Kids Kino Industry, Warsaw-based international co-production forum for filsm and series for young audience, together with ITFS – Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film and Animation Production Days, would like to invite animators and industry representatives to join our live webinar on 3rd of May, 4-5 PM, CEST: SMART COLLABORATION – Embracing New Technical Tools in Animation. The free registration for this session is open.

SMART COLLABORATION – Embracing New Technical Tools in Animation

In this second year of KKI Talks at the ITFS and APD, we want to take a deeper look at how new tools and technologies can be an enriching driving force in international co-sector and cross-sector collaboration and take a glimpse into the future of storytelling using such technologies. Our speakers Kim Adams and Julia Parfitt (Nexus Studios London / Los Angeles) and Phil Stewart (Head of Realtime, Blue Zoo, London) have been experimenting with tools such as Unity, Unreal and Blender and will share case studies to demonstrate the opportunities that these new tools can bring and how they can affect storytelling in animation. They will also discuss the pros and cons of integrating them into the production pipeline.

Meet our panelists

Kim Adams, Director of Real Time Production, Nexus Studios, USA, where she is leading studio initiatives in real-time animation production across original TV and film, branded content and immersive storytelling, and supporting the growth of Nexus Interactive Arts.

She is the Co-Founder of Adventure Lab, a social VR platform that connects audiences with virtual, live hosted, interactive adventures.

Before that, Kim led a team at Facebook in developing the AR “Storytime” app for Facebook’s Portal video device. Kim was the Head of Production and Executive Producer at Oculus Story Studio, shepherding the development of the Emmy Award-winning narrative VR project, ‘Wolves in the Walls’. Previous to that, Kim was at Google Spotlight Stories, and Pixar Animation Studios. Working between Walt Disney Studio, Pixar Canada, and Pixar, Kim produced 13 short films within the beloved ‘Toy Story’ and ‘Cars’ franchises. Previous to Pixar, Kim served as a visual effects producer on several films including ‘Apocalypto’, and worked on the Oscar-nominated visual effects for ‘Master and Commander’.

Julia Parfitt, Executive Producer, Nexus Studios, USA/UK, where she produced some of the Nexus Studios’s most notable work, including the most awarded ad of the decade Honda ‘Grrrr’, recipient of the highly coveted, Cannes Film Grand Prix Award, as well as the Grammy-nominated music video for Franz Ferdinand ‘Take me Out’, no name but a few.

Julia also held the post of Head of Production at Nexus, where she brought her versatile and proactive skillset for almost a decade and oversaw the diverse creative output of the entire studio, ranging from high-profile film work such as the Oscar-nominated ‘This Way Up’, the title sequence for ‘Catch Me If You Can’ with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, several award winning commercials for the likes of Chipotle and Coca Cola, and ground-breaking XR experiences for the global consumer tech leaders.

Most recently, in the role of Executive Producer, Julia has established and nurtured long-standing relationships with further global brands such as Amazon Studios, Netflix, Headspace, Facebook, Google and Duolingo. She often works across platforms and is most interested in exploring how working at the cutting edge of technology can be enhanced with exceptional design and powerful storytelling, which has led her to spearheading a host of projects developed using Real-Time technology.

In 2019, Julia was named ‘Pitch Superwoman’, a UK industry award that recognises trailblazing women and their contributions.

Phil Stewart, Head of Real Time, Blue Zoo, UK, where he is researching, developing and testing new technology and workflows to help the studio achieve it’s ambition of working in the best ways for the benefit of the business and artists. From researching rendering tech and programming a VR-puppet in Unreal Engine, to doing push-ups to test a new Motion-Capture suit, the department strives to stay ahead of the game.

This KKI Talks will be moderated by Prof. Lilian Klages, CEO & Executive Producer of the Danish based company Parka Pictures Aps and the German based company Dreamin’ Dolphin Film GmbH

Participation in the webinar is free of charge.

