Thessaloniki Agora – Industry Manual
Transcription
Thessaloniki Agora – Industry Manual
Agora Team [Who is Who] Marie-Pierre Macia Coordinator Agora Industry Crossroads Co-production Forum Artistic Director Yianna Sarri Head of Market Contents 4 Festival Venues 5 Useful Information for the Agora Industry 6 Thessaloniki Agora Industry Awards and Partners 8 Agora Industry Overview 10 Agora Industry Juries Denise Andreola Agora Film Market & Agora WiP Coordinator 12 Crossroads Projects 46 Agora Works in Progress Angeliki Vergou Crossroads & Agora WiP Coordinator Panagiotis Galios Agora Industry Production Geortina Serpieri Agora Industry Assistant Hippolyte Lykavieris Crossroads Assistant 60 Agora Film Market Official Selection Film Market Crossroads Participants’ Previous Films 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual Dear friends, We are really happy to present once again the selections of the Agora Industry and its parallel events: the Crossroads Co-production Forum, the Agora Works in Progress and the films taking part in the Agora Film Market. This year we will present 226 titles at the Agora Film Market, 14 projects at the Crossroads Co-production Forum and 10 projects at the Agora Works in Progress. The Agora Industry is designed to promote foremost the Greek films and help the Greek professionals as well as the Balkan, Mediterranean and Central European movie professionals to implement their cinematic projects. The joint involvement of these countries reinforces the relationship between them, which, although separated geographically, are culturally united through the international language of cinema. Agora Industry’s aim is to offer to all participating professionals a unique networking atmosphere and offer them the right means in their search of new films and projects. Agora Industry has been an important part of the Thessaloniki Film Festival since 2005 and we are grateful to all our friends, old and new, for their support and interest in our efforts all these years. We wish you a pleasant stay and we are ready to welcome you to Thessaloniki! Dimitri Eipides Thessaloniki International Film Festival Director and the Agora Industry Team 3 THE FESTIVAL VENUES / CITY MAP 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual Useful Information for the Agora Industry z z z z z The Agora Industry is located on the ground floor of Warehouse C, at the Port of Thessaloniki. Working hours: 10.00-20.00, from 7 to 14.11.2015 Access: All registered delegates with TIFF Industry/Press badge have free access to the Agora Industry All Agora Industry badges are issued at the Accreditation Desk (Warehouse C, ground floor) All Agora Industry delegates are requested to issue zero value tickets for all official festival screenings upon the presentation of their badge (except from the Opening and Closing Ceremonies). Please return the tickets you will not use to the Agora Industry Information Desk. z All Agora Industry delegates have free access to the Press / Industry Screenings: Frida Liappa Theatre & Tonia Marketaki Theatre 09.00-13.00 Agora Industry Services z z z z z Accreditation & Information Desk Shared exhibition space for sellers Wi-Fi Special meeting area Happy Hour at the 1st floor of Warehouse C, 18.00-19.00 (8-12.11.2015) Agora Film Market z The Film Market facilities are open from the 7th to the 14th of November, 10.00-20.00. On Saturday the 14th of z z z z November the Film Market will close at 16.00. 30 booths fully digital are located at Warehouse C on the ground floor. Booking should be made one day in advance at the Film Market reception. Booths can be booked for a maximum of four consecutive hours. You are kindly requested to register your evaluation of each film you have watched. Agora Works in Progress The Agora Works in Progress films will be screened at Olympion Theater on the 12th of November at 10.30 to 13.30. Access is strictly allowed to the Agora Industry delegates. Crossroads Co-production Forum individual meetings The individual meetings with the Crossroads Participants will be held in the Agora Industry area of Warehouse C, ground floor, 10. 00-18.00 Agora Industry Offices Our offices are located at the ground floor of Warehouse C. Office hours: 10.00-20.00 5 THESSALONIKI AGORA INDUSTRY AWARDS AND PARTNERS Over the past 20 years, MEDIA, the EU's support programme for the European audiovisual industry, has supported the development and distribution of thousands of films as well as training activities, festivals and promotion projects throughout the continent. From 2001 to 2006, more than half a billion euro were injected into 8.000 projects from over 30 countries. Graal is the only complete Digital Intermediate (DI) post production house in Greece, performing high quality image processing, punctually and in any medium or format. Graal’s vision, as the name suggests, is the never-ending effort for the optimum results, with emphasis on quality. The company’s focus is on building and maintaining its reputation for technical excellence, outstanding value and professionalism. Graal is dedicated to the continuous integration of new technologies through national and international collaborations in the film-making industry. The in-house team consists of audiovisual post-production professionals with diverse expertise. Graal seeks to enhance the Greek film industry and expand beyond the borders of the Greek market. Graal offers high quality image processing in any medium or format, in competitive prices, by professionals with diverse expertise and in-depth knowledge. Graal is sponsoring the AGORA WORKS IN PROGRESS Co-production Award two thirty five 2|35 Inc. (two thirty five) is a privately held film production and post production company, located in the centre of Athens, Greece. It was established in July 2007 by experienced professionals with more than fifteen years each in the industry. The company serves the local and international film post production industry and participates in selected productions as a co-producer, offering production and post production services. We offer full Digital Intermediate (DI) 4K, 2K, and HD workflows and work to the highest technical specifications across all acquisition and distribution formats, both analog and digital. Services include digital film scanning, editing, digital visual effects, graphics, colour grading, sound design, Dolby digital sound mixing, video encoding, film restoration, digital picture and sound film recording, digital cinema mastering. Two Thirty Five has completed work on numerous award winning films and has a filmography of 61 features, 14 documentaries and 86 shorts including stereoscopic 3D films, Digital Cinema masters, teasers, trailers and planetarium/dome projections. 2|35 is offering the CROSSROADS Co-production Award Created by the law of 25 October 1946, the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée (CNC) is a public administrative organization, set up as a separate and financially independent entity. The Directorate of European and international affairs prepares, negotiates and monitors bilateral co-production agreements, assists and participates in the functioning of Eurimages (multilateral support fund for co-production, under the Council of Europe). In addition, the Directorate of European and international affairs runs bilateral cooperation schemes with countries having emerging film production sectors. Furthermore, it jointly runs and funds the Fonds Sud Cinéma with the ministry of foreign affairs, and supports training schemes for foreign professionals and various festivals or professional seminars. CNC is offering the CROSSROADS development award Founded in 1993 Initiative film is the first European consulting company specialized in development process for professionals as producers, screenwriters, directors, actors et al. Attentive partner from the birth of the story to the start of production we accompany creative process linked to artistic and economic feasibility of the projects. We are working as development advisor, helping to take the necessary distance in relation to a work in progress in order to facilitate his viability in the market. After several-years of fruitful collaboration with Crossroads Co-production Forum, Isabelle Fauvel submitted to its team an Initiative Film award. It allows one selected Greek project to be followed from its current state, as presented in Crossroads to a full analysis of its evolution in a period of 6 months after the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. 6 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual An exclusive program of meet-and-greets Launched in 2004, the Producers Network hosts around 550 producers from all over the world in a series of meetings created to stimulate international coproduction. Every day an individually tailored program reserved for producers will give you the opportunity to find financial partners also interested in international distribution of their films: Breakfast: various industry personalities are invited to share their experiences in the industry around a themed presentation which will touch on all of the aspects of the production and distribution of film over breakfast. Speed-Dating: gives producers time to mingle and make deals for their Projects; Master Class: an expert will share their advice and professional knowledge of a specific part of the world or of a recent development in the industry; Happy Hour: a lively atmosphere for professional encounters. The winning producer will have the chance to participate in the next round of the Producer’s Network. Sofia Meetings, supported by the Media programme of the EU, is an event that aims to promote new projects from young European filmmakers and new films from Bulgaria and the Balkan region to European film festivals, sales agents and distributors. Sofia Meetings is oriented towards professional audience (producers, directors, world sales, distributors, representatives of financing organizations and film festivals). It has two separate modules: Pitching – presentation of first, second and third feature film projects looking for financial support and cooperation. Balkan Screenings – showcase of the latest Bulgarian and regional feature and short flms for directors and programmes from different international festivals, world sales companies and journalists. Additional events such as lectures, training programs, presentations happen simultaneously to the Sofia Meetings. One Crossroads project will be selected to participate in the next round of Sofia Meetings MFI Script 2 Film Workshops is an advanced training initiative under the umbrella of the MEDIA Programme of the European Union. Essentially a script & project development program, it is based on group work, Q&Α sessions, case studies & individual consultations, and consists of 4 intensive workshops (2 on-location in the Greek islands of Nissyros and Samos, and 2 on-line hosted in MFI’s web site). Its primary objective is to fully develop the participating screenplays, from first or subsequent draft to final draft, through a process of workshops that emphasize on script analysis, revision & rewriting. Its second objective is to help participants to set up an effective project development process (presentation, pitching, fundraising & production strategies) and help them reach the stage of production. One Crossroads project will be given scholarship to participate in the next round of Script 2 Film Workshops. ACE – Ateliers du cinéma européen Every year a dozen European producers are selected to participate in the ACE programme. Thanks to the workshops and the close personal monitoring offered by ACE, the producers can dramatically increase the possibility of a film’s success. ACE helps the producers construct coherent projects by focusing on both the creative and financial dimensions of film making. Exchange of ideas, script analysis, preparation of financing plans, identification of and search for partners…the entire method for project development is designed with the ACE producers (who remain the decision-makers on the projects). Since its inception, more than 200 feature film producers from 23 European territories have joined the ranks of ACE. Over the years, ACE has become not only an operational structure providing professional advice on the various aspects of feature film production, but also an important and active network of European producers. As part of the 37th Cinemed, the Cinemed Meetings include three days dedicated to film professionals: 8 25th Development Grant 8 10th Roundtables for Professionals 8 3rd Co-production Meetings (breakfasts and one-on-ones) Cinemed Meetings are open to all professionals in the Mediterranean and to professionals with an interest in production problems in the region. Cinemed Meetings, which lie at the heart of the 37th Cinemed, took place from 27-29 October. 12 to 14 planned feature films presented by their directors and producers to a panel of five professionals, with pitching sessions open to all professionals, on the 27 and 28 October. Grants: CNC grant for € 7000, OIF grant for € 7000, Languedoc-Roussillon grant for € 4000, Beaumarchais Association grant for € 3000. CINEMED will include at least 1 Greek project in the Development Grant selection according to its state of development and follow the films from Crossroads and Works in Progress in regards to its program selection. CINEUROPA is the first European portal dedicated to cinema and audiovisual in 4 languages. With daily news, interviews, data bases, in-depth investigations into the audiovisual industry, Cineuropa aims at promoting the European film industry throughout the world. Welcome to a platform where professionals can meet and exchange information and ideas. 7 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Thessaloniki Agora Industry Overview Since the first industry event in 2003 with Balkan Fund until the full evolution of the Agora Industry many film projects have been presented in all kinds of development stages. These films have made their premiere in prestigious festivals, won awards and have also been screened at Thessaloniki International Film Festival. We are committed in enlarging that list and put our efforts into continuing to support films from Central Europe and the Balkan and Mediterranean countries. Motherland The Sky Above Us Seaburners by Senem Tüzen (Turkey/Greece) 2015 Venice Film Festival – Intl Critics Week Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Crossroads Co-production Forum Award 2012 by Marinus Groothof (Netherlands/Belgium/Serbia/Greece) Intl Film Festival Rotterdam Belgrade Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Agora Works in Progress 2013 by Melisa Önel (Turkey) 2014 Berlin Film Festival - Forum Crossroads Co-production Forum 2011 Agora Works in Progress Award 2012 Interruption by Yorgos Zois (Greece/France/Croatia) 2015 Venice Film Festival – Orizzonti Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival – International Competition Balkan Fund 2010 Factory Girl by Mohamed Khan (Egypt/UAE) 2014 Dubai Intl Film Festival Agora Works in Progress 2013 Mustang Chlorine by Deniz Gamze Ergüven (France/Turkey/Germany) 2015 Cannes Film Festival – Director’s Fortnight Karlovy Vary Intl Film Festival Toronto Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Crossroads Co-production Forum 2012 by Lamberto Sanfelice (Italy) 2014 Sundance Film Festival Berlin Film Festival - Generation 14plus Crossroads Co-production Forum 2013 As I Open My Eyes by Layla Bouzid (France/Tunisia/Belgium/UAE) 2015 Venice Film Festival – Venice Days Crossroads Co-production Forum 2013 Love, Theft and Other Entanglements by Muayad Alayan (Palestine) 2015 Berlin Film Festival – Panorama Film Festival Gent Vancouver Intl Film Festival Agora Works in Progress 2014 Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me by Hadar Morag (Israel/France) Venice Film Festival - Orizzonti Crossroads Co-production Forum 2011 Stratos by Yannis Economides (Greece/Germany/Cyprus) 2014 Berlin Film Festival – International Competition Karlovy Vary Intl Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Agora Works in Progress 2013 Next to Her by Asaf Korman (Israel) 2014 Cannes Film Festival – Director’s Forthnight Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival - Silver Alexander Agora Works in Progress – Graal Award 2013 Necktie Youth 8 Barbarians by Ivan Ikic (Serbia/Montenegro/Slovenia) 2014 Karlovy Vary Intl Film Festival – East of the West Competition Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival – Balkan Survey Balkan Fund Award 2010 Crossroads Co-production Forum 2011 Viktoria by Maya Vitkova (Bulgaria/Romania) 2014 Sundance Film Festival - World Dramatic Competition Karlovy Vary Intl Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Balkan Fund 2005 Late Season by Danilo