25 emerging producers chosen for the networking initiative, including the first producer selected from Georgia

European Film Promotion (EFP) has selected 25 emerging young European producers for the thirteenth edition of its Producers on the Move networking initiative, which will be held during the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.

For the first time, this year’s line-up includes a producer from Georgia, the newest member of EFP. Vladimer Katcharava’s credits include Levan Koguashvili’s Street Days, Aleko Tsabadze’s Renee Goes To Hollywood and Rusudan Chkonia’s Keep Smiling.

Speaking to ScreenDaily during this week’s goEast Festival of Central and Eastern European Film in Wiesbaden in Germany Tamara Tatishvili, director of the Georgian National Film Centre, said of Katcharava: “Vladimer is quite lucky to be the first producer to be nominated by us as a Producer on the Move. But, on the other hand, he is the one who deserved it because, from the beginning of 2000, he was the person who has gone through the most complicated productions in Georgia and delivered all of them. He has experience on production management and executive production, so I think it is now his time to really network internationally.”

The selection also includes Bulgarian producer-director Stephan Komanderev (The World Is Big And Salvation Lurks Around The Corner) who is currently in pre-production with Germany’s Neue Mediopolis Filmproduktion on The Judgement for an October 2012 start, as well as Denmark’s Signe Leik Jensen, producer of Ole Christian Madsen’s box-office hit Superclasico, and Bille August’s Marie Kroyer.

EFP is also shining the spotlight on UK producer Tracy O’Riordan of Moonspun Films, who will be producing her second feature film The Selfish Giant this autumn and looking for potential co-production partners in Cannes for The Don, a contemporary musical set in Liverpool. Meanwhile, Germany will be represented by Berlin-based producer Nicole Gerhards of Nikofilm, whose current development slate boasts projects by such directors as Matias Bize, Stina Werenfels, Myrna Maakaron, Brigitte Maria Mayer and Ibolya Fekete.

Lithuania will be represented by producer-distributor Donatas Žvalionis of Meed Films who will be producing Emilis Velyvis’ action crime-comedy Flight Directed which will begin shooting this summer as an international co-production with the UK partner Wellington Films.

Some of this year’s Producers on the Move have films screening in various sections at Cannes. Dutch producer Trent of NFI Productions has his co-production of Gonzalo Tobal’s Villegas in Special Screenings (pictured), while Cinéfondation, Cannes’ platform for the promotion of innovative productions, has selected Adina Pintilie’s project Touch Me Not, with Romania’s Producer on the Move Monica Lazurean-Gorgan as delegate producer.

Since its launch 13 years ago, Producers on the Move has brought 243 producers together over four days during Cannes and aims to lay the foundation for future collaborations at round table meetings and co-production lunches. The initiative is financially backed by the European Union’s MEDIA Programme and the EFP member organisations.

For the third year running the pan-European co-production fund Eurimages will be providing this year’s group of producers with information about complementary financing opportunities (Germany’s Commerzbank had been a partner for the first two years).

The full line-up of Producers on the Move for 2012 is:

Austria - Constanze Schumann, Allegro Film

Bulgaria - Stephan Komandarev, Argo Film

Croatia - Siniša Juricic, Nukleus Film

Czech Republic - Ondrej Zima, Evolution Films

Denmark - Signe Leick Jensen, Toolbox Film

Finland - Liisa Penttilä, Edith Film

France - Hélène Cases, Lionceau Films

Georgia - Vladimer Katcharava, 20 Steps Productions

Germany - Nicole Gerhards, Niko Film

Greece - Alexandra Boussiou, Wrong Men

Hungary - Judit Stalter, Laokoon Filmgroup

Iceland - Arnar Knútsson, FILMUS Productions

Ireland - Morgan Bushe, Fastnet Films

Italy - Alessandro Borrelli, La Sarraz Pictures

Lithuania - Donatas Zvalionis, Meed Films

Macedonia - Robert Naskov, Kino Oko Production

The Netherlands – Trent, NFI Producties

Norway - Brede Hovland, Motlys

Poland - Marta Laryssa Plucinska, Federico Film

Romania - Monica Lazurean-Gorgan, 4 Proof Film

Slovenia - Aleš Pavlin, Perfo d.o.o.

Spain - David Matamoros, Zentropa Spain

Sweden - Sandra Harms, Sonet Films

Switzerland - David Epiney, Alina Film

UK - Tracy O’Riordan, Moonspun Films

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