After 20 years of steering Scottish Documentary Institute (SDI) from an idea to a fully fledged charity initiative, nurturing international creative documentary filmmakers and homegrown Scottish talent, director Noé Mendelle is stepping down from her role to focus on training and exec producing.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we have accomplished over the past 20 years,” said Mendelle “SDI’s reach and impact has grown exponentially thanks to the amazing contributions of my colleagues past and present. I’m happy to step aside knowing how vital SDI has become to the Scottish documentary scene and knowing it will continue to have an immense impact on our field.”
Scottish Documentary Institute has been working with new and established talent making creative documentaries, and running a diverse slate of national and international activities, from Bridging the Gap to Stories to Edinburgh Pitch, to nurture and inspire the documentary scene in Scotland and beyond. Straddling art and industry, supporting authored films driven by content and emotional experience has always been and will remain at the core of SDI.
SDI Chair David Cumings added “Noé’s legacy of successful SDI training programmes continue to turn out the new generations of storytellers that are so vital to the future of our culture and industry. That precious legacy now passes into the safe hands of Flore Cosquer, who I’m certain will take SDI to new heights both locally and internationally, driven by the same zeal for storytelling that characterised Noe’s time at the helm.”
Cosquer joined SDI in 2010, and, in parallel to producing short documentaries and the award-winning feature Freedom Fields, she has been SDI’s Head of Talent Development for the past 5 years. This role has seen her nurture filmmakers from pitch to premiere and has allowed her to identify the changes needed within SDI to grow and thrive in the ever changing landscape of creative documentary film. Flore Cosquer will take the role of Director in September.
“SDI has been my home for the past twelve years” said Flore Cosquer “And I’m looking forward to taking the organisation into its next phase of development, expanding on Noé’s inspiring legacy and championing creative documentary in all its forms. I’m excited to continue nurturing talent and getting inspired by them, and collaborating with long-term and new partners from our vibrant industry.”
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