Caputo (Italy/Greece) 2014 Karlovy Vary Intl Film Festival Agora Works in Progress 2012 When I Saw You by Annemarie Jacir (Jordan/Palestine/Greece) 2012 Toronto Film Festival Abu Dhabi Film Festival – Best Arab Film Berlin Film Festival – NETPAC Best Asian Film Award Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Palestine’s 2013 Oscar Entry Crossroads Co-production Forum 2008 Agora Works in Progress Award 2011 My Dog Killer by Sibs Shongwe – La Mer (South Africa) 2015 Berlin Film Festival – Panorama Tribeca Intl Film Festival New Horizons Film Festival London Film Festival Agora Works in Progress 2014 At Home by Athanasios Karanikolas (Greece/Germany) 2014 Berlin Film Festival - Forum Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival – Greek Program Agora Works in Progress 2013 by Mira Fornay (Slovak Republic/Czech Republic) 2013 Intl Film Festival Rotterdam – Tiger Award Karlovy Vary Intl Film Festival Munich Intl Film Festival – Cinema Vision Award Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Slovak Republic’s 2013 Oscar Entry Agora Works in Progress 2012 – Honorary Mention Impressions of a Drowned Man Forever The Japanese Dog by Kyros Papavassiliou (Cyprus/Greece/Slovenia) 2015 Intl Film Festival Rotterdam – Competition Karlovy Vary Intl Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Agora Works in Progress 2013 by Margarita Manda (Greece) 2014 Intl Film Festival Rotterdam Cairo Intl Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Agora Works in Progress 2013 by Tudor Cristan Jurgiu (Romania) 2013 San Sebastian Intl Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Crossroads Co-production Forum 2010 Agora Works in Progress 2012 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual Luton Unfair World Aurora by Michalis Konstantatos (Greece/Germany) 2013 San Sebastian Intl Film Festival London Film Festival New Horizons Film Festival Crossroads Co-production Forum 2010 Agora Works in Progress 2012 by Filippos Tsitos (Greece/Germany) 2011 San Sebastian Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Agora Works in Progress 2010 by Cristi Puiu (Romania/France/Switzerland/Germany) 2010 Cannes Film Festival - Un Certain Regard Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Balkan Works in Progress 2009 Wild Duck by Yannis Sakaridis (Greece) 2013 Toronto Film Festival – City to City section Busan Intl Film Festival – Flash Forward Competition Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival – International Competition Agora Works in Progress 2012 Standing Aside, Watching by Yorgos Servetas (Greece) 2013 Toronto Film Festival – City to City section Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Berlin Film Festival - Panorama Crossroads Co-production Forum 2011 Amnesty by Bujar Alimani (Albania/Greece/France) 2011 Berlin Film Festival – Forum Montreal World Cinema Film Festival Crossroads Co-production Forum 2008 Agora Works in Progress 2010 J.A.C.E by Menelaos Karamanghiolis (Greece/Portugal/FYROM/Turkey/Netherlands) 2011 Tokyo Intl Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Balkan Fund 2005 Agora Works in Progress 2010 Wasted Youth September by Penny Panayotopoulou (Greece/Germany) 2013 Karlovy Vary Intl Film Festival – Competition Toronto Film Festival – City to City section Balkan Fund Award Winner 2010 Crossroads Co-production Forum 2011 Agora Works in Progress 2012 Boy Eating the Bird’s Food by Ektoras Lygizos (Greece) 2012 Karlovy Vary Intl Film Festival – International Competition Toronto Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl’ Film Festival – International Competition Agora Works in Progress 2011 by Argyris Papadimitropoulos & Jan Vogel (Greece) 2011 Intl Film Festival Rotterdam - Competition BAFICI Agora Works in Progress 2010 Outbound by Bogdan George Apetri (Romania) 2010 Locarno Intl Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival - Golden Alexander Balkan Works in Progress 2009 Ajami by Scandar Copti & Yaron Shani (Israel/Germany) 2009 Cannes Film Festival - Director’s Fortnight, Camera D’Or, Special Distinction Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival - Golden Alexander Crossroads Co-production Forum 2005 Tilva Rosh by Nikola Lezaic (Serbia) 2010 Locarno Intl Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Crossroads Co-production Forum 2008 Pandora’s Box Dogtooth by Yorgos Lanthimos (Greece) 2009 Cannes Film Festival - Un Certain Regard Award Greek Works in Progress 2008 by Yesim Ustaoglu (Turkey/France/Germany/Belgium) 2008 San Sebastian - Golden & Silver Shell Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Crossroads Co-production Forum Award 2006 Tale 52 by Alexis Alexiou (Greece) 2008 International Film Festival Rotterdam Competition Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Greek Works in Progress 2007 Süt (Milk) by Semih Kaplanoglu (Turkey/France/Germany) 2008 Venice Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Crossroads Co-production Forum 2006 Beyond the Hill Punk’s Not Dead by Emin Alper (Turkey) 2012 Berlin Film Festival – Forum Best Turkish Film - Istanbul Intl Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Crossroads Co-production Forum 2010 Agora Works in Progress 2011 by Vladimir Blazevski (FYROM/Serbia) 2011 Karlovy Vary Intl Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Agora Works in Progress 2010 by Özcan Alper (Turkey/Germany) 2008 C.I.C.A.E Award Locarno Intl Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Crossroads Co-production Forum 2007 Adalber’s Dream California Dreamin’ (Endless) by Michael Mayer (Israel/ USA) 2012 Toronto Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Agora Works in Progress 2011 by Gabriel Achim (Romania) 2011 Reykjavik Intl Film Festival Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Crossroads Co-production Forum 2009 Agora Works in Progress 2010 by Cristian Nemescu (Romania) 2007 Cannes Film Festival - Un Certain Regard Award Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Balkan Fund 2004 Balkan Works in Progress 2006 Everybody in Our Family Loverboy Grbavica (Esma’s Secret) by Radu Jude (Romania/Netherlands) 2012 Berlin Film Festival – Forum Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Crossroads Co-production Forum 2009 by Catalin Mitulescu (Romania) 2011 Cannes Film Festival - Un Certain Regard Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Balkan Fund Award 2006 by Jasmila Zbanic (Bosnia & Herzegovina) 2004 Berlin Film Festival –Golden Bear Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival Balkan Fund Award 2003 Out in the Dark Autumn 9 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Agora Works in Progress Jury 2015 Fabienne Hanclot – ACID, France After 7 years at the French Institute of Athens where she founded and programmed the French Film Festival, Fabienne Hanclot went back to Paris to program and run an Art House movie theatre. Since 2007, she is the general delegate of ACID (association for independent cinema and its distribution). The ACID program at the Cannes International Film Festival was created in 1993. The films are chosen by fifteen or so filmmakers, members of ACID, formerly programmed in Cannes or whose films were supported during the year. It screens nine feature films, fiction and documentary, chosen from among hundreds of works from all around the world. ACID filmmakers follow their love for a film and wish to give visibility to directors whose work is scarcely distributed, in order to facilitate a theatrical release. Maren Kroymann – M-Appeal, Germany Maren Kroymann studied Law in Paris and finished her studies with a D.E.A. postgraduate Law degree from the University Paris XIV. She worked with the German subsidiary of the French documentary channel Planet for seven years as director of on air promotion and marketing, later becoming head of programming/acquisitions. In the meantime, she collaborated on several documentary projects in Berlin as researcher and director’s assistant. In 2004, Maren began working in international sales for MDC int. before founding Berlinbased M-Appeal World Sales in January 2008. Christos Behtsis – Seven Films, Greece He was born in Neos Skopos of Serres in 1965 and he studied at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. From his youth, his love of cinema dominated his life, so he decided to enter the field of films, opening his first video club in 1986. In 2000, already the owner of seven video clubs chain stores, he founded in Thessaloniki the company Seven Group SA. The Seven Spot store chain spread throughout Greece with almost 100 shops by 2010. In 2007 he also founded the company Seven Films, which operates to this day in the field of film distribution, successfully conquering an important role in the distribution of independent, arthouse films in the Greek market and representing great international film directors, such as Denis Villeneuve, Lars von Trier, Thomas Wittenberg, the Dardenne Brothers, Anton Corbijn, Jacques Audiard, etc. Titus Kreyenberg – unafilm, Germany Crossroads Co-Production Jury 2015 Titus Kreyenberg was an executive producer for film and television for many years before he founded his own production company unafilm in 2004. Unafilm produces feature films. Straight forward and artistically challenging. Fiction and documentary. National and international. The company’s films compete in internationally acknowledged film festivals around the world - Berlinale, Cannes, Toronto, San Sebastian and Karlovy Vary among them. The German-Swiss coproduction Colours in the Dark with Bruno Ganz was a major success in German cinemas, the German-Turkish coproduction Our Grand Despair by Seyfi Teoman premiered in competition at the Berlinale 2011. Heli by Amat Escalante was selected to the official competition in Cannes 2013 to win the award for Best Director. In 2014, unafilm was present in Cannes’ Official Selection with its coproduction The Bridges of Sarajevo. The Cologne and Berlin-based unafilm is an active member of ACE (Atelier du Cinema Européen), EAVE, AG DOK, the German and the European Film Academy. Fenia Cossovitsa – Blonde, Greece Fenia Cossovitsa is co-founder of BLONDE audiovisual productions, an Athens independent film production company. She is the company’s producer, responsible also for the strategy, development and coordination of the feature films, documentaries, TV programs and other audiovisual projects covering the production services the company offers. Producer Fenia Cossovitsa numbers already over 20 Greek and/or international feature films and documentaries in her resumé and has worked as a producer with internationally acclaimed filmmakers like Peter Bogdanovic (The Cat’s Meow) and Jonathan Nossiter (Signs and Wonders). Film has always been one of Blonde’s main passions and with its extensive experience in the film industry Blonde can produce any type of film covering all areas of the demanding production process. She produced the second feature film by Menelaos Karamaghiolis J.A.C.E. (6 awards to the Greek Film Academy Awards 2013), has produced a first feature film by Yorgos Servetas Standing Aside, Watching selected to TIFF 2013 as the Opening Film for City to City section and to Berlinale Panorama 2014, and she co-produced Brigitte Roüan’s latest feature Tu honoreras ta mere et ta mere with AGAT Films (France) and the first feature film Blind Sun by greek-lebanese director, Joyce A. Nashawati. In 2015 she co-produced with Archipel 35 (FRANCE) the second feature film by Delphine and Muriel Coulin entitled Voir Du Pays shot last summer, and she is the executive producer of the 2nd feature film by Greek director Sotiris Tsafoulias entitled The Other Me. BLONDE is also the coproducer of the first feature film entitled A mon age je me cache encore pour fumer by Algerian-French director Rayhana produced by KG productions – Michele and Costa Gavras. The shooting took place in July 2015 in Thessaloniki - Greece. Joseph Rouschop – Tarantula, Belgium Graduated in Communication Arts and Sciences from the University of Liège, Joseph Rouschop created Tarantula Belgium at the end of the ‘90s, driven by the wish to safeguard the sincerity and dreams of the filmmakers with whom he was working. He produced his first documentaries and short films, and always underpinning his work is the desire to put people at the heart of them, with strong and meaningful subject matter. Since 2002 and the first feature film A Piece of Sky by Bénédicte Liénard, which was shown in the official selection at the Cannes Film Festival, Tarantula has contributed to the vitality of Belgian audio-visual production with films like Folie Privée and Private Property by Joachim Lafosse, La Cantante de Tango by Diego Martinez Vignatti, Last Winter by John Shank, and Mobile Home by François Pirot. Tarantula also plays a role in cinema without borders, in international co-productions with Mexico (Batalla en el cielo by Carlos Reygadas), Canada (Congorama by Philippe Falardeau), Palestine, Taïwan... 10 CROSSROADS CO-PRODUCTION FORUM 10-14 NOVEMBER 2015 Crossroads aims to support the producers of feature-length film projects that are linked to Central Europe, the Mediterranean and the Balkan regions. two thirty five AWARD SPONSOR CHARLTON HESTON Romania page 14 ΤHE DEATH OF BLACK HORSES Turkey page 16 THE DISAPPEARED Turkey page 18 ELEFSINA Greece page 20 I WILL CROSS TOMORROW the crossroads projects Greece/France page 22 INTERROGATION Turkey page 24 THE LAND OF NO ONE Greece page 26 THE MISTAKE Romania page 28 THE RIVER Greece page 30 THE SEAM LINE Israel page 32 A SHELTER AMONG THE CLOUDS Albania page 34 THE T FACTOR Italy page 36 TIDE Lebanon page 38 USUD Serbia / Bosnia & Herzegovina page 40 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Crossroads Projects Charlton Heston Romania Produced by: ICON PRODUCTION, KINOSSEUR PRODUCTIONS Director: Andrei Creţulescu Scriptwriter: Andrei Creţulescu Producers: Velvet Moraru (Icon), Codruta Creţulescu (Kinosseur) Budget: 649,337 Euro Secured Financing: 50,2% Location: Bucharest, seaside Looking for: co-production (mainly: sound crew plus equipment, camera crew plus equipment, postproduction, bit part talent, composer), world sales. SYNOPSIS On the Friday night when he turns 42, and just a few weeks after his wife, Ioana, died in a car accident, a drunken Alexandru is visited by Sebastian (26), who introduces himself as Ioana's lover for the past five months. After the first moments of shock, Alexandru hits the young man and pulls him into the house. Saturday. Sebastian starts telling Alexandru details of his love affair with Ioana. Clearly inconsolable, he has come to his former rival with a bizarre request: he wants to know everything about the woman he still loves, he wants Alexandru to help him get over the loss and, last but not least, he wants to help Alexandru overcome the huge loss as well. Sunday. Alexandru takes Sebastian to lunch at Ioana's parents. Gathered around the table, they eat in silence for a while. Then, realizing that Sebastian knows a lot about her daughter, Ioana's mother begins to ask him questions, but Alexandru responds in his place: Sebastian and Ioana used to be lovers. The two men leave – Sebastian wounded, Alexandru triumphant. Monday. Alexandru decides it's time for the final blow and takes Sebastian to the seaside. They stop at the villa where the two lovers spent their first night together. However, as it turns out, this is where Ioana and Alexandru spent their honeymoon and all of their summer holidays... For the first time since his wife's death, Alexandru is finally ready to acknowledge openly his own pain and devastation. Sebastian hugs him without a word. Tuesday morning. Sebastian comes to the boardwalk on the edge of the sea to say goodbye. Alexandru smiles: in another life, they could have been best friends. But this is not the case... Sebastian disappears from Alexandru's life as suddenly as he entered it. DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION ICON PRODUCTION T: +40 21 31 11 367 E: velvet@iconfilm.ro KINOSSEUR PRODUCTIONS T: +4021 314 8025 E: codruta@kinosseur.ro W: www.kinosseur.ro This is the story of an impossible love and the story of an unlikely friendship between two men who, under normal circumstances, might have been best friends, but have been pitted by fate against one another. This is a film about people, about love, about relationships. It addresses those who love and who will love, those who cherish love and those who look at love with contempt. This is a film about regret and sadness, but treated in a careful and subtle key, neither forced nor aggressive. It will be a film shot in vivid colors that will take us back to the 40s Technicolor, a film set in a particular universe, present-day Bucharest, but an idealist and intellectual Bucharest, filtered through a classi/ retro prism supported by the music of the 60s-80s period. It will be a film shot in widescreen Cinemascope, in order to capture the extremely particular space where the two main characters, Alexandru and Sebastian, coexist and to emphasize their solitude. It will be a film whose strength will be divided between the delicacy of the images, the importance of the lines and the two main performances. Given that much of the first half of the script is set in an old house (converted by Alexandru into a museum of memories), the house becomes the third main character of the story and, by extension, sound design and scenography will play a crucial role in determining the general atmosphere of the film. The space of the house will be large, wide, never cramped – Alexandru chooses not to leave the house because that's where he feels safe and comfortable. The story will be supported by an original score and a soundtrack consisting of pre-existing songs. The original music will be very subtle, minimal – only a few instruments – and repetitive (some themes will be resumed from time to time). The songs have two functions: sometimes they will complement the action but, mostly, they will comment on it. Given the tone and the spirit of the film, there can be no music newer than the late 80s. It will be a film that will not be afraid to ask the viewers something that they haven't been asked for a long time: to be touched by it. It will be a movie that dares to ask the audience to laugh and cry, sometimes in the same scene. It will be a sad movie, but not a desperate one; it will be a funny movie, but not a happy one. It will be a film that people watch and watch again with pleasure – cinematographically speaking, it will be as if Aki Kaurismäki directed a script by Pedro Almodovar. Musically speaking – and to paraphrase Leonard Cohen – it will be a film "to laugh and cry and cry and laugh about it all again". ICON PRODUCTION ICON PRODUCTION is one of the first Romanian independent film production companies, established in 1994. KINOSSEUR PRODUCTIONS KINOSSEUR PRODUCTIONS is a Bucharest-based production company founded by Andrei Cretulescu and Codruta Cretulescu in July 2011. 