Projects from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America are among the 25 features selected from a record 270 submissions for the ninth edition of European Work in Progress (EWIP), which will be held during the FilmFest Hamburg’s industry days for the second year from September 28-30.
This year’s selection, which will be pitched to an international audience of sales agents, distributors and festival programmers, covers a mix of genres including thrillers, comedies, horror, fantasy, coming-of-age dramas and biopics.
The lineup includes several first-time features including Eka by India’s Suman Sen, La Unión by Spain’s Cordelia Alegre and Mum? by Austrian actress-turned-director Katharina Sporrer.
Projects by established names include veteran Serbian actress-director Mirjana Karanović’s third feature Folk Play, which participated in the Berlinale Co-Production Market in 2024; New York-based Latvian animator Signe Baumane’s third feature Karmic Knot; Czech writer-director Vaclav Kadrika’s historical drama Panna Sophia/Comenius; and dark comedy Social Animal by Iranian-born, Berlin-based filmmaker Sinan Ataeian Dena, who produced Ali Ahmadzadeh’s 2023 Locarno Golden Leopard winner Critical Zone.
The winners of awards offered by sponsors including The Post Republic, K13 Studios and Northern Stars – Hamburg Film Partners will be decided by an international jury comprised of Christian Bräuer, managing director of Yorck Cinemas, Venice Film Festival programmer Paolo Bertolin, Rotterdam Film Festival curator Rebecca De Pas, sales agent Valeska Neu from Films Boutique, and Movistar+ editorial manager Iñigo Trojaola.
Several projects from the 2025 EWIP line-up have had their world premieres at festivals this year, including Teodora Ana Mihai’s Heysel 85 in Berlin; Abinash Bikram Shah’s Elephants In The Fog in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard (UCR); and Katharina Rivilis’ I’ll Be Gone In June, also in UCR. Elephants In The Fog won the UCR jury prize and has been selected as Nepal’s Oscar submission.
The complete selection for EWIP’s 2026 edition:
Crossings (Ger)
Dir: May Dugast
Prod: Linus Ladiges (Klinkerfilm)
Coprod: Fréhel Vince (Filmarche)
Deserted (Ger-Alg-US)
Dir: Mario Pfeifer-Mutumba
Prods: Julia I Peters (Jippie Film), Mario Pfeifer-Mutumba (Blackboard Films)
Coprods: El Kheyer Zidani (ZK Productions Alger), Oliver Thau (Papermoonfilms)
Don’t Be A Stranger (Ger)
Dir: Robert Thalheim
Prods: Andreas Banz, Matthias Miegel, Robert Thalheim, Jasmin Saunders (Kundschafter Filmproduktion)
Eka (India-Australia-Fr)
Dir: Suman Sen
Prod: Maud d’Amade (Zorba Production)
Coprods: Alan McAlex (Suitable Pictures), Emmanuel Pappas, Manjari Makijany (Asia Pacific Pictures)
Folk Play (Ser-Fr-Lux-Cro-Slovenia-Montenegro)
Dir: Mirjana Karanović
Prod: Snezana van Houwelingen (This and That Prod.)
