Syria project wins CPH:Forum pitch prize

On Screen Off Record, directed by Rami Farah and Lyana Saleh and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen of Final Cut For Real, has won the second annual Eurimages Co-Production Development Award of €15,000 at CPH:FORUM - CPH:DOX’s international financing and co-production event.

The jury said this project, reflective on the Syrian conflict in a media-saturated world, was awarded because of “the way familiar footage was presented, allowing deeper understanding of the complexities of the conflict that affects us on so many levels, for the quality of the project and the team, and the organic co-production structure.”

The film, now in development, will be a production between Syria, Denmark and France. There will be 55-minute and 90-minute versions.The story is about several young people in Syria who became citizen journalists and have filmed the turmoil since the beginning, putting their lives in danger. 

In previous years, CPH:FORUM pitches have included Searching for Sugar Man, Armadillo and The Act of Killing.

The Forum ran Thursday and Friday (Nov 13-14). The other projects pitched are:

Lida, dir Anna Eborn, prod Katja Adomeit (Den-Swe)
An elderly woman living in a Swedish settlement in Eastern Ukraine reflects on her special history.

A Family Affair, dir Tom Fassaert, prod Wout Conijn (Netherlands)
A dramatic yet humoristic documentary exploration of family taboos, starting with a woman who wants to sleep with her grandson.

A Norwegian Crime in Congo, dir-prod Djo Munga (Democratic Republic of Congo/Norway/Canada)
A documentary thriller about a strange crime involving two former Norwegian army soldiers and two suspected Congolese arms dealers.

Accidental Anarchist, dir Iain Scollay, prod John Archer, co-prod Alex Gibney (UK)
The story of Carne Ross, from diplomat to anarchist.

All I Am, dir Beadie Finzi prod Nikki Parrott (UK)
The film follows two outsiders and stars of London’s Royal Ballet, Argentinian Marianela Nunez and Brazilian Thiago Soares.

Between Two Worlds, dir Janus Metz, prod Henrik Veileborg (Denmark)
A look at a woman who runs a wide network of mail-order brides from Thailand with Danish men, as well as looking at the images of a small fishing community in Denmark and a small village in Thailand, on opposite ends of the global economic scale.

Bugs, dir Andreas Johnsen, prod Sigrid Dyekaer (Denmark)
Can eating insects be the next big sustainable food industry?

Cemetary, dir Carlos Casas, prods Olivier Marboeuf, Saodat Ismailova, Kryzstof Dabrowsky (France-Sri Lanka)
In a devastated part of Sri Lanka, a humble National Park guardian takes care of an elephant during his final days.

Childhood, dir Margreth Olin, prod Hans Kristian Schilde (Norway)
Follows the children in a special kind of kindergarten through one year, offering different perspectives on what children truly need.

Cop Killer, dir Keren Cytter, prod Ivete Lucas (US)
About a family at a ranch in Austin, Texas, caught in a standoff with police.

Flesh Out, dir Michela Occhipinti, prod Marta Donzelli (Italy)
The contradictions in the Sahara region, seen by one young women being fattened up to be desired by a potential husband.

Grace Jones: The Musical Of My Life, dir Sophie Fiennes, prod Katie Holly (UK-Ireland)
An intimate journey in the world of Grace Jones, including musical sequences and personal reflections.

Hong Kong Trilogy: This is How We Grew Up, dir Christopher Doyle, prod Jenny Suen (Hong Kong)
A fiction-nonfiction blend about the stories of several real people in Hong Kong.

How To Make a Terrorist, dir-prods Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer (Egypt-UK-US)
No synopsis release due to sensitivity of subject matter

I Am An Artist, dir Albert Serra, prod Montse Triola (Spain-France-Portugal)
A portrait of the contemporary art world.

I Remember When I Die, dir Maria Back, prod Anna-Maria Kantarius (Sweden)
Hospice patients are asked to choose the memory they will think of when they die.

Kate Plays Christine, dir Robert Greene, prods Douglas Tirola and Susan Bedusa (US-Greece)
Melodrama-as-documentary about an actress preparing to re-enact the final days of Christine Chubbuck, who was a TV anchor who committed suicide on air in 1974.

Killer, Penguin, Tom, Doll Face, dir Tomas Tamosaitis, prod Rasa Miskinyte (Lithuania-Switzerland)
About a house that welcomes hundreds of troubled children.

Kora, dir Umesh Kulkarni, prod Mahdi Fleifel (Denmark-UK-India)
Two teenagers in a village near Lhasa want to escape for a better life.

Life Anew (La Vita Nuova), dir Carlo Zoratti, prod Henning Kamm (Germany-Italy)
A fiction-doc mix about a group of people that meet in a warehouse and reenact their own dreams as therapy for their anxiety disorders.

Mogadishu Soldier, dir Torstein Grude, prod Bjarte Mørner Tveit (Norway-Denmark)
The ongoing war in Somalia as seen through the eyes of two Burundian soldiers. 

Mr Sing Sing, dir Phil Collins, prod Anja Lindner (US-UK) 
Artist Phil Collins works with the staff and inmates of Sing Sing Correctional Facility to work on a live dance and music event.

Ray & Liz, dir Richard Billingham, prod Jacqui Davies (UK)
Three interlinking episodes about the filmmaker’s family and struggles with addiction and neglect.

Reagan Years, dir Pacho Velez, prod Sierra Pettengill (US)
Looking at the Reagan presidency with archives from White House Television.

School of Life, dir Mikala Krogh, prod Sigrid Dyekjaer (Denmark)
Manila’s street kids are welcomed into a unique center of love and respect.

The Gospel of Matthew, dir Renzo Martens, prod Pieter van Huystee (Netherlands)
In the Congolese Jungle, a fictionalised story to characterize  the power of bishops, capitalists and generals.

The Grenade Man, dir Karianne Berge, prod Carsten Aanonsen (Norway)
A look at the legacy of of a terrorist who terrified Oslo in 1965.

The Invisible Project, dir Elodie Pong, prod Christof Neracher (Switzerland-US) 
Examining the power of scents and perfume.

The Wedding Lament, dir Pola Bousiou, prods Janja Kralj and Marie-Pierre Macia (France)
Four friends reunite to discuss love and reflect on marriage.