For the second time, Prague-based international script and project development program MIDPOINT teams up with high-profile experts from Sundance Institute, APA – Audiovisual Producers' Association and Karlovy Vary IFF, offer emerging film talents from the region a unique opportunity to go in-depth with their scripts. Supported by The Ministry of Culture of Czech Republic and the Czech Film Fund.
The 6 selected feature film projects come from writers/directors from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine. They are:
From Space with Love
- writer/director Yassen Genadiev & producer Gergana Stankova (Bulgaria)
Living
- writer/director Vuk Rsumovic & producer Mirko Bojovic (Serbia)
National Street
- writer/director Stepan Altrichter & producer Pavel Strnad (Czech Republic)
Night Tide
- writer/director Ismail Safarali & producer Maria Ibrahimova (Azerbaijan)
Pamfir
- writer/director Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk & producer Vladimir Yatsenko (Ukraine)
The Candlemaker
- writer/director/producer Svetozar Ristovski (Macedonia)
From July 4 – 8, the writers/directors and producers will receive script feedback in intensive one-to-one sessions with the acclaimed American script editors and experts from Sundance Institute, Erik Jendresen and Naomi Foner, just as they will take part in the industry activities and network opportunities that the context of Karlovy Vary IFF naturally offers.
About Naomi Foner:
American Oscar nominated and Golden Globe winning scriptwriter for Running on Empty by Sidney Lumet, starring River Phoenix; director and former teacher at Columbia, UCLA and USC film schools. http://www.midpoint-center.eu/network/people/5911-naomi-foner
About Erik Jendresen: Co-creator, lead writer, and supervising producer of the miniseries Band of Brothers for HBO in 2001, which won both a Golden Globe and Emmy Award. A writer/producer of feature films and TV.
http://www.midpoint-center.eu/network/people/5912-erik-jendresen
About MIDPOINT Intensive @KVIFF:
http://www.midpoint-center.eu/programs/173-midpoint-intensive-kviff-2017
Panel Discussion: 'The Benefits of Guided Script Development'
Tuesday, July 4, 4-6 pm at the Industry Pool at Hotel Thermal
MIDPOINT is taking part in the open panel discussion at KVIFF about the importance of script and project development. The discussion takes off with MIDPOINT tutor from Sundance Institute, Naomi Foner; and will later include film cases such as MIDPOINT alumni project 'Filthy' with director Tereza Nvotova, a TorinoFilmLab case, as well as introduce the new script incubator of the Czech Film Fund represented here by Czech Academy Award Winner Jan Sverak. The Head of Studies of MIDPOINT's Feature Launch program, Danijel Hocevar, will moderate the 2 hour discussion, and onboard the panel are also representatives from Trieste Film Festival, When East Meets West, and Director of MIDPOINT, Barbora Struss.
Film Synopses – MIDPOINT INTENSIVE @KVIFF
From Space with Love Bulgaria, 1990. ANGELINA (14) is smart, beautiful and has the unusual ability to heal people with her energy. She practises this esoteric activity at home, secretly from her father, ANTON (37), but strongly encouraged by her mother, LORA (36). When Lora loses her job and the family situation starts getting worse, the woman interprets this as a clear sign for the long-awaited arrival of the extra-terrestrials on Earth and the consequent new order in which she and her daughter will play an essential role. Lora makes Angelina quit school, so they both can dedicate themselves completely to the Mission. When Angelina fails to cure the progressive blindness of one of her patients, the faith in the special Mission is undermined. Angelina gets depressed and starts realising that Lora constantly changes her revolutionary theories in order to fit the reality. The girl spins relentlessly into the destructive spiral of loneliness and isolation.
Living RADOVAN (42), a Serbian farmer turned smuggler, picks up a group of migrants crossing border. Among them is a young woman BOUSHRA (25) holding her sick daughter AYA (6). Radovan's boss orders him to take away the girl and leave her die. But the girl survives and Radovan decides to leave his life behind and go on a journey in search of Aya's mother. As they travel along harsh illegal immigrant routes, Radovan and Aya become the only family to each other. Two years later, as they reach Sweden, they finally find Boushra. But, it turns out that she has a new husband and a baby. Boushra is faced with a big dilemma: to leave her new life and be with Aya or to turn back on her past forever. Radovan and Aya are sitting on the coast gazing at the sea, as they are waiting for Boushra to come and tell them her decision.
