Trailblazers to be awarded at MIPDOC 2010

Djo Tunda Wa Munga

The fifth International Trailblazer Tribute has introduced two new categories: the Green Trailblazer and the Webdoc Trailblazer. The Green Trailblazer recognises a project committed to environmental conservation and the Webdoc Trailblazer honours a format available on the web.

"The International Trailblazers take a unique and challenging approach to documentary-making. International conflicts, migration and environment issues are at the heart of the selected projects. We want to welcome these five producers to MIPDOC and to help them in developing their international exposure,” comments Laurine Garaude, director of Reed MIDEM's Television Division.

International Trailblazers for 2010:

Lixin Fan (director, Eyesteelfilm, Canada) - Asian Trailblazer, selected by EIDF (EBS International Documentary Festival). Lixin's debut feature documentary, Last Train Home, won the VPRO IDFA Award (Amsterdam documentary film festival) for best feature-length documentary.

Lizzie Gillett (producer, Spanner Films, UK) - Green Trailblazer, selected by EDN (European Documentary Network). Lizzie Gillett raised one million pounds on the web - thanks to crowd-funding - to produce The Age of Stupid in which Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in a devastated world in 2055. The Age of Stupid set a new Guinness World Record by being simultaneously screened in 63 cinemas across Britain.

Djo Tunda Wa Munga (director and producer, Suka!, Democratic Republic of the Congo) - African Trailblazer, selected by Encounters (South African International Documentary Festival). Congo In Four Acts, the latest production of Djo Munga, was screened at the Berlinale 2010. Despite a limited technical infrastructure, Djo Munga has built a company in Congo and invested in training young people in filming.

Serge Gordey (producer, Alegria, France) - Webdoc Trailblazer, selected by NextMedia (Banff World Television Festival). Serge Gordey has notably produced Gaza-Sderot: life in spite of everything with production company Bo Travail! and Franco-German TV Network Arte. This web documentary presents itself as a series of short portraits chronicling ordinary lives of people in Gaza (Palestine) and Sderot (Israel). They are available on the internet in a personal, interactive and non-linear fashion.

Asaad Taha (director and producer, Hot Spot Films, Dubai) - Middle East Trailblazer, selected by a committee from the Al Jazeera Documentary Network. Egyptian film director, TV host and producer, Taha started his career as a journalist. He launched the production company “Hot Spot Films” in Dubai, in 2001, and has since produced 25 documentaries and series. These productions cover more than 70 countries worldwide; many of them are affected by war.

The International Trailblazer Tribute 2010 is supported by Al Jazeera Documentary Network, National Film Board of Canada (NFB/ONF) and KOCCA (Korea Creative Content Agency).

Jessie Jeong, global marketing team director, KOCCA notes: "One of our goals is to find and nurture talented producers in order to ensure that viewers around the globe are provided with high-quality documentaries. KOCCA has continuously sponsored the International Trailblazers Tribute to develop Asia's own cultural contents and strengthen its competitiveness."

On Saturday 10 April, the MIPDOC networking lunch will gather the five International Trailblazers. The following day, a conference will showcase the Trailblazers documentaries. These films will be available for screening by buyers throughout MIPDOC.

For more information about this year's Trailblazer's, go to www.mipworld.com.