Sunny Side of the Doc has concluded its final edition in La Rochelle, closing a 20-year chapter in the port city as France prepares to launch a new international documentary market in Strasbourg in June 2027.

The 37th edition, held from 22 to 24 June, gathered 1,500 participants from 55 countries, including representatives of more than 800 companies, 73 exhibitors and 190 international decision-makers. Organiser Doc Services said the event had been assembled in five months, following an earlier announcement that no 2026 edition would take place.

Delivered in partnership with Documentary Campus, the condensed three-day programme introduced Meet & Match and Speed Dating formats intended to connect producers, commissioners, distributors and funders more directly. Managing Director Aurélie Reman described the edition as evidence of an industry mobilising around new financing models and international partnerships at a moment of structural pressure.

Sunny Side was founded in Marseille in 1990 before relocating to La Rochelle, where it staged 20 editions. Doc Services President Roman Jeanneau said the organisation’s legacy should now be placed «in the hands of the industry itself,» while paying tribute to founders Olivier Masson and Yves Jeanneau.

The successor market in Strasbourg will be supported by the CNC, the City, the Eurométropole of Strasbourg, and the Grand Est Region. The CNC said the renewed format would include a dedicated European component and seek to broaden access to documentary financing.