01-03-2016

Launch of the first session of EKRAN+ 2016 Read about chosen projects!

    EKRAN+ is a 22-day project based professional training programme, primarily designed for directors/writer-directors, focusing on the vision of their future film. This vision is elaborated through the combination of three major elements: the script, the audiovisual components and the collaboration with the other professionals involved in the shooting of the film.

    EKRAN+ focuses participants on exploring, identifying and refining the tone and visual language of film. EKRAN+ aims at advancing participants’ treatments/scripts and producing two scenes from each script/treatment. Every participating project is represented by a Creative Team consisting of a director (or writer/director), a writer (or co-writer), a director of photography and producer.

    February 29 the first session of the EKRAN+ European Training Programme 2016 will begin. 9 projects from Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Croatia, Austria and Switzerland will take part in this year's edition:
    • 'Blok 62' (dir. Vanja Vascarac, prod. Antitalent d.o.o., Croatia)
    • 'Cops' (dir. Stefan Lukacs, prod. Golden Girls Filmproduktion, Austria)
    • 'Corcovado Borealis' (dir. Karolis Kaupinis, prod. Ciobreliai, Lithuania)
    • 'Downshifting' (dir. Victoria Trofimenko, prod. Directory Films, Ukraine)
    • 'Love Images' (Tomasz Wiński, prod. Pink Productions, Poland/Czech Republic)
    • 'The Man with the Magic Box' (dir. Bodo Kox, prod. Alter Ego Pictures, Poland)
    • 'Mother' (dir. Alexander Czenczek, prod. Braidmade Films, Poland/Great Britain)
    • 'One Hundred Days' (dir. Moritz Gerber, prod. Cineworx Filmproduktion, Switzerland/Germany)
    • 'We Are Doing Well' (dir. Piet Baumgartner, prod. Dschoint Ventschr Production, Switzerland)

    During the first session, which will last until March 3, participants will analyze their treatments, take part in pitching sessions, make visual presentations of their projects and also prepare for the 2nd and 3rd session under the direction of Wojciech Marczewski, Udayan Prasad and Denijal Hasanović. Participants will choose film locations and actors for their scenes. They meet the acclaimed Polish casting director Piotr Bartuszek ('Walser', dir. Zbigniew Libera,  'Walpurgis Night', dir. Marcin Bortkiewicz, 'United States of Love', dir. Tomasz Wasilewski) and experienced art designer Anna Wunderlich (winner of the Polish Film Awards for the art direction for 'Papusza' by Krzysztof Krauze & Joanna Kos-Krauze, lately the art director at 'The Erlprince' by Kuba Czekaj).

    Below you can read biograms of the participants and brief synopses of projects in development.

    'Blok 62', dir. Vanja Vascarac

    Yugoslavia 1962: After a series of strange suicides in a newly built housing project, Communist officials start an investigation. As the lead investigator Ivan starts doubting his reason and suspecting a possible demonic possession of a little girl, party officials decides to hire a Catholic priest. Working together on the case makes them confront themselves and secrets they both hold from the WWII era.
    Vanja Vascarac (director/writer) - Born in 1980. Croatian filmmaker, educated in The United States (BFA, Savannah College of Art & Design). He directed a number of shorts – Insomniac (2002, Cannes Film Festival/Director's Fortnight), Wayking (2003), Carver is Dead (2012) and others. His feature documentary on house music Papaya Make Some Noise (2013) has garnered awards and has been travelling the festival circuit in 2014. Keeping himself busy, he directed over a hundred music videos, fashion films and commercial spots for clients like T-mobile, Vodafone, Societe General and Sony Asia Pacific. Blok 62 is his narrative feature film debut.
    EKRAN+ team: Stjepan Hundic (producer)

    'Cops', dir. Stefan Lukacs

    Young and eager police recruit Chris shoots a mentally ill man on duty. He is celebrated a hero, but soon after, traumatic symptoms begin to surface. In a desperate attempt not to be exposed by his tough superior Konstantin, he resorts to excessive violence, in order to hide his trauma and fulfill his dream of becoming an elite cop.

    Stefan Lukacs (director/writer) - Born in Vienna, Austria in November of 1982. He graduated from New York Film Academy in 2002 and has since worked as a writer, director and producer nationally and abroad. His works include creative documentaries, short & feature-length fiction and above & below the line advertisement. In 2008 he co-founded NonPlus Filmproduktion; he's a member of the Austrian Directors' Association (ADA).

    EKRAN+ team: Arash Riahi (producer), Karin Berger (producer)

    'Corcovado Borealis', dir. Karolis Kaupinis

    An ambassador searching for his country and citizens.

