For all those who woke up late and missed the deadline of the 30th June, good news: there are still a few places available to attend the next 4-day European VoD Meetings in Venice, during the Venice Film Festival. The extended deadline is until July 14th ! There are also a very limited number of scholarships available, thanks to the support of the MEDIA programme, and some rebates available thanks to our partners, such as EAVE with a 200€ rebate for its members.

For the first time EuroVoD is organizing a VoD Market Day in Venice on September 3rd on San Servolo Island. A full day centered around the current VoD landscape with, in the morning, conferences on trends, evolution and tech innovation that will open to people. A VoD Market and networking event will take place in the afternoon. Participants to the European VoD Meetings will automatically attend and announcements will be made soon on how to sign up for this unique event. For more information, contact us:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Our next General Assembly will take place in Venice, on San Servolo island, on September 6th, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, following the European VoD Meetings. EuroVoD members willing to attend have to confirm their presence to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

NEWS FROM THE EUROPEAN AUDIOVISUAL OBSERVATORY

Advisory Committee

Call for application

04/07: Call for proposals: Preparatory Action "Cinemas as Innovation Hubs for Local Communities" – European Commission

The Commission is launching a 2M € call for proposals to create innovative cultural hubs around cinema theatres, notably in areas where there is limited cinema and cultural infrastructure.

EU Geo-Blocking Regulation

27/06: Digital Single Market: Survey shows Europeans are well aware of rules against unjustified geo-blocking – European Commission

Seven months after new rules against unjustified geo-blocking began to apply, general consumer awareness of the new rules against restrictions for online shopping and cross-border sales is already high.

EU Top Jobs

03/07: EU Top jobs: Class of 2019 biographies – The Parliament Magazine

The European Council discussed and agreed on nominations for the EU's top jobs at the Special European Council on 30 June, 1 and 2 July 2019 in Brussels. The European Council elected Charles Michel as the new President of the European Council and proposed Ursula von der Leyen as candidate for the President of the European Commission.

European Parliament

03/07: The new European Parliament Vice-Presidents – European Parliament

All 14 European Parliament Vice-Presidents were elected in three rounds of voting for a two-and-a-half-year term. Eleven Vice-Presidents were elected in the first ballot, two in the second and the remaining one by a relative majority in the third.

04/07: Full members of the Culture and Education Committee announced – European Parliament

MEPs approved the size of all Parliament’s committees and subcommittees. The Committee on Culture and Education will consist of 31 MEPs.

04/07: EP Quaestors elected, Parliament Bureau complete – European Parliament

The five new Quaestors for the first two and a half years of the 9th legislative term were elected by acclamation in Strasbourg.

02/07: Parliament starts new term with seven political groups – European Parliament

Ever since the results of the European elections have been in, newly-elected MEPs have been organising themselves into political groups, which bring together representatives from different EU countries based on their political affinities. MEPs have formed seven political group.

Creative Europe Media

/07: Creative Europe MEDIA publishes an overview of good gender practices – EAO Newsletter

During the 72nd Cannes Film Festival, the European Commission, represented by Creative Europe MEDIA, launched the first edition of “Women on the Move” day, unveiling a brochure summarising gender-equality good practices followed by the EU’s audiovisual industry and policymakers.

Events

10 July: CULT, JURI, ITRE, IMCO Committees’ constitutive meetings, Brussels
15-18 July: Second European Parliament Plenary, Strasbourg
16 July: European Parliament vote on Commission Presidency, Strasbourg
10-11 September: Finnish Presidency conference - Creation, innovation and promotion – competitiveness of European audiovisual industry, Helsinki
25-26 September: EUIPO Observatory PLenary Meeting, Alicante
September/October: Hearings of candidate Commissioners
October/November: Election of new European Commission
1 November: European Commission comes into office

Kids Kino.Lab development programme – call for applications is now open!

You can now submit your project for Kids Kino.Lab workshops! 

Kids Kino.Lab ​ it's an international development programme for ​film projects​ and ​TV series​ for young audience. It is dedicated to script writers and producers who are interested in developing their film (​live action, animation or documentary​) or a TV series from a concept to a highly advanced script stage and initial production assumptions. For submissions we invite filmmakers from ​Belgium​, ​Czech Republic​, ​Greece​ and ​Poland​. 