Coprods: Denis Carot (Elzevir Films), Ulysse Payet (Noctua Films), Jani Thiltges (Samsa Film), Ida Weiss (Bela Film), Ankica Jurić Tilić (Kinorama), Marija Perović (Kino)
A House On The Waves (Iran-Fr)
Dir: Lily Mousavi
Prod: Gholamreza Mousavi (Filmsazan Javan)
Coprod: Florian Môle (Les Grands Espaces)
I Don’t Even Know Who I Was (Fr-Braz)
Dir: João Paulo Miranda Maria
Prod: Justin Pechberty (Les Valeurs)
Coprod: Mayra Faour Auad (Mymama)
Karmic Knot (Lat-Ger)
Dir: Signe Baumane
Prods: Dominiks Jarmakovičs (Studio Locomotive), Fabian Driehorst (Fabian & Fred)
La Unión (Sp-Col)
Dir: Cordelia Alegre
Prods: Àngels Masclans (Dos Soles Media), Roger Torras (Desarrollos Mediáticos Internacionales/WKND), Federico Duran (El Sol Ermitaño), Jaime Guerrero (Rara Cine)
Legítima (Mex-It)
Dir: Elisa Miller Encinas
Prods: Nicolás Celis López, Ana Katiria Suárez Castro (Pimienta Films)
Coprods: Lorenzo Fiuzzi, Bardo Tarantelli (UMI Films)
Lost Boys (Ethiopia-US)
Dirs: Josh Leong, Abel Engedayehu
Prods: Josh Leong, Semagngeta Aychiluhem, Eden Tigabu, Lauren Franco, Violette Trotter, Gideon Bear Hamot (Lost Boys Film)
Mother Of Sugar (Sp)
Dir: Clàudia Cedó
Prods: Ariadna Dot (Deliris Films), Rafa Molés (Suica Films), Tono Folguera (Lastor Media)
Mum? (Ger)
Dir: Katharina Sporrer
Prod: Henry Tritschler (Leitwolf Filmproduktion)
Panna Sophia/Comenius (Cze-Slovakia-Turkey-Neth)
Dir: Václav Kadrnka
Prods: Simona Kadrnková, Václav Kadrnka (Sirius Films), Katarína Krnáčová (Silverart)
Coprods: Burak Çevik (Fol Films), Minco Eggersman (Rina Film)
Retreat (Hun-Slovakia)
Dir: Hajni Kis
Prod: Júlia Berkes (Proton Cinema)
Coprods: Mátyás Prikler (Mphilms), György Kárpáti, Balázs Berta (Vertigo Media)
Serebrennikov - Every Day Is An Empty Stage (Ger-Switz)
Dir: Marcus Richardt
Prod: Marcus Richardt (Favo Film)
Coprods: Michela Pini, Guy Fässler (8 Horses)
Social Animal (Ger)
Dir: Sina Ataeian Dena
Prods: Sara Fazilat (Third Culture Kids), Sina Ataeian Dena (Plan A)
Spross (Ger)
Dir: Friederike Güssefeld
Prod: Anton Kaiser (Schramm Film)
Suraiya (Bang-Ger)
Dir: Robiul Alam Robi
Prod: Fazle Hasan Shishir (Ratherhood Initiatives)
Coprods: Nicole Gerhards (Niko Film), Shibabrata Barman, Robiul Alam Robi, Faridur Reza Sagar, Raihan Rafi, Moumita Hussain
Tahmina (Neth-Can-Ger-Pol)
Dir: Aboozar Amini
Prod: Jia Zhao (Silk Road Film Salon)
Coprods: Waltraud Ehrhardt, Peter Obrist (Good Karma Fiction Films), Aonan Yang, Andreas Mendritzki (Greenground Productions), Idza Igel (Harine Films)
The Dancer Of Berlin (Ger-Bul)
Dir: Zsolt Bács
Prod: Helge Sasse (Tempest Film)
Coprod: Gabriel Georgiev (Samba Pictures)
The Next Testament (Sp-Est)
Dir: Velasco Broca
Prod: Cormac Regan (Lanzadera Films)
Coprods: Iban del Campo (Limbus Filmak), Aram Garriga (Visual Suspects), Sergio Adriá (Espurna Films), Katrin Kissa (Homeless Bob Production)
Uzbek For Beginners (Uzb-Ger-Fr)
Dir: Michael Borodin
Prod: Julia Shaginurova (Einbahnstrasse Productions)
Coprods: Bekzod Abduvaliev (Abstract Visuals), Emmanuelle Faucilhon (Les Films du Sillon), Michael Borodin
We Are Kiboko (Kenya)
Dir: Wakio Mzenge
Prods: Timothy Agevi, Kennedy Kyalo (Ivonry Production)
Witch (Kaz-Fr)
Dir: Adilkhan Yerzhanov
Prods: Aigerim Abaykhanqyzy, Olga Khlasheva (Sirius Production)
Coprod: Guillaume de Seille (Arizona Films)
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