Veteran doc sales agent Jan Rofekamp (pictured) who was proclaimed Doc mogul at Hotdocs 2010, has another bumper year at IDFA with six titles in competitions, including the Danish/Polish documentary Something Better to Come and Swedish film Those Who Said No. The CEO of Montreal/New York based Film Transit gives an overview of the documentary market and tips to doc filmmakers/producers.

How did you get on board the two Scandinavian documentaries running for Best Documentary Feature at IDFA, Something Better to Come by Hanna Polak and Those Who Said No by Nima Sarvestani?
Jan Rofekamp: I met Hanna in 2003 and she had a short Children of Leningradsky, I helped her with an HBO sale and she got an Oscar Nomination in 2004. she told me then that she had started filming the story of Yula [a young girl living in a garbage dump outside of Moscow]. A few years later I ran into Hanna again at One World in Prague and she told me she had been filming the story. I started to work with her on raising the financing and breakthrough came last year at IDFA when Sigrid Dyekjær came on board, securing Nordic financing. 

With Those Who Said No, the film is actually co-produced and handled by Deckert Distribution in most territories. I only handle North America.

How many docs do you take on board each year and on what criteria?
J.R.:
We have between 15-20 films per year. They are a mix of current affairs and high profile art films. When I chose a film, I need to have the same motivation as a filmmaker who’s worked on his film for three years as I often work on a film for two years. So I look for films that matter and that have a unique artistic value. Most films that I’m associated with need a festival launch pad. Some of the films – mostly current affairs titles- I only sell for TV.

What are the primary international launch pads for documentaries and how do they influence sales?
JR:
In the calendar year the star documentary festivals are Sundance, Berlin, Toronto then IDFA and all have different characteristics. Sundance is a good window into North America, although less international buyers go there because it’s quite expensive. Berlin is good as test case to see if a film has a theatrical potential. Toronto is another window to North America, and IDFA is primary television oriented. Many films we work with also attend thematic festivals.
In each territory theatrical distributors interested in documentaries are only a handful, so festivals are essential to get the buzz going, especially in the over-crowded documentary market.

Have you witnessed a change in the broadcasting market for documentaries in recent years?
JR:
The traditional TV market continues to be the main market for documentaries, even if it tends to shrink year on year. One big problem is that many TV buyers in the field have lost some their autonomy over the last decade. The time when Peter Dale [one of the most respected figures within British documentary] would say at a dinner ‘I will buy your film for £40,000’ is over. Today most buyers have to answer to their superiors for pre-sales and co-production and the first question that their bosses ask is why would my audience want to see this film?  So now, the first question I ask myself when picking up a film is: why should my buyers see this film and why should their audience see it? It’s a simple but essential question.

How important is the online market in documentaries’ revenue stream?
JR: I’m very sceptical about the online market and people in that business.
In my career I’ve gone through two major revolutions. One was the coming of VHS and DVD. Every Tom, Dick and Harry around the business tried to jump on the bandwagon to make a buck, but most disappeared. The same happened later with the arrival of cable and satellite TV and the same is happening now with online buyers. We don’t know who is serious or not. 

What do you think of documentary filmmaking in Scandinavia?
JR:
The Scandinavian documentary industry is quite healthy because there is a lot of support for production, promotion and distribution. What I like in Scandinavia is that they have original ideas. Every year we pick up 1-2 films that deal with social issues, but with an extra twist, humour or a strong director’s vision. 

Some of your past hits include the Finnish film Steam of Life and you’re now working on the director Joonas Berghäll’s upcoming film Mother’s Wish. Can you pre-sell Mother’s Wish based on the international success of Steam of Life?
JR:
Steam of Life was sold to at least 30 territories and I worked on it for a year and a half. Joonas’ new film is again an assembly of stories [about women around the world speaking about motherhood]. I will try to get people interested in the subject matter and will naturally go to everyone who loved Steam of Life. When the first cut is on the table, perhaps in the next couple of weeks, we’ll try to figure out where to premiere it.

What other Scandinavian projects are you working on?
JR:
I’ve come on board the Finnish doc The Salesmen of Happiness by Wille Hyvönen [director of My Godfather, His Thai Bride and Me]. Sometimes I attach my name to a project to consolidate its position in the financing stage. I also work on the Danish current affairs project Foreigners for Sale produced by Jesper Jack [House of Real].

What tips would you give upcoming documentary filmmakers/producers?
JR: - 
Be realistic about your film’s potential. I think producers/filmmakers should realise what they have: some films simply don’t have any potential on the international market. If a film is domestic but has a very interesting story, then one suggestion is to make two versions. One for the domestic market and one for the international, slightly different, where you would add simple things like a little narrated intro, google map, whatever, just to make your film understandable to an international audience.
- Maximise your material. A documentary filmmaker can spend five years doing research and should therefore try to maximise his material, adapt it for different formats and different platforms.
- Use crowdfunding platforms. Broadcasters have a harder time getting involved earlier in the financing of documentaries. If a filmmaker can combine soft money with Kickstarter equity funding for example, he can then take his film to the next step, make a first cut, show it to TV buyers who can then show something concrete to their superiors to make a final decision.
- Get advice from experts. Every filmmaker wants his film to be seen by as many people as possible, and a sales agent helps him find buyers for different platforms and prepare the best strategy. A combination of a good producer and sales agent can be extremely helpful.