National Street
Vandam lives in the suburbs of Prague, a manual worker painting roofs. He likes to get into fights, he calls it “teaching people a lesson”. Vandam is trying to impress Lucka, landlady at the local pub. One night Millner appears there, who paid some debts for Lucka and now he wants his money back. Vandam offers to lend her the money, but Lucka rejects. Vandam approaches Millner in the street and threatens him. One night Vandam is escorting Lucka home. They end up making love. Vandam notices bruises on Lucka's body, but she refuses to talk about it. They have an argument and Lucka runs away. Vandam buys flowers to apologize. He finds her beaten up and sets out to get Millner. He finds him in sauna of a luxury hotel and beats him up with a golf club. That night Vandam celebrates at the pub. Millner arrives and challenges him to a fight. Vandam senses this time he’s out of luck. Vandam the thug, the last warrior, fights his final battle for the woman he loves and his place in this world.
Night Tide
In a tiny Azerbaijani fishing village little Sara's father disappears at sea. She refuses to bury him while there is no proof of his death. One tragedy after another befalls the village, and the superstitious inhabitants demand the family have a funeral. Rebellious Sara undertakes one last, and deadly, attempt to find her father.
Pamfir
Pamfir earns his living by digging wells in villages of the border area between Ukraine and Romania. His wife Helena works in the local veneer factory, their son Nazar, 12 years old, goes to school. Pamfir’s family badly needs money for Nazar’s eye surgery, which is why Pamfir decides to go to Europe to work. He needs to apply for the visa, but the money he earns is not enough for the visa services. Pamfir’s younger brother Viktor lives by helping the local gang with smuggling. Viktor offers Pamfir a quick way to earn the lacking money by smuggling the bootleg cigarettes across the border without the gang, on their own. Pamfir agrees, without knowing that one needs a tremendous physical endurance to take the bootleg across the border, which the gang achieves by using steroids. The steroids have a dangerous aftermath of uncontrolled aggression. Nevertheless, Pamfir decides to do steroids too. The gang finds out about Pamfir’s business. The biggest challenge of Pamfir’s life awaits him.
The Candlemaker
The Candlemaker recounts the story of a woman who starts suspecting her husband of hurting her when she’s asleep, or when she “loses time”, various periods of amnesia when she can’t remember anything, and she fears that ultimately he’s trying to kill her. Burdened by her suspicions, she develops paranoia, which leads her into a nightmare world of uncertainty, guilt, and psychosis.
American Oscar nominated and Golden Globe winning scriptwriter for Running on Empty by Sidney Lumet, starring River Phoenix; director and former teacher at Columbia, UCLA and USC film schools. http://www.midpoint-center.eu/network/people/5911-naomi-foner
About Erik Jendresen: Co-creator, lead writer, and supervising producer of the miniseries Band of Brothers for HBO in 2001, which won both a Golden Globe and Emmy Award. A writer/producer of feature films and TV.
http://www.midpoint-center.eu/network/people/5912-erik-jendresen
About MIDPOINT Intensive @KVIFF:
http://www.midpoint-center.eu/programs/173-midpoint-intensive-kviff-2017
Panel Discussion: 'The Benefits of Guided Script Development'
Tuesday, July 4, 4-6 pm at the Industry Pool at Hotel Thermal
MIDPOINT is taking part in the open panel discussion at KVIFF about the importance of script and project development. The discussion takes off with MIDPOINT tutor from Sundance Institute, Naomi Foner; and will later include film cases such as MIDPOINT alumni project 'Filthy' with director Tereza Nvotova, a TorinoFilmLab case, as well as introduce the new script incubator of the Czech Film Fund represented here by Czech Academy Award Winner Jan Sverak. The Head of Studies of MIDPOINT's Feature Launch program, Danijel Hocevar, will moderate the 2 hour discussion, and onboard the panel are also representatives from Trieste Film Festival, When East Meets West, and Director of MIDPOINT, Barbora Struss.