Submission deadline: 30th of September. 

Former Kids Film.Pro goes international as Kids Kino.Lab 

The project started as Kids Film.Pro in 2014 and was limited just to Polish projects. This year’s edition will turn into an international workshop under a new name: Kids Kino.Lab and it includes partnership countries. We are happy to introduce our partners: 

• International Young Audience Film Festival Ale Kino!, Poznań, Poland 
• JE.F Festival, Antwerp, Belgium 
• Zlin Film Festival, Zlin, Czech Republic 
• Athens International Children’s Film Festival, Athens, Greece 

Kids Kino.Lab works with ​12 teams ​(scriptwriter and producer) including ​4 series and 8 feature films​ on participants ideas. Our goal is to develop the script form short synopsis (budget, financing and promotion plan). 

Schedule 

This years edition of Kids Kino.Lab will consist of ​4 stationary workshop​ sessions and at least 3 on-line sessions.​ The workshops will be conducted in English only on the following months: 

• November/December 2019, Poznań, International Young Audience Film Festival Ale Kino! 
• March 2020, Antwerp, JEF festival
• May 2020, Zlin, Zlin Film Festival
• August 2020, Athens, Athens International Children’s Film Festival
• Selected projects will be presented at the ​Warsaw Kids Film Forum ​2020 – an international co-production forum, which is an industry part of​ ​Kids Film Festival​.

Rules 

• This year we accept projects from our partnership countries: ​Czech Republic, Belgium, Greece​ and ​Poland​. 
• We do accept both feature films and tv series projects in all the categories: animations/ documentaries/ live-actions.
• No​ short films and tv specials are accepted. 
• Workshops will be leaded ​just in English​. 
• The cost of the programme is ​1600 EUR per team​. 
• As the organizer we cover the accommodation and food for participants. 
• The travel costs are on the participant’s side. 
• The workshops is aimed for teams: ​producer + scriptwriter​. 

Our experts 

Kirsten Bonnen Rask​ – feature films script Tutor. 

Kirsten is an experienced script consultant in all formats – shorts, features, TV series, and documentaries for adults as well as for children. 

​Armin Prediger​ – series script Tutor. 

Armin has worked in the film industry for 25 years, 18 of those as a writer, head writer and script editor in live-action and animation. 

​Ronald Kruschak​ – producer’s Tutor. 

Germany-based producer, writer and tutor/lecturer with a track record of twenty years of filmmaking focusing on Family Entertainment. 

Philip LaZebnik​ – feature films script Tutor. 

Philip is a screenwriter, writer of plays and a screenwriting consultant. Originally associated with Disney Studios and Dream Works. His screenwriting credits include Mulan and Pocahontas for Disney, and The Prince of Egypt and The Road to El Dorado for DreamWorks, among many others.

10th edition of New Horizons Studio+ will take place on 27th -30th July during 19th New Horizons International Film Festival (25th July - 4th August).

New Horizons Studio+, organized by the New Horizons Association and Creative Europe Desk Poland is a training programme for directors and producers developing their first or second feature film. It involves four days of workshops and lectures on various aspects related to the promotion and development of projects. 

This year we selected 10 director-producer duets, including 5 projects from Poland and 5 from Austria, Denmark, Romania, Ukraine and Serbia.

This year's lineup of lecturers includes the following outstanding experts:  David Pope (London Film Academy), sales agent Hédi Zardi – CEO of Luxbox, Michael Arnon (EAVE) representing Wolf Consultants, Aranka Matits (EAVE) from Featurette and Mathias Noschis from Alphapanda.

Partners of the event are: EAVE- one of the leading professional training, project development and networking organization in Europe, the organizer of the EAVE Producers Workshop and the EAVE Marketing Workshop; London Film Academy, Ale kino+, British Council, Romanian Institute of Culture, Netherlands Embassy in Warsaw and Austrian Cultural Forum.

Media partners include Ale kino+, Film & TV Kamera, Film Pro and Film New Europe.

