Doc/fest were thrilled to welcome Olly Alexander, frontman of the British electronica trio Years and Years to the Festival to discuss the making of his first documentary 'Olly Alexander: Growing Up Gay’. The film has recently screened on BBC3 as part of the BBC's Gay Britannia season marking the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act 1967 that partially decriminalised homosexual acts in England and Wales. In the documentary, Olly explores why the gay community can be more vulnerable to mental health issues, as he opens up about his own long-term battles with depression. The film produced by Antidote Productions, the company behind the critically acclaimed Professor Green: Suicide and Me for BBC Three. Olly was joined by Lelia Monks and Vicki Cooper from Antidote who talked to Damian Kavanagh, the controller of BBC3.

Talking to BBC Radio 4 Film Programme presenter Francine Stock, renowned filmmakers and Academy Award-winners D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus discuss their latest film Unlocking the Cage, as well as look back over a body of work spanning 40 years.

Supported by BBC Storyville.

Continuing the recent trend of aggressive M&A activity, streaming giants Netflix and Amazon snapped up a wealth of documentary content at this year’s Sundance festival in January. With the US, still a major export territory for UK content producers what do these continued shifts in commissioning sources and distribution platforms mean for the UK industry?

A panel from Doc/Fest 2017, including UK producers and US distributors and broadcasters, explore current and highlight future trends, providing valuable insight into the world’s biggest marketplace.

The panel was chaired by Mark Leaver (DIT) and included Simon Chinn (Lightbox), Ben Braun (Submarine), Molly Thompson (A&E IndieFilms) and Marie Nelson (PBS).

Supported by DIT.