Sad news to report: BritDoc, the upstart Oxford festival that drew raves from the doc community on both sides of the pond, will end its run after three exceptional and innovative years. News of the festival's demise comes as the Sheffield Doc/Fest kicks off today and amid reports that the BritDoc team will now partner with Sheffield to help create a single major doc event in the UK.
The new partnership will spotlight one of the many bright spots of what we now know was the final edition of BritDoc - the Good Pitch. Writing about the Good Pitch, I said that it "may just be the beginning of pulling the pitching forum into the future". It appears that the new branding of BritDoc will focus on this social justice emphasis in working with Sheffield and other festivals.
From the press release:
"The Sheffield partnership will free the (BritDoc) Foundation to launch their new REAL GOOD activities, which will include a new collaboration with US-based Working Films to devise social action campaigns, training courses and a tailored service to UK broadcasters, NGOs and brands to maximise the impact of their documentary films. There will also be an enhanced online presence, including new website GoodFilm.org (launching early 2009) to link NGOs and brands to documentary projects. REAL GOOD Sessions will also be presented at Sheffield Doc/Fest."
The shuttering of BritDoc deprives the international doc community of an important retreat/camp-like event in the midst of summer. And while this year's event was focused almost exclusively on British filmmakers, it proved it could still be a draw for those from other countries. As I wrote this July:
"What if we said that despite the fact that there's not really a place for the Americans at BritDoc, that there's no room for you (the fest might have reached full capacity in '08), that there's no hue and cry for you to show, that you should think of going anyway.
And by saying you should think of going, we absolutely mean that you should stay home, because we like it just as it is, actually, and more Americans trying to upset the apple cart might just make the whole thing a little less, dare we say, awesome."
Earlier this year, BritDoc ranked 12th on our list of the most important documentary festivals in the world. Writing then about the festival (before the focus was shifted to primarily British films), we said:
"A kind of English cousin to True/False, BritDoc is often compared to its American relative in terms of fun, intimacy and opportunities for connecting with others. Plus, it has a pitching forum, although bear in mind that it is exclusively reserved for Brit filmmakers. Only 10 international films are screened, but worth attending even if you don't have a film in the festival as the pitching forum draws a stellar line-up of major international doc players and there's none of the crush that greets them in Amsterdam. Plus, there's the summer camp vibe - staying in the Oxford dorms, eating in the Harry Potter dining hall and drinking late into the morning at the on campus bar. Working out some funding issues and newcomer kinks (this will be its 3rd year), but hard to beat on lots of levels."
Sad news?????? It's great news for all of us!! Best thing that could've happened to both organisations, and we're going to make an amazing event happen.
Why so sad AJ? No-one over here is.
Posted by: charlie | November 07, 2008 at 11:09 AM