Emerging Producers 2017: Maciej Kubicki, Poland
Born in 1977, Maciej Kubicki is a creative producer with a story-editing background. A graduate of the Wajda School, he works as a producer for Telemark, where he develops ideas for creative documentaries, premium TV series and innovative feature forms. He is currently producing two documentaries, Over the Limit by Marta Prus and The Wind by Michał Bielawski, and is a writer/producer of the second season of The Pact, an HBO Europe feature TV series now in postproduction.
His likes: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Hunger by Steve McQueen, Perfect Day by Lou Reed and grey wolves.
His word: Concept
FNE: What are your hopes and expectations from Emerging Producers?
I expect to meet people who share my passion for filmmaking. I hope to connect with decision makers and producers who will help me put my plans in action. I’m looking forward to enjoying the venue and the festival that I already know, respect and admire. I’m sure it’s going to be a busy, intensive week that will offer me unexpected discoveries.
FNE: What is the position of documentary film in your country?
In Poland there’s a strong, long and successful tradition of documentary filmmaking. Production-wise the important thing is the large number of films that are being made nowadays. Currently, it’s a particularly good time for Polish documentary film also in terms of its status and new innovative ways of storytelling. Many grand masters of documentary cinema are still in great shape. There’s also a group of acclaimed middle-aged creators and quite a lot of young talents who try to make their mark.
And last but not least and what is especially important from my perspective is that many young creative producers become discussion partners for the directors in the filmmaking process. This inspiring environment of documentary cinema forces you to keep pushing past your limits. The good thing about that is that it happens in a small but close-knit community of filmmakers, who don’t compete against each other (as it’s often the case with feature films), but rather try to offer mutual support. At least, I still believe they do ;)
FNE: How do you define yourself?
I’d like to see myself as someone with a fresh look at things, who’s still at the beginning of the road, ready to take on the most difficult challenges. I know there’s still a lot I can learn and discover. Also, I’d like to find new sources of joy and professional satisfaction in what I do every day.
FNE: What is your biggest challenge as a documentary film producer?
There are two in fact. The biggest one is trying not to forget about people while focusing on a project and work. By ‘people’ I mean both the crew making the film and the portrayed characters. Another challenge is approaching every project as if it were my first film.
Filmography:
The Pact directed by Marek Lechki, 6 x 45 min, Poland, 2015, feature TV series; creative producer
Talk to Me directed by Marta Prus, 40 min, Poland, 2015, documentary; producer
La isla co-directed by Katarzyna Klimkiewicz and Dominga Sotomayor, 30 min, Poland/Chile, 2014, short fiction film; coproducer
One Man Show directed by Jakub Piątek, 52 min, Poland, 2014, documentary; producer
Entangled directed by Lidia Duda, 52 min, Poland, 2012, documentary; producer
Production Company
Telemark
Ordynacka 14/9; 00-358 Warsaw, Poland
Phone: +48 508 154 480
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www.telemark.com.pl
Emerging Producers 2017: Eero Talvistu
Born in 1976, Eero Talvistu has a background in business with a strong entrepreneurial mindset. He has been actively involved in the film industry for the past seven years as a producer in Exitfilm and Kinoport. The latter is a company he is now developing for international coproductions. Eero took part in the EAVE 2015 producers’ workshop and has participated twice in Ex Oriente and in several other film industry workshops. His last long documentary, Rough Stage, premiered at IDFA in 2015.
He is currently developing Smoke Sauna Symphony by Anna Hints, coproduced with Finland’s Oktober. He is also in preproduction with THI by Jaan Tootsen and in production with Border Youth by Alexandr Heifets, coproduced with Germany’s Inselfilm.
His favorite book is Martin Eden by Jack London, his favorite artist is Liisu Arro (his wife) and he admires The Second Attempt by Péter Kerekes.
His word: Patience.
FNE: What are your hopes and expectations from Emerging Producers?
Networking. They say that you need to consume some salt together in order to get a connection between people :).
FNE: What is the position of documentary film in your country?
I think it is a very good one. We have several funding opportunities and incentives, good access to professionals and equipment and there is a tradition of documentaries in Estonia.
