As a strong supporter of quality European Cinema and one of the most prestigious festivals worldwide, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, September 10 - 19, 2009) is top of the list for European Film Promotion's (EFP) marketing tool Film Sales Support (FSS). Aiming to help European cinema to be seen outside of Europe, FSS financially supports the promotion and marketing of 55 films from across Europe in Toronto this year. It's the highest number of European films ever supported by FSS on an international film festival since the initiative was launched six years ago. EFP's activities in Toronto are backed by the MEDIA Programme of the European Union.
This year, Toronto screens about 120 European films out of a total of 335 productions from 64 countries. Almost half of the films are benefiting from Film Sales Support. "The interest in FSS is higher given that times are difficult", FSS project manager Susanne Davis says of Toronto applications. "Looking back at previous years, it is noticeable that less European films have been sold at this time of the year. It is therefore crucial for European films to stand out as competition is growing tougher". Last year, 68 percent of the FSS supported films in Toronto were sold to non-European countries, mainly to North and South America but also to Asia, Russia and the Middle-East.
FSS not only covers half of the promo costs for films selected for Toronto which are unsold to North America but also pays towards the travel costs of some
of the talent. Most of the companies will involve their directors and actors when representing their films.
Among the big range of films supported by FSS is the festival's opening film, Creation by Jon Amiel (UK), the story of Charles Darwin. Actors Paul Bett and
Jennifer Connelly will attend the opening ceremony together with the director.
Five films backed by FSS have been selected for Gala screenings, Max Manus (Norway) by Espen Sandberg and Joachim R¢nning, Dorian Gray (UK) by Oliver Parker, Cracks (UK/ Ireland) by Jordan Scott, I, Don Giovanni (Italy) by Carlos Saura and Phantom Pain (Germany) by Matthias Emcke. Actors attending Toronto with the help of FSS are María Valverde - who stars in both Cracks and I, Don Giovanni - and Til Schweiger who presents Phantom Pain at the festival, to name a few.
Further FSS support goes to Jessica Hausner's Lourdes (Austria), Dagur Kari's The Good Heart (Iceland), Erik Gandini's political documentary Videocracy (Sweden), Mika Kaurismäki's The House of Branching Love (Finland), Corneliu Porumboiu's Police, Adjective (Romania), Ole Bornedal's Deliver us from Evil (Denmark), Dorothée van der Berghe's My Queen Karo (Belgium), Radu Jude's The Happiest Girl in the World
(Romania) and Damjan Kozole's Slovenian Girl (Slovenia).
Additionally, 11 films from France will receive the support this year, including François Ozon's The Refuge with Isabelle Carré and Melvil Poupaud as well as Enter the Void by Gaspar Noé which was in Competition at this yearØs Cannes Film Festival. Actress Paz de la Huerta will present Enter the Void in Toronto.
The UK has a strong presence at Toronto this year, with altogether ten films benefiting from FSS, for example, She, a Chinese by Xiaolu Guo, winner of the Golden Leopard at this year's Locarno Film Festival, Fish Tank by Andrea Amold, The Disappearance of Alice Creed by J. Blakeson as well Nick Stinger's stunning documentary Turtle: The Incredible Journey.
Seven German Films are part of this year's support line-up, including Detlev Buck's Same Same But Different, starring German Shooting Star of 2009, David Kross, and Soul Kitchen by director Fatih Akin, which also is in Competition at Venice. One of the film's leading actors, Moritz Bleibtreu, will be attending Toronto with the help of FSS. Acclaimed director Margarethe von Trotta and main cast Barbara Sukowa are travelling to Toronto for the presentation of Vision, the story of Hildegard von Bingen.
As one of the main international festivals, Toronto firmly remains the hub to promote and market films from Europe in the North American market. Many EFP member organisations operate a stand at the Sales & Industry Office to represent their films.
Films and Sales Companies backed by FSS at the Toronto International Film Festival
| Bavaria Media (Germany) |
| Celluloid Dreams (France) |
| Coach 14 (France) |
| ContentFilm International (UK) |
| Coproduction Office (France) |
| Corazón International (Germany) Once Upon a Time Proletarian by Xiaolu Guo, UK, Germany 2009 |
| Doc & Film International (France) |
| Ealing Studios (UK) |
| Filmax International, Sogedasa (Spain) |
| Films Boutique (Germany) |
| Films Distribution (France) |
| Fortissimo Films (The Netherlands) |
| Handmade Films (UK) |
| HanWay Films (UK) |
| Intramovies (Italy) |
| Le Pacte (France) |
| Les Films du Losange (France) |
| m-appeal (Germany) |
| Mirmar Film Production (Norway) |
| MK2 (France) |
| Protagonist Pictures (UK) |
| Pyramide (France) |
| Roissy Films (France) |
| Sola Media (Germany) |
| The Match Factory (Germany) |
| The Works International (UK) |
| TrustNordisk (Denmark) |
| Umedia (France) |
| Velvet Film (France) |
| Westend Films (UK) |
| Wide Management (France) |
| Wild Bunch (France) |
For all European films screening at Toronto, please have a look at EFP's website:
http://www.efp-online.com/en/activities/projects/toronto_filmlist.php
Contact:
Susanne Davis, Project Manager, Phone +49 40- 390 6252, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
| FSS is supported by the MEDIA Programme of the European Union, the UK Film Council, German Films, ICA - Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual, (Portugal) and the Nordisk Film & TV Fond. In addition, EFP's promotion and PR activities are backed by the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) as well as private sponsors. The Hamburg-based office is financially supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Cultural Department of the City of Hamburg. |
.
