10-11-2024

FNE at Connecting Cottbus 2024: cocoPITCH Projects

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    COTTBUS: Thirteen international film projects were showcased at the 26th connecting cottbus cocoPITCH, covering genres from thriller to drama. The projects represented 12 countries including Romania, Greece, Poland, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Slovakia.

    These films are actively seeking additional funding, coproduction partners, and distribution to bring their unique stories to global audiences.

    FULL LIST OF PITCHED PROJECTS:

    A Long-Awaited Vacation is a Romanian/Czech neo-noir police procedural that follows a police officer’s race against time to solve a murder case before his much-needed vacation, only to find himself ensnared in a web of bureaucracy, political interference and organised crime.

    Directed by Bogdan Theodor Olteanu, known for Mia Misses Her Revenge (Atelier de Film, 2020), the film showcases his talent for intricate storytelling in a high-stakes environment.

    With an estimated budget of 960,000 EUR and with 400,000 EUR already secured, A Long-Awaited Vacation is produced by Ana Voicu through Tangaj Production, with backing from the Romanian Film Centre, Creative Europe MEDIA, and coproduction support from I/O Post in the Czech Republic.

    The project seeks additional coproducers, financiers, festival placements, sales agents, and distributors to complete and bring this tense thriller to audiences worldwide.

    Producer:
    Ana Voicu - Tangaj Production
    www.tangajproduction.com
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Credits:
    Director: Bogdan Theodor Olteanu
    Script: Bogdan Theodor Olteanu, Adrian Nicolae

    Bear Hug is a Greek/Polish drama that follows 40-year-old Makis, a solitary man compelled to leave his comfort zone as he embarks on a journey across borders to uncover the identity of a mysterious deceased stranger, ultimately finding himself drawn into a deeper search for connection and affection.

    Directed by Alexandros Skouras, known for short films such as Harmonica Man (2020) and Cube (2016), this feature marks an introspective exploration of human loneliness and the transformative power of unexpected encounters.

    Produced by Lina Yannopoulou, Eleni Oulani and Kasia Kuczyńska through Argonauts Productions and Haka Films, Bear Hug has an estimated budget of 1,438,057 EUR, of which 272,878 EUR is already secured.

    The project is actively seeking a German coproducer, as well as sales agents, distributors, and festival placements to bring this unique story to international audiences.

    Producer:
    Eleni Oulani - Argonauts Productions
    www.argonautsproductions.gr
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Credits:
    Director: Alexandros Skouras
    Script: Alexandros Skouras

    Boba is a crime drama centered on a corrupt 50-year-old doctor with a gambling addiction, who faces mounting pressure after a patient dies on her operating table and she is forced to settle her brother’s debt with a ruthless local figure.

    Directed by Darijan Pejovski, known for Mimi (Skopje Film Studio , Art & Popcorn, 2022) and Three Days in September (Skopje Film Studio, 2015), this intense story explores moral dilemmas and the complexities of loyalty under duress.

    Produced by Tomi Salkovski through Skopje Film Studio, Boba is a coproduction with Serbia’s Art & Popcorn and Slovenia’s Perfo, and its estimated budget is 1,038,336 EUR.

    The team is currently seeking coproducers, sales agents, and distributors to bring this gripping narrative to the global audience.

    Producer:
    Tomi Salkovski - Skopje Film Studio
    www.sfs.mk
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Credits:
    Director: Darijan Pejovski
    Script: Dimitrije Vojnov, Darijan Pejovski

    Do Me Bad is a Polish drama exploring the turbulent life of Ala, a 35-year-old sex addict seeking transformation through love, only to discover that her compulsions intensify despite her efforts.

    Directed by Maria Wider, known for Old Summer (Munk Studio, 2023) and Goose (Munk Studio, 2021), this 100-minute feature film dives into themes of addiction, self-discovery, and the struggle for genuine connection.

    Produced by Mirosław Bork and Izabela Łopuch under MWM Media and Spirit Animal, Do Me Bad is currently seeking coproducers, sales agents, and distributors to complete its 1.5 m EUR budget. The project has received development support from the Polish Film Institute.

    Producer:
    Izabela Łopuch - Spirit Animal
    www.spiritanimal.com.plom.pl
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Credits:
    Director: Maria Wider
    Script: Maria Wider

    Eli and Them is a Czech drama that follows 17-year-old Eli, who, while staying at her sister’s rural farm, gets entangled in a tense local dispute involving a burned-down house in a nearby Roma settlement, unsettling the village’s delicate balance.

    Directed by Petr Pylypcuk, known for Eighth Day (Perfilm, 2023), this 100-minute film explores complex themes of identity, community tensions, and personal awakening.

    Produced by Krystof Burda under Perfilm with partial support from the Czech Film Fund, Eli and Them seeks coproducers, sales partners, and festival engagements to help complete its 790,000 EUR budget.

    Producer:
    Krystof Burda - Perfilm
    https://perfilm.cz
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Credits:
    Director: Petr Pylypcuk
    Script: Petr Pylypcuk

    Family Feeling is a psychological drama that delves into the complex dynamics of a marriage facing change. When Domas (a 35-year-old former professional basketball player) retires, and Ugne (32) reestablishes her fashion career, their relationship begins to unravel, highlighting the tension between personal ambition and family obligations during a transformative week.

    Produced by Klementina Remeikaitė through Afterschool Production, the 90-minute film has an estimated budget of 869,000 EUR, with 40,000 EUR already secured.

