Trieste reveals co-pro projects

New films by Poland’s Greg Zglinski, Serbia’s Boris Mitic and Austria’s Elfi Mikesch are among 22 projects from 11 countries being presented at the third edition of the Trieste-based co-production forum When East Meets West (WEMW) dedicated to co-productions between Western and Eastern Europe.

The three-day event from Jan 21-23 will also feature a regional focus on German-speaking countries – Germany, Austria and Switzerland – after concentrating on France, Spain and the Nordic countries in previous years.

In addition, 2013 will see the launch of the Italian Screenings showcasing completed new Italian films as well as “works in progress” looking for world sales or distribution.

Line-up of projects

WEMW’s line-up of projects being pitched in Trieste to potential co-producers and financiers consists of 12 fiction films and 10 feature documentaries, which were selected from 136 applications from 24 European countries.

The projects include the feature Ashdriver by Polish-born Greg Zglinski, which reunites him with Lodz-based Opus Film, the producer of his previous award-winning film Courage; DoP/director Elfi Mikesch’s feature Fieber interweaving present and past, dream and reality, and structured by Vienna-based Amour Fou as an Austrian-Luxembourg-German co-production; and Boris Mitic’s latest documentary project In Praise Of Nothing which he describes as “an unusual follow up“ to his previous film Goodbye, How Are You?, as it “features a Hollywood star as a Corto Maltese-like narrator, a roster of seven world class cinematographers and a most enlightened 20.000-page bibliography.“

In addition, Germany’s Inselfilm Production will present US-born filmmaker Shawn Convey’s new project Wild, about a group of former soldiers who form a motorbike gang to protect a herd of wild horses in the Bosnian mountains along the former front lines.

Trieste-based Pilgrim Film will be pitching directorial duo Andrea Magnani and Davide Del Degan’s new feature Kaloghero.

Full line-up

Anyshoara
dir: Ana-Felicia Scutelnicu, prod: Jakob Weydemann, Weydemann Bros, Germany

Approach
dir: Tony Likouressis, prod: Vicky Miha, Boo Productions, Greece

Ashdriver
dir: Greg Zglinski, prod: Lukasz Dzieciol, Opus Film, Poland

Deep In The Forest
dir: Roberto Dordit, prod: Igor Princic, Arch Production/Transmedia, Italy

Fieber
dir: Elfi Mikesch , prod: Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu, Amour Fou, Austria

Fizz, Little Shop Of Juices
dir: Stefan Tolz, Producers: Nana Djordjadze, Jana Sardlishvili, Heino Deckert, Stefan Tolz, Filmpunkt/Ma.ja.de, Germany

Grey Carnations
dir: Zijad Ibrahimovic, Producers: Andres Pfaeffli, Elda Guidinetti, Ventura Film, Switzerland

Fraulein
dir: Caterina Carone, prod: Carlo Cresto-Dina, Tempesta, Italy

Just Close Your Eyes
dir: Jure Pavlović, prod: Luka Venturin, Sekvenca, Croatia

Kaloghero
dirs: Andrea Magnani, Davide Del Degan, prod: Chiara Barbo, Pilgrim, Italy

Perseverance
dir: Miha Knific, prod: Sinisa Juričić, Nukleus Film, Slovenia

Right To Love
dir: Barbara Zemljic, prod: Branislav Srdic, A Atalanta, Slovenia

Documentaries

3 Brothers
dir: Katalin Barsony, prod: Marion Kurucz, Romedia Foundation, Hungary

Chris The Swiss
dir: Anja Kofmel, prod: Samir, Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion, Switzerland

Florence, The Consul And Me
dir: Gianmarco D’Agostino, prod: Gianmarco D’Agostino, GD Film, Italy

From Kremona To Cremona
dir: Maria Averina, prods: Martichka Bozhilova, Ana Alexieva, Erica Barbiani, Agitprop, Bulgaria

Gay Men Straight Dictatorships
dir: Mária Takács, prod: Julianna Ugrin, Eclipse, Hungary

In Praise Of Nothing
dir/prod: Boris Mitić, Dribbling Pictures, Serbia

Jew’s Harp - From Sicily To Yakutia, The Road To Rhapsody
dir: Diego Pascal Panarello, prod: Edoardo Fracchia, Stefilm, Italy

Old Russia From Above
dirs: Peter Moers, Heike Nikolaus, Markus Reher, prod: Sven Heiligenstein, Moersmedia, Germany

Passport
dir: Mihajlo Jevtic, prod: Natalia Imaz, Parabellum Film, Germany

Wild
dir: Shawn Convey, prods: Gregor Streiber, Friedemann Hottenbacher. Inselfilm Production, Germany

Decision-makers already confirmed to attend what will be 2013’s first co-producttion gathering include the public film funders Manfred Schmidt (MDM), Tamara Takishvili (Georgian National Film Center), Laurent Steiert (BAK), and Anton Calleja (Eurimages), broadcasters Christine Reisen (ARTE), Sabine Rollberg (WDR), Hanka Kastelicova (HBO Europe) and Lejla Dedic (Aljazeera Balkans), and sales agents Autlook Films, Beta Film, EastWest Distribution, Soul Food, New Europe Film Sales, and First Hand Films.

An innovation at this year’s forum, which has received backing from the EU’s MEDIA Programme for the first time, is the creation of the WEMW Development Award which will presented to the best project chosen by an international jury comprising Nikolaj Nikitin (Berlinale), Matthieu Darras (Torino Film Lab) and Kristina Trapp (EAVE).

In addition, the 22 projects will also be competing for a grant to participate in the next edition of the EAVE producers workshop.

First edition of Italian Screenings

WEMW has joined forces with its co-organiser Trieste Film Festival to launch the Italian Screenings for seven completed feature films and documentaries as well as five “works in progress“ looking for world sales agents and distribution.

This new section will showcase such as films as Salvatore Mereu’s Pretty Butterflies, an adaptation of Sergio Atzenia short story about a Sardinian childhood, which premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti last September; Paola Piacenza’s documentary In A Free State, portraying Zarzis TV, a web TV created by three young Tunisians after the collapse of their regime; Alina Marazzi’s All About You, starring Charlotte Rampling and Elena Radonicich, about the ambivalence of motherhood; and Antonio Martino’s powerful film featuring a variety of borderline experiences during the Syrian revolution, Isqat Al Nizam - At the Regime Border, which received the “Leipzig Ring“ Film Prize at last October’s DOK Leipzig.

In addition, the screenings will feature Maura Delpero’s Nada and Sveta about two Moldovan girls working in Italy far from family and friends; Mario Balsamo’s documentary road movie with a difference We’re Nothing Like James Bond which won the Jury Award at the Torino Film Festival; and Pippo Mezzapesa’s Pinuccio Lovero Yes I Can which premiered in the Prospettive Italia sidebar at the 2012 Rome International Film Festival.

WEMW is organised by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Audiovisual Fund and the Trieste Film Festival, with support from such partners as the MEDIA Programme, Mibac, Central European Initiative, Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia, EAVE, and MAIA.