Prague, January 17, 2011 – The 61st International Film Festival in Berlin
(February 10 – 20, 2011) has selected a total of three Czech films for its official program. Additionally, four Czech films and one trailer will be screened at the concurrent European Film Market (EFM).
The 41st International Forum of New Film selected a total of 39 films for its program this year. For the first time ever, it will feature three films from the Czech Republic: two feature debuts, The House (director: Zuzana Liová, CZ, SK, 2011) and Eighty Letters (director: Václav Kadrnka, CZ, 2011), and a documentary, Matchmaking Mayor (director: Erika Hníková, CZ, SK, 2010).

“I am very pleased to have three Czech films appearing in this year's Forum. This selection represents an interesting diversity, and confirms that the young generation of Czech filmmakers knows how to tell exciting stories,” adds Christoph Terhechte, director of the Forum.

Czech movies have been appearing in the Forum section since the nineties. Among those screened in the section, which aims to introduce the younger generation of filmmakers, especially new trends in world cinema and always works with political messages, were the documentary Sweet Century by Helena Třeštíková in 1999, The Key for Determining Dwarfs by Martin Šulík in 2003 and ... It's Gonna Get Worse by Petr Nikolaev in 2007. In 2008, Pavel Koutecký's Citizen Havel celebrated its international premiere.

More information about the films is available at: www.nesvatbov.cz, www.vaclavkadrnka.com and www.domfilm.sk.

At this year's EFM, which is an integral part of the festival, will be present a total of four Czech films, all of which were premiered in Czech theatres last year: Little Knights Tale (dir.: Karel Janák, represented by: NonStop Sales AB, SE); Kooky (dir.: Jan Svěrák, represented by: Fandango Portobella sales, GB); 3 Seasons in Hell (dir.: Tomáš Mašín, represented by: The Yellow Affair, SE/FI); Walking Too Fast (dir.: Radim Špaček, represented by: Bionaut, CZ); as well as the trailer for Leaving (dir.: Václav Havel, represented by: Simply Cinema, CZ)

Contact
Jana Černík – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Mobile: +420 724 32 99 49


Lenka Šindelářová
Czech Film Center - Film Promotion
____________________________
Národní 28, 110 00 Praha 1
tel: + 420 221 105 398
gsm: +420 604 307 605
fax: + 420 221 105 303
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.filmcenter.cz
www.filmovakomora.cz

EAST EUROPEAN FILM ALLIANCE, a consortium of Eastern European film organizations with the financial support of the MEDIA INTERNATIONAL Preparatory Action of the European Union launched its training program „EEFA Training Network 2010“ to be held during 2010. Consortium partners were RFS (Romanian Film Sector Association) – Romania, IFF Molodist (Kyiv International Film Festival Molodist) – Ukraine, ALTFilm (ALTFilm) – Moldova, ASA (Ankara Cinema Association) – Turkey, GEOPOLY (Geopoly Film) – Bulgaria, IFF Moscow (Moscow International Film Festival) – Russia, PÖFF Tallinn (PÖFF - Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival ) – Estonia, ReAnimania (ReAnimania Festival) – Armenia, GOLDEN APRICOT – Armenia, AATALANTA (A Atalanta Film Production S.A.) – Slovenia, NFC - National Film Centre of Latvia, and Georgian National Film Center – Georgia. In 2010, EEFA operated a one-year Training Network for its partners in the following countries: Russia, Armenia, and Estonia. Alongside our partners, this initiative was supported by Media International. EEFA TRAINING NETWORK was a platform for film professionals from the East European countries and EU neighboring countries, utilizing co-production projects as concrete means to gather talents and strengthen the wide regional film industry. EEFA TRAINING NETWORK created, developed and helped capitalization of opportunities for international co-productions between the Eastern and European partner countries, as well as with the established film markets in the EU, trying to inter-relate the existing platforms or markets. EEFA TRAINING NETWORK facilitated information exchange and stimulated market intelligence by establishing a wide professional network that makes effective use of the information regarding necessary working conditions, legal framework, systems of financing, systems of distribution/exhibition within the audiovisual markets in the partner countries. EEFA TRAINING NETWORK enhanced the competitiveness and international co-operation of the audio-visual sector of the East European partner countries in relationship with their European counterparts. EEFA TRAINING NETWORK fostered opportunities for cultural diversity, product exchange and circulation of audiovisual products among the partner countries and within the EU by offering access to an industry-standard professional network available for all its members. Learning targets and professional benefits Participants learned the elements needed for a viable film project and improved their skills in how to draft a professional film-script, how to produce a film, how to deal with the main legal issues, how to analyze target audiences and market potential of a film project.Participants improved their understanding of the film sector in their country as well as of the other partner countries in order to understand the basic requirements to enter into co-production. Participants gained concrete parameters as to how to develop their career further in film and/or audiovisual field, as well as how to improve their daily practice.Participants had a better understanding of the functioning and dynamics of the European and Eastern film markets. Training format and methodologyThe training was spanned on the duration of a year, and consisted of four phases:

• an on-line preparation phase during which all participants aligned themselves on key principles regarding the topics they worked upon, had interactive feedback in the form of questions and answers, and worked on assignments.

Participants received on-line a set of core concepts and a list of assignments before the workshops, in order to attend the training with an equal level of understanding and preparation for the live workshops.

• a live phase of spotlight meetings of the four basic film business crafts (screenwriters, producers, legal representatives, distribution representatives) in the form of residential workshops where initial assignments were evaluated and improved.

In the workshop, know-how input was given through lectures, case studies and screenings for all participants. In the plenary and in group sessions led by the trainers, participants discussed and analyzed specific topics or case studies. ProgramSession no. 1: “Scriptwriting/Development” - framework event : Moscow International Film Festival- where : Moscova (Rusia)- when: 20^th -22^nd of June 2010Session no. 2: “Management of the Film Production” - framework event : Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival- where : Yerevan (Armenia)- when: 14^th -16^th of July 2010Session no. 3: “Legal Bases of Co-productions” & “Film Distribution”- framework event : Baltic Nights Film Festival (POFF)- where : Tallin (Estonia)- when :1^st -6^th of December 2010 And framework event: Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale 2011)- where: Berlin (Germania)- when: 10^th - 19^th of February, 2011 In 2010, 14 projects were selected (potentially, one per each partner country) and then given access to the Training Network program. The participants applied in teams and with projects, and benefited of one year of online assistance for their projects coming out from European experts: Mr. Patrice Vivancos (GR/FR), Mrs. Lucy Scher (GB), Mr. Christian Routh (UK/SP), Mrs. Catherine Buresi (FR), Mrs. Linda Beath (CA/IT), Mrs. Marta Lamperova (CZ/DE), Mr. Dirk Poppendick (DE), Who could applyEEFA Project 2010 was open only for the film professionals who were residents of the 14 partner countries plus Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.The trainees for EEFA Training Network applied in project teams (producer, writer/director, legal expert, promotion expert) that shared the same long feature film project (fiction or documentary, more than 70 minutes) being in development phase at that moment. Application requirementsThe applications were evaluated taking into considerations both the quality of the submitted projects and the professional profiles of the members of the team.

• Indicative selection criteria for the submitted film project

- quality of the script;- international market potential;

• Indicative criteria for the members of the film project

Selection procedure Selection criteria for producers were: either to have produced a minimum of two hours of audiovisual programs (any format and genre, no matter whether through their own or a third entity) or to have a sound business and managerial experience in any other field. They needed to be currently working in their country on project where they had teamed up with the writer/director. Selection criteria for writers or directors were: to have written and/or directed at least two hours of audiovisual program (any format and genre). They needed to be currently working in their country on project where they had teamed up with the producer. Selection criteria for legal experts were: at least three years of professional activity, preferably with experience linked to the film sector and intellectual property law. They needed to be currently working in their country on project where they had teamed up with the producer. Selection criteria for promotion expert were: at least three years of professional activity in film marketing/promotion. They needed to be currently working in their country on project where they had teamed up with the producer. Submitting the documentsThe application package was drafted only in English and contained: · Application form (properly filled in and signed);· CVs for each member of the team: producer, writer/director, legal experts, promotion expert. Each CV had to be updated with relevant information regarding the experience in cinematography industry or related fields and had to contain a photo in pdf or jpg format.· Long feature film project (fiction or documentary, more than 70 minutes) folder, which included: - synopsis (one page);- treatment (maximum 10 pages);- draft budget and financing plan (in euros; one page each);- draft distribution plan (one page).· A motivation letter signed by the Producer, containing a brief description of the production company and which had to provide arguments sustaining the interest of the team in participating within EEFA Training Network 2010. EEFA Training Network provided all technical support for an easy and secure application procedure. All documents were sent via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The East European Film Alliance was supported in 2010 by Media International Preparatory Action (an EU program aiming the development of the audiovisual industry in partnership with non-EU countries), by the FilmNewEurope website and the MAQS Law Firm. CoordinatorCATALIN LEESCUEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Mobile: +40 753 125 237