    The project is seeking coproducers, sales partners, and distributors.

    Producer:
    Klementina Remeikaitė - Afterschool Production
    https://aftschool.lt/
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Credits:
    Directors: Kamilė Milašiūtė
    Script: Tekle Kavtaradze, Kamilė Milašiūtė

    Golden Leggings is a period tragicomedy set in the summer of 1991, just before the collapse of the USSR, where a teenager embarks on a mission to impress a girl by obtaining a pair of golden leggings worn by Madonna. Amidst the political turmoil and the rigid environment of a Soviet pioneer camp, his quest for the leggings becomes a symbolic exploration of youth, rebellion, and the impending end of an era.

    Produced by Regina Maryanovska Davidzon and Oleksiy Gladushevskyy, the 90-minute film has an estimated budget of 850,000 EUR, with 10,000 EUR already secured.

    The project is currently seeking coproducers, sales, distributors, and festival opportunities.

    Producer:
    Regina Maryanovska Davidzon - Real Pictures
    www.realpictures.com.ua
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Credits:
    Director: Arkadii Nepytaliuk
    Script: Luda Tymoshenko

    No Salvation Coming is a Czech heist film that follows a group of desperate millennials and Gen-Z who, despite their qualifications and hard work, can barely afford rent and food. Pushed to their limits, they hatch a plan to rob a luxury house where one of them works as a cleaner.

    Produced by Ondřej Lukeš, No Salvation Coming is a 98-minute film with an estimated production budget of 1.1 m EUR, and 36,000 EUR already secured. The project has received development support from the Czech Film Fund and it is seeking coproducers (especially from neighbouring countries), sales agents, and broadcasters.

    Producer:
    Ondřej Lukeš - Beginner’s Mind
    www.beginnersmind.cz
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Nothing Is Needed is a dramedy about Stefan, an 81-year-old widower who has lost his will to live, until he meets Jan, an optimistic 89-year-old, and Angela, an eccentric German lady in her 70s, who help him rediscover the zest for life in his later years. The film explores the unexpected friendships and joys that can emerge in old age, offering a heartwarming look at how life can surprise us at any stage.

    Produced by Zbigniew Domagalski and Anna Gutowska of WFDiF, the 90-minute film has an estimated production cost of 2.5 m EUR, and it is currently seeking coproducers, distributors, and sales, especially from Germany or Austria.

    Producer:
    Anna Gutowska - WFDiF
    www.wfdif.com
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Summer Blues is a drama about a Latvian artist Ulla, whose solo show in Rostock, Germany, exposes her family's private life, leading to tensions with her sister Darta. As they embark on a turbulent journey back to Latvia, the two sisters must navigate their strained relationship and find a path toward reconciliation.

    Produced by Alise Gelze of White Picture, this 100-minute film is supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia, the Latvian State Culture Capital Foundation and Creative Europe MEDIA. The budget is 1,170,331 EUR with 645,000 EUR of financing already in place.

    The project is seeking coproducers, sales, distributors, and festival opportunities.

    Producer:
    Alise Gelze - White Picture
    www.white-picture.lv
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    The Hunters and the Hunted is a period adventure drama set in the 1930s in the Taiga. It follows a Ukrainian aviation engineer who escapes a death train to the Gulag and is taken in by a family of tiger catchers in the wilderness. As he recovers, he falls in love with a hunter girl he has rescued from a bear, but the regime's shadow looms over their lives, threatening their newfound peace.

    Produced by Natalia Libet and Olha Beskhmelnytsina, this 120-minute film has an estimated production budget of 3.2 m EUR, with 15,000 EUR in financing already secured. The project is supported by the Ukrainian Film Academy, Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, and EAVE (in-kind script consulting), and coproduced with Rinkel Film from the Netherlands.

    It is currently seeking coproducers, financiers, feedback, sales, and distributors.

    Producer:
    Natalia Libet & Olha Beskhmelnytsina - 2Brave Productions
    https://linktr.ee/2braveproductions
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    The Main Course is a coming-of-age horror film that follows Ema, a teenager at summer camp, who finds herself caught between her family's dark tradition and a new love. Originally planning to find a victim for the main course at her 18th birthday celebration, she now faces a dilemma: should she protect her newfound love or uphold her family's sinister customs?

    Produced by Jakub Jíra and Kryštof Zelenka of Shore Points, the 85-minute film is being produced with an estimated budget of 1,146,880 EUR, of which 47,200 EUR in financing is already secured. The project is coproduced by Ninja Film from Slovakia, supported by the Czech Film Fund for script development, and it also receives in-kind support from Magic Lab in the Czech Republic.

    The team is currently looking for coproducers, sales, and distributors.

    Producer:
    Jakub Jíra& Kryštof Zelenka - Shore Points
    https://shorepoints.cz/
    Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Vestige is a drama/thriller set in a small town in Kosovo, where veterinarian Agron (in his 30s) is at odds with his community and family over his desire to build a shelter for the stray dogs overruning the town. Tensions escalate following a dog-biting incident, and when the townsmen organise a hunt for the dogs, their frustrations turn on each other instead.

    Produced by Jon Gojani, Vestige is a 120-minute film with an estimated production budget of 700,000 EUR, of which 10,000 EUR of financing is already secured. The project has received development support from the Kosovo Film Center and it is looking for coproducers (especially from France, Germany, Norway, Montenegro, and the Czech Republic), as well as sales and distributors.

    Producer:
    Jon Gojani - Kot Productions
    https://www.kotproductions.com/
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.