Below is a full list of selected participants and projects. Heartfelt congratulations to everyone!

Pray for Peace, Train for War
dir. Agnieszka Elbanowska / prod. Bartek Gliński (Poland)

Prime Time 
dir. Jakub Piątek / prod. Jakub Razowski (Poland)

Other Life 
dir. Damian Kocur / prod. Magdalena Kamińska (Poland)

The Root Crown
dir. Katarzyna Gondek /prod. Paweł Kosuń (Poland)

More 
dir. Bartłomiej Żmuda / prod. Przemysław Miękinia (Poland)

Swimming Pool  (Austria)
dir. Filip Antoni Malinowski / prod. Jürgen Karasek 

The Quiet Migration  (Denmark)
dir. Malene Choi Jensen / prod. Maria Møller Kjeldgaard

How is Katia? (Ukraine) 
dir. Christina Tynkevych / prod. Olha Matat 

Summer Nights, Morning Haze (Serbia)
dir. Svetislav Dragomirović / prod. Nevena Savić 

Horia (Romania)
dir. Ana-Maria Comanescu / prod. Carla Fotea

The 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, a non-specialized festival with three competitive categories, took place from June 28th to July 6th this year. It was organized by Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary, a.s., with Jiří Bartoška as president of the festival and Karel Och as an artistic director. The 55th Karlovy Vary IFF will be held from July 3rd to July 11th 2020. On July 6th 2019, the festival’s juries presented awards for the best films at the closing ceremony of the 54th Karlovy Vary IFF.

OFFICIAL SELECTION – COMPETITION

GRAND JURY

Štěpán Hulík, Czech Republic

Annemarie Jacir, State of Palestine

Sergei Loznitsa, Ukraine

Angeliki Papoulia, Greece

Charles Tesson, France

GRAND PRIX – CRYSTAL GLOBE (25 000 USD)

The financial award is shared equally by the director and producer of the award-winning film.

The Father / Bashtata

Directed by: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov

Bulgaria, Greece, 2019  

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (15 000 USD)

The financial award is shared equally by the director and producer of the award-winning film.  

Lara / Lara

Directed by: Jan-Ole Gerster

Germany, 2019  

BEST DIRECTOR AWARD  

Tim Mielants for the film Patrick / De Patrick

Belgium, 2019

BEST ACTRESS AWARD 

Corinna Harfouch for her role in the film Lara / Lara

Directed by: Jan-Ole Gerster

Germany, 2019

BEST ACTOR AWARD 

Milan Ondrík for his role in the film Let There Be Light / Nech je svetlo

Directed by: Marko Škop Slovak Republic,

Czech Republic, 2019  

SPECIAL JURY MENTION  

The August Virgin / La virgen de agosto

Directed by: Jonás Trueba

Spain, 2019  

SPECIAL JURY MENTION  

Promissing new talent Antonia Giesen for her role in the film The Man of the Future / El hombre del futuro

Directed by: Felipe Ríos Chile,

Argentina, 2019

The full final press release is available here.

AWARD OF INTERNATIONAL FILM CRITICS

Awarded by The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI)

FIPRESCI JURY

Hugo Emmerzael, Netherlands

Viktor Palák, Czech Republic

Ana Sturm, Slovenia

The August Virgin / La virgen de agosto

Directed by: Jonás Trueba

Spain, 2019

The award goes to a modest, unpretentious film skilfully opening a number of issues and tackling a range of emotions while maintaining an inspiringly positive worldview.

THE ECUMENICAL JURY AWARD

THE ECUMENICAL JURY

Alyda Faber, Canada

Martin Horálek, Czech Republic

Peter Sheehan, Australia

Lara / Lara

Directed by: Jan-Ole Gerster

Germany, 2019

A well-acted and intelligently directed film of a depressed mother's psychological humiliation of her composermusician son. The interactions of mother and son dramatically and dynamically capture their alienation, and shows signs of movement toward positive resolution.

Ecumenical Jury Commendation

Let There Be Light / Nech je svetlo

Directed by: Marko Škop

Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2019

This film is structured around a mesh of wrong-doings that implicate a family, a traditional village community, and its cultural and religious practices. In a stimulating and arresting way, it compels the viewer to reexamine moral responsibilities in a context of complex entanglements of violence.

