Lightdox takes world sales on 'The Big Boom!' ahead of IDFA premiere

Sales company Lightdox has picked up world sales rights to the Swiss documentary The Big Boom! ahead of its world premiere at IDFA, Variety reported on Oct. 16.

World sales rights mean Lightdox will sell the film to distributors, broadcasters and platforms around the world. The deal covers a 79-minute film, also titled Le grand boum!, listed by IDFA as a 2026 production from Switzerland.

The film is directed by Swiss filmmaker Gabriel Tejedor. It is his fifth feature film, according to Variety. It follows four residents of Kazanlak, a town in central Bulgaria.

Kazanlak is known as Bulgaria's "Valley of Roses". Its main employer is very different. The Arsenal factory employs thousands of people making weapons and ammunition, Variety reported. IDFA describes the arms manufacturer as dominating life in the provincial town.

The Big Boom! is produced by Mira Film Basel GmbH. It is co-produced by Swiss public broadcasters RTS Radio Télévision Suisse and SRG SSR.

The documentary will have its world premiere in Frontlight at IDFA. A world premiere means no audience has seen it in public before. Frontlight is the strand IDFA says explores the realities of today.

IDFA 2026 runs from Nov. 12 to 22. It is the 39th edition of the Amsterdam documentary festival, according to Business Doc Europe.

Tejedor has played the festival circuit before. His earlier film Kombinat was selected for Visions du Réel. His film Rue Mayskaya was selected for both Visions du Réel and IDFA, Variety reported.

Lightdox is led by CEO Anna Berthollet. The company says it builds sales and distribution plans for documentaries and connects films with buyers.

What makes this stand out is the contrast at its centre. Roses on one side. A munitions plant on the other. Four ordinary lives sit between them.