    Karolis Kaupinis (director/writer) - born in Vilnius, 1987. Karolis Kaupinis graduated from Vilnius University with MA in Comparative Politics. Since the end of his studies Kaupinis has been working a presenter and editor of a weekly show devoted for current political affairs in Lithuanian National TV. His first short first short fiction film ''The Noisemaker'' was selected to Pardi di domani competion in Locarno film festival and has been screened at more than 30 international film festivals ever since, also wining two Lithuanian Film Academy awards ''Silver Crane'' for the best short fiction film and the best actor of the year in 2015. Kaupinis' second short ''Watchkeeping'' is currently in post-production.

    EKRAN+ team:Marija Razgute (producer), Simonas Glinskis (DoP)

    'Downshifting', dir. Victoria Trofimenko

    Extravagant London-based artist, who just became the author of the most expensive painting in the world, and his abortion doctor friend, who served him as a model, decide to improve their karma and to organize charity projects in the poorest Indian regions. On their way through India, they suffer train derailment, which makes them figures on the karma chessboard.

    Victoria Trofimenko (director/writer) - Born in 1979. Studied directing Kyiv National University of Theatre, Film and TV . Earlier she was graduated as tourism manager at Kyiv National University of Culture and Art. Since 2005 she starts to work at TV, shooting numbers of feature documentary films. At 2008 she wrote her first feature full length script “Brothers. The final confession” based on Swedish bestseller by Torgny Lindgen "Sweetness". At 2013 the film “Brothers. The final confession", directed by Victoria was released. The film won numbers of prizes at international film festivals (including group “A” film festivals), it was sold in different countries and still is in it’s distribution period. During her trip through India in 2014 she realized this is the place where she will shoot her next movie.

    Roman Horbyk (co-writer) - Born in Kyiv in 1985. He studied journalism, media and globalisation at the universities of Kyiv, Aarhus, Amsterdam and Hamburg. Since 2012, he has resided in Sweden where he pursues an academic career. Roman was shortlisted and won several prizes at Ukrainian festivals of contemporary drama. He was also shortlisted in the Ukrainian PEN Club New Voices Prize. He co-organised a few festivals both in Ukraine and Sweden.

    EKRAN+ team: Igor Savychenko (producer)

    'Love Images', dir. Tomasz Wiński

    A film about love that is dying but neither partner will admit it. Hana wants to leave. Petr doesn't want to lose her – he suggests that they should stay together in an open marriage. Petr's only condition is that they have to share all of their fantasies as well as stories of sexual encounters with other partners. Petr buys a camera for Hana to record her dates with lovers. Together they set up several rules for acceptable cheating – I want to know / hear / see / be there – and delve into increasingly rougher sexual experiments. Despite their seeming sincerity and good intentions, their relationship eventually deteriorates into aggression and self-destruction. In the end, their only bond is mutual hatred and a dark secret from the past. Will they be able to step out of the vicious circle of violence and reignite their love?

    Tomasz Wiński (director) - born in Poland. From 2003 to 2010 he studied film directing at the Film and TV Academy in Prague (FAMU). Prior to FAMU, he completed a 1-year directing course at the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing in Warsaw where he made two short films: 'We Have to Talk' (2002) and 'Happy Pair' (2003). At FAMU he directed five short films: 'I disappear' (2004), 'Something in the Engine' (2004), 'I See Myself' (2005), 'Attempt' (2005) and 'Mia' (2006). His thesis film 'Symptoms' (2011) won the award for Best Film and Best Feature Director at the 2011 Famufest.

    Hana Vagnerova (writer) - Czech actress. She studied at Academy of Performing Arts (DAMU) in Prague. Hana has been involved with many Prague theatres such as Kalich Theater (Divadlo Kalich), Vinohrady Theater (Divadlo na Vinohradech), A Studio Rubin Theater (A studio Rubín), Svandovo Theater (Švandovo divadlo), Theater Jatka 78 (Jatka 78) and has also participated at The Summer Shakespeare Festival. She has worked with a young generation of directors such as SKUTR, Daniel Spinar or Petra Tejnorova. Best known for her television work, where she appeared in many TV series ('Expozitúra', dir. Petr Kotek, Ivan Pokorný, 'Atentát', dir. Jiří Chlumský, Petr Nikolaev and others). She has appeared in feature films 'Hany' (dir. Michal Samir), 'Icing' ('Zakázané uvolnění', dir. Jan Hřebejk), 'Bathory' (dir. Juraj Jakubisko) and 'Bez Doteku' (dir. Matěj Chlupáček). Hana was awarded the TV Talent of the Year Award in 2011 and four years later, in 2015 she won the Best Acress Award at Finále Plzeň Film Festival for her role in the film 'Hany'.

