12 May 2023
The tenth edition of Bio to B – Industry days is coming on June 14-17 2023. The event is dedicated to networking between media professionals, and it’s in their company that it will celebrate its first ten years.
Special Early Bird tariff for Industry Accreditation badge available until May 26.
Bio to B – Industry Days, the annual appointment dedicated to networking by Biografilm Festival (taking place on June 14-17), celebrates its tenth anniversary, establishing itself as one of the main events with regard to the evolution of the national documentary market.
Since 2014 the event has been growing, enriched by new appointments and instruments to support the market presence of producers and authors, with special attention dedicated to internationalization and to the diffusion, confrontation and selling of the national product in the European context. During these first 9 years, more than 138 documentary, docuseries and biopic projects have been presented to an audience of over 4000 media professionals - Italian and international –realizing their goals by interacting with 1000 decision makers (commissioning editors, distributors, festival representatives, platforms, promotion institutes) among the most influent and active in the European documentary market.
Part of this journey is documented in a retrospective with photos and videos witnessing Bio to B’s contribution to the realization of its documentaries, in the event’s brand new Facebook page which aspires to become a permanent reference point for the community represented by Bio to B.
For the Celebration of its first 10 years, Bio to B wishes to thank and celebrate with all the producers, authors and professionals that kept believing in it and helped its growth.
In the usual three days (15-16-17 of June) dedicated to media market, the program will feature a panel on Archive Producers, one on the use of music in documentaries, one – organized with FIADDA Emilia-Romagna – on the accessibility of media and film content.
A presentation will be held on ongoing projects in Emilia-Romagna, together with a focus on gender gap in collaboration with the Women in Film Television and Media association and a lot more, counting on the presence of important national entities such as Rai, Rai Documentari, Istituto Luce Cinecittà, Sky Documentary, Paramount e Warner Discovery, I Wonderfull e Mubi.
Authors and producers will take part to the Pitching Forum featuring presentations of 20 European documentary projects in search of partnerships and acquisitions, selected among the record number of those who responded to the call. Projects will be able to count on the training of Guido Casali and an audience of international decision makers including some of the most interesting European sales agent. Among these: Cinephil (Israele), Deckert Distribution (Germania), Impronta Film (Regno Unito), Lightdox (Svizzera).
Among Bio to B appointments, a workshop dedicated to emerging Emilia-Romagna producers selected through a dedicated call, the Docs for Real, the public presentation of 5 original documentary synopsis in search of a producer, and How to sell your film to IWP, a brand new appointment (with limited attendance) in which distributing company I Wonder Pictures shares tips on how to push one’s project to make it part of their catalogue.
Make It Real Award
In this tenth edition the Bio to B Make It Real Award – dedicated to professionals who distinguished themselves in the fields of production and distribution of documentary films –will be assigned to Philippa Kowarsky, founder of international distribution society Cinephil. In 2018 the prize was awarded to English producer Simon Chinn (Project Nim, Man on Wire, Sugarman, The Princess), winner of multiple prizes including two Oscars, and in 2019 to the late Diane Weyermann, then President of the Documentary Film and Television division for the society Participant – Participant Media.
Philippa Kowarsky is a sales agent, consultant, mentor, executive producer and commissioning editor per BBC. Over the years she’s been a precious ally for multi-awarded films which changed and enriched the international documentary landscape (The Act of Killing by Joshua Oppenheimer, Flee by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Gunda by Victor Kossakowsky, Collective by Alexander Nanau).
A professional of international cinema who stands in the eyes of Biografilm for passion about life stories and the courage of fighting to bring them to the big screen.
After the success of last year’s From Book to Film, this year the initiative becomes an appointment dedicated to “the search for stories” which will take place on the 14th of June featuring editors, literary agents and film producers.
From Book to Film Adaptation Market, organized in collaboration with CNA Cinema e Audiovisivo Emilia-Romagna and CNA Editoria Emilia - Romagna, is the networking event dedicated to transposition and film adaptation rights, during which to propose, sell and buy preexisting and original synopsis, destined to both the editorial and media market.
More then 30 editors and literary agents adhered, and will bring to the attention of producers present at the Adaptation Market their 96 proposals of copyright-free books. The Bio to B catalogue is online in the dedicated section which you can reach through the following link.
Film producers who might be interested will be able to book one-to-one appointments with editors and literary agents. Furthermore a practical workshop will be held for producers, editors and literary agents, entitled “Dalla pagina allo schermo: opportunità per editori e produttori", held by Paola Corsini, Licensing e Dramatic Rights Specialist, expert in Property and Brand development, management and negotiation of secondary rights.
There will also be a case study on an editorial project come to audiovisual life "Emozioni sul grande schermo: viaggio cinematografico nelle speranze e nelle attese degli studenti". And a presentation of the project “Storie visive – cinema per includere”
The first call for original synopsis in publishing and cinema has been positively received, with more than 160 synopsis sent in less than a month from opening. Judging the stories will bea selection committee nominated by ScriptaBo, the association which brings together Bolognese writers, composed by the writer and screenplayer Sofia Assirelli, the novelist, actor and TV author Andrea Cotti and by famous screenplayer and novelist Giampiero Rigosi. Selected authors will be pitching their stories to an audience of producers and editors during the Pitching Show, hosted by novelist and mass media expert Giancarlo Liviano D’Arcangelo.
The Industry Pass accreditation badge allowing participation to all Bio to B and From Book to Film days, can be purchased on the website with special Early Bird tariff of € 160, until the 26 of May.