Press Release / Pressemitteilung

Prominent Experts at the Berlinale Talent Campus #9:
Danis Tanović, Janus Metz, Samuel Maoz, Shekhar Kapur and Alex McDowell
“Filming War” — Panel with filmmakers Danis Tanović, Janus Metz and Samuel Maoz
No other events have influenced the narrative structures and aesthetic of films so much as the wars of the 20th and 21st centuries. High pressure and life-risking situations are inherent to filmmaking processes that depict war and crisis situations, whether they are fiction or documentary. During the ninth Berlinale Talent Campus, three outstanding filmmakers will reflect on how war is depicted in film: Danis Tanović, who received an Oscar® in 2002 for No Man's Land, Janus Metz, who won the 2010 Grand Prix at the International Critics' Week of the Cannes Film Festival for his documentary Armadillo, and Samuel Maoz, Israeli director and script writer, who bagged a Golden Lion in Venice 2009 and recently won two European Film Awards for Lebanon.

“Play as Process: Worldbuilding and New Ways to Imagine” — Panel with production designer Alex McDowell, director Shekhar Kapur, and others
Play is a process that acknowledges the creative chaos inherent to developing storytelling worlds. New digital immersive tools of our time are like a toy box for ideas. How can we use these digital tools to create narrative play-spaces in which both audience and creator can be immersed in collaborative experience? Since the 90s, production designer Alex McDowell has indisputably set new standards with the imaginary worlds he created for films like Fight Club, Minority Report, and Watchmen. Shekhar Kapur, the award-winning director of Bandit Queen and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, has developed his creative expression across the broad range of narrative media, from comic books to architecture. Together, McDowell and Kapur will offer Campus audiences an insight into the playful process behind building narrative worlds in virtual film space. Both filmmakers, together with experience designer Tali Krakowsky, and artist Andrew Shoben, are members of the 5D Conference - an association of designers, scientists, artists, entertainment media practitioners and academics that come together to explore current trends in designing for film and new media.

The Berlinale Talent Campus is an initiative of the Berlin International Film Festival, a business division of the Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin GmbH, funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media upon a decision of the German Bundestag, in co-operation with MEDIA - Training programme of the European Union and Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.

January 13, 2011
as pdf-file download on our website:
http://www.berlinale.de/en/presse/pressemitteilungen/alle/Alle-Detail_8276.html

DELPHIC ART MOVIE AWARD
Berlin / Germany: March 9th to 13th, 2011
Contest for documentary short films about artistic achievements (max. duration: 10 min)
The films should be intended to document, to inform, to inspire and to encourage the enthusiasm and understanding of art. Every artistic field is included, from the contemporary avant-garde to the preservation of traditions and the cultural heritage. Also welcome are short versions of older full length documentaries!
We're looking for documentaries of art and artists, which may include artistic elements. Currently we are not looking for films in the sense of video art or self-expression by artists.
Register now - No Entry Fee
Submission Deadline: DVD’s can be sent in until February 20th, 2011, to the IDC Head Office Berlin
For further information, the contest announcement and the registration form see:
http://www.delphic.org/art-movie-award

Cultural diversity is one of the most valuable results of human existence. It is an inexhaustible source of innovation and development. Intercultural dialogue largely contributes to the preservation and advancement of cultural diversity and the peaceful coexistence of peoples. Art, the most impressive manifestation of culture, has always furthered mutual understanding and respect across borders. For this reason the International Delphic Council has initiated the international contest for documentary short films called DELPHIC ART MOVIE AWARD.
Show the Power of Art – Develop the Intercultural Dialogue!

What makes art fascinating?
Which artistic achievements have coined the culture of a country in the last 10 years?
What do national identity and tradition mean to contemporary art?
How can enthusiasm for art be conveyed to an uninvolved audience?

Answers to these questions are expected from the contest contributions of the DELPHIC ART MOVIE AWARD 2011.
The nominated films will be shown to the public at the ITB. The award ceremony will take place at the “Palais am Funkturm” during the final show of the ITB Berlin 2011 on March 13th.

www.delphic-art-movie-award.com

Thomas Tyllack
Coordinator
Delphic Art Movie Award
International Delphic Council / Head Office
Berliner Str. 19 A
D-13189 Berlin
Germany
Tel.: (+49) 30 / 47 300 171
Fax: (+49) 30 / 47 300 173
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CineLink 2011 Call for Entries

Produced by Dzintars Dreibergs, Ilona Bicevska (Estonia, Latvia)

Twenty years ago, the Soviet Union collapsed - the largest country in the world, the symbol of Communism. Fifteen republics that were part of the Soviet system were swept by the dramatic events that changed people's lives. Who are these "children of change"?