To join the webinar, sign up here: https://kidskinoindustry.pl/webinar-registration/

On the occasion of Europe Day (May 9th) CE Desks of the Baltic States and their partners offer Ukrainian films to demonstrate strong support to Ukraine and gather donations.

In Estonia the film program Glory to Ukrainian Filmmakers opens on the 9th of May at Artis cinema with the film Donbass (Sergei Loznitsa, 2018). Before the screening a discussion about free media and Russian propaganda is organised by media expert Andres Jõesaar, Head of European Commission's Representation Vivian Loonela and Estonian Minister of Culture Tiit Terik. The project continues with cinemas Artis and Sõprus screening a wide selection of Ukrainan films from 9^th till 12^th of May. Instead of ticket sales, a donation hotline will be open. As of May 9, also Black Nights Film Festival will offer a list of Ukrainian titles for free on the festival’s online platform. And Estonian Television will program Ukrainian films from the end of May. Glory to Ukrainian Filmmakers is organised by Black Nights Film Festival, Estonian Television, Creative Europe Desk Estonia, Cinemas Artis and Sõprus.

In Latvia the film Atlantis (Valentyn Vasyanovych, 2019) will be made available online for free on cinema Kino Bize online platform from the 8^th till the 9^th of May. The sales agent Best Friend Forever (Belgium) will forward the fee for the licence to the filmmakers of Atlantis fighting for the independence of their country. The event is organized by Creative Europe MEDIA Desk Latvia and cinema Kino Bize.

In Lithuania the film 107 mothers (Cenzorka, Peter Kerekes, 2021) will be made available for free on film festival‘s Kino Pavasaris online platform KP+ from the 7th till the 9th of May. The film is an example of successful European collaboration, a co-production between Slovakia, Czech Republic and Ukraine, supported by CE MEDIA. And the event is organised by Creative Europe Desk Lithuania together with Vilnius International Film Festival Kino Pavasaris.

With the activities of Europe Day the CE Desks of the Baltic states wishes to provide their audiences with an opportunity to get acquainted with Ukraine's rich culture and cinema that would deserve much more attention, especially in the context of the current war.

All the cinemas and festivals involved in the Europe Day activities are CE MEDIA supported.

For more info contact:

Anu Ernits, CE MEDIA Desk Estonia This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Lelda Ozola, CE MEDIA Desk Latvia This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Austėja Milvydaite, CE MEDIA Desk Lithuania This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The 18^th edition of the Docu Talents from the East – traditional presentation of the most remarkable new documentary projects from Central and Eastern Europe – will take place on August 15 during  Cinelink Industry Days at Sarajevo FF. 

“We are looking forward to this year’s physical event, after holding two previous Docu Talents’ editions online only,” says Marek Hovorka, director of Ji.hlava IDFF which has curated the programme since 2005. 

Docu Talents @Sarajevo will take place on August 15. The presentations by directors and producers of eight selected documentary projects will be followed by one-to-one meetings with sales agents, festival representatives and other decision-makers accredited at Sarajevo FF. The most promising project will receive a financial prize 5,000 USD in cooperation with the Ji.hlava IDFF’s partner Current Time TV.

The call for submissions to the 18^th Docu Talents from the East is open until May 15. The eligible projects include mid-length or feature-length documentary projects at the post-production stage with expected premiere between September 2022 and August 2023. The eligible countries are Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia (only for projects not supported by the Russian state institutions), Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Ukraine.

Since 2005, Docu Talents has been a launch pad for a number of documentaries by both renowned and emerging directors such as Laila Pakalniņa, Vladimir Mansky, Bartek Konopka, Piotr Stasik, Peter Kerekes, Dmitrii Kalashnikov and Helena Třeštíková.  Films presented at Docu Talents in the past had world and international premieres at major film festivals including in Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, Rotterdam, and Sundance. 

“We have been following the region of Central and Eastern Europe through Docu Talents for 18 years, thus promoting the cinematography which is often omitted by others. And every year the selection confirms to us that there are many new authors to discover”, says Marek Hovorka, director of the Ji.hlava IDFF and curator of Docu Talents.

