Emerging Producers 2017: Natia Guliashvili, Georgia
Natia Guliashvili, born 1987, had already taken on a range of careers – from pianist and journalism student, to author, critic and reporter -- before becoming a documentary filmmaker.
Her likes and inspiration include Tomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, the artist Wassily Kandinsky and the unique rendering of an event or fact, that can be born in one particular person’s mind. Guliashvili thinks documentaries are exciting vehicles for that occurrence. Her filmmaker influences include Vera Chytilova, Luis Bunuel and Ulrich Seidl.
She is in postproduction with The Things, a 70- minute feature-length documentary about the last and only things that Georgians, who were displaced by the Russo-Georgia war of 2008, took with them. The film is directed by Nino Gogua.
FNE: What are your hopes and expectations from Emerging Producers?
First of all, I'd like to express my appreciation for the effort of the organisers for arranging an industry programme that is solely focused on producers. For me this is a rare chance to meet colleagues not only in a stressful, speedy, one-to-one-meeting format, but also to socialise with them in a rather relaxed and friendly environment. And the group diversity in terms of geography, themes, styles or approaches to producing is something that gives all of us a great chance to have a better understanding of the versatile production processes that are going on in different parts of the world.
FNE: What is the position of documentary film in your country?
It's been only recent few years since Georgia appeared on the documentary world map. This has its own logical reasons, since after the independence from Soviet Union it took time for Georgian filmmakers to start exploring and making their own commentaries and reflections on diverse social, political or personal issues.
But having only one source of funding (Georgian National Film Centre) and no broadcasters or private companies with a set budget for documentaries, unfortunately the financial side of the industry is still struggling to catch up with the creative side of it. In other words, there are more and more Georgian documentary projects and films making their way to different international industry events and major festivals, but not even a single national TV to acknowledge the importance of supporting these films locally.
FNE: How do you define yourself?
Inspiring, encouraging and helping the producer (also very modest).
FNE: What is your biggest challenge as a documentary film producer?
Right now I'm trying to get a better understanding of strategies with festivals, distribution and sales. I hope participating in the Emerging Producers programme will help me through the process.
Filmmography
On the Moon directed by Tsisra Gvasalia, 50 minutes, Georgia, 2015; editor
Preparation directed by GiorgiTsukisabum 25 minutes, Georgia, 2015; line producer
Madonna directed by Nino Gogua, 58 minutes, Georgia, 2014; producer, AD
Production Company
Cinemark
24 Shio Aragvispireli Steet
0102, Tbilisi, Georgia
Phone: +995 599 555 421
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.cinemark.ge
Emerging Producers 2017: Jan Macola
Jan Macola was already an experienced producer as the Head of Coproductions and Development at Barrandov, when he set off on his own to found Mimesis Film in 2012. He established himself with his first film, Petr Vaclav’s The Way Out, in 2014 and was selected as a European Film Promotion Producer on the Move in 2015. He came to film by way of a degree in International Relations and Politics, eventually joining the marketing department at Barrandov.
His influences include Elia Kazan’s book The Arrangement and Sandro Boticelli, along with the Czech filmmaker Karel Zeman.
He is currently working on Heaven, a feature documentary about an orphanage in China, directed by Tomas Etzler.
Macola is drawn to the topic of a film rather than any specific genre, and is working on both fiction and documentary films. He doesn’t go in for long-term planning. “I like to get surprised,” he said.
Speaking of the job of a producer, Macola said, “I perceive the work of a producer as a certain form of authentic life. With each film, a filmmaker embarks on a new adventurous journey with an uncertain end. I have a feeling that exactly this necessity of repeated quest is what interests me in film production and pushes me forward.”
Filmography
Normal Autistic Film directed by Miroslav Janek, 90 minutes, Czech Republic, 2016; producer
We Are Never Alone directed by Petr Vaclav, 105 minutes, Czech Republic/France, 2016; producer
Into the North directed by Natasha Dudinski, 87 minutes, Czech Republic, 2015; producer
Confession of the Vanished directed by Petr Vaclav, 79 minutes, Czech Republic; producer
Production Company
Mimesis Film
Premyslovsa 48/13
130 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Phone: +420 724 938 883
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.mimesis.cz
Emerging Producers 2017: Marek Urban
Marek Urban, born in 1977, studied documentary filmmaking at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. He began his career working at his father Marian Urban’s production company and is the co-owner of Sentimentalfilm and UN FILM productions companies, which produce feature films, creative documentaires and commercials. He became a member of the EFA in 2015.
His inspirations include Karel Vachek, Jean-Luc Godard, Dziga Vertov, Andrei Tarkovsky and Arundhati Roy’s book The God of Small Things.
Urban is now working on two projects: Life is a Movie / Movie is a Life directed by Roman Fabian, about three generations of the director’s family; and Swanbride directed by Miro Remo, about a 30-year-old musician whose life went off track.
Speaking of what he looks for in a producer, Urban has said, "Slovakia is a small country with an audience that can hardly cover the cost of the movie, so we decided to develop more projects that are suitable for international coproductions, in order to raise enough funding for production and to increase the possible audience impact as well. So the ideal producer for me is an ideal coproducer." He added, "There is a good tradition of mutual Slovak/Czech coproductions and we usually work with Czech partners, but we are trying to explore what almost nobody does here: on the one hand to take our projects even farther abroad and to try to get financing there; and on the other hand to look for projects which we can coproduce. It's a bit complicated but not impossible.”
Filmography
Koza directed by Ivan Ostrochovsky, 75 minutes, 2015, fiction film; producer
Hostage directed by Juraj Nvota, 90 minutes, 2015, fiction film; coproducer
Indian Summer directed by Gejze Dezorz, 90 minutes, 2013, fiction film; coproducer
Velvet Terrorists co-directed by Pavol Pekarcik, Peter Kerekes and Ivan Ostrochovsky, 90 minutes, 2013, documentary film; doproducer
Square in the Circle directed by Lubomir Stecko, 90 minutes, 2013, documentary film; coproducer
Production company
sentimentalfilm
Cintorínska 24
811 08 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Phone +421 90- 322 9446, +421 915 574 258
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.sentimentalfilm.com
