– We present details of five intriguing projects introduced at this year’s VdR-Industry, which ran in Nyon from 19-22 April
Lost Tapes by Salih Çelik
From hybrid docufictions to sharply observed social portraits, Visions du Réel’s VdR-Industry (19-22 April) once again offered a snapshot of where European documentary is heading. Across the Pitching sessions, the Works-in-Progress strand and its Film Market, we picked a handful of European-backed projects that stood out for their thematic urgency, formal ambition and solid industry positioning. Spanning different stages of development and completion, these titles reflect the diversity of the current non-fiction landscape.
My Skin and I by Milton Guillén and Fiona Guy Hall
My Skin and I – Milton Guillén, Fiona Guy Hall (Germany)
Presented in the Works-in-Progress strand, the documentary follows an exiled Nicaraguan music producer in Berlin whose creative obsession puts a strain on his family life, unfolding through a hybrid documentary-fiction approach. Developed over several years through US fellowships and shot with an exiled family in Germany, the project evolved from an initial fiction concept into a layered non-fiction work incorporating archival material and performance elements.
Produced by Solaris Film together with Mayana Film, it is backed by Chicken & Egg Films and ZDF/ARTE, alongside support from the German Federal Film Board (FFA) and Creative Europe – MEDIA. At the rough-cut stage, it won two VdR-Industry awards and is seeking final post-production financing ahead of a festival launch. The project attracted strong industry attention this year, winning two awards (see the news), including the Party Film Sales Award (€3,000) and the Masé Studios & Color Grade Award.
Boom! by Laura Plancarte
Boom! – Laura Plancarte (UK/France/Mexico)
Also presented in the Works-in-Progress section, Boom! explores the lives of French Muay Thai fighters George and Sonia, a couple running a thriving gym in London’s Park Royal, whose ambition and physical risks increasingly collide with their family life. Filmed over several years with close, immersive access, the project captures their transition from early parenthood to the later stages of their fighting careers, blending intimate observation with a broader reflection on drive, control and sacrifice.
Produced by Johnny Brewin alongside Christilla Huillard-Kann, with Mandy Chang as executive producer, the film boasts UK, French and Mexican support. Now nearing completion, it is targeting delivery by late 2026 or early 2027 while engaging with sales agents and festivals.
Lost Tapes – Salih Çelik (France)
Showcased in the Film Market, the documentary follows Mirze, a former wedding cameraman in Turkish Kurdistan, as he retraces and recovers footage shot in the 1990s, reconstructing a fragmented collective memory shaped by forced displacement.
Produced by Morgane Ivanoff for France’s JPL Productions, the 63-minute feature is backed by the CNC, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and Procirep-Angoa, and has progressed through key industry platforms, including Porto/Post/Doc and Golden Apricot’s Works-in-Progress. Combining observational filming with a strong archival dimension, the project is nearing completion, following development within the Docmonde/Eurasiadoc initiatives. Mirze’s past, as well as his motivation to make this film, echo the director’s, in many ways.
“Even though we are not from the same village, we both know what it means to have been a Kurdish child in Turkey in the 1990s. Through this journey and our work with the archives, both Mirze and I are seeking ways to face and heal our own traumas,” explains Çelik in his director’s statement. “Above all, we both believe in the power of cinema. This is why we aim to address Kurdish collective memory – its erosion, but also its preservation and reconstruction – and to show how deeply the Kurdish people remain attached to life, with determination and hope, despite past devastation and ongoing violence.”
The Bubble of Bliss – Yasmin van Dorp (Netherlands)
Taking part in VdR Pitching, this documentary in development explores the social fractures of Ibiza, where luxury spiritual tourism coexists with a deepening housing and labour crisis. Structured as a mosaic, the film follows multiple characters, from an 11-year-old girl living in a tent settlement to a real-estate agent and a spiritual seeker, adopting a purely observational, scene-driven approach.
Produced by Janneke Doolaard and Hester Breunissen for Amsterdam-based outfit DOXY FIXY, with VPRO attached as broadcaster, the project has secured development backing from the Netherlands Film Fund, Amarte Fonds and NPO-fonds (via IDFA Project Space), and has been selected for Visions du Réel Pitching, EURODOC and IDFA Project Space NL. Budgeted at €668,138, with 17% of its financing in place, it is targeting a 2029 release while seeking international partners, with van Dorp describing the film as “a microcosm of Western society: a dystopia disguised as a boundless dream”.
“The film will be observational and entirely scene-driven, without interviews or voice-overs. I aim to portray life on the island through carefully composed, contemplative shots: sometimes observing from a distance, sometimes up close,” the helmer further explains. “Using tripod-mounted shots, I want to emphasise how characters are trapped within their own bubbles. Humour plays a vital role: it can heighten discomfort and tension, while also creating space for reflection and ambivalence.”
In the Seeing – Pamela Breda (UK)
The project, showcased in the Film Market, is a 120-minute documentary exploring tarot reading, mantic practices and anthropology as tools for self-reflection, healing and cultural storytelling. Shot over three years in Turin, the film follows tarot reader Simona Molino, combining observational footage with evocative visual sequences and a wider reflection on divination, symbolism, Jungian archetypes and contemporary spiritual needs. Key creatives include DoP Robert Mleczo and composer Alex Stirner.
Produced by Intensity Films, the project builds on the filmmaker’s research-driven practice perched between cinema and visual culture. “This film is also a response to the growing disconnection that many people feel in an increasingly technologised and rationalised world. Practices like tarot offer an alternative – a space where intuition, mystery and personal storytelling thrive,” Breda adds. “In documenting the life of Simona and these experiences, I wanted to convey the emotional and existential weight that these practices hold for those who turn to them, often in moments of vulnerability or crisis. At the same time, the film raises questions about the relationship between tradition and modernity.”