The programme is held as part of the Visegrad Accelerator supported by the International Visegrad Fund. More information at https://www.ji-hlava.com/docu-talents 

CONTACT: Jarmila Outratová / Head of Industry Office / Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Riga International Film Festival (RIGA IFF) will take place from 13 to 23 October 2022. The festival is opening submissions to its six competition sections on 22 March 2022. Filmmakers can submit their feature-length, short, and children's films and music videos free of charge for the first month, until 22 April.

The RIGA IFF International Feature Film Competition brings together directors from the Baltic Sea region and the Nordic countries to compete for the main award, the Golden Rooster, and a cash prize of EUR 4,000. The films in competition are judged on their artistic merit, originality, and topicality by a jury of international film professionals.

The festival has a special focus on short films, the film format that is most responsive to artistic innovations and social change. This year, RIGA IFF welcomes entries in a variety of genres and themes to submit to the RIGA IFF National and International Short Film Competitions – the selected films will not only compete for the Silver Grass Snake Award and cash prizes of EUR 1,000 and EUR 2,000, but also for the European Film Academy’s (EFA) European Short Film 2023 Award.

Filmmakers can submit both feature-length and short children's films to the KIDS' REEL section. These films will be judged by members of the European Children's Film Association (ECFA) and the winners will be added to a shortlist of films nominated for the overall ECFA award. The filmmakers will also compete for a prize awarded by the festival's children's jury – the winning film’s screening rights will be purchased by Latvian Television (LTV).

The BALTIC MUSIC VIDEO Competition is returning to the festival's line-up after a year's break! This competition is unique to the region and the screening is a special event that brings together a professional jury, enthusiasts and fans of the genre, and music video creators. The selected works also compete for the Silver Grass Snake Award, which this year comes with a cash prize of EUR 1,000.

For more information on submission regulations and deadlines, visit enter.rigaiff.lv.

RIGA IFF is supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation, the National Film Centre of Latvia, and the MEDIA sub-programme of Creative Europe.

The 26^th Sofia International Film Festival presents in 2022 a total of 165 films from 56 countries. 75 of the films are available ONLINE from anywhere in Bulgaria till 30 April at online.siff.bg. The festival welcomed over 70 international guests from 19 countries.

The Awards Ceremony took place at Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture on 19 March 2022.

THE INTERNATIONAL JURY FOR FIRST AND SECOND FEATURE FILMS

Iglika Triffonova (Bulgaria) – Director, Jury President

Lech Majewski (Poland) – Director

Oleh Sentsov (Ukraine) – Director

Zlatina Rousseva (Belgium-Bulgaria) – Director

Radivoje Andric (Serbia) – Director

DECIDED

THE SOFIA CITY OF FILM AWARD for best film in the International Competition for first and second films, in the amount of 7 000 Euro provided by the Sofia Municipality, went to SONATA (Poland) by director Bartosz Blaschke and producers Sylwester Banaszkiewicz and Marcin Kurek.

„For the detailed and compelling telling of a real person's life and their painful journey in finding the meaning of living. For the elegant cinematic approach in creating a reality of suffering, stoicism and kindness. For a remarkable acting presence. For believing in the power of art and talent.”

THE SPECIAL JURY AWARD went to HUMBLE (Bulgaria-Romania) by director Svetoslav Draganov.

„For having the courage to look inward and turn his own torment into an important conversation. For the ascetic cinematic means by which he creates an image of the battle between the ego and the pursuit of success in life, and the painful search for the most faithful and honest way to live his life. For the power of irony, self-irony and humility. For the touching and delicate acting.“

AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR went to Andrey M. Paounov for his film January (Bulgaria-Portugal-Luxembourg).

„For the courage to interpret and build upon a well-known Bulgarian play that has become an undisputed classic and to make it a new reality. For daringly turning literature into film metaphors. For the impressive cinematic construction of the film's vision and atmosphere. For his talented work with the actors.”

