Today the script and project development program MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2017 concluded in Písek, Czech Republic, and the winners have been announced. The main development award of 8.000 EUR goes to ZANA by writer/director Antoneta Kastrati and producer Casey Johnson.
19 writers, directors and producers have participated in this year's MIDPOINT Feature Launch with their feature film projects. Since June's workshop in Macedonia, the teams have been improving their scripts and project development. Today it all concluded at the final workshop, when all 9 projects were pitched to an invited group of international experts.
MIDPOINT Development Award and a cash prize of 8.000 EUR was awarded to:
- Zana – writer/director Antoneta Kastrati, producer Casey Johnson (Kosovo)
The motivation of the selection committee:
"Exploring the personal impact of horrific loss, this project examines long-held cultural traditions and living scars of war that continue to torment people from a remote corner of Europe."
About the project: ZANA is a dark and haunting psychological drama about the collision of modern day faith healers and post-war trauma of survivors in Kosovo. Inspired by true events. Riddled by night terrors and repeated miscarriages, a Kosovar bride is sent to witch doctors who subject her to unusual rituals and confinement to cure her of suspected black magic, but when she again becomes pregnant, her dark wartime past comes back to haunt her and her unborn baby.
Connecting Cottbus Award – 4 projects have been selected to pitch at Connecting Cottbus East West Co-production Market in November under the banner MIDPOINT Selection 2017. They are:
- Inventory – writer/director Darko Sinko, producer Vlado Bulajic (Slovenia)
- Mnk Boy – writer Sibel Altinbas, director Mete Gümürhan, producer Bas Broertjes (Netherlands/Turkey)
- Waterwolf – writer/director Ann-Julie Vervaeke, producer Anastassia Oudovitchenko (Belgium)
- Zana – writer/director Antoneta Kastrati, producer Casey Johnson (Kosovo)
Read about all the projects here.
CineMart Award – 1 producer has been handpicked to participate in Rotterdam Lab including CineMart access during Intl. Film Festival Rotterdam in Jan. 2018. The winner is:
Eliza Jones who participated at MIDPOINT with the project 'Asunden'
"The team communicates a certain openness and ambition that confirms that Eliza Jones is at the right point of her career to expand her network and producing skills in the context of the international marketplace that Rotterdam Lab has to offer. I have no doubt that 'Asunden', a project strongly rooted in both Sweden and the USA, is in the right stage and hands to benefit from this award", says Inke van Loocke, Coordinator CineMart & Rotterdam Lab and Guest Tutor at Feature Launch.
Kristyna Plhonova, Program Coordinator of Feature Launch says about the program overall,
"Feature Launch 2017 has offered our participants script consulting and project development in equal parts, and it has proved to be the right path. We have been truly blessed with a wonderful selection of projects. – In addition we have expanded our industry partnerships, and I cannot wait for another edition, which starts already in January in collaboration with Trieste FF, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and When East Meets West."
MIDPOINT FEATURE LAUNCH 2017 – PROJECTS
/ 19 – writer/director Kosara Mitic, producer Kornelija Ristovska (Macedonia)
/ Alive in Moscow – writer/director Grigore Becket, producer Elie Aufseesser (Switzerland/Moldova)
/ Asunden – writer/director Petter Ringbom, producer Eliza Jones (Sweden)
/ Images of Love – writer Tomasz Winski, producer Radovan Sibrt (Czech Republic)
/ Inventory – writer/director Darko Sinko, producer Vlado Bulajic (Slovenia)
/ Mnk Boy – writer Sibel Altinbas, director Mete Gümürhan, producer Bas Broertjes (NL/Turkey)
/ Night of the Whale – writer/director Kaveh Daneshmand, producer Jordi Niubo (Czech Rep.)
/ Waterwolf – writer/director Ann-Julie Vervaeke, producer Anastassia Oudovitchenko (Belgium)
/ Zana – writer/director Antoneta Kastrati, producer Casey Johnson (Kosovo)
MIDPOINT FEATURE LAUNCH 2017 – TUTORS
/ Danijel Hocevar, Head of Studies of Feature Launch
/ Anne Gensior, Core Tutor
/ Pavel Jech, Core Tutor
/ Ivo Trajkov, Core Tutor
/ Gabriele Brunnenmeyer, Guest Tutor
/ Gyula Gazdag, Guest Tutor
/ Alessandro Gropplero, Guest Tutor
/ Martin Horyna, Guest Tutor
/ Jan Naszewski, Guest Tutor
/ Christina Pelekani, Guest Tutor
/ Katriel Schory, Guest Tutor
/ Pavel Strnad, Guest Tutor
/ Ognjen Svilicic, Guest Tutor
/ Elma Tataragic, Guest Tutor
/ Daniela V. Stanikova, Guest Tutor
/ Inke van Loocke, Guest Tutor
MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2017 is realized in collaboration with Ministry of Culture Czech Republic, Czech Film Fund, International Visegrad Fund, Macedonian Film Agency, Creative Europe MEDIA Desk CZ, APA – Audiovisual Producers' Association, COCO – Connecting Cottbus and CineMart.
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OPEN CALL: MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2018
International feature filmmakers can apply for the 2018 workshop until October 26th. Read more about the expanded one-year program here.
http://www.midpoint-center.eu/programs/179-midpoint-feature-launch-2018-2018
ABOUT
MIDPOINT is an international script and project development program for emerging film professionals – aimed at creative teams of writers, directors and producers. MIDPOINT focuses on narrative film and TV projects and operates as a year-long center organizing a string of workshop programs.