14 Crossroads Projects 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Seven Months Later, short, 2015 (in post-production) A former film critic, Andrei Crețulescu produced for HBO Romania the first season of In Deriva (remake of In Treatment) and nine original documentaries. In 2011 he launched Kinosseur Productions. After producing the feature film Killing Time (by Florin Piersic Jr.), Andrei wrote and directed Bad Penny and Kowalski, the former winning the Best Short award at the Zagreb IFF, 2014 and the Best Director and Best Actor (Andi Vasluianu) awards at the Lille European FF, 2015. His third short, Ramona, won the Canal+ Award at La Semaine de la Critique at the Cannes FF and the Best Short Award (ex-aequo) at the Transilvania IFF. Andrei has just finished his fourth short film, Seven Months Later, and he is currently prepping his first feature, Charlton Heston. Ramona, short, 2015 Cannes FF - Semaine de la Critique–Canal+ Award Transilvania IFF, Romania–Best Short Award Vila do Conde, Portugal–Cine TV e Series Distribution Award New York Film Festival–Showcase Chicago IFF–International Competition Thessaloniki IFF–Balkan Survey Kowalski, short, 2014 Zagreb Film Festival–The Golden Pram for Best Short Odessa IFF–Digital Edition–Second Place Lille Short IFF–Best Director and Best Actor Awards Transilvania IFF–Competition Warsaw IFF–Short Film Competition Luxor Egyptian and European FF–Short Film Competition Bad Penny, short, 2013 Next IFF Cannes FF–Short Film Corner Transilvania IFF–Competition Grossmann Fantastic Film Festival–Short Film Competition Lund International Fantastic Film Festival– Fantastic Short Competition Fantasy FilmFest–Get Shorty PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY ICON PRODUCTION Horsepower, short, 2013, by Daniel Sandu Film Festival Cottbus, 2014–Best Short Film Quod Erat Demonstrandum, 2013, by Andrei Gruzsniczki Rome IFF–Special Jury Prize Goeast Film Festival Arras Film Festival–Special Mention of the Jury for Production Design Karlovy Vary IFF Thessaloniki IFF–Balkan Survey The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceaușescu, doc, 2010, by Andrei Ujică Exam, 2003, by Titus Muntean - 2003 PRODUCER’S PROFILE ICON PRODUCTION One of Romania’s leading production companies, Icon Production – led by Velvet Moraru – has a remarkable portfolio of shorts, features and documentaries by interationally renowned directors such as Andrei Ujica or Andrei Gruzsniczki. Andrei Crețulescu Present at Crossroads PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY KINOSSEUR PRODUCTIONS Seven Months Later, short, 2015, by Andrei Crețulescu (in post-production) Ramona, short, 2015, by Andrei Crețulescu Cannes Film Festival - Semaine de la Critique–Canal+ Award Transilvania IFF, Romania–Best Short Award Vila do Conde, Portugal–Cine TV e Series Distribution Award New York Film Festival–Showcase Chicago IFF–International Competition Thessaloniki IFF–Balkan Survey Codruta Creţulescu Present at Crossroads Kowalski, short, 2014, by Andrei Crețulescu Zagreb Film Festival–The Golden Pram for Best Short Odessa IFF - Digital Edition–Second Place Lille Short IFF–Best Director and Best Actor Awards Transilvania IFF–Competition Warsaw IFF–Short Film Competition Luxor Egyptian and European FF–Short Film Competition Bad Penny, short, 2013, by Andrei Crețulescu Next IFF Cannes FF–Short Film Corner Transilvania IFF–Competition Grossmann Fantastic Film Festival–Short Film Competition Lund International Fantastic Film Festival–Fantastic Short Competition Fantasy FilmFest–Get Shorty Killing Time, 2012, by Florin Piersic Jr. Transilvania IFF–Romanian Competition Warsaw IFF–Free Spirit Competition Film Festival Cottbus-Spektrum PRODUCER’S PROFILE KINOSSEUR PRODUCTIONS In only less than 4 years since she opened her own production company, Kinosseur Productions, together with Andrei Crețulescu, Codruta Crețulescu has managed to produce one feature and four short films, adding up to an impressive number of festival selections and awards. The director’s previous film, Ramona, is available at the Agora Film Market. 15 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Crossroads Projects The Death of Black Horses Turkey Produced by: FK FILM Director: Ferit Karahan Scriptwriters: Ferit Karahan, Gülistan Acet Producers: Ferit Karahan, Gülistan Acet Budget: 1,126,000 Euro Secured Financing: 25% Location: Turkey Looking for: Co-producer, Distributor and funding SYNOPSIS In 1914, in a Kurdish village administered by the Ottoman Empire, Mirza (20) is assisting the village doctor. His family learns that their son Hamit is imprisoned in a distant city and has been wounded. Mirza and his brothers Ahmet and Mesut set out on a journey to find Hamit. Along the way, as the brothers face the dangers of army deserters, exiles and thieves, buried family secrets emerge. As they travel, the brothers reveal their dark sides to each other. When they reach the city, the brothers learn that Hamit has escaped from prison. Mirza is arrested and imprisoned by Ottoman soldiers. The Ottoman Empire plans to exile the entire Armenian population. However, due to a shortage of soldiers, prisoners are being enrolled to facilitate their transport. The only way for Mirza to get out of prison is to become one of them. After much hesitation, Mirza joins the Ottoman army. While Mirza and the soldiers are evacuating an Armenian village, they encounter rebels. After a long fight Mirza recognizes Hamit’s dead body among the pile of corpses. Mirza learns that the great war has begun. DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT When World War I broke out, my grandfather was a bandit in the mountains of Kurdistan. I spent my childhood listening to stories about my grandfather’s courage in battling Russian and Ottoman soldiers. What fascinated me even more than the tales of my grandfather’s bravery, was the setting for these stories, in particular the clues they contained about the animosity among the different peoples of Anatolia in a wartime atmosphere. His own story was about members of a family who become enemies after an unfortunate incident. What seemed like a minor detail at that time was the question of how and why the Kurds, Turks, and Armenians who had been living in harmony in the Ottoman Empire suddenly became mortal enemies once the war began. What drove me to make this film is the belief that the turmoil present in this part of the world is caused in no small part by our failure to confront – and come to terms with – questions raised by what happened one hundred years ago. FK FILM FK Film is an independent Istanbul based production company which aims to support authentic storytelling, producing thought-provoking feature, short and documentary films. Through our international co-productions, we strive to reach audiences around the world. FK Film is headed by Ferit Karahan and Gülistan Acet. Previous films include: The Fall from Heaven (2013), Give the Treasure (2014), Yusiv’s Dream (2011), Heaven of Watermelon (2013). PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION FK FILM T: +90 533 6633373 E: karahan.ferit@gmail.com gulistanacet@gmail.com 16 Crossroads Projects 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual DIRECTOR’S/PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY DIRECTOR’S PROFILE The Fall from Heaven, 2014 Antalya Golden Orange FF–Best Film Ankara IFF–Best First Film Prize Ferit Karahan was born in Mus, Turkey. He is a Kurdish film director living in Istanbul. He started working as a first assistant director on feature films. His short films Before the Flood and Yusiv’s Dream have been screened at numerous festivals and have won awards and honorable mentions. His feature debut, The Fall from Heaven, premiered at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival and won Best Film. It also won the Best First Film prize at the Ankara International Film Festival, and was later screened at more than 15 festivals and won more the 10 awards. The Death of Black Horses has won 2 prizes from The Jerusalem Film Lab. And it will be Ferit’s second feature film. Yusiv’s Dream, short, 2012 Before the Flood, short, 2010 Ferit Karahan Present at Crossroads PRODUCER’S PROFILE Gülistan Acet was born in 1985 in Batman. She finished her Master's degree in Kurdish at the University of Mardin Artuklu after studying film and theater. Her filmography includes her own directed short films, The Sin (2015), Waiting for Spring (2014) and Heaven of Watermelon (2013), as well as Ferit Karahan’s The Fall from Heaven and the documentary Hazne ver screened in Al Jazeera TV (2013). The director’s previous film, The Fall from Heaven, is available at the Agora Film Market. Gülistan Acet Present at Crossroads 17 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Crossroads Projects The Disappeared Turkey Produced by: GIYOTIN FILM/BEATRICE FILMS Director: Ramin Matin Scriptwriters: Hakan Biçakçi, Ramin Matin Producers: Emine Yildirim, Asli Erdem Budget: 800,000 Euro Secured Financing: 15% Location: Turkey Looking for: Co-development partners, co-producers, sales agents PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION GIYOTIN FILM T: +90 216 450 33 11 E: info@giyotinfilm.com W: www.giyotinfilm.com BEATRICE FILMS T: +90 533 263 98 96 E: info@aslierdem.net W: www.aslierdem.net 18 SYNOPSIS The Disappeared is an irony ridden drama, set in a small traditional town in Turkey where sudden disappearances of men create an atmosphere of panic and gradually lead to a satirical reversal of gender roles. One day, the men begin to lock themselves in their homes out of fear, as their friends are disappearing one by one off the face of the earth. And the women start handling their sad jobs that eventually changes the whole power dynamic in this small patriarchal town. The protagonist Ahmet is the owner of a cheap sandwich/photocopy shop. His wife Dilek is a housewife who never leaves the house and is being abused by him. As the mysterious vanishings continue, Ahmet decides to imprison himself at home. Slowly, he drifts into an insane state of mind with blurred lines between his nightmares and reality, whereas his wife becomes the breadwinner of the house. The thought of Dilek out there destroys Ahmet’s soul every day, as he shrivels away into invisibility. DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT In the first four months of 2015, over one hundred women were murdered by their husbands, fathers or brothers in Turkey. Within the last decade, these statistics have increased tenfold without taking account the thousands of cases of abuse and torture. The government tries to ignore this situation. The courts are pushed to condone it. Among the many problems plaguing this country, I believe this is one of the most urgent, and this urgency has led me to think about and research the sources and reasons that create this sort of mentality. Inequality is the main theme at the heart of this film. The strict patriarchal system creates tremendous inequality towards women by keeping them locked up and hidden. Essentially they are erasing them from society and turning them into servant ghosts. But it also creates inequality towards men, who are always expected to live up to primitive standards of male behavior. In fact, the greatest paranoia of the men is not to appear like they’re losing or like they don’t have this machismo. Despite their despicable actions, the men are not necessarily evil. They are merely mimicking what they have observed in their fathers and grandfathers, never once questioning it. The film will have a slightly absurd tone, as I will emphasize the underlying darkly comic aspects of each character and situation, thus laying bare the hapless stupidity of the male characters, even when they commit despicable acts. I will shoot the film in black and white not only to create this fable-like atmosphere, but also to convey this very two-dimensional, binary world. Also, the lack of color will underline the starkness of this world: bare walls, white light of energy saving bulbs sticking out of ceilings, a feeling that the places have not been entirely lived in. During the first half of the time, the lead female character will be partly hidden through the use of depth of field, lighting and composition, to convey how men view women and their role in this society. During the second half, this will gradually change as the male character will slowly fade and we start hearing the woman as she asserts herself. Again, as this is the point of view of the man, he will never go completely silent but try to render himself as discreet as possible. Even though a more conventional approach to dealing with these issues would be portraying the plight of the women, I feel that it would miss the real source of the problem. The source of the problem being a strongly patriarchal system and self-righteous male mentality. Thus, I choose to use an Aristophanic device to create a metaphorical fable in which I aim to expose various manifestations of this male mentality. This allows me to create a situation where I can progressively dismantle this mentality, by forcing the men into the role they impose upon women and show that they really are the weak ones, despite all their huffing and puffing. GIYOTIN FILM BEATRICE FILMS GIYOTIN FILM is an Istanbul based independent production company founded in 2005. We produce high-quality feature films, documentaries and short films, with a potential for international co-production and circulation. Giyotin also provides production services to foreign companies filming in Turkey. Our feature line-up is comprised of the no-budget social satire The Monsters’ Dinner(2011), which won several awards in the international and national festival circuit including Montpellier, Transylvania, and Antalya, and The Impeccables(2013), a psychological thriller which premiered at the Busan FF Flash Forward Competition, and received the prestigious Best Film and Best Director awards at the Antalya Golden Orange FF National Competition. Our latest produced short fiction film, Mother Virgin No More (2015), competed in the Generation 14plus section of the Berlin IFF. Giyotin’s documentary line-up includes six short films for the Discovery Channel Europe (Balloon Tycoon, Oktaykan Power, TT Motors, Pimp My Moped, Istanbul Apocalypse and Devrim, 2007-2010), the nationally acclaimed social documentary 3 Hours (2008) and Sinasos an Oasis in the Desert (2006), funded by the European Commission to Turkey. We are currently in the pre-production phase of two feature films, one feature-length documentary and a web-series. Our aim is to create and collaborate on projects that have soul, grit and vision. Giyotin Film is a member of SE-YAP (Turkish Producers Guild). BEATRICE FILMS is an independent production company based in Istanbul, founded by Asli Erdem in the beginning of 2015. Asli has been producing films since 2009. She produced two feature films in 2014: Melisa Önel’s debut film Seaburners (Berlinale, Forum) and Erol Mintaş’s awardwinning first feature Song of My Mother (Sarajevo FF, Best Film). Mintaş’s film was selected in over 30 film festivals and received 8 international and 7 national awards, and was distributed in 6 territories. She also worked as an Associate Producer on two features of acclaimed directors such as Semih Kaplanoğlu’s new film Grain, and provided service production to foreign films. Beatrice Films is currently developing Dağhan Celayir’s debut feature Ghetto Driftersabout illegal car racers supported by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and selected by Istanbul FF Meetings on the Bridge Script Workshop. The company is co-developing the third feature by Ramin Matin, The Disappeared with Emine Yildirim, Giyotin Film. Beatrice Films seeks and dedicates its time to young talents, original stories, art-house sensibilities. Crossroads Projects 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Siren’s Call (in pre-production) Ramin was born in 1977. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts, Loyola Marymount University USA. He then completed his Master’s degree from the Istanbul Bilgi University Film Department. In 2005 he co-founded Giyotin Films. His first feature, The Monsters’ Dinner (2011), won awards at the Antalya Golden Orange, Ankara and Montpellier FF, and has been screened at the No Limit section of the Transilvania FF. With the his debut film, Ramin received the Most Promising Director Award and National Critics Award at the Ankara FF. His second film The Impeccables (2013) premiered at the Busan FF and moved on to receive the prestigious Best Film and Best Director Awards at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. It was also selected for the Works in Progress section at the 2012 Thessaloniki FF. The film extensively traveled the festival circuit, including Montpellier, Yerevan Golden Apricot, Romanian, Beijing and Tetouan. He is currently working on two feature film projects, one of which is Siren’s Call and the other The Disappeared, which he is co-writing with acclaimed writer Hakan Bıçakçı. The Impeccables, 2013 Busan FF–Flash Forward Competition Antalya Golden Orange FF–Best Film and Best Director Romanian IFF–Best Film Montpellier FF–Official Competition The Monsters' Dinner, 2011 Antalya Golden Orange–Special Jury Prize Ankara IFF–Most Promising Director and National Critics Award Montpellier FF–Official Competition Transilvania IFF PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY Emine Yildirim Siren’s Call, by Ramin Matin (in pre-production) Mother Virgin No More, short, 2015, by Derya Durmaz Berlin FF–Generation 14plus Ziazan, short, 2014, by Derya Durmaz Cannes Short Showcase–Audience Award Diversity The Impeccables, 2013, by Ramin Matin Busan FF–Flash Forward Competition Antalya Golden Orange FF–Best Film and Best Director Romania IFF–Best Film Montpellier FF–Official Competititon The Monsters' Dinner, 2011, by Ramin Matin Antalya Golden Orange–Special Jury Prize Ankara IFF–Most Promising Director and National Critics Award Montpellier FF–Official Competition Transilvania IFF 3 Hours, doc, 2008, by Can Candan International Bodrum Film Fest Asli Erdem Grain, by Semih Kaplanoğlu, ass. producer (in post-production) Song Of My Mother, 2014, by Erol Mintaş Sarajevo FF–Best Film and Best Actor Nantes 3 Continents FF–Silver Balloon and Audience Award Lecce FF–Best Film Mons Int. Love FF–Jury Prize and Best Actor Duhok IFF–Best Actor Antalya Golden Orange FF–Best Debut Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Music Malatya Golden Apricot FF–Special Jury Award, Best Script, Film Critics’ Award Seaburners, 2014, by Melisa Önel Berlin Film Festival–Forum Jeonju Film Festival Snow, short, 2010, by Erol Mintaş Antalya Golden Orange–Best Short Timishort F–Best Director !f Istanbul FF–Audience Award Boston Turkish FF–Special Mention Ramin Matin PRODUCER’S PROFILE Emine Yildirim After completing her undergraduate degree in Business Administration at METU, she obtained her MA in Film Studies at Istanbul Bilgi University. In 2005, she co-founded Giyotin Film and started producing short films and internationally co-produced documentaries. Among her productions are six short documentaries for Discovery, Channel Europe, a feature- length documentary funded by the EU Commission to Turkey and a Can Candan’s national award-winning docu 3 Hours (2008). Her first feature-length fiction film, The Monsters’ Dinner (2011), directed by Ramin Matin, won multiple awards nationally and internationally. She is also the writer/producer of Matin's second feature, The Impeccables (2013), which premiered at the Busan FF and received the Best Film and Director Awards at the Antalya Golden Orange FF. She also produced Derya Durmaz’s short films Ziazan (2014), which won the Audience Award Diversity at the Cannes Short Showcase, and Gri Bölge (2015), which competed at the Berlinale Generation 14plus. She is currently in pre-production of her EAVE project Siren’s Call. Emine also works as a cinema journalist; she first began writing in 2005 for Time Out Istanbul English, and currently writes for the English Daily Today’s Zaman. She has participated in Training Programs such as the 2006 Euromed Audiovisual II Mediterranean Films Crossing Borders, the 2007 IDFA Academy, the 2008 IFFR FIPRESCI Young Critics Trainee Program and the 2013 Cannes Producers Network. She is an 2014 EAVE graduate. Asli Erdem, was born in Istanbul, Turkey. She produced with Romania the Golden Orange-winning short film Snow, directed by Erol Mintaş. She was an Associate Producer on the Eurimages-supported feature film In Flames that was a grossing film in Turkey with over 100,000 viewers and was released in seven European countries. In 2014, she produced a debut film by Melisa Önel: Seaburners (Berlinale, Forum). In the same year, she produced Erol Mintaş’s award-winning first feature Song of My Mother (Sarajevo FF, Best Film). Recently, she was an Associate Producer on the acclaimed director Semih Kaplanoğlu’s new feature Grain, that is currently in post-production. She is currently working on the development of Dağhan Celayir’s debut feature Ghetto Drifters (Meetings on the Bridge 2015), and experienced Ramin Matin’s fourth feature The Disappeared. Asli joined the Training Programs 2015 EP2C Post-Production Workshop and 2015 Cannes Producers Network. She is a graduate of the 2014 EAVE European Producers Workshop and is a member of the New Cinema Movement (Yeni Sinema Hareketi). Emine Yildirim Present at Crossroads Asli Erdem Present at Crossroads The director’s previous film The Impeccables is available at the Agora Film Market. 19 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Crossroads Projects Elefsina Greece Produced by: VIEW MASTER FILMS S.A. Director: Alexandros Skouras Scriptwriter: Alexandros Skouras Producer: George Kyriakos Budget: 550,000 Euro Secured Financing: 30% Location: Elefsina, Salamina (suburbs of Athens) Looking for: Co-Producer, International Sales SYNOPSIS Elefsina consists of three overlapping stories, each of which takes place in a prior plot-period in relation to the previous one. PORT: Andreas has passively accepted the relationship of his wife Stella with Elias. Not until after the death of his mother, does he realize that he has been left on his own and he decides to keep Stella close at all costs, even going so far as to assassinate Elias. ADVENT: After 10 years of self-exile, Elias returns to Elefsina to look for his missing brother, Makis, despite their poor relations. He manages to become accepted by his social environment and gradually usurps everything he had been deprived for so many years, like the house where he grew up, his brother’s family and his former lover Stella. When the possible return of Makis seems to threaten what he has conquered, his true nature emerges and he ends up alone once again. EXODUS: Makis lives the routine of a factory worker. With the birth of his son, he needs to change direction in his life and that’s why he tries to become a writer. As soon as his high expectations collapse, he loses control and becomes harmful to those around him. He decides to leave Elefsina, as his older brother had done some years ago, and take refuge in Salamis. There, he presents himself as a writer, appropriating his brother’s identity and intellectual work. Gradually, the '”borrowed” dream weakens and Makis starts searching for his true identity. He finally returns back to Elefsina, hoping for a new beginning. DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION VIEW MASTER FILMS S.A. T: +30 210 6411992 E: viewmasterfilms@gmail.com W: www.viewmasterfilm.gr Elefsina consists of three stories, which can, on the one hand, stand alone in the sense that every story has a central character facing a separate “major dramatic question”, and additionally every story has a classical “three act” structure. On the other hand, they can be considered as interrelated in the sense that the lives of the three characters influence each other, whereas at the same time all three stories take place in a specific period, in a specific place. The main characteristic of the script development structure is that the second and third story take place in a prior time-period in relation to the previous one. In this way, first of all, the narration focuses on the causes of events, inviting the viewer to create expectations in terms of how things have gotten to a certain point. From a structural aspect, the first and second story leave a key question unanswered, which functions as a sub-plot in the story that follows. A connection among the autonomous stories and an easier transition to the next story is thus achieved, which is necessary for maintaining the viewer’s interest up to a point until the major dramatic questions of each story are fully developed. One of the key creative choices is that each story is totally character-centered, in the sense that in every scene the main character is in the spotlight. This itself generates a great intensity and allows for insight into the inner conflict of each main character. The character-centered approach of each story is enhanced by the absence of linear temporality which is imposed through the process of editing. With the absence of "passing" scenes and the degradation of linearity, any temporal coincidence between the scenes of each story is avoided. The time each action occurs in every story is linear, but not specific, with time intervals of transition from one scene to another not to be obvious. At the same time, no scene takes place in another story, seen from a different perspective. Through this pattern, attention is shifted to the inner world of the main characters. The city of Elefsina is a key element of the script and our goal is to present the contradictory features of the city, which attempt to balance between its mesmerizing and its industrial character, between the ancient monuments and the ship cemeteries. In all three stories, the continuously glowing flame on top of the smokestack of the refineries constitutes a reference point. It works more on a symbolic level, not as a flame that illuminates the surrounding space, but burns endlessly as there is no way out. The main characteristic of the three central characters is their weakness to cope with the guilt of the past, and as a consequence they fail to coexist with their social environment and they are isolated. VIEW MASTER FILMS S.A. VIEW MASTER FILMS, located in Athens, is an independent film production company established in 2010. V.M.F. is now one of the leading production companies in Greece. Its goal is to produce and co-produce content for the cinema and TV using the most up-to-date technology and creative skills available today. The company specialises in feature film production, documentaries and providing services for film companies/public events. V.M.F has seen success through dedication and an unrivalled determination to leave a mark in the entertainment industry. 20 Crossroads Projects 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Kyanerythres, short doc, 2014 Born in Athens in 1981. He studied Economy, Cultural Studies and Philosophy of Science. He has been teaching filmmaking since 2004 at the Cultural Club of the University of Athens. He started writing scripts while still a teenager and he has won several prizes for his work. His official film debut with the title Gran Partita participated in the Short Film Festival in Drama in 2011 and won the prize of best digital film. It then screened at several festivals, where it was also distinguished. In 2012, his short film 807 was selected by the Palm Springs International Film Festival and in 2013 his film Trains won the best picture prize at the Love in Athens Film Festival. He is currently writing his first feature film script and working as a director in TV. Close Embrace, short, 2013 Trains, short, 2013 Love in Athens Film Festival–Best Film Award Abies, short, 2012 807, short, 2012 Gran Partita, short, 2011 Drama International Short Film Festival–Award for Best Digital Film PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY PRODUCER’S PROFILE One Breath (Ein Atem), 2015, by Christian Zubert Toronto FF, Contemporary World Cinema George Kyriakos established View Master Films S.A. in 2010. He has extensive experience in the film industry, working as a production manager for cinema and television. His goal is to focus on innovative projects with a fresh approach. Between 2014-2015 he produced various feature films, among which Notias by T. Boulmetis, Spring Awakening by C. Giannaris and Lovestruck by Th. Atheridis, he entered into two co-production schemes (Ein Atem by Christian Zubert / Senator Films and Wednesday 04.45 by Alexis Alexiou / Twenty Twenty Vision) and provided services for the American feature film Swing Away by M. Nickles and the German Television film The Greek. Wednesday 04.45, 2015, by Alexia Alexiou Tribeca FF Jeonju IFF Karlovy Vary IFF–East of the West London FF Thessaloniki IFF Notias, 2015 by Tasos Boulmetis (in post-production) Spring Awakening, 2015, by Constantine Giannaris Thessaloniki IFF Lovestruck, 2014, by Thodoris Atheridis Hellenic Film Academy, Audience Award Alexandros Skouras Present at Crossroads Effie Skrobola, following her cinema studies in Canada (Université de Montréal, Quebec), she started working as an Associate Producer in the film industry in 2005 for producer Costas Lambropoulos. She is currently also overseeing the development of all projects for View Master Films production house. She has completed the Maia Workshop training program and the Sources 2 Projects and Process-Training the Mentors workshop. The director’s previous films, Gran Partita, 807, Abies and Trains, are available in the Agora Film Market. Effie Skrobola Present at Crossroads 21 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Crossroads Projects I Will Cross Tomorrow Greece/France Produced by: PAN ENTERTAINMENT/ CINÉ SUD PROMOTIONS Director: Sepideh Farsi Scriptwriters: Sepideh Farsi, Youla Boudali Producer: Panos Karabinis, Thierry Lenouvel Budget: 1,220,018 Euro Secured Financing: 17% Location: Athens, Lesvos Ιsland Looking for: European and Turkish partners SYNOPSIS On a warm summer’s night, 40-year-old divorcee Maria takes a boat to the island of Lesvos, near the Turkish Coast. She leaves behind in Athens her 15-year-old daughter, Daphne, and her elderly mother, taking with her only a suitcase and a load of debts. That same night, an inflatable boat sets out from the Turkish coast. It contains 30 immigrants, among them Yussof, a 25-year-old young man from Syria. He is escaping a war that has left him with blood on his hands. Yussof is one of the first immigrants to draw Maria’s attention in the camp where she works. They happen to meet again on the ship to Piraeus. Having lost all hope, the young Syrian prepares to jump into the sea when Maria stops him. That night, on the ferryboat, their fates are joined together in a desperate act of love. Maria offers to accommodate Yussof for a couple of days. The warmth of family life does him much good, and Maria is happy to have a man in her home again. But the illusion doesn’t last long. Maria is forced to undertake one last job with a smuggler in order to pay off her debts, while at the same time she arranges Yussof’s passage to Germany. They spend one last night together on Lycabettus hill. It is a moment out of place. In the morning, they go their separate ways. Yussof must meet his destiny, while Maria has to take the ferry back to Lesvos, to meet