SPECIAL MENTION was awarded to the film THE ABSENT DIRECTOR (Iran) by director Arvand Dashtaray.

„For his difficult and innovative way of telling the story, for daring to reach the limits of the theatrical and make it into a vibrant cinema.”

The BEST BULGARIAN SHORT FILM AWARD in the amount of 9,500 Euro (1,500 Euro cash prize and 8,000 Euro in postproduction services), provided by Doli Media Studio, went to GAME (Bulgaria) by director Orlin Menkadzhiev. 

„For the cinematically convincing and memorable way it tells the story of two boys in real time. For exploring each man's instinct for supremacy. For its skilful focus on the psychology and mechanics of violence, that actually starts every „war“.”

BEST BALKAN FILM AWARD awarded by Balkan jury president Alberto Simone (director and producer, Italy) and members Jan P. Matuszyński (director, Poland) and Yana Titova (director, Bulgaria), went to MURINA (Croatia-Brazil-USА-Slovenia) by director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović.

„The award is given for the undeniable artistic qualities of the film, for the exciting tension in which it keeps the viewer from the very first frame to the finale. For the extremely precise cinematic language, and the impressive acting incarnations. For the many subtle metaphors so well intertwined in the story, and for the exquisite work with the camera that reveals the ocean to us in a tense but very candid, true and beautifully poetic way.“

The Balkan Jury also awarded a SPECIAL MENTION to the film BLUE MOON (Romania) by Alina Grigore.

„The award is given for an excitingly told family story, beginning with a sharp scream and taking the viewer through many unexpected situations. For the complex full-blooded characters and incredibly real and natural acting. For the cinematography, which is extremely true to the history and for its harshness and genuineness. “

THE BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD, awarded by the international jury with president Levan Koguashvili (director, Georgia) and members Monica Lazurean-Gorgan (director and producer, Romania) and Petya Alexandrova (film critic, Bulgaria), went to the film ZO REKEN (Canada) by Emanuel Licha.

„The award goes to ZO REKEN for the surprising and minimalistic way of telling a big story about a vulnerable country. Using a special construction and an authentic concept, we discover devastated Haiti through the windows of a Toyota car. “

The Documentary Jury also awarded a SPECIAL MENTION to the film OUR QUIET PLACE (France-Bulgaria) by Elitza Gueorguieva. 

„The Special Mention goes to a film that is an intimate construction about plunging into the past to be able to reconstruct yourself in the present.“

THE AWARD FOR BEST BULGARIAN FEATURE FILM was awarded by a jury of festival programmers - Stefan Laudyn (director, Warsaw IFF), Tiina Lokk (director at Black Nights Film Festival), and Roberto Cueto (director, San Sebastian Film Festival) to IN THE HEART OF THE MACHINE (Bulgaria) by director Martin Makariev.

THE FIPRESCI AWARD awarded by jury members Mike Naafs (The Netherlands), Nicola Falcinella (Italy) and Ingeborg Bratoeva (Bulgaria) went to the film THE WINDSEEKER  (Romania-Bulgaria-Serbia) by director Mihai Sofronea. 

„For the artistic and skilful reflection on human existence and for the delicate use of the language of cinema in revealing the beauty of nature and everyday life.“

The Award of the Bulgarian Guild of Film Critics for a film from the Balkan Competition went to FISHBONE (Bulgaria) by Dragomir Sholev.

The AUDIENCE Award for a film in the International Competition for first and second films and Balkan competition went to SONATA (Poland) by director Bartosz Blaschke.

THE YOUNG JURY AWARD of the festival for a film in the International Competition went to A LOVE SONG (USA) by director Max Walker-Silverman.

„We often hear people say „Life is ahead of you“ like it's something to look forward to and not fear. Cinema is what gives us a direction, courage, determination to keep going. From the programme of the 26th edition of SIFF one movie gave us the solace that you don't really need to know the way or walk in a certain direction to be sure you will find what you're looking for.“

Within the framework of the 26^th Sofia International Film Festival THE SOFIA AWARD of the Sofia Municipality for contribution to the art of film was presented to:

Angel Wagenstein, Screenwriter and writer (Bulgaria)

Iglika Trifonova, Director (Bulgaria)

#DoNotMiss * #26SofiaIFF ONLINE – until 30 April!

