The DocumentaryTank@AFF, the industry section of the 25^th Astra Film Festival, wrapped its third edition on 19 October after handing out awards to the Romanian Docs in Progress (see the news). For three days (17-19 October), DocumentaryTank@AFF offered film professionals working in different fields an overview of the documentary industry.

The special discussion panels started with Ally Derks, founder and former director of the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). The conversation, which was one of the most high-profile industry events at the gathering, focused on Derks’ personal struggles to initiate IDFA’s Forum, one of the most pioneering industry platforms for documentary professionals, at a time when co-production markets were still fairly few and far between. She also explained how the expertise gathered at IDFA was shared with the leading North American documentary film festival, Hot Docs, and how this collaboration altered and enhanced the market for non-fiction content. Also, drawing on her experience, she offered advice to up-and-coming filmmakers in the field.

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On the second day, one of the most successful panels of the DocumentaryTank@AFF unspooled, focusing on European co-productions of documentaries. The open discussion that was moderated by Romanian producer Monica Lazurean-Gorgan homed in on the personal experiences and struggles of participating producers Jan Hubáček, Sorin Manu, Cedric Bonin and Brendan Culleton. The panellists addressed the audience to share detailed anecdotes and tips that they have picked up throughout their careers. Also, among the topics discussed were both the advantages and disadvantages of co-productions, and the ways to avoid some of the most common mishaps in that process. The discussion was also expanded to the distribution of documentaries and the relationship between European broadcasters, and as is to be expected, the panel also focused on the impact of the most powerful global VoD platforms, Netflix and Amazon.

On the final day, Simon Kilmurry, executive director of the International Documentary Association (IDA), presented the opportunities that exist to allow European filmmakers to efficiently gain access to the US market as well as the conditions that they must adhere to.