hers. DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION PAN ENTERTAINMENT T: +30 210 6985050 E: info@pan.com.gr karabinis@pan.com.gr W: www.pan.com.gr CINE-SUD PROMOTION T: +33144545477 E: thierry@cinesudpromotion.com W: www.cinesudpromotion.com 22 We live in a world where one single death is enough to destroy an entire existence, while the loss of thousands becomes simply a headline. We live in a world where war and its casualties end up being ordinary, at the same time as other countries, like Greece, give another kind of battle. No matter which side of the border one is located on, the needs, the expectations and the dilemmas people experience are exactly the same. The conflicts in the Middle East and in Africa are so close to Europe, both geographically and on a human scale, that they are considered European problems. The consequences of globalization are such that conflicts have become an exportable product and the morals that Europe represents – based on bing bang theories and unrealities – lose their meaning when the mainland shuts her eyes to the outside world! Greece is a crossroads between East and West, a meeting point for very different people. Similarly, Lesvos has a long history of different population turnouts, because of the island’s proximity to the Turkish Coast. Maria comes from a country which is supposed to be in peacetime, while Yussof comes from a war zone somewhere in the Middle East. At first sight, their situations seem to be opposed, but underneath they face the same guilt and foster the same anticipation. Remorse, solitude, desperation and need for communication. The film raises questions over the very idea of “Europe” and “borders”. Why are many people willing to risk their life to arrive to Europe, passing through Greece, a country which is facing enormous difficulties, living essentially an undeclared war? Is this another challenge to the European and Greek ideal? As for the main characters of the movie, even if they come from completely different realities, at the same time they are accurate representatives. Yussof stands for the momentum of youth and fights tooth and nail for life. He is filled with dreams and desires, but at the same time he is tormented by guilt. On the opposite site, Maria, symbolizes the despair of the Greek population, and the fact that she is a mother, and specifically a cop, loaded with debts and family responsibilities, makes things even harder. That is a typical example of a trial run of what Greek people are encountering now. Through her acquaintance with Yussof, Maria transforms from an overwhelmed woman, without a trace of sympathy for others, into a woman who can understand the trauma of others and see life with new eyes. PAN ENTERTAINMENT CINE-SUD PROMOTION PAN ENTERTAINMENT was founded in June 1999. It is considered one of the largest film production companies in Greece. With a significant number of films to its credit, it specializes in all areas of audiovisual production. It develops and produces feature films and TV shows, and via its new branches, Pan Production and Liberty company, it produces commercials for television and organizes promotional events. Co-founder and provider of Digi8 (www.digi8.eu), Pan Entertainment distributes electronically digitized audiovisual material. Cine-Sud Promotion was launched in 1993 as a company designed to promote art house films (Rachid Bouchareb, Wang Chao, Guillermo Del Toro, Raymond Depardon, Djibril Diop Mambety, Julio Medem, Jafar Panahi, Manuel Poirier, Arturo Ripstein, Paulo Rocha, Carlos Saura, Paolo & Vittorio Taviani, and Jean-Philippe Toussaint among others). It developed a production arm in 2001, with 30 films produced or co-produced till now and more than 150 international awards. Editorial line is quality, without frontiers, constraints of form, style or genre, researching emerging talents and also supporting established directors with projects delivering a singular and important message on humanity and our society under a strong cinematic form. Moreover, creation and organization of film festivals and events (Cinemed/Montpellier till 1995, Script Development Fund/Amiens Film Festival since 1996, Cinema in Motion/San Sebastian till 2012 and then Final Cut in Venice since 2013). Crossroads Projects 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Despo, Labros, Spyridoula & Papandreou, doc, (in post-production) Born in Tehran, Sepideh Farsi moved to Paris to study Mathematics, but soon drifted towards film. After some shorts, her documentary Homi Sethna, Filmmaker won several awards. Followed by Harat and Tehran Without Permission, which both premiered in Locarno. Her first two features, Dreams of Dust and The Gaze, premiered in Rotterdam. She then directed The House Under the Water, followed by Red Rose, which premiered at the TIFF 2014 and has just finished a new documentary: Despo, Labros, Spyridoula & Papandreou. Red Rose, 2014 Toronto FF Athens IFF The House Under the Water, 2010 Dubai IFF Moscow IFF Tehran Without Permission, doc, 2009 Locarno IFF Hamburg IFF Dubai IFF Sepideh Farsi The Gaze, 2006 IFF Rotterdam Paris Cinema Festival de Cinema Politic-Spain PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY as executive producer Panos Karabinis Red Rose, 2014, by Sepideh Farsi Toronto FF Athens IFF All Saints, 2011, by Sotiris Goritsas Mar del Plada IFF Hellenic Film Academy–3 awards Thierry Lenouvel Land and Shade, 2015, by Cesar Acevedo Cannes FF 2015–Semaine de la Critique, Camera d’or Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere, 2015, by Nguyen Hoang Diep Venice FF2014–FEDEORA Prize Red Rose, 2014, by Sepideh Farsi Toronto FF Athens IFF Qissa, 2013, by Anup Singh Toronto FF–NETPAC award IFF Rotterdam–Audience Award Moolaade, 2004, by Sembene Ousmane Cannes FF–Un Certain Regard, Grand Prix Best Foreign Film/American Critics Awards PRODUCER’S PROFILE Panos Karabinis is a senior producer and one of the cofounders of Pan Entertainment. He started producing and directing documentaries in France in the mid-80s and has been involved in many outstanding Greek productions since he co-founded Pan Entertainment in 2000. After a successful collaboration with Sepideh Farsi on Red Rose, also co-produced with Cine Sud Promotions (Thierry Lenouvel), the same team is back on this new project. Thierry Lenouvel Thierry has a BA in Modern Literature and Cinema. He is the co-founder of Cinemed Film Festival, Montpellier. In the 80s he was a distributor with Les Films du Sémaphore of Pedro Almodovar, Youssef Chahine, Benoît Jacquot, Gaston Kaboré, Emir Kusturica, John Sayles, Shinji Somai, etc. In the 90s he worked as independent press agent for more than 150 films. He is the founder of the Script Development Fund/Amiens International Film Festival and Final Cut in Venice. He is a member of EFA (European Film Academy) and SPI (Syndicate of Independent film Producers). CINÉSUD PROMOTION, is a company designed to promote art house films, which starts production in 2001 (see CV of the company). The director’s previous film, Red Rose, is available at the Agora Film Market. Panos Karabinis Present at Crossroads Thierry Lenouvel Present at Crossroads 23 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Crossroads Projects Interrogation Turkey Produced by: FILMFABRIK FILM AND TELEVISION Director: Hacı Orman Scriptwriter: Hacı Orman Producer: Serkan Acar Budget: 400,000 Euro Secured Financing: 25% Location: Istanbul Looking for: Co producer SYNOPSIS Nihat (32) is an intellectual political radical who lives in Istanbul with his partner and young daughter. Because of his father’s opposition to the regime, Sari (26) fled Bulgaria and took refuge in Turkey, where he is now a police spy and late joiner of Nihat’s circle. One sunny winter’s day, Nihat is abducted on his way to a clandestine meeting and taken to an undercover interrogation centre. His interrogators believe that Nihat has valuable information on the organization’s illegal activities. When he adamantly denies these claims, Nihat is confronted with Sari. The moment Nihat and Sari come face to face, the direction of the interrogation changes. Questions are mixed up with more questions, answers with more answers and secrets with more secrets. The duel of words between the two suddenly estranged and hostile old friends becomes a political-philosophical tug-of-war, before lapsing increasingly into a battle of personalities. It becomes unclear who is interrogating whom. At a critical stage of the interrogation, Sari begins to suspect that his father actually has the information wanted from Nihat and he loses control. In this obscure and sinister world, where speaking is a need and keeping silent an art, even the past has changed and been replaced by a new version. While Nihat heads silently and deeply towards his death, Sari encounters traces of his own fate in Nihat’s demise. DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT Interrogation draws two life stories from the dark labyrinths of power and examines the vengeful showdown between two young men, Nihat and Sari, former friends who have become strangers. The film is a realistic social drama combining the intrigue of a thriller with elements of political tension. In following the dramatic change experienced by Sari in particular, the narrative seeks to portray the confused and frightening states involved in treading the fine line between “executioner” and “victim”. The focus lies on the constant turmoil of human nature, on the battle between truth and lies, memory and imagination, life and death, betrayal and compassion, fear and courage. Nihat becomes a mirror to Sari’s double personality, politics a mirror to the various guises of people dependent on the mechanisms of subordination, power a mirror to everyday forms of violence, and death a mirror to individual aspects of life. To allow the audience to judge the two main characters impartially, the story of Interrogation is told alternately through the eyes and ears of Nihat and Sari; the dramatic framework is therefore limited to what they see, hear and remember. At the same time, the narrative presents snatches of the past through the mental flashbacks that both characters periodically have. Besides linking different times and places, this device serves to expose the subjectivity and relativity of two different minds as they recall a shared past in very specific and individual ways, and to highlight the startling illusions associated with human memory. The winter setting of the film brings a number of visual opportunities (snow and fog among them), which facilitate producing variations of meaning. The film music is directly linked to the story content through a Walkman. Physical violence is shown as little as possible in the story; in its place metaphors are favoured which demonstrate the human potential for violence buried deep down inside. Likewise, much of the imagery evokes the invisible power of silence, and words function to obscure the speaker’s thoughts as much as to elucidate them. With the characters, every effort is made to shed light on the invisible aspects of their personalities and to capture the changes occurring in their visible exterior. The dialogue and camera compositions will seek to emphasize that the spoken word is at least as meaningful as the unspoken, and equally that what is shown carries as much weight as what isn’t. FILMFABRIK FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION FILMFABRIK FILM AND TELEVISION T: +90 212 252 7713 E: sacar@filmfabrikistanbul.com W: www.filmfabrik.net 24 Founded with the mission of telling global stories to a broad audience, Filmfabrik has evolved into a multi-platform media production and distribution company with offices throughout Europe. For over twenty years, the hallmarks of Filmfabrik's documentaries and feature films have been innovation and a focus on social themes. Long-standing co-operations with broadcasters are not limited to the German market. For this reason, and thanks to advanced financial models, international cinema and TV productions can be placed within the global film market. Through a collaboration between Filmfabrik Cologne and Filmfabrik Istanbul in 2009, television movies, television series and feature films are being produced for the Turkish-speaking world as well as for the international market. The focus of Filmfabrik stories are man and his reality. Nothing is more exciting, more inspirational or dramatic than life itself and what could be more exhilarating than seeing it on screen? Rewarded with numerous national and international awards, Filmfabrik stands for great stories of greater men. Crossroads Projects 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Homo Politicus, 2014 For ten years after he quit his studies at the university, he served as chairman of the executive board of BEKSAV (Science Education Aesthetic Culture Art Research Foundation) and chief editor of Sanat and Hayat (Art and Life) Magazine, at the same time. Twice he was arrested, put in and got out of jail for political reasons. Together with Ragip Zarakolu, he contributed to the preparation of the books Turks and Armenians between Ararat and Sirat, Exile Folk Songs, Testimonies – Armenian Genocide in its 90th Anniversary, Defences of the Intellectuals published as supplements of Sanat and Hayat magazine. His short-length film Homo Politicus is about the Armenian Genocide which occurred in 1915. PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY PRODUCER’S PROFILE Istanbul, 2010, by Ferenc Török Dublin Film Festival Serkan Acar was born in Artvin, in a small town near the Georgian border. He started to study Pyschology at İstanbul University in 1992. At the university he wrote film reviews and interviews for cinema magazines. In 1998 he started to work in cinema and TV productions as an assistant director and production staff. In 2004 he made the documentray film Bread which was about a strike. This documentary was screened in many countries. In 2007 he founded Kuzey Film and produced Autumn which was awarded in many festivals. In 2011 he made his first debut Love and Revolution. This film was awarded at the Adana and Ankara film festival and screened at international film festivals (Karlovy Vary, Goa, Nurnberg). In 2013 he made Our Hodja, a political comedy for both the Turkish and the European market, and sold 130,000 tickets in Turkey and 15,000 tickets in Europe. Sonbahar/Autumn, 2008, by Özcan Alper Locarno IFF–C.I.C.A.E. Award Ankara IFF–Best Cinematography Award, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Film, Best Supporting Actress Yerevan IFF–FIPRESCI Prize, Jury Special Prize San Francisco IFF Los Angeles FF Paris Cinéma Hacı Orman Present at Crossroads Serkan Acar Present at Crossroads The director’s previous film, Homo Politicus, is available at the Agora Film Market 25 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Crossroads Projects The Land of No One Greece Produced by: PLAYS2PLACE PRODUCTIONS Directors: Aran Hughes, Christina Koutsospyrou Scriptwriters: Aran Hughes, Christina Koutsospyrou Producer: Vasilis Chrysanthopoulos Budget: 650,000 Euro Secured Financing: 8% Location: Strofades Island, Greece Looking for: Financiers, International co-producers, World Sales Agents, Distributors SYNOPSIS On the far-flung island of Strofades, way out in the Ionian Sea, five Orthodox monks live a life of spiritual devotion in a crumbling monastery originally built for a hundred or more. No one else lives on the island. No boats ever pass in the winter. In fact nobody else has set foot there for years. It is just them, the wind, the rain and the occasional passing bird. In the past few months their two meals a day have become one. They can no longer catch fish due to an infestation of jellyfish and the flooded fields yield nothing in the grim winter months. They have been surviving on a diet of bread and not much soup and are beginning to suffer. One evening, sitting at the table for another meager meal, Father Savvas speaks out. He tells them there is nothing and if they don’t make plans they will starve. The abbot, Elder Makari, listens carefully to every word and smiles. He gently reminds him they are provided for by God and not to worry. As the days progress the situation gets worse. The men are weak and malnourished. They can hardly concentrate on their prayer. A storm sets in and soon brings further disaster. Father Lazarus, the cook, finds the storeroom flooded and the last of their flour wasted. Now there is nothing left. Alexios, the young novice, is terrified. Arsenios, the mad old monk, begins to crack. The next, freezing cold days bring only more disaster. Alexios falls sick. He has become too weak to continue and slowly fades and perishes. The monks can do nothing to save him. Elder Makari is destroyed but he must continue. Lazarus, broken and beaten, will