The clocks have gone back, leaves are falling and Autumn is here. Pumpkins are filling the streets of Copenhagen ahead of Halloween on October 31st. The other thing that's out is posters of all the candidates in the Danish local elections, happening on November 18th. They're on every metal post, the railings of bridges, and trees all over the city. I love seeing this - an expression of people's pride in serving their local area. Local elections in the UK see a lot of flyers stuffed in letterboxes, and you don't get that same sense of community. The list of candidates is long so not easy to work out who to vote for... AI, shopping and celebrity focussed algorithms, populist politics, and goldfish attention spans are all valid reasons to be gloomy about the future of documentary, but there is light in the darkness! People are craving personal & international perspectives, authenticity and debate. They care about what their fellow humans are living through. We just have to let the audienc

A couple of weeks ago I was in Rome for MIA, the Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivi - the Italian content market combining movies, drama series and documentaries. I produced and moderated a panel about history programmes. I wanted to do the panel is because of how vital it is to bring stories from the past for audiences to recognise and learn from. The panel happened on a date which will go down in history, October 7th, the anniversary of an event which has caused so much death and destruction,am first on that day in Israel and then for the past two years in Palestine. As many countries try to rewrite the historical record and use history as propaganda, getting the facts to people through television is more important than ever. But informative and factual documentaries are under threat around the world. To pick one country, the USA, whose democracy is under sustained attack from its government, I was dismayed to learn recently that PBS' American Experience strand announced it would be

I've come to the end of a couple of market weeks, at the UK's Sheffield Doc/Fest and France's Sunnyside of the Doc. Both full of networking opportunities, pitching, market knowledge, and panel discussions. Plus socialising over beer, wine and tea - an essential part of the business! I leave both events with a long list of to-dos, as it's all about the follow-up - you start so many conversations at a market, but what matters is how you continue them. My stack of business cards from previous markets is testimony of many leads un-followed up - now I keep an electronic record of people met and conversations started, and make sure in the days following the market to send a quick email or message. Turning a thought into an idea, then writing it up into a project and finding partners to collaborate with is a process with plenty of pitfalls, but getting the ideas out there and just putting one foot in front of the other is the only way I know of doing it. Once you have an idea in its simplest

Three weeks to go to the opening night - I'm there from Wednesday evening to Saturday afternoon. Here's what I'm looking forward to: Watching films! (obviously) Combative/unafraid/provocative discussions and debates The sense of history from the characterul venues - the Crucible, Cutlers Hall, Channing Hall, all venues that express the industrial past of Sheffield and its 'maker' present Finding like-minded people to collaborate with (ideas are best developed together, aren't they?) Being somewhere international and inclusive. Filmmakers from over 70 countries attend to showcase their work, pitch ideas, and build partnerships. Seeing some of the live performances, talks, and art experiences that connect documentary to theatre, music, and digital art. Finding support in the AI storm Moderating the panel at the Documentary Film Council meeting on Saturday morning How about you? What am I missing? And if you're there, I'd be very happy to meet.