The complete list of selected projects follows:
Special Pitch
THE WORKER'S SEA (Serbia) Vladimir Perisic, producer: Trilema film
Vladimir Perisic's first feature film ORDINARY PEOPLE has been widely acclaimed at international festivals and has been awarded the main prize at the FilmFestival Cottbus in 2009. Along with the award Vladimir Perisic has been invited to present his new project as special pitch. THE WORKER'S SEA follows a middle-aged woman unburdening herself from a dreary and monotonous everyday life, discovering her own aspirations - and finding herself. Belgrade-based film production company Trilema Film, who produced ORDINARY PEOPLE, will also produce Vladimir's new film.
THE HAPPINESS FOR TWO (Azerbaijan) Chingiz F. Rasulzade, producer: Filmzadeh Film Studio
Chingiz F. Rasulzade made his feature film debut with THE DOLLS, which had its world premiere in Karlovy Vary earlier this year in the festival's "East of the West - Films in Competition" Section. His new project, THE HAPPINESS FOR TWO, is a story about a bag full of money, two heroes and the question of who will find happiness and who will become a slave... It will be produced by the up-and-coming film production company Filmzadeh Film Studio from Azerbaijan.
GIN AIR (Bulgaria) Maya Vitkova, producer: Viktoria Films
Maya Vitkova has gathered a group of passionate filmmakers for her new project GIN AIR, a realistic, yet sometimes magical road movie, she writes, that was "inspired by two years of writing, an adventurous trip to Brazil, a book, a film, a bottle of gin and a subject that moves me - how do we come into being." A young Bulgarian film production company, Viktoria Films is focused on producing independent short and feature films. Their first project STANKA GOES HOME, also by Maya Vitkova, won a Special Jury Mention at the International Film Festival in Sarajevo and has been invited to several international film festivals.
THE CHRISTMAS STAR (Czech Republic) Ivan Shvedoff, producer: Cinemania
Ivan Shvedoff's modern fairytale THE CHRISTMAS STAR is a film "about kids for kids. Adventures, magic, Christmas, a carp turning into a man, scary robbers, fun and ice hockey. A film which should make kids squeal with delight and joy," he writes. Ivan has been working as an actor in various European, American and Russian films since 1991 and gave his debut as a director in 2002 with the short film THE REVELATION OF ST. VALENTINE. While he has received several awards for his work as an actor, his short film AHOJ MAMI! won several awards at international film festivals as well. Prague-based production company Cinemania, experienced in the development, production and co-production of feature films, will produce THE CHRISTMAS STAR.
TANGERINES (Estonia) Zaza Urushadze, producer: Cinema Nouveau / MTU Otaku
Georgian writer and director Zaza Urushadze has received international attention with his most recent work THREE HOUSES (2008). In his new film TANGERINES he attempts to break down artificial boundaries. Set in an Estonian Settlement in Abkhazia, the movie follows former enemies who learn to forgive each other, help each other and protect each other even from their own people - and pay with their lives for them. Cinema Nouveau / MTU Otaku will produce TANGERINES, an Estonian company active in film production and distribution as well as in the organisation of film festivals.
A FRENCHMAN (France) Valérie Boucher, producer: Les Enragés
One night in Bulgaria, Viktor discovers a car, with its dead French owner still inside. Viktor masters and loves the French language. He decides to usurp the Frenchman's identity, leaves for Paris at daybreak and settles in the man's apartment. Writer and director Valérie Boucher will deal with the question of what "remains of an individual if he changes his space and time, name and language." Parisian Les Enragés, a production company with a track record in shorts and features as well as multimedia and experimental works, will produce A FRENCHMAN.
FLIGHT TBILISI-TBILISI (Georgia) Vano Burduli, producer: Producing Center Gemini
Based on true events that happened in 1983, Vano Burduli will tell the story of Gega and Tina. A story taking place behind the iron curtain. A love story. A thriller. An investigation. And the dream to cross borders freely. FLIGHT TBILISI-TBILISI will be produced by Production Center Gemini, a Georgian production company, which produced the internationally acclaimed documentary UNKNOWN SOLDIERS (dir: Shalva Shengeli).