face another day. Arsenios finally loses himself. Savvas sets out to sea. DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT When a monk dons the black robe he does so to signify his death to the world. He abandons earthly pleasures and vows to wed himself to Christ in preparation for the ultimate struggle to divinity. He shall no longer fear death because he has been reborn. His only goal is to transcend this world of matter and embrace the Holy Spirit. Yet what of this life, is the bond ever truly broken? Can the power of faith overcome the nature of reality? This is what we set out to explore in The Land of No One. Our story, firmly set in this world of physical isolation and spiritual belief, centers around a secluded monastic brotherhood of five monks living on a small island. Completely cut off from the outside world and unable to provide food for themselves any longer, they are forced to confront the forces of nature and their struggle for earthly survival. Within the characters we wanted to depict five different stories. In one sense all five are archetypes of monks; steadfast in their spiritual beliefs yet in another they are all devastatingly human, fallible, and vulnerable. The film is set on the remote island of Strofades where for hundreds of years men of faith have occupied the monastery built on its rocky shores. In ancient Greece it was known as the home of the Harpies, vicious winds who lived beyond. So distant from anywhere it was after the point of turning back. We chose this location because we wanted to place our characters in an environment of extremes, where the very isolation they strive for becomes their greatest nemesis and sets the stage for a battle between their salvation and their downfall. The very spirit of Orthodox Christianity lies in its preservation of its original doctrine and this was something we sought to reflect in the setting. We have decided not to confine the narrative to any specific era or historical period because ultimately its themes are timeless. And yet somehow timely. We believe that buried behind its layers of interpretation the film explores something pertinent for the world we live in, especially the Europe of today. Coming from a background in ethnographic documentary, it is our intention with this film to introduce this mode of expression - observational, naturalistic and intuitive - into a fictional form. Comprising of long, drawn out takes we envisage creating an atmosphere and experience that allows the viewer to be placed into the characters struggles and partake in their life of contemplation through the active process of contemplation itself. Thus merging its content into its form and becoming something that engages directly with the viewer through the language of cinema. The Land of No One is a meditative thriller that sets out to open a discussion rather than didactically preach its message. It bears no grudge. All it ultimately wants is to understand a little more. PLAYS2PLACE PRODUCTIONS PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION PLAYS2PLACE PRODUCTIONS T: + 30 211 22 61 105 E: vasilis@plays2place.gr W: plays2place.com 26 PLAYS2PLACE PRODUCTIONS is a creative company specializing in the production of cross-media projects, films, theatre performances and educational activities. It promotes cross-cultural exchange and collaboration, while its projects reflect on current sociopolitical developments with the aim to stimulate discussion, awareness and civic engagement. PLAYS2PLACE was founded in 2008 in Athens by the cultural manager and social anthropologist Martha Bouziouri and the producer Vasilis Chrysanthopoulos. Crossroads Projects 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual DIRECTORS’ FILMOGRAPHY DIRECTORS’ PROFILE To the Wolf, doc, 2012 Berlin FF–Forum Toronto FF Dokufest–Balkan Newcomer Award Thessaloniki Documentary Festival–Images of the 21st Century Aran Hughes and Christina Koutsospyrou began working together in 2010. Their debut feature To the Wolf premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2013 and went on screen at over 25 major international festivals including Toronto, Sao Paulo and Vienna. It was awarded Best Newcomer at Dokufest in Kosovo and Best Film at Syros in Greece. It was also nominated for a Greek Academy award. To the Wolf was hailed not only as a visionary and hauntingly beautiful film by cinema critics but also as an important study into Greece's rural and forgotten people by the national and international press. The film has also been the subject of numerous anthropological papers and provoked widespread interest in ethnographic circles and has been purchased by major universities throughout the world. The film secured its Greek cinematic distribution with Strada Films and in the U.S through the art-house platform Vyer Films. Reluctant to be pigeonholed as purely ethno-documentarians the writer-director duo are now developing their fictional debut, a haunting story of a remote monastery in the throes of crisis at the turn of the last century. Christina Koutsospyrou was born in Athens in 1980 and Aran Hughes was born in London in 1983. They both studied at The University of Arts London. They currently live and work between London and the island of Hydra in Greece. Pride of Dover, short, 2010 No Destination, short, 2009 PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY PRODUCER’S PROFILE The Forest in Me, doc, by Rebecca E. Marshall (in production) Vasilis Chrysanthopoulos was born in 1983 in Athens. He is co-founder and head producer of the Greek production company plays2place productions and a member of EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs) and EDN (European Documentary Network). He also works as a news producer for Associated Press Television Network. He started his career as a producer for various companies in the film and television industry, until he co-founded plays2place productions, for which he has produced all its projects. His recent credits include Miss Violence (Silver Lion for Best Director and Coppa Volpi for Best Actor in Venice IFF 2013). Ark, by Aristotelis Marangos (in development) Thessaloniki FF - Crossroads Co-production Forum – Initiative Film Development Award Miss Violence, by Alexandros Avranas, 2013 Venice FF 2013–Silver Lion for Best Director, Coppa Volpi for Best Actor, Arca Cinema Giovanni Award for Best Film, FEDEORA Prize for Best European Film Stockholm IFF 2013–Best Script Award Reykjavik IFF 2013–Special Mention of the Jury Iceberg, short, by Kostas Gerampinis, 2012 Drama International Short FF–Tonia Marketaki Award for Best Film with Social Context Athens IFF–Award for Best Screenplay International Short FF of Cyprus–International Special Mention for Best Script Aran Hughes Present at Crossroads Christina Koutsospyrou Present at Crossroads Vasilis Chrysanthopoulos Present at Crossroads The directors’ previous film, To the Wolf, is available at the Agora Film Market Beatitudes, short, by Aristotelis Marangos, 2012 Locarno IFF–Academy Screenings Leeds IFF–International Competition Munich International Festival of Film Schools 27 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Crossroads Projects The Mistake Romania Produced by: MANDRAGORA Director: Mircea Nestor Scriptwriter: Mircea Nestor Producer: Anca Puiu Budget: 451,400 Euro Secured Financing: 37% Location: Bucharest, Romania Looking for: Co-producers to complete the financing plan, World Sales, International Distribution SYNOPSIS Vali, a 14-year-old boy in his first year of high school, hits his father with a knife during a violent argument, murdering him. Terrified by what happened, he goes on the run, crisscrossing the streets of Bucharest. The shadow of guilt hangs heavy on him, fearing that any stranger on the street can read the horrible crime on his face. Not knowing what to do, Vali reaches out to his mother, Gabi, with whom he has a difficult and unusual relationship. She broke all ties with Vali and his father years ago, branding their budding family a youthful mistake, and is presently starting another one, in fact living a second life. But when he hears how his mother wants to help, Vali is faced with an unexpected question – does he actually want her help or not? DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT For me, this story is about two things: a murder and a child growing up. Naturally, the things I want to do with it stand in direct opposition with what I think are flaws of modern cinema. That’s why, regarding the murder, I want to steer clear of the instinctive reaction that tells us that murderers are somehow not human like us, something is inherently different about them; and that, by extension, murder is something other than a deed that people can commit under certain circumstances. I am not interested in sensationalizing or glorifying this act. It is precisely banality that makes it horrific; something that I think is sadly under-represented in many films. Actually, I find that many films don’t even seek to discuss the act or its consequences; they just use murder as a storytelling shortcut, a means of moving the story along from A to B. In regards to the child growing up, I reject the ready-made formulas that we usually come across. My character is not a long-haired teenage rebel, nor is he wise beyond his years, an old soul or any of those clichés. He’s just trying to make sense of the world around him, starting to see that nobody really knows what they’re doing, everybody’s just winging it. It’s lonely and it’s confusing, and we all go through it only to put it behind us as we enter the next leg of our journey, finding our place in this world. How much of who you are comes from others and how much comes from your own decisions? Do you make the right choice or do you sort of luckily stumble into it sometimes? The answer we might formulate when faced with these questions, more than anything, speak volumes about who we are as people. My wish and greatest challenge is to capture on film this private process as it unfolds in these characters’ lives. MANDRAGORA Mandragora is one of the most dynamic production companies in Romania. Founded by Cristi Puiu and Anca Puiu in 2004, it shortly became a success projects generator, starting with its first production, The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu, considered to be the first major film in the so-called Romanian New Wave and the spark that ignited a national film renaissance that continues to this day. Mandragora is committed to the idea of making movies that explore new ways in the cinema discourse. It also launches new talents, encouraging personal, coherent approaches of the young filmmakers. PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION MANDRAGORA T: +40 21 222 05 58 E: anca@mandragora.ro raluca@mandragora.ro W: www.mandragora.ro 28 Crossroads Projects 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Namesakes, short, 2013 Sofia IFF He was born in Bucharest, in 1986. Both during and after graduating Media University, he wrote, directed and edited numerous short films that have been screened in festivals around the world. He has also participated in the biggest talent campuses in Europe: Berlin, Sarajevo, Locarno, Reykjavik. He spends his time doing various freelancing jobs in film and media, and working on his own film scripts. The Mistake is his self-penned feature debut. Tarantyno, short, 2009 Transilvania IFF A Fool’s Romance, short, 2007 Humming, short, 2006 Hello, short, 2006 Mircea Nestor Present at Crossroads PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY (selected) EXECUTIVE PRODUCER’S PROFILE The Manor House, 2017, by Cristi Puiu (in development) In 2004, Anca Puiu founded the production house Mandragora with her husband, film-maker Cristi Puiu, making their debut with his award-winning feature The Death Of Mr.Lazarescu. She has since produced further successful films by Puiu as well as Marian Crisan (Morgen and Rocker), Peter Kerek (Adultery), Andrei Cohn (Family Pictures) or Ana Lungu and documentaries by Ana Vlad and Adi Voicu (Metrobranding, Victoria). Anca has new projects in development by Cristi Puiu, 3 debute films with Mircea Nestor, Dorian Boguta and Liviu Sandulescu, 2 animations in direction of Ioachim Stroe and one documentary by Vlad and Voicu. The Trace, 2016, by Dorian Boguta (in development) The Death of Carturan, 2016 by Liviu Sandulescu (in development) Bucharest, doc, 2015, by Ana Vlad and Adi Voicu (to be released) Sieranevada, 2016, by Cristi Puiu (in post-production) Self-Portrait Of A Dutiful Daughter, 2015, by Ana Lungu Crossing Europe Film Festival Linz–Best Fiction Award Morgen, 2010, by Marian Crisan Locarno IFF–Jury prize Thessaloniki IFF–Fipresci Prize, Best Director Award, Best Actor Award Reykjavik IFF Aurora, 2010, by Cristi PUIU Cannes FF–Un Certain regard EXECUTIVE PRODUCER’S PROFILE Raluca Paduraru has been collaborating with Mandragora since 2011, working mainly in production but also in postproduction and sales. In the most recent feature projects she was executive producer for Self-Portrait of a Dutiful Daughter by Ana Lungu 2015, which has participated in different festivals like IFF Rotterdam, Crossing Europe – Linz, Sao Paolo, Brazil etc. and also as a principal production coordinator in the most recent feature film by Cristi Puiu Sieranevada, which is currently in post-production. The director’s previous film, Namesakes, is available at the Agora Film Market. Raluca Paduraru Present at Crossroads 29 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Crossroads Projects The River Greece Produced by: BLACKBIRD PRODUCTION Director: Haris Raftogiannis Scriptwriters: Haris Raftogiannis, Nikos Leros Producer: Eleni Kossyfidou Budget: 720,000 Euro Secured Financing: 20% Location: Greece-Attica Looking for: Co-production SYNOPSIS What is “progress” for Makis, a small time motorway constructor, is a threat for Maria and her destitute community. A car accident brings these two people closer. And their common passion for chicken nuggets even closer. But as they become more attached to each other, their own “solid” worlds turn hostile to them. In order to be together, they first have to lose everything. DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT The River is an existential love story in terms of a fairy tale. A story about two different worlds, two “opponents” and their struggle to be one. On the one hand, the colorful Americanized world of wealth and much waste, the world of Makis. The typical western type road-movie spots: The big motorway (“the River” as some people call it), the big cars, the fast food diners with the chicken nuggets, the huge parking lots, the shopping malls. Makis drives up and down the River as a lonely fisherman, or as a cowboy. On the other hand, a deserted and rocky area, a Mad Max look alike settlement: Maria’s community, recycles everything and survives mostly from the modern world’s waste. The retro faces and clothes, the birds in the sky, the birds on the plates, the primitive construction of a community, where one is for all and all for one, in order to survive. But each world‘s unity is not stable enough. The general tone of the film is closer to an ironic and often grotesque depiction of reality, reminding Kaurismäki’s cinema, blending genres from melodrama to road movie. BLACKBIRD PRODUCTION PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION BLACKBIRD PRODUCTION T: +30 6946127354 E: eleni.kossyfidou@gmail.com 30 The company of producer Eleni Kossyfidou was established in 2000. In 2004 she entered the field of feature films firstly as production manager for True Life (Toronto FF) by P. H. Koutras. Co-producer/line producer of Strella by P. H. Koutras (Berlin FF - Panorama 2009). Producer of The Enemy Within by Y. Tsemberopoulos (Montreal IFF and BFI IFF 2013) and XENiA by P. H. Koutras (Un Certain Regard Cannes , Toronto IFF 2014). Currently she is under preproduction with the feature film In This Land No One Knew How to Cry by acclaimed Greek director G. Panoussopoulos,and in development with the first feature film of Haris Raftoyiannis The River (MFI 2015) and Fantasia(Imagination) third feature of Alexis Kardaras. Short films: under post production F.I.S.H by Chrysanthos Margonis, The Wood under preproduction by Lia Tsalta. She has also produced 24 TV episodes (of 60’) for contemporary art The Era of Images by Dimitris Pantelias 2014-2015 and 14 TV documentaries(of 30’) Mikropoleis (Small Towns) by G. Gaitanidis, P. Miliou, Th. Kiaos 2011-2012 for ERT/National Channel , 3 short films Two Times Now by M. Konstantatos, Show Time by T. Papastylianos, Hot Dogs by D. Pantelias in co-production with ERT and Greek Film Center. Two short films: Athens 2004 for the opening ceremony of Olympic Games Athens 2004 The Last Sunset/Santorini for the last day of 20th century both by G. Panoussopoulos. Crossroads Projects 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Airland, doc (in post-production) Born in Athens. Studied Sociology (University of Crete) and Cinema (NYC of Athens). Directed and produced the shorts, The Long Hall (experimental, 2005), On the Butcher’s Bench (fiction, 2007) and documentaries for the Greek national television (ERT). Codirector of the feature film Democracy: The Way of the Cross (2012), a Marc Gastin production (selection for best European documentary, Grand Prix Europa 2013). His films were selected in numerous European film festivals and awarded in Greece. His feature documentary Airland is in post production (2015) True blue, doc, 2015 Demokratia, the Way of the Cross, doc, 2013 A Silent Sea, doc, 2012 The Seeds’ Seeder, doc, 2011 On the Butcher’s Bench, short, 2007 The Long Hall, short, experimental, 2005 PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY PRODUCER’S PROFILE XENiA, by Panos H. Koutras, 2014 Cannes Film Festival–Un Certain Regard Toronto FF Thessaloniki IFF Eleni Kossyfidou was born in Athens where she lives and works. She studied marketing and human resources management. She has worked in different companies as marketing manager assistant, client service director, producer and show director of commercial and artistic events and producer of audiovisual programs and theatrical plays. From 1995 till 2004 she worked as producer of a number of TV commercials and corporate video in cooperation with Filmiki Productions SA and Stefi Productions SA. In 2000 she founded Blackbird Production Company. She has produced many short films and TV documentaries such as 6 docu dramas (TV release) Marathon Race, Ancient, Olympic Games, Greek Modern Painters, Attic Black, Figured Pottery. 