We start with a webinar:
CO-PRODUCING WITH CHINA | live: December, 11th 11:00 – 12:00 CET
speakers: Jean Dong, Founder and Chairman of Zespa Media Group, UK/China, Manman Chen, CCO, WeKids, China, Steven Ching, CEO, Agogo Studios, China, Zosia Jaroszuk, Producer, Animoon, Poland
moderated by: Katarzyna Siniarska, Head of Sales, New Europe Film Sales, Poland
China has become an important entertainment powerhouse. With surpassing the US in the number of cinema screens and the Internet being the strongest influencer, the country is a hugely important market for creativity – particularly in the children’s film business. However, it’s not always easy for European producers to navigate through the Chinese media industry. To strengthen our relationship with China, we’ve invited key players to give us further insights on where China’s children’s media business is now and where the industry is heading to. Besides, we’ve invited a Polish producer that has successfully co-produced the animated series HUG ME with China to talk about her experience, the development process and future plans with the Chinese company.
The session is dedicated to everyone interested in making business with China and will help to understand better how to do business together over the coming months, what is working, what will change and what it is like to actually work and make films in China’s entertainment industry?
After that, we would like to invite you to join the webinar entitled:
IMPACT – Shaping productions between arthouse and family entertainment | live: December, 11th 14:00 – 15:00 CET
speakers: Leontine Petit, CEO & Producer, Lemming Film, Netherlands, Moritz Hemminger, Deputy Head of Sales & Acquisitions, ARRI Media International, Germany
moderated by: Ewa Puszczyńska, Extreme Emotions, Poland
Leontine Petit, CEO & producer at Lemming Film with offices in Amsterdam and Berlin reveals her ambition and vision for creating intriguing films with a vast diversity in genre formats and topics. Together with Moritz Hemminger (ARRI Media International) they talk about how to bring films to the next level, including films for a young audience, how to balance productions between market pressure and artistic value in changing times and what are the next moves. The Session is hosted in conversation with Poland’s prestigious drama (queen) producer Ewa Puszczyńska (renowned for her titles COLD WAR and IDA) to discover the alchemy of maintaining the right balance of creativity, uniqueness and commercial success.
Leontine Petit, known for such titles as OWLS & MICE, THE DAY MY FATHER BECAME A BUSH and co-producing titles like BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ, MONO, THE LOBSTER is a passionate advocate of helping independent films cross boundaries and connect with international audiences of all age groups. Her bandwidth reaches from funny loving children and family entertainment to challenging topical arthouse films as well as genre films. Thereby it’s her utmost conviction to provide children with as much content diversity as you give an adult audience. Her success can be measured in 54 co-produced feature films and 14 high end drama series in Europe and beyond. Their projects are sold to many countries around the world and have won various national and international awards. She won the prestigious Eurimages Co-Production Award during the European Film Awards in 2016.
Moritz Hemminger, Deputy Head of Sales & Acquisitions at ARRI Media International’s department of the worldwide established ARRI Group operates as an international sales agent for feature films. Beside prestigious festival dramas and genre films like CURVEBALL, THE ASPERN PAPERS, A PURE PLACE ARRI’s third and secure focus when acquiring rights for worldwide distribution is on FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT (live action & full animation) with titles like DEAR MR. FÜHRER, MADISON, THE OGGLIES. ARRI’s unique business model is to team up with producers already in an early financing stage to offer co-production alongside international distribution activities as well as a broad range of other services from inside the ARRI Group (camera, lighting, post-production and VFX).
The day with the Kids Kino Industry at Polish Film Festival will end up with a writing masterclass lead by Philip LaZebnik:
THINKING BIG BUT WRITING LOCAL – Masterclass with Philip LaZebnik | live: December, 11th 16:00 – 16:45 CET
Philip LaZebnik is uniquely qualified to compare and contrast the process of writing and producing a major Hollywood film with a smaller-budget European film. In Los Angeles, LaZebnik wrote screenplays for several Disney and DreamWorks animated features, including POCAHONTAS, MULAN and THE PRINCE OF EGYPT. After moving to Denmark, he has written numerous films and TV series throughout Europe. Though the budgets of the European films are much smaller than the large studio movies in LA, LaZebnik uses the same screenwriting tools, and he will share his insights into story structure, character development and his writer’s process, material he covers in greater detail in the Kids Kino.Lab workshop, for which he is a mentor.
Some of the topics LaZebnik will discuss will include the following among others: how there’s no substitute for an individual creative vision. The importance of the story development process. The role that the audience plays in a film. How screenwriters have to be ruthless with their own creations. How he uses Jason Alexander’s Actor’s questions when writing scenes. And the single most important factor in a filmmaker’s success. The masterclass will be followed by a Q&A session.
All the webinars will be hosted by Maciej Jakubczyk, Head of Kids Kino IFF & Viola Gabrielli, Head of Programme, Kids Kino Industry, New Horizons Association, and Katarzyna Janiak, Project Manager, Kids Kino Industry, New Horizons Association.
HOW CAN YOU JOIN THE EVENTS?
There is no registration. All the webinars will be held online (on the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia YouTube channel) and are open for public. We hope to see you all!
The webinars will be conducted in English. In case of any difficulties, please contact: a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #e8a05d;" title="Polish Film Festival in Gdynia is the most important film event in the country and one of the oldest film events in Europe, which promotes the Polish cinematography on such a wide scale. Each year, the PFF audience can familiarize themselves with the most recent Polish productions. The most interesting Polish films, premieres, debuts and international film festivals’ prizewinners compete over the Golden Lions and Silver Lions as well as a number of individual awards. The film programme is accompanied by the Industry programme.
NEXT KIDS KINO INDUSTRY TALKS
On Tuesday, December 15th we are organising the second KKI Talks webinar. Keep your eyes peeled! More information and registration form will be available on our website very soon.
The Kids Kino Industry is co-financed by the Creative Europe-MEDIA, Polish Film Institute and Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
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