FEDEORA AWARD

Federation of Film Critics of Europe and the Mediterranean for the best film from East of the West – Competition section.

FEDEORA JURY

Maja Bogojević, Monte Negro

Pavlina Jeleva, Bulgaria

Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi, Italy

Passed by Censor / Görülmüştür

Directed by: Serhat Karaaslan

Turkey, Germany, France, 2018

For the empathetic approach to the exploration of universal topics such as oppressive regimes and censorship, and for playing with the ambiguity of how obsessive creativity may impact social reality.

FEDEORA JURY Special Mention

Aga's House / Shpia e Agës

Directed by: Lendita Zeqiraj Cosovo, Croatia, France, Albania 2018

For daring and nuanced filmmaking which conveys a complex and touching women's story seen through a child's eyes.

EUROPA CINEMAS LABEL AWARD

For the best European film in the Official Selection – Competition and in the East of the West – Competition.

EUROPA CINEMAS LABEL JURY

Maarten Alexander, Belgium

Carinzia Camilleri, Malta

Éva Demeter, Hungary

Denis Samardžić, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Scandinavian Silence / Skandinaavia vaikus

Directed by: Martti Helde

Estonia, France, Belgium, 2019

The Europa Cinemas Label of the 54th Karlovy Vary Film Festival is awarded to a film by a young Estonian director who engages its audience through an exceptional cinematic journey. The story of a troubled sibling relationship unfolds via different variations of silence. The viewer is not only engaged throughout the story by impressive camera work and outstanding music but also by a pure cinematic approach, a powerful script and an original narrative. Therefore, the jury decided unanimously to award the Europa Cinemas Label to the film Scandinavian Silence by director Martti Helde, part of the East of the West Competition. We look forward to see this amazing film reach audiences all over Europe.

First Cut Lab, the workshop for fiction feature films in editing phase run by Tatino Films, will enhance its support through a new program addition called First Cut+ with the support of the Access to Market scheme of Creative Europe’s MEDIA program. First Cut+ will promote a portfolio of 16 fiction feature films in post-production from low production capacity countries with a focus on Central & Eastern Europe. First Cut+ is the only brand-new action to receive financial support from the Access to Markets scheme this year.

So far 30 films have been supported through First Cut Lab, mostly from the CEE region. To further assist the films to reach their audiences, First Cut Lab director Matthieu Darras has created First Cut+. The program will provide additional support to First Cut Lab alumni projects as well as from partners MIDPOINT “Feature Launch” and Groupe Ouest’s “LIM” by offering them marketing and promotion consultancy and visibility at the region’s leading industry events KVIFF Eastern Promises and When East Meets West co-production platform.

The feature films in the portfolio will take part in several activities to further increase their competitiveness and marketability; a series of tailor-made individual consultations with industry experts on marketing, promotion, audience design and social media followed by a Work-in-Progress presentation. After this they will be offered one-to-one meetings, to increase opportunities of sales and international circulation. Industry consultants that will be part of the First Cut+ program include for example international publicists Laurin Dietrich and Michael Arnon of WOLF, Alexis Hoffman of BAC Films, and festival strategist Ilaria Gomascara of Pyramide International.

Fitting seamlessly into the already established frame of First Cut Lab’s international hubs Trieste and Karlovy Vary, 8 films - half of the portfolio - will be promoted during the winter session in Trieste in January 2020, and another half during the summer session in Karlovy Vary in July 2020, in addition to the regular First Cut Lab workshops.

Through the whole trajectory of selecting projects in very early editing phase and support them all the way to their release and after, makes the complete First Cut Lab and First Cut+ program unique in the film industry. The combined program now provides fundamental support through the whole postproduction process and is the first complete preparation for a Work-In-Progress screening that currently exists. The First Cut+ portfolio will contain the most exciting new names and projects from the CEE region in 2020!

The First Cut+ initiative will be officially launched and presented at the Karlovy Vary IFF at 5 p.m. on July 2, 2019 at the Press Room.