Sideways Film is taking six newly acquired documentaries to MIPCOM 2026, expanding its factual slate with stories covering emerging technology, internet culture, crime, wildlife and unexpected competitive worlds.
The new lineup includes Relax, Open Your Eyes, which follows a young family in Western Canada as they attempt to build a cryonics facility with the hope of extending human life, and Bot Love: The Rise of AI Companions, exploring the growing role of artificial relationships in human connection.
Online culture is at the center of two other acquisitions. Cruelty for Clicks investigates the staging and distribution of animal abuse across social media platforms, while Shamed: The Vigilante Suicides examines the consequences of online vigilantism and the relationship between public shaming, entertainment and digital audiences.
The slate also features Spreadsheet Champions, following six students competing in Microsoft Excel’s most prestigious category, and Congo: Price of an Elephant, which investigates the illegal ivory trade and its impact on forest elephants and the wider African rainforest.
Sideways expands international sales and streaming activity
The new acquisitions arrive after a strong year of international sales for Sideways Film. The Veto: The Greatest Threat to Global Peace has been licensed to broadcasters including NHK, ARTE, RTVE, YLE and RTP, while Sweat!: The Human Super Power has sold to ZDF, ARTE, Movistar, YLE, RTBF and other international buyers.
Spreadsheet Champions has secured deals with TVO, SRF, Al Jazeera, PTS and RTP, among others. Proof: The New Science of Alcohol has sold to RTS, YLE, Česká televize and RTP, while White Gold has been licensed by RTVE, Al Jazeera and Māori TV.
The company is also expanding its presence in the VOD and FAST space through sister company Sideways World, which now offers titles including How to Get Filthy Rich with Gary Stevenson, The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Files, Finding the Money, Stolen History: Who Owns the Past?, Pax Americana: The Weaponization of Space and Sugar Coated: The Case Against Sugar.
“It’s been a good year for the catalogue,” said Kazz Basma, Head of Sales and Acquisitions at Sideways Film. “The new films sit well alongside them, with Bot Love and Relax, Open Your Eyes looking at where technology is taking us, and Cruelty for Clicks and Shamed at what happens when the chase for clicks goes too far.”
Sideways Film will present the slate to international buyers at MIPCOM 2026 in Cannes.