Apply for Ex Oriente Film and attend the year-long workshop to develop your creative documentary project.
Application deadline: January 15, 2011.

TIES THAT BIND - ASIA / EUROPE PRODUCERS WORKSHOP

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
For the third time in 2011 and after the great success in 2010, Ties That Bind - EAVE Asia-Europe Producers Workshop will be organised again in 2011 in partnership with FVG Audiovisual Fund, EAVE, Udine Fareast Film Festival and Pusan International Film Festival / Pusan Promotion Plan.

Ties That Bind 2011 will consist of two workshops, workshop 1 taking place in Udine (Italy) between May 3-7, 2011 within the framework of the Udine Far East Film Festival (April 29 - May 7, 2011) and workshop 2 being organized from October 10-13, 2011 during the Pusan International Film Festival (October 6-14, 2011) in South Korea.

The workshops will bring together 10 film producers from Asian and European countries. Each producer will be selected together with a feature film project in development and will work with leading industry experts from both continents during the two workshops. Amongst a range of issues, sessions will focus on script development, co-production between Asia and Europe, financing in the two regions, marketing and promotion, and the legal aspects of co-production. The workshop participants will work together as a group, as well as through individual consultation, and will have the unusual opportunity to get to know each other very well with the object of forming long term creative and business partnerships and networks. The programme will culminate in Pusan in October 2011 with meetings between the participants and leading Asian and European funders and sales agents.

The workshop will enable feature film producers from both continents to work together in two four-day workshops and will offer the 10 selected participants:

- top level professional and project development,
- work on the comprehensive development of European and Asian projects,
- cooperation and co-production on these and future projects,
- the creation of in-depth awareness of the audiovisual market and operating conditions, legal frameworks, financing, sales, distribution and exhibition practices in both continents,
- networking between the participants and their companies to create medium and long term informational co-financing and co-production relationships,
- access to a network of producers, markets, festivals and decision makers in both continents.

Target group:
Experienced feature film producers from Asia (Japan, Korea, China incl. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia) and Europe wishing to work on an international scale and to create long term creative and business relationships between Europe and Asia. Interested producers should apply with a feature film project in development stage. European producers applying must be able to demonstrate a clear involvement with Asia and vice versa.

Project criteria:
- feature-length fiction film (for theatrical release)
- projects suitable for an international co-production and looking for co-producers
- preferably a minimum of 20% should be in place
- projects suggested by European applicants should have a link to Asia (thematic, cultural, technical) and the producer should be motivated to work with / in Asia and vice versa
- projects suggested by Asian applicants should have a potential for co-production and vice versa
- producer must have completed at least one film released theatrically in the last 3 years
- 1st draft of the script available in English for the workshop

Application documents:
- completed submission form (available for download on www.eave.org)
- synopsis & treatment (8-10 pages)
- CV of the producer and the director
- profile of the production company
- note of intention of the producer & note of intention of the director
- motivation letter (1 page)
- previous works of the director
Scripts are to be sent only on request.
All documents have to be sent in English - the working language of the workshop will be English.

Participation fees & conditions:
The participation at EAVE Ties That Bind is free of charge. Each participant will be offered accommodation during the workshop stay (full board including meals). In addition, we will offer a number of partial scholarships to contribute to the travel costs.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: February 28, 2011.
The selection will be made by a selection committee and will be published by the end of March, 2011.

For further information and the application form please contact:
For all applications: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.eave.org

Best regards, The EAVE team

Two TVP's productions: a drama „The Tail Operation" by Ewa Pytka and a documentary „My Father, the Iron Curtain and Me" by Krzysztof Rzączyński have been nominated for the just announced History Makers Awards 2011. The gala ceremony of the 2011 edition of the Awards will take place in New York on January 28th.

The winning films of the 16^th Festival on Wheels have been announced. Of the nine titles which competed in the Festival, Olivier Masset-Depasse's Illegal took the Golden Bull Award. The Silver Bull Award went to Chongqing Blues, while Tayfun Pirselimoğlu's Hair received a Special Mention. The SİYAD (Turkish Critics' Association) Prize was awarded to Bibliothèque Pascal.