Vladivostok, Russia'sPacific Meridian International Film Festival of Asian-Pacific countries is staging a Coproduction & Film Financing Forum and the Generation Campus for young film-makers as part of its first Eurasia International Film Summit (Sept 14-17).[The name is not to be confused with Kazakhstan's Eurasia film festival also in September.]

The financing forum will be aimed at Russian, European, and Asian investors, financiers, producers, distributors, representatives of state funds with panels on Russia as a hub for European-Asian co-production, the potential for collaboration on co-development and distribution of Russian and Asian-Pacific films abroad, and the attraction of the Far East and the Primorsky Region for foreign film shoots.

In addition, a Coproduction in Action initiative will enable up to 20 Russian, European and Asian projects to be presented in public pitches to potential partners followed by one-to-one meetings. Producers interested in pitching their project must have at least 20% of the financing in place.

Meanwhile, as Generation Campus organiser Anna Gudkova explained to ScreenDaily.com, this new venture is inspired by the model of the Berlinale Talent Campus. 'I was there this year and the Talent Campus made a huge impression on me with its energy, wide opportunities for creating new projects and getting acquainted with the whole world,' she said. 'I loved this model and idea so much that when the people from [Vladivostok] came and asked me to make something like Campus, I was too happy to refuse.'

The Vladivostok version is open to directors or producers no older than 35 years from the European Union, Asian-Pacific region or Russia with the goal of facilitating co-productions of debut projects.

Highlights of programme already confirmed include a skype conference with top Russian director Timur Bekmambetov; a meeting with Lars von Trier's producer Vibeke Windelov; a master class given by DoP Mikhail Krichman whose credits include The Return, The Banishment and director Andrei Zviagintsev's segment of New York, I Love You; and an exchange with the young documentary filmmakers taking part in the Cinetrain project.

In addition, the Campus participants will have an opportunity to present their projects to the professionals attending the Film Summit.

The Pacific Meridian film festival - now in its sixth year - runs Sept 13-19.

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