Ask the Experts at Sunny Side of the Doc 2025!

How it works

If you meet any of the above conditions, you will soon be contacted by email to take part in this initiative.

Participating is easy! Browse through our experts and choose the one(s) you wish to meet. Once you have made your choice (2 experts max.), go to MySunny Space (available in the email) to make your request.

Please provide all the necessary information for an optimal appointment. The more they know about you, the more relevant their answers will be!

Once your appointment has been confirmed, meet your experts at Sunny Side of the Doc in June.

Khadidja BENOUATAF

Impact Strategist – Impact Social Club

Field of expertise: Impact Production , Impact Distribution, Impact Campaigns Financing

Bio: Khadidja is an award-winning impact strategist and field builder with a background in journalism. President of Impact Social Club and advisory member of the Global Impact Producers Alliance (GIPA), she develops impact campaigns for acclaimed documentaries and mentors filmmakers globally, contributing her expertise to major film festivals and training programs.

Catherine OLSEN

Executive Producer - Passionate 4 Docs

Field of expertise: Creative and editorial consulting for documentaries, from concept to completion

Bio: Catherine Olsen is a Creative & Editorial Documentary Consultant and Coach, with over 20 years as CBC’s Commissioning Editor for The Passionate Eye. A founding member of Hot Docs, she has worked as a camerawoman, TV journalist, director, and producer. Her films have won major awards, including Oscars and Emmys. She also serves on the Executive Board of the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Ken-Ichi IMAMURA

Producer - NHK Enterprises

Field of expertise: Formats: Documentary (49min, 28min, 15min), TV programs (Anime, Manga, Interview). Genres: Human stories, current affairs, geopolitics, women’s rights, Asia, Japan.

Bio: Ken-Ichi Imamura is a leading independent producer with extensive networks across Asia. A mentor for the Japan Prize and future President of Prix Italia, he has shaped Asia’s documentary scene as a founding member of Tokyo Docs. With over 40 years at NHK, he continues to collaborate as an international strategy advisor and producer.

Christine RELSEN

Independent consultant and vice-chair - ESFA, The European Science Film Association

Field of expertise: Science, nature, mentoring, project developement, matchmaking, kickoff financing, festivals

Bio: With over 30 years of experience in the Industry (including over 20 years as a senior commissioning editor with ARTE France), Christine is currently acting as an independent international consultant, mentor, tutor, curator, expert for Producers, Filmmakers and Institutions and as the Vice-Chair and Secretary of ESFA, the European Science Film Association (aka EURASF), a community of Film Festivals, Producers, Distributors, Science Communicators, Filmmakers and more.

Elvira LIND

Consultant

Field of expertise: History, Current Affairs, Social Issues, Project and Pitch Mentoring, Project Development for the International Market, International Distribution, Rights and Windowing Strategy

Bio: Elvira Lind is a free-lance expert and consultant in the field of financing and developing of documentaries for the international market. She has been working in the media for over three decades, starting her career as an executive producer. As Head of Acquisitions and Sales at SPIEGEL TV, Elvira oversaw all acquisition and distribution activities of the entire SPTV Group for nearly 30 years.

Katarzyna SZARECKA

Co-founder - Pitch the Doc

Field of expertise: Pitch

Bio: Katarzyna Szarecka is an experienced independent consultant and trainer in project development, management, and financing. She specializes in structuring of film projects' concepts, pitching, and effective presentations of projects. Involved in the Pitch the Doc initiative from the beginning, she is responsible for the development of the platform and market cooperation. Member of the Documentary Association of Europe. Co-founder and COO of Pitch the Doc.

Louise ROSEN

Managing Director – Louise Rosen Ltd

Field of expertise: Project Development, finance, distribution

Bio: Louise is an international executive skilled in program development & management, infrastructure & program design, fundraising, business affairs, & finance, with a proven ability to build collaborative, cross-cultural relationships & mentor high-performing talent. She’s known for using strategic vision and innovative grassroots marketing to bring projects to life and drive organizations forward.

Krishan ARORA

Producer - Mixing Media

Field of expertise: UK, European, Australian TV markets, co-production, specialist factual documentaries, pitch preparation

Bio: Krishan Arora is an experienced TV & documentary exec, a former BBC and ARTE factual commissioner with a focus on international co-production, ideas development & broadcast strategy - in the UK and internationally. For the past 10 years he was the international content consultant for acquisitions and pre-buys for Australian public channel SBS, and has been a regular at international pitching events and festivals. Based London and Copenhagen.

David HOOPER

Managing Director – Espresso Media International

Field of expertise: International Distribution, finding pre-sales and co-production funding, factual and music distribution

Bio: David Hooper has over 40 years of experience in the audiovisual industry. He founded Espresso Media International in 2000, a company specializing in the global distribution of factual content. With 25 years of experience, Espresso supports producers with tailored strategies in marketing, presales, project development, and co-productions, while managing international rights for television, streaming platforms, in-flight entertainment, and the educational sector.

Elina KEWITZ

Managing Director – NEW DOCS

Field of expertise: Distributing and selling documenatries world wide

Bio: Elina Kewitz graduated in 2004 with a master’s degree in media planning, consulting, and development from the University of Siegen. After starting her career in public relations and artist management, she spent nearly seven years as International Sales Manager at United Docs GmbH. In 2012, she founded NEW DOCS, a documentary sales agency, which she has been running ever since. She regularly lectures in professional training programs such as the Documentary Campus Masterclass, Mediengründerzentrum NRW, and the Academy of Media Arts Cologne.

Alex PÉRON

President – Narrative Coders

Field of expertise: Artificial intelligence for documentaries, including historical reenactment, scientific animations, anonymization of interview subjects,etc.

Bio: Alex Péron is a new-generation entrepreneur blending cinema/TV and AI. As a co-founder of Narrative Coders, launched in 2024, he leverages 35+ years in audiovisual production across 35 countries, contributing to over a thousand acclaimed films and series awarded Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys, Palme d’Or, and BAFTAs. Narrative Coders creates AI-generated shots and scenes, supporting studios from development to post-production.

Ask the Experts at Sunny Side of the Doc 2025!