    EKRAN+ team: Radovan Sibrt (producer), Lukas Milota (DoP)

    'The Man with the Magic Box', dir. Bodo Kox

    In a not so distant dystopian future, Adam moves into an old apartment block and finds himself time-travelling to the 1950's by listening to a strange radio, WHICH he discovers in a closet. When he gets stuck in the past his girlfriend Goria desperately tries to bring him back.

    Bodo Kox (director/writer) - born in 1977. A director, scriptwriter, performer. He has completed Journalism at the University of Wrocław and the “Studio Prób” at the Wajda’s School. He studies Directing at the Leon Schiller PWSFTViT in Łódź. He is numbered among the most important and expressive authors of the Polish independent cinema, where he gained the nickname of “off icon” and brought numerous awards. “The Girl from the Wardrobe”,  his professional cinema debut, a transition from “off” to “mainstream”, gained critics enthusiasm appreciation and many festival awards, such as Film Festival Debuts “Młodzi i Film”. The movie was selected to East of The West Competition in Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

    EKRAN+ team: Izabela Igel (producer), Arkadiusz Tomiak (DoP)

    'Mother', dir. Aleksandra Czenczek

    Tanya, a Polish nurse, starts a job in an English care home where she befriends and old lady Mary. Emotionally unstable, Tanya obsessively attaches herself to Mary and fights to adopt her as a loving mother that she never had.

    Aleksandra Czenczek (director/writer) - Born in Poland, graduated from L'Institut Européen du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel in France. Based in London since 2004, working as independent writer/director as well as a visual effects artist. In 2011 received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Graphic Design.. In 2012 co-wrote and directed micro budget feature film 'Dolls Can’t Cry', starring award winning actress Lara Belmont, which premiered in London and was subsequently screened at independent cinemas in the UK and Poland and at international festivals. In 2014 directed three short films; 'Brothers' and 'My Friend Ivor' won awards and were widely screened at international festivals. Currently working on a new feature film 'Mother' which was selected for Sources 2 Script Development Workshop in 2015 and FILMONOMICS – a UK film program in 2016.

    EKRAN+ team: Monika Braid (producer)

    'One Hundred Days', dir. Moritz Gerber

    In the early nineties, David Hohl, a young Swiss development worker, takes on his first assignment in Rwanda. Here, he hopes to help turn Africa – and the world – into a better place. Soon after, civil war breaks out. And David begins a journey into the heart of darkness.

    Moritz Gerber (director/writer) - Born in Bern in Switzerland on 20 May 1977. He attended the Freie Gymnasium and graduated in 1998 with the Matura Typus B. He was enrolled in the Film & Video program at Zurich University of the Arts from 1999 to 2004. In 2003, he spent an exchange semester at Kyoto University of Art and Design. Gerber completed his studies in 2004 with his award-winning thesis film Tiger Erdolchen. Gerber is working as a freelance writer and director. He completed his first feature film in 2008: Tag am Meer. In 2013, he wrote the script for the Tatort-episode Geburtstagskind. He lives in Zurich and Berlin.

    EKRAN+ team: Pascal Traechslin (producer), Gabriel Sandru (DoP)

    'We Are Doing Well', dir. Piet Baumgartner

    A family falls apart because they have never learned to communicate.

    Piet Baumgartner (director/writer) - Born in Dieterswil, Switzerland in 1984. Machinery draughtsman, TV reporter and journalism studies. Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in feature film directing at the Zurich University of the Arts. Job shadowing with Frank Castorf and René Pollesch. Short films at international film festivals, various theatre projects. Graduate of the DrehbuchWerkstatt Munich. Now freelance author and director.

    EKRAN+ team: Karin Koch (producer), Stefan Dux (DoP)

    WAJDA SCHOOL | WAJDA STUDIO
    more than a film school | more than a film studio
    Wajda School & Studio was created in 2001 by Andrzej Wajda and Wojciech Marczewski with a mission to provide professional training to Polish and international filmmakers on a master level. Thanks to the close co-operation and support from the Polish Film Institute Wajda Studio produced over 70 documentaries, short features directed by our graduates and over 300 school films awarded and recognized at numerous international film festivals. With a strong focus on local and cross country co-production, in 2012 Wajda Studio produced its first full feature international co-production "Sanctuary", a joint project with Ireland directed by Nora McGettigan. In 2013 Wajda Studio Produced "Joanna", a documentary that went to be one of the most awarded Polish productions of the decade and an Academy Award  nominee for "Best Short Subject" in 2015. Wajda Studio's new production "The Performer" directed by Maciej Sobieszczański and Łukasz Ronduda premiered international at IFF Rotterdam 2015 and IFF Berlin 2015, where it received the THINK: FILM AWARD.
    Last modified on 01-03-2016