Teddy Leifer's London-based documentary production company Rise Films is marking its 20th anniversary with a particularly busy year, including three films on release and a first-ever selection at the Venice Film Festival. Erik Shirai's Sumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing, an ESPN presentation exploring the hidden world of Japanese sumo wrestling, has been chosen for Venice's Venezia Spotlight section at the festival's 83rd edition in September, marking a milestone for the company after previous successes at Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, IDFA and Tribeca.

Alongside the Venice news, Rise Films has The Balloonists now in UK cinemas via Dogwoof, Teenage Wasteland (Middletown) launching on Netflix on 4 September, and Nuisance Bear releasing this autumn following its acquisition by Mubi in May. Leifer noted the cluster of releases reflects years of development, with Teenage Wasteland alone taking around eight years to reach screens. Rise Films was founded in 2006 with We Are Together, a film about an AIDS orphanage choir in South Africa, which Leifer began producing as a student at Arts University Bournemouth alongside director Paul W. Taylor.