Film Synopses – MIDPOINT INTENSIVE @KVIFF
From Space with Love Bulgaria, 1990. ANGELINA (14) is smart, beautiful and has the unusual ability to heal people with her energy. She practises this esoteric activity at home, secretly from her father, ANTON (37), but strongly encouraged by her mother, LORA (36). When Lora loses her job and the family situation starts getting worse, the woman interprets this as a clear sign for the long-awaited arrival of the extra-terrestrials on Earth and the consequent new order in which she and her daughter will play an essential role. Lora makes Angelina quit school, so they both can dedicate themselves completely to the Mission. When Angelina fails to cure the progressive blindness of one of her patients, the faith in the special Mission is undermined. Angelina gets depressed and starts realising that Lora constantly changes her revolutionary theories in order to fit the reality. The girl spins relentlessly into the destructive spiral of loneliness and isolation.
Living RADOVAN (42), a Serbian farmer turned smuggler, picks up a group of migrants crossing border. Among them is a young woman BOUSHRA (25) holding her sick daughter AYA (6). Radovan's boss orders him to take away the girl and leave her die. But the girl survives and Radovan decides to leave his life behind and go on a journey in search of Aya's mother. As they travel along harsh illegal immigrant routes, Radovan and Aya become the only family to each other. Two years later, as they reach Sweden, they finally find Boushra. But, it turns out that she has a new husband and a baby. Boushra is faced with a big dilemma: to leave her new life and be with Aya or to turn back on her past forever. Radovan and Aya are sitting on the coast gazing at the sea, as they are waiting for Boushra to come and tell them her decision.
National Street
Vandam lives in the suburbs of Prague, a manual worker painting roofs. He likes to get into fights, he calls it “teaching people a lesson”. Vandam is trying to impress Lucka, landlady at the local pub. One night Millner appears there, who paid some debts for Lucka and now he wants his money back. Vandam offers to lend her the money, but Lucka rejects. Vandam approaches Millner in the street and threatens him. One night Vandam is escorting Lucka home. They end up making love. Vandam notices bruises on Lucka's body, but she refuses to talk about it. They have an argument and Lucka runs away. Vandam buys flowers to apologize. He finds her beaten up and sets out to get Millner. He finds him in sauna of a luxury hotel and beats him up with a golf club. That night Vandam celebrates at the pub. Millner arrives and challenges him to a fight. Vandam senses this time he’s out of luck. Vandam the thug, the last warrior, fights his final battle for the woman he loves and his place in this world.
Night Tide
In a tiny Azerbaijani fishing village little Sara's father disappears at sea. She refuses to bury him while there is no proof of his death. One tragedy after another befalls the village, and the superstitious inhabitants demand the family have a funeral. Rebellious Sara undertakes one last, and deadly, attempt to find her father.
Pamfir
Pamfir earns his living by digging wells in villages of the border area between Ukraine and Romania. His wife Helena works in the local veneer factory, their son Nazar, 12 years old, goes to school. Pamfir’s family badly needs money for Nazar’s eye surgery, which is why Pamfir decides to go to Europe to work. He needs to apply for the visa, but the money he earns is not enough for the visa services. Pamfir’s younger brother Viktor lives by helping the local gang with smuggling. Viktor offers Pamfir a quick way to earn the lacking money by smuggling the bootleg cigarettes across the border without the gang, on their own. Pamfir agrees, without knowing that one needs a tremendous physical endurance to take the bootleg across the border, which the gang achieves by using steroids. The steroids have a dangerous aftermath of uncontrolled aggression. Nevertheless, Pamfir decides to do steroids too. The gang finds out about Pamfir’s business. The biggest challenge of Pamfir’s life awaits him.
The Candlemaker
The Candlemaker recounts the story of a woman who starts suspecting her husband of hurting her when she’s asleep, or when she “loses time”, various periods of amnesia when she can’t remember anything, and she fears that ultimately he’s trying to kill her. Burdened by her suspicions, she develops paranoia, which leads her into a nightmare world of uncertainty, guilt, and psychosis.