The Sofia International Film Festival is financially supported

by the Sofia Municipality and the Ministry of Culture.

Our main co-organizers and partners are the Bulgarian National Film Centre and the European Union’s Creative Europe MEDIA Programme. 

For further information, please contact

The Press Office of the Sofia International Film Festival

Svetlana Damianova

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On Saturday, 26 February 2022, the shooting of the Slovenian live-action feature Observing by the director Janez Burger started in Ljubljana. The screenplay was written by the director and Srđan Koljević. This is Burger’s sixth feature film.

The 27-year-old Lara, an empathic paramedic intern, helps bring Kristijan to the hospital. Although he is in a coma, Lara starts to receive video clips from his Facebook profile, showing unidentified persons watching him get beaten. She reports this to detective Borut, who discovers that the observers were not present at the scene but watched a Facebook stream. When Lara realises that the observers keep dying one by one, Borut reassures her that it is all an internet scam. In one of the videos, Lara’s sister appears, and she dies after confessing to Lara that she has watched the beating as well. Lara wants to kill Kristijan, whom she blames for the deaths, but she fails to go through with it and suffers a breakdown. Kristijan nevertheless dies. When Lara receives a video of her watching the live Facebook stream, she realises that she too is an accomplice in Kristijan’s murder.

Starring Diana Kolenc and featuring Nataša Keser, Vladimir Vlaškalić, Benjamin Krnetič, Jure Henigman, Blaž Setnikar, Pavle Ravnohrib, Damjana Černe, Mojca Funkl, Lara Vouk, Robert Prebil, Sreten Mokrović, Vito Weis, Timon Šturbej, Maks Dakskobler, Gregor Zorc, Luka Cimprič, Aleš Kranjec, Barbara Medvešček, and others.

Director of photography: Marko Brdar; editor Miloš Kalusek; production designers: Vasja Kokalj and Špela Jelovčan; makeup design Ana Bulajić Črček; costumes design: Ana Savić – Gecan.

The film, produced by Miha Černec and Jožko Rutar from the Slovenian production company Staragara, is an international co-production, co-produced by the Propeler Film production house from Croatia (producer Boris T. Matić), Transmedia from Italy (producer Igor Prinčič), and Kaval Film from North Macedonia (producer Robert Jazadziski). The film’s executive producer is Nina Robnik.

Observing, which will be filmed over an estimated 35 days in and around Ljubljana, Trieste, and Gorizia has received the financial support of the Slovenian Film Centre, Croatian Audiovisual Centre, RTV Slovenija, Viba Film Studio, North Macedonia Film Agency, Creative Europe – MEDIA, Friuli Venezia Giulia Film Commission, and the Italian Ministry of Culture.

Janez Burger was born in 1965 in Slovenia. He studied at the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana and at the FAMU in Prague, where he graduated from film and TV directing in 1996. His films have won numerous awards at national and international film festivals. Burger, who is also dedicated to theatre and opera, lives and works in Ljubljana.

In the framework of the 20th Cyprus Film Days International Festival 2022 and in partnership with Thessaloniki International Film Festival Agora

The third edition of Dot.on.the.map Industry Days, organised by the Cyprus Film Days International Festival, the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth and the Rialto Theatre, will be held in Cyprus between 14 - 16 April 2022, in the framework of the 20th Cyprus Film Days International Festival (8 - 16 April 2022). Due to the restrictions brought on by the pandemic, the two first editions of the event were held online, but this year the organisers are aiming for the first physical edition in Cyprus. 

Dot.on.the.map Industry Days is a co-production, training and networking platform that brings producers, directors and scriptwriters from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, from across the three neighbouring continents of Cyprus, together with international film professionals. It provides an opportunity to filmmakers from these countries to present their new feature film projects and network with international industry professionals. 

