timur Musabay (Cemalim Films)
As DJs, collectors, and producers rediscover the Turkish psychedelic music of the 1970s known as Andalou Rock, a Canada-Turkey coproduced feature doc is uncovering the movement’s lost legacy, shining a light on this revolutionary sound born during a period of political upheaval.
For producer Timur Musabay, the project came from decades of digging for records and a love of hip-hop. “The deeper I got into Anadolu Rock, the more I started hearing Turkish music in sampling culture and DJ sets.” Many of these artists have incredible stories that had never been properly documented, and as they grow older, there is “only a small window left to preserve those memories before they are lost forever.”
As a Turkish and Uighur Canadian, Musabay felt called to tell this story. Touching on themes of music, rebellion, and experimentation, “the project became a way of reconnecting with my roots, having one foot in the record-digging world and the other in my Turkish heritage. After years of making music videos and interactive documentaries like The Holy City (which premiered at Cannes XR and won awards) this is my most personal project,” he adds.
Experience has shown him universal stories travel well. “The ones deeply rooted in a specific place or culture, but explore universal ideas audiences everywhere can connect with. This is why thinking internationally from the start has been so important,” he says, adding that Canada’s multiculturalism brings a unique perspective valued by international partners. “We also have one of the best film industries in the world, with incredible talent across production, post, VFX, and animation.”
What do you hope to achieve at Meet & Match? “I’m hoping to meet people who genuinely connect with the subject matter. We’ve already put together an amazing team across multiple countries and the film is moving forward. Now we’re looking for co-producers, funding partners, broadcasters, streamers, and distributors who want to help bring it to life.”
THE CLUSTER
Produced by Ed Barreveld (Storyline Entertainment)
As a multiple-award winning doc studio (including Geminis, Canadian Screen Awards, and an Emmy, to name a few), Storyline Entertainment “explores underexposed places and perspectives in society and culture,” explains producer Ed Barreveld.
The Cluster kicked off in 2024, after the team produced director Maria Markina’s first documentary. “We had a great working relationship, and wanted to collaborate on a next film,” Barreveld says. Inspired by an article in The New York Times Magazine, The Cluster follows Dr. Alier Marrero’s search for answers about a mysterious brain disease he suspects is linked to environmental exposures.
The idea was a perfect fit. Storyline seeks projects “whose subject matter suits our mandate and that have international appeal. but can also connect with domestic audiences.” To this end, attending international markets is key to building valuable relationships with potential coproduction partners, says Barreveld, crediting his presence at these markets with successful coproductions with the U.S., Greece, Germany, France, Belgium, Chile, and Australia. “This has allowed us to broaden our horizon, tap into foreign talent and money, and introduced us to international broadcasters.”
As for what Canadian docs offer international cohorts, he points to Canada’s lengthy history of outstanding documentary production. “We have talented and experienced key creatives and crews who are seasoned professionals, able to make meaningful contributions to documentary production. Through broadcast licences and financing from various film funds, Canadians can bring significant financial contributions to the table. This makes Canada coproducers of choice.”
What do you hope to achieve at Meet & Match? “Our main goal is to find funds to complete financing on the film. Specifically, we are looking for broadcast pre-sales or coproductions. We also wish to meet with distributors and film programmers to get The Cluster on their radar.”
WOMEN OF THE WOLVES
Produced by Chelsea Turner (River Road Films)
From Netflix to IMAX and the CBC, Emmy-nominated filmmaker Chelsea Turner’s two dozen projects include both films and series, most of which reflect her passion for telling stories about human-wildlife relationships.
The seed of Women of the Wolves was serendipitously planted in Brazil, back in 2023. While filming the natural history series Shared Planet, she met her collaborators for this new project: filmmaking couple Bruna Lucheze and Cedar Leite.
“Bruna shared how her life had been profoundly changed forever by her connection to maned wolves, one of the world’s rarest wild canines,” says Turner about Women of the Wolves, already greenlit by the CBC as an hour-long doc for The Nature of Things. “In our film, we see Bruna fighting to protect the wolves she loves against tremendous odds, and a mother maned wolf struggling to raise her pups. It’s a story of devotion, responsibility, sacrifice, and ultimately, joy and hope. These emotions are universally felt and understood, it’s a great story with deep feeling and high stakes that will engage people.”
On that note, Turner believes success comes from stories rooted in universal themes that resonate across cultures. Indeed, her passion reflects the global appeal and authenticity of Canadian storytelling, and she feels she’s in good company among our industry’s rich and diverse pool of creatives. Of course, when it comes to international partners, Turner says that “Canada has a well established production ecosystem with strong public funding and generous tax credits that maximize production value onscreen.”
What do you hope to achieve at Meet & Match? “All world rights outside Canada are currently available so we are currently seeking pre-sales with other broadcasters.”
Heading to Sunny Side of the Doc 2026? So are we! Read all about our presence at the festival and market on our event page, right here: Canada at Sunny Side of the Doc 2026 – Sunny Side of the Doc 2026