MUTENESS (Hungary) József Pacskovszky, producer: Filmart Kft
József Pacskovszky's recent feature film THE DAYS OF DESIRE has received international attention and several awards. In his new film MUTENESS, a widowed teacher and single mother tries to find a way back to her son, who disappears overnight and upon his return stops speaking to her. The experienced Hungarian producer Jenő Hábermann will produce MUTENESS with his company Filmart.
ZERO (Hungary) Gyula Nemes, producer: Playtime Ltd.
Gyula Nemes has directed several short and medium length documentaries and made his feature film debut in 2006 with MY ONE AND ONLIES, which was screened at Critic's week in Venice. In the meantime, young aspiring Hungarian filmmakers founded Playtime Productions in 2008 to develop short, documentary and full-length feature films. Their joint project: Gyula Nemes' ZERO, a provocative and entertaining anarchist-terrorist comedy about - bees.
PARADISE (Israel) Shimon Shai, producer: GREENproductions
Director Shimon Shai, who has won several international awards with his short film ROAD MARKS, will now be telling a story about facades and masks, the story of Alon, a man who seems to have succeeded in life but in fact is addicted to gambling and on the verge of breakdown. "GREENproductions was established in order to encourage directors in their beginning to make fresh, innovative cinema without compromises," says producer Gal Greenspan and adds, "This is exactly what PARADISE stands for."
DOMESTIC (Romania) Adrian Sitaru, producer: 4 Proof Film
Adrian Sitaru's latest shortfilm THE CAGE won a DAAD grant in the Berlinale Shorts Section in 2010 and is the starting point of his new feature film DOMESTIC. A film about "love, affection, friendship, human and animal behaviour - a mix that reveals the very small distance that separates us humans as a species from animals in a black-absurd comedy," as he puts it. Adrian is co-founder of 4 Proof Film, which produced THE CAGE and Adrian's award winning feature film debut HOOKED.
NOT A SIMPLE STORY (Russia) Fedor Popov, producer: "Stella" Studio
In NOT A SIMPLE STORY Fedor Popov follows his two heroes, an old man and a teenager, whose lives become intertwined when they both decide to start a new life. Moscow-bases "Stella" Studio is an experienced producer of full-length feature films. They have recently produced Fedor's THAT'S ALL RIGHT, MAMA and will continue this working relationship with his new project.
UNDER ELECTRIC CLOUDS (Russia) Alexey German Jr., producer: Metrafilms
UNDER ELECTRIC CLOUDS will be Alexey's fourth feature film, and the first contemporary one. The film unites six different stories taking part in different places of present Russia, creating a wide range of characters and images. UNDER ELECTRIC CLOUDS will be produced by Artem Vassiliev, Metrafilms. Artem produced Alexey's last feature, PAPER SOLDIER, which was awarded at the IFF in Venice in 2008 and was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 2009 European Film Awards.
WITHERING (Serbia) Milos Pusic, producer: H & R Productions
Janko, a guy in his late twenties, decides to leave his past behind him, to leave his family and his country. He is even ready to sell his father's grave. He will do anything to have a bright future. Will he? Milos Pusic made his feature film debut with AUTUMNS IN MY STREET in 2009 and is now preparing WITHERING, which will be produced by H & R production.
WE WILL MEET IN OUR DREAMS (Slovak Republic) Juraj Nvota, producer: ARINA s.r.o.
Juraj Nvota is a director of films for TV and cinema and also a director of theatrical plays. His last feature THE MUSIC, melancholic yet full of humour, was successfully screened at international festivals. With his new film WE WILL MEET IN OUR DREAMS, which will be produced by ARINA s.r.o., Juraj will tell a story about a search for love, "not only the beautiful physical love," he says, "but also the invisible one that we feel in precious moments of atonement as if a third person poured warm heat on us."