Producers and directors will "pitch" their new feature film projects to representatives of the international film industry. Following group works and individual meetings, the filmmakers will take steps towards forming future collaborations between other filmmakers, international producers, financiers, sales agents, broadcasters, distributors, festival and film fund representatives.

The organisers' vision is the development of this initiative into a dynamic platform for artistic and financial collaborations, which will contribute to the development of the art of filmmaking in Cyprus and the wider region, serving as a hub for films originating from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

The forum will be implemented in partnership with Thessaloniki International Film Festival Agora.

The application process begins on the 24th January 2022, while all submissions must be received by the 25th February 2022. Interested parties must read the terms of participation and submit their application online at http://dot.cyprusfilmdays.com/

Dot.on.the.map Industry Days includes two (2) sections:

• on.the.map Meeting Point
• on.the.map Cinema Talks 

1. Dot.on.the.map Meeting Point 

Dot.on.the.map Meeting Point is an international co-production forum which creates a platform to offer filmmakers the opportunity to pitch their projects to the international film industry and to find the right connections to get the projects co-produced, financed, developed and/or distributed. It aims at a strong selection of projects, giving producers and directors the opportunity to present their ideas to a number of potential financial, development and distribution partners during a 3-day event in Cyprus.

Dot.on.the.map Meeting Point presents up to six (6) hand-picked feature-length fiction projects currently in development and financing stage, to a selection of international professionals. Projects originate from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, from across the three neighbouring continents of Cyprus: Europe, Africa and Asia. Film industry professionals attending are mainly producers, financiers, sales agents, distributors, representatives of film festivals and funds, development experts and broadcasters.

The producers, directors and scriptwriters of the projects chosen for Dot.on.the.map Meeting Point will pitch their projects in a series of prearranged one-on-one meetings and a pitching session. An international jury will determine the projects that will be presented with the awards. The awards will be presented during the closing ceremony of the festival, Saturday, 16 April 2022. The list of awards will be announced at a later stage.

To apply please visit http://dot.cyprusfilmdays.com/

2. Dot.on.the.map Cinema Talks 

Dot.on.the.map Cinema Talks offers a series of masterclasses, debates, seminars and workshops with acclaimed industry professionals. Cinema talks are open to everyone, with priority given to industry professionals and accredited festival guests. The detailed programme will be announced a few weeks before the festival.

Sixteenth edition of Talents Sarajevo, the prestigious programme of the Sarajevo Film Festival founded in collaboration with Berlin International Film Festival and Berlinale Talents, will be held under the title Dis/Content 

Talents Sarajevo, the prestigious programme of the Sarajevo Film Festival, continues its tradition of welcoming up-and-coming directors, producers, actors, scriptwriters, cinematographers, editors and film critics in the programme that will take place from 13th to 18th of August.

The call is now open for applicants from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo*, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey and – this year for the first time – Ukraine.

Talents Sarajevo 2022 will thematically address the contemporary concept of “content”, which dominates the spheres of arts, media and entertainment in our digital, Web 2.0 epoch. The very title Dis/Content critically engages with this complicated concept, omnipresent and elusive at the same time.  A programme of master classes, workshops, lectures, discussions and screenings will provide a forum for a careful examination of “content” and its effects, especially those detrimental for cinema and audio-visual industry at large.

Founded in collaboration with Berlin International Film Festival and Berlinale Talents, Talents Sarajevo has become the foremost regional hub for meeting and training of aspiring film professionals. In times that continue to be challenging for a variety of political and economic reasons, Talents Sarajevo will continue to provide unconditional support to aspiring film professionals.

The closing date for applications is May 31.

Please find more information and apply at www.sff.ba.

The 28th Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from 12th to 19th August 2022.

CONTACT

Talents Administration

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* This label does not prejudge the status of Kosovo and is in accordance with Resolution 1244 and the opinion of the ICJ on Kosovo's declaration of independence