November 5 to 8, 2017, Hot Docs industry funds manager Heidi Tao Yang attended Tokyo Docs in Japan.
Held annually, Tokyo Docs is an international documentary event with the aim of providing a platform for Japanese and Asian documentary filmmakers to connect with potential international co-production partners.
During Hot Docs 2017 Festival, we showcased recent works from Japan in our Made In program. Tokyo Docs was a great opportunity to follow up with these filmmakers to see what they've been up to. Over the four days, I had the opportunity to get to know a number of projects and filmmakers during a variety of programs.
Day 1: Asia Day
Asia Day is a chance to network with 20 invited filmmakers and producers from Asia. There was also a pitch session on the theme "Color of Asia" to a panel of international decision makers and experts. There were pitches from Bhutan, Vietnam, Tibet, Philippines, Bangladesh, Iran and Indonesia.
Day 2 & 3: Pitching I One-on-one meetings | Workshops
In the morning, nine projects were pitched by representatives from a variety of countries. For pitches, each filmmaker had 15 minutes; the first seven minutes was for pitching their project to the gathered decision makers, distributors and experts, followed by an eight minute feedback session. The afternoon was for following up with filmmakers in one-on-one meetings.
Day 4: Short Documentary Showcase
This year was the inaugural edition of the Short Documentary Showcase. Ten short documentaries were presented, consisting of a short clip along with a brief presentation by the filmmaker.
Overall, Tokyo Docs is a fantastic event that is intimate enough to get to know the filmmakers and other guests. A great hub in the center of Japan!