FNE: How do you define yourself?
This is a tough question! The short answer is: through myself. At least this is my aim. If I needed to describe my nature, then I am a combination of mildness and stubborness. But then again, they say that a person has three ways how to be perceived: how other people see him/her, how he/she sees herself and who he/she really is.
FNE: What is your biggest challenge as a documentary film producer?
It depends on the moment and a project. I think the balance for being a producer to your director and not a co-director is important, and at the same time not becoming just an ATM as well.
Filmography
See You in Chechnya directed by Alexander Kvatashidze, 64 min, Georgia/ Netherlands/Estonia, France/Germany, 2016, long documentary; coproducer
Rough Stage, director Toomas Järvet, 74 min, Estonia, 2015, long documentary; producer
The Gull Theorem, director Joosep Matjus, 34 min, Estonia, 2014, nature documentary; producer
Production Company
Kinoport Film
Sadama 18, 90502 Haapsalu, Estonia
Phone: +372 509 3033
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www.kinoport.ee
Emerging Producers 2017: Jasmina Sijerčić
Born in 1979, Jasmina Sijerčić holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Economics in Prague, and another one in Production from the Film and TV School of the Prague’s Academy of Performing Arts. In 2007 she moved to France, where she worked as an executive producer at the documentary production company ISKRA and in 2013 she joined Bocalupo Films, that focuses on projects with a strong authorial vision and innovative narrative approach, both in the field of fiction and documentary film.
She is currently developing the short animated documentary film Musical Traumas from Childhood by Miloš Tomic in coproduction with Serbia’s Dribbling Pictures and the creative long documentary Une Ile by Sara Rastegar and Simone Yang in coproduction with Italy’s Altara Films. Another creative documentary, A Film Without a Title by Daphné Hérétakis, 60 min, is in the writing process, while the creative documentary Invisible Pyramid by Armel Hostiou is in postproduction.
She admires Fifi Howls from Happiness by Mitra Farhani, she enjoys listening to Ain’t Got No, I Got Life by Nina Simone and her favorite object is a lamp.
Her word: Patience
What are your hopes and expectations from Emerging Producers?
I hope to meet other producers who share the same passion and to exchange our visions, experiences and points of view on creative documentary producing and many other topics. I love to meet people from around the globe and I’m also hoping to meet some future collaborators, as my aim is to develop more international coproductions.
What is the position of documentary film in your country?
I think that the main problem remains the general education and sensibility of audiences that documentary film could be something different than a TV reportage. We could say that the positive aspect to it is that there is space to act and initiatives are being undertaken, but they lack consistent institutional support. Things are moving forward, maybe not as fast as in other transitional countries; that can be due to a still complicated inner political situation and the lack of a more stable framework for cultural support in general.
How do you define yourself?
It is difficult to judge oneself objectively because we’re aware of all our inner contradictions. But I could identify with what people say, when they've met me: that I’m very social, open minded, positive and easy to adapt to changes. I myself would say that I’m patient and systematic, yet quite sensitive. Sometimes I tend to forget about the time.
What is your biggest challenge as a documentary film producer?
I think when we’re producing an art house film, documentary or fiction, the challenge is to accept that it is a process that bonds you with a few close collaborators, with whom you share all of yourself, for the best and the worst, for quite a bit of the time. So I believe that the choice of these collaborators is a real challenge. But when you meet the right people, this experience becomes something so enriching and exciting: a collective creation, in which I love to participate. Another type of challenge is to persuade grant commissions that your project is the one that absolutely must exist.
Filmography
The Wolf from Royal Vineyard Street directed by Jan Němec, 68 min, Czech Republic/Slovak Republic/France, 2016; coproducer
Une histoire américaine directed by Armel Hostiou, 86 min, France, 2015; producer
La Ville Bleue directed by Armel Hostiou, 12 min, France, 2015; producer
Dead Slow Ahead directed by Mauro Herce, 76 min, Spain/France, 2015; coproducer
Production Company
Bocalupo Films
51 rue de Belleville, 75019 Paris, France
Phone: +33 659 246 443
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.bocalupofilms.com