2 docudramas (Festivals/installations’ release) Angels’ Sadness, When Shadows Whisper etc. by D. Pantelias and a number of TV commercials and corporate videos 1990-2010. In 2004 she started producing feature films. The Εnemy Within, by Yorgos Tsemberopoulos, 2013 BFI London Film Festival Luxor IFF–Silver DJED Pillar L’ Europe Autour de l’ Europe–Special Mention Ecú Paris FF–Best European Independent Dramatic Feature Beijing IFF Strella, by Panos H. Koutras, 2009 Berlin Film Festival–Panorama Chigago IFF Osaka European FF Oslo IFF–Best Feature Film Bilbao IFF–Best Actress, Best Screenplay 2 Times Now, short by Michalis Konstantatos, 2006 Stockholm IFF-1st Best Film award True Life, by Panos H. Koutras, 2004 Toronto FF Thessaloniki IFF Haris Raftogiannis Present at Crossroads Eleni Kossyfidou Present at Crossroads The director’s previous films, Silent Sea and On the Butcher’s Bench, are available at the Agora Film Market. 31 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Crossroads Projects The Seam Line Israel Produced by: LAMA FILMS Director: Nir Sa'ar Scriptwriter: Maya Sarfaty Producers: Amir Harel & Ayelet Kait Budget: 744,000 Euro Location: Israel Looking for: Co-producers SYNOPSIS A suspense drama taking place in a rural area near Jerusalem, a no man's land where populations mix, monuments are burnt in the sun and the land cries out thousands of years of history, faith and blood. It is the story of Ari, a young archaeologist, and his daughter Yuval. They are faced with the sudden disappearance of Dafna, Ari's wife and Yuval's mother, on an ordinary day's afternoon. Ari is forced to cope with this disaster, and to take care of his young girl, who shows elusive post-traumatic symptoms. The family had moved to a settlement next to the border (called "the seam area" in Hebrew). Their new home is near the archaeological site where Ari is supervising an excavation, trying to prove the historical existence of King David's Kingdom. Ari goes on a desperate search to find his wife. The immediate suspicion is of kidnapping for political motives, but soon he discovers that his family is deeply affected by various forces. The Settlement’s security officer is involved with a network smuggling illegal workers. His neighbors, a religious Jewish-American couple, have a son leading a group of teenagers against the Arab population. Ari loses faith in the authorities and expands his search to the other side. Before Dafna disappeared, she had crossed paths with Nisrin, a young Palestinian girl that used to work in their house. She crossed the border to reunite with her boyfriend against her family's will, and Dafna helped her escape. Yuval had witnessed the setup between Nisrin and Dafna and holds the pieces to the puzzle. But Ari, absorbed in his chase, has lost touch with his young daughter. Dafna's body will be found eventually in a spring hidden in the wadi – the smuggling path meeting points. The suspicions raised against the Jewish inhabitants, as well as against the Palestinians, unveil the many underground conflicts in the area. The film echoes complex ethnic-political reality in which no one is free from blame. DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT The story takes place in this "Seam Line", the actual and symbolic borderline between the Palestinians and Israel's Jewish population, concealing clear borders and revealing blurry ones. It deals with borders as sites of separations and enclosures, but also with fleeting, forbidden contacts and intense connections. The price one has to pay for maintaining them, the price for breaking through. A series of border crossings – emotional, territorial and ethnical, is culminating to the ultimate crossing of border, from existence to nothingness – The mysterious disappearance of Dafna, the wife of the film's protagonist, Ari. The disappearance composes the film's main narrative, but it is not its true subject. The film's main interest is the family's struggle, the need to know what happened at all cost, the automatic blaming of "the other side" and the act of revealing the reality around you. Ari, an outsider, now needs to face the reality he until then chose to ignore, open his eyes truly and see what is taking place right under his nose. I believe this act of actually seeing is of greater relevance today than it has ever been. Especially in regard of the young generation that already brought up with the separation wall stands as a fact, dispatching communities and forcing ignorance. This alien existence of Ari is in many ways the manifestation of my own experience. I was born and raised in Israel, but was always the “outsider”. As a Jewish young man, I did not take part in the military service which is highly irregular, and in many cases put me in conflicts. On the other hand it gives me unique perspective on day-to-day events. As a filmmaker I’ve been looking to approach the “other side”. On 2012 I took part in a rare Palestinian-Israeli project, a cooperation that also lead me to illegally cross the separation wall, and get to know Ramallah and some of the surrounding villages. I am also keen on nature, and many times traveled on this elusive border. One must understand that the separation wall is not quite a “real” border, as much as it is psychological blockage. Those hiking trips put me in contact with local incidents, with Jewish and Palestine inhabitants, as depicted in my film Still Waters, a short film premiered in Venice Film Festival in 2012. The film aims to be a psychological, social-political thriller in which the structure of suspense is used as a mechanism to attract the audience, fascinate and put it on the edge of its seat; however the investigation is but an "excuse" for the protagonist to cope with a deeper disturbing social truth. I see Ari, the archaeologist, in his educated and progressive way, starting as a participant in a system of setting borders without even noticing. By disappearing, Dafna becomes Ari's guide, and as the film evolves, he goes through a process of maturation. She is a pit that draws into it the fears that are born on the border, on the seam line. LAMA FILMS PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION LAMA FILMS T: + 972 3 6850430 E: amir@lamafilms.com W: www.lamafilms.com 32 Located in Tel Aviv, Lama Films is one of the leading production companies in Israel, concentrating on social-, political- and cultural-oriented projects. Since the turn of the millennium, Lama Films produced a line of internationally acclaimed and successful films, thus established itself as a major production company in the local scene, as well as a first-choice addressee for production companies from around the world, who seek co-productions in the Middle-East. Whether documentaries or fiction films, Lama Films’ productions address phenomena that reflect the essence of Israeli existence, yet still appeal to diverse audiences around the world. Crossroads Projects 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Still Waters, short, 2012 Venice Film Festival Nir Sa'ar is a Tel Aviv University Graduate in Film and Television, specialized in Directing and Cinematography. His work has been screened worldwide in festivals including Next Reel NYU, Busan Korea, and La Biennale di Venezia. He has experience in professional film and television productions, with corporate clients and some of the most important broadcasters in Israel, and also in premiere theatres in various positions. He is awarded from America-Israel Cultural Foundation in Directing and Cinematography with Excellency. Won First Prize from The Gottlieb Film Foundation for screenwriting, and hold a production scholarship from The Second Authority for television & radio. He is a freelance creative director from 2008. Heavy Duty, short, 2012 Connexin, 2006 Thermostat, 2005 PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY (selected) PRODUCER’S PROFILE Barash 2015, by Michal Vinik San Sebastián IFF 2015 Reykjavik IFF 2015 Haifa IFF–Post-Production Award, Script Award in collaboration with the Scriptwriters‘ Guild, Award for Best Actress, Award for Best Actor Beginning his professional career as film editor back in late 80's, Amir Harel produced his first film, Desperado Square, in 1999, in collaboration with the late film producer Haim Manor. A year later, he initiated Lama films as a self-owned company. Since then Amir Harel led his way picking his projects thoughtfully and carefully, keeping long-term collaborations with directors, screenwriters and film-editors, as well as production companies from around the world. Man Without a Cellphone 2011, by Sameh Zoabi New Directors New Films Montpellier International Film Festival–Best Film Jellyfish, 2007, by Etgar Keret, Shira Geffen Cannes FF - Critics' Week–Camera d'Or Winner, Prix SACD, Prix of the Young Critics Bratislava IFF–Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Special Mention Pusan FF–Official Selection San Sebastian IFF–Official Selection Toronto FF–Official Selection The previous film of the director Still Waters is available at the Agora Film Market Nir Sa'ar Present at Crossroads Amir Harel Present at Crossroads Paradise Now, 2005, by Hany Abu Assad Berlin FF–Blue Angel Award for Best European Film, Amnesty International Award, Berliner Morgenpost Audience Award, European Screenwriter Award Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film US National Board of Reviews Award for Best Foreign Language Film Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Film 78th Academy Awards–Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Walk On Water 2004 by Eytan Fox Berlin FF–Panorama James’ Journey to Jerusalem 2003 by Ra’anan Alexandrowicz Cannes FF - Director’s Fortnight Oslo IFF–Best film, Fipresci prize Valencia IFF–Best film New Delhi IFF–Most promising director 33 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Crossroads Projects A Shelter Among the Clouds Albania Produced by: ERAFILM ALBANIA Ltd Director: Robert Budina Scriptwriter: Robert Budina Producer: Sabina Kodra Budget: 851,000 Euro Secured Financing: 30 % Location: Albania Looking for: 70 % SYNOPSIS Besnik, a shepherd with mental health problems, lives with his father in a North Albanian village, where two different religious communities, Muslim and Catholic, coexist in exemplary harmony; especially after it is discovered that the old mosque in the village used to be a church in the past and the Muslims agree to share their holy shrine with their Catholic neighbours until a new church is built in the village. Harmony reigns in Besnik’s family too, when his emigrant brother comes from Greece with his wife and kids, having converted to the Orthodox faith and his sister with her husband and kids, all Muslims, also arrive to spend Easter together and celebrate it at the church/mosque. The pater familias, a former communist, falls seriously ill and leaves it in his will that the house will be inherited by whichever one of his children is going to take care of Besnik. It looks as if both the elder brother and the middle sister want the house, and they start to compete with each other about who is going to take better care of their younger brother; the latter however, once he understands what his siblings’ real motivation is, refuses their help. Under the circumstances, the father decides to entrust his daughter with Besnik and the house, but this becomes a cause for conflict with the elder brother, who fights to get the part of the house he is entitled to.The father passes away and the house is divided with fences and new entrances; sister and brother and their families cut all ties between them; Enver Hoxha’s pictures in the father’s room are replaced with Orthodox icons and Besnik’s living space shrinks so much that he ends up living in the barn. Besnik had always dreamt of a large family but now he sees himself alone with the sheep, on the top of a mountain where he has erected his shelter surrounded by clouds, which looks as if it is floating in the sky. DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT Can we love God and respect other people’s faith if we fail to deal humanely with the people closest to us? Besnik is a metaphor for a society hurt by its past and whose members cannot find the right human, social and religious balances with regard to themselves, their families, their neighbors and God. While it seems as if this society holds family values sacred, it actually is being eroded from inside and due to economic distress by small-minded interests that disfigure human nature. Because of specific historical circumstances, there has always been religious harmony between the various faith communities in Albania. Yet, is this enough in order to love one’s neighbor, as all religions preach? It isn’t by accident that religious coexistence serves as a background to Albanian national history. On the one hand, it constitutes an unusual reality for troubled areas, such as the Balkan Peninsula, where as recently as 15 years ago thousands of people would become casualties of ethnic and religious wars; on the other hand, it can also appear as a paradox, as in the case of the events unfolding within Besnik’s family. While the village mosque donates half of its space to the church and communities pray practically shoulder to shoulder, Besnik’s family is divided with new walls and fences, because of conflicting interests between its members. His struggle symbolizes everybody’s efforts to keep a balance between the need for survival and love for one’s neighbor, against the backdrop of daily challenges. My intent is to make a film that conveys the sense of a unique reality and kindles the viewers’ interest around the world, in times like these when religious wars have become a major global concern; as well as a film that invites the public to reflect, by delivering a message of peaceful co-existence and harmony. The location enhances certain metaphors that are best conveyed through images: Besnik’s shelter on the mountaintop among the clouds as a shrine of sorts; the cliff on whose edge he stays with the goats as danger; and his former family house now caught in the spider’s web of dividing walls and fences as hell. The mystic atmosphere of a village surrounded by the mountains, which looks like a paradise where different religious communities live together will sharply contrast the poverty of interiors in Besnik’s house, which stands for the frightening spiritual poverty of the family. The mosque/church dualism will also be conveyed through the selection of camera angles, which should create the impression, to the viewer, that a Muslim is praying in the church and the Christian Catholic is praying in the mosque – in order to visually highlight the idea of religious harmony. As far as the film tone is concerned, poetry and mysticism will be paired together. Poetry will be touching and harsh at the same time. In other words, the film will promptly introduce a particular, mystical reality, which will then become poetry and a more complex reflection on the unfolding events. ERAFILM ALBANIA LTD PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION ERAFILM T: +35 694095804 E: contact@erafilm-albania.com W: www.erafilm-albania.com 34 ERAFILM ALBANIA Ltd was founded in 2001 by Sabina Kodra and Robert Budina. Both directors graduated from the Academy of Arts in Tirana, Albania. The company is owned solely by one partner: Sabina Kodra. The main objective of the company is the making and distribution of feature, medium, and short films, documentaries, animated films, commercials and audiovisual programs of all kinds which may be screened both in Albania and abroad, and the organizing of cinematic, artistic and audiovisual activities which may be held both in Albania and abroad. Crossroads Projects 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY DIRECTOR’S PROFILE The Hampered (in development) Robert Budina was born in Korca, Albania and is working as an independent film producer and director. He graduated from the Academy of Arts, Theater Directing. He has directed and written several theater plays. Together with Sabina Kodra he founded ERAFILM ALBANIA Ltd in 2001. He has produced documentaries and shorts, before producing Balkan Bazaar a feature comedy by Edmond Budina in 2009. Robert has also filed numerous roles as executive producer, production supervisor and assistant director in various international co-productions, including Letters in the Wind by Edmond Budina, Littoral by Wajdi Mouawad, Forgiveness of Blood by Joshua Marston. Sunrise was his first feature film as a director, after his short film Lulebore, and Spiderman 5 screened at 30 festivals all around the word and received Sunrise, 2012 Chicago IFF Helsinki IFF Shanghai IFF South East European FF Los Angeles Saint Petersburg IFF Spiderman 5, short, 2009 Snowdrops, short, 2005 PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY (selected) PRODUCER’S PROFILE Sworn Virgin, 2015, Laura Bispuri, co-producer Berlin FF Tribeca IFF Karlovy Vary IFF London IFF Chicago IFF Producer Sabina Kodra graduated from the Academy of Arts in Tirana, Albania and then went on to form ERAFILM ALBANIA Ltd in 2001. Together with director Robert Budina, she produced a series of shorts, documentaries and commercials before writing and producing the 2011 feature comedy, Balkan Bazaar. Sabina Kodra has also filled numerous roles from production design to assistant director on various Albanian and international co-productions, including the critically acclaimed Greek fiction feature Eduart (2006) and Gjergj Xhuvani's East West East (2009). She released the Albanian feature film, Sunrise (2012) by Robert Budina, as well as the upcoming feature documentary, Made In Albania by Stefania Casini, Bota by Iris Elezi and Sworn Virgin by Laura Bispuri based on the novel of the same title by Elvira Dones. In 2013 she founded Erafilm Kosovo, working on different projects in the development stage. Bota, 2012, by Iris Elezi,Thomas Logoreci Karlovy Vary IFF Helsinki IFF Reykjavik IFF–FIPRESCI Prize and Audience Award Cottbus IFF San Francisco IFF–Official Selection Sunrise, 2012, by Robert Budina Chicago IFF Helsinki IFF Shanghai IFF South East European FF Los Angeles Bloody Hero (USA) IFF–Award for Best Male Actor and Best Film Balkan Bazaar, 2011, by Edmond Budina Sofia IFF Prishtina IFF Chichester IFF New York Albanian Film Week Robert Budina Present at Crossroads Sabina Kodra Present at Crossroads The director’s previous film, Sunrise, is available at the Agora Film Market Letters in the Wind, 2003, by Edmond Budina Thessaloniki IFF Sofia IFF Istanbul IFF Gallio Festival del Cinema Italiano–Award for Best Screenplay Linz IFF–Best Film Award 35 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Crossroads Projects The T Factor Italy Produced by: CONTRORA FILM Director: Francesco Costabile Scriptwriters: Francesco Costabile, Mariano Di Nardo Producer: Alessandra Grilli Budget: 1,100,000 Euro Secured Financing: 5% Location: Italy (Trieste), Slovenia, Croatia Looking for: Co-producers, Distributors, International Sales, International development and Production Funds SYNOPSIS Matteo is thirty years old, from the south of Italy. He moved to Trieste, where he teaches at the agricultural institute. Fond of his job, he has few relationships with his colleagues; lengthy telephone conversations with his mother punctuate his routine. At the end of the day, upon returning home, Matteo transforms into Veronica, an attractive woman who has sexual relationships with casual lovers she meets through chat sites. One day, Adam arrives at her home. He’s a Croatian guy who’s different from the rest, not only because of his mixture of innocence and vitality, but also because he immediately displays a genuine interest in Veronica. When Matteo discovers that Adam is a student in his new class, he refuses to see him again as Veronica but Adam doesn’t give up and knocks at Veronica’s door every night. One day, at school, Adam provokes Matteo, showing him that he knows his real identity and Veronica, shocked but also attracted by the idea that Adam knows and accepts his complex identity genre, gives in and opens the door to her house. Veronica thinks she will be able to manage the love affair with Adam as Veronica at night and the relationship at school during the day. It is thanks to this complicity with Adam that Veronica leaves her home for the first time, finally at ease with herself, but things get complicated when one night Adam persuades Veronica to go to Slovenia for a metal concert. The real purpose of Adam is in fact to visit the father who abandoned him for a new family. Veronica discovers the complexity of Adam’s inner world and, afraid of having a bad influence on him, she tries to act with Adam more as his teacher Matteo than as Veronica, who puts an end to their night meetings. But it will be Veronica’s reconciliation with Adam that will help him to grow up and accept the absence of his father and makes Veronica understand how to feel freedom in being who she wants to be, without choosing a pre-set role but freely expressing her gender identity. DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION CONTRORA FILM T: +393283114246 E: alessandra@controrafilm.it The T Factor wants to tell a story about development, a journey of discovery and liberation that involves a teacher. A figure often idealized in which the rhetoric of a pedagogue invested in vocational training and the educational mission is present. Matteo is a man trapped by a series of superstructures that lead him to completely divide sexuality and affectedness; dominated by a mother – from whom he has never managed to free himself – and a victim of a feeling of blame that leads him to repress and box in his real identity. Veronica, his female name, will gradually accept the relationship with Adam, a foreign man who, with his mixture of naivety and stability, will help her discover a new reality and a new perspective on life. The point of view between teacher and student is reversed. The story of Matteo/Veronica is one of personal development, which I love to define as back-to-front: it is the teacher himself that has to mature and discover something about himself thanks to his relationship with his student. Matteo will discover a Veronica capable of existing outside the four walls of her home. A Veronica that needn’t feel embarrassed, especially not by her own femininity. And above all she will discover she is not obliged to choose, that it is possible to live freely as a woman and as a man, switching between genders that is exempt of conflict. A condition of transgenderism free from any sort of binarism, where hormonal therapy is not necessary for finding oneself and, above all, where one does not deny their past and who they once were. With this broad notion, the character of Matteo/Veronica is quite unprecedented in Italian and international film. Stories of homosexuals and transsexuals are often told, but the infinite intermediary shades of gender identity are rarely taken into consideration. One can be happy living a life with both masculine and feminine traits, without any sort of conflict. It’s just a matter of realizing it. It is this gradual and progressive discovery that is the founding nucleus of the film. The film presents situations ‘at the limit’ that could prove to be morbid or grotesque without the right filter. A subtle irony – which I hope transpires through the treatment – is necessary to avoid such risks. The exclusive telephone relationship between Matteo and his mother (a woman from the south who loves to assert her control from afar); the repeated conversations regarding the house and its furnishings; Veronica’s paranoia in confronting the world and leaving the house, will all be elements capable of lightening the tone, creating laughter and helping the audience warm to the characters. The house will have a key role in the film; it is described as a barren and grey space, a mirror of the missing identity that Veronica must construct, or rather reconstruct, step by step. To observe the life and actions that enliven this apartment becomes a necessary act to understand in depth Veronica’s feelings and fears. I imagine a straightforward directing style, without an overly invasive mise-en-scene, in which the attention of the audience is drawn uniquely by feelings and emotions that move the protagonists. It will therefore avoid aesthetic and colorful clichés that often accompany the representation of the queer and transgender world. CONTRORA FILM Controra Film is a brand new company founded in 2012 by Alessandra Grilli and Serena Sostegni. They both have been working in the International cinema industry for more than ten years. Alessandra worked at Acaba Produzioni S.R.L as head of development and delegate producer. Serena is currently working in the development department of Cattleya S.P.A, working also as an executive in charge of production for first feature films. The main focus of their activities is the development and production of independent and low budget first feature films, with a special attention to social and cultural contemporary issues. Moreover, they recently started developing a documentary and they are willing to improve their skills in that field, attending documentary markets worldwide. Thanks to their previous work as talent scouts and script readers, they have established long-term relationships with directors and scriptwriters but also with the main cinema business representatives in the country. 36 Crossroads Projects 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Piero Tosi, 1690 l’inizio di un secolo, 2014 Biografilm Festival Francesco earned a degree in Cinema and Literature at Bologna University, and attended the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, the most important Film school in Italy. His previous short L'armadio, had a special nomination at Nastro D'Argento 2005 and with Inside Rome, he won Nastro d'Argento 2006 and was in competition in many festivals worldwide, among which the Clermond-Ferrand Short Film Festival. While discovering himself and exploring the complexity of his gender identity, Francesco started teaching film direction at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Accademia delle Belle Arti and different technical schools. Only with The T Factor did he find a way to express himself through a fiction film, going on with the work he started when he was at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia as a student. La carrera, doc, 2013 Belgrade Ethnological FF Trento FF L'abito e il volto, 2010 Biografilm Festival–Audience award Inside Rome, short, 2006 Nastro d'Argento–Best Film David di Donatello–Best Short L'armadio, 2005 Nastro D'Argento–Special nomination PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY PRODUCER’S PROFILE 2night, feature film, directed by Ivan Silvestrini, (in post-production) Alessandra worked at Acaba Produzioni S.R.L as head of development and delegate producer. In 2013 she was executive in charge of development for Salvo directed by Antonio Piazza and Fabio Grassadonia (winner of the Critics’ Week Grand Prize and France 4 visionary award at the Cannes International Film Festival 2013), co-produced by Cristaldi Pictures, Mact productions, Citè Film with Eurimages, Torinofilmlab Fund, National Fund, and the Media development fund. In 2012 she was the executive producer for Alì Blue Eyes, directed by Claudio Giovannesi (winner of the Jury Award and the Best First and Second Feature Film award at the Rome International Film Festival 2012), distributed in Italy by BIM distribuzione and worldwide by Intramovies. In 2010 she was the executive producer for Into Paradiso, directed by Paola Randi (selected at the Venice International Film Festival 2010, Controcampo italiano), was co-produced by Cinecittà Luce, with the National Film Fund and the Regione Campania Film Fund and was distributed by Cinecittà Luce, International Sales Ellypsis Media International. In 2010 she was the head of development for A Quiet Life, directed by Claudio Cupellini (selected at the Rome International Film Festival 2010, Toni Servillo winner of the award for Best leading actor), was co-produced by Eos Entertainment, with Rai Cinema, the National Film Fund and distributed by 01 Distribuzione, International Sales Beta Cinema. Sommersi, Mia Familia, documentary, directed by Gogo Bianchi, (in post-production) Francesco Costabile Present at Crossroads Alessandra Grilli Present at Crossroads The director’s previous film, Inside Rome, is available at the Agora Film Market. 37 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Crossroads Projects Tide Lebanon Director/Scriptwriter/Producer: Hussen Ibraheem Budget: 393,500 Euro Location: Lebanon Looking for: Co-production, distribution, funds and grants SYNOPSIS A married couple with different citizenships have recently lost their child. In order to get their son’s body out of the hospital and save the remains of their troubled marriage they set off on a journey to an old relative’s house that lives across the country to find the missing papers which can set their son’s body free from the morgue. Tide points out important questions about life, death, love and the still existing barriers between different nationalities. The film also shows the lack of sensibility in the bureaucracy world and how that can reduce people to a piece of paper. Sometimes, we should free ourselves from all these social constraints. Tide will be also a film about the inner journey– through the husband’s and wife’s souls and towards the roots of their beings and relation. Tide is also a film about the borderline put in the matrimonial bed. DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT Tide is a film about a married couple who lost their child. It is a film about their journey through Lebanon to find a missing official document to release their son’s body from the hospital. Tide is also about the inner journey of the couple’s souls towards the roots of their being and relationship. It is also a film about the borderline put in the matrimonial bed. Hassan and Zeina are a Palestinian-Lebanese couple. While spending the day at the beach, their younger son dies accidentally in the sea. Already in the hospital they try to claim their son’s dead body. But some official papers are missing. Hassan and Zeina will try to find them, but finally bureaucracy will prevail. Tide is structured as a road movie, taking place during one day, as Hassan and Zeina set out on a journey of desperation, hope and fear. The characters will be pushed to difficult and extreme situations, making them throw in the towel. The film is conceptual enough but, apart from the “blue mood”, it introduces into the script many amusing details which will make Tide attractive to the audience and easy to understand. The Tide protagonists are free from redundant facts, but they are not flat. I chose “simple is the best” and guide the audience through the labyrinth of the real world, through the walls of bureaucracy, political pitfalls, (inter)national (in)tolerance and coexistence. The final aim is to show that life prevails above all else. Life is celebrated. I try to be proficient at composing scenes: The viewer always hears one, while he sees the other in order to get the real emotion and meaning when he unites all elements in the process of watching. Tide is a very raw and real story that is completely immediate. Taking place in one day, it explores the most profound events that can happen in a family while laying bare the fissures that can occur in a marriage. The added complexities of different nationalities (and parents unwilling to accept these differences) makes for a deep story. The approach of the writing is immediate and present. Nothing is wasted. We should feel the immediacy of the raw emotion that the story demands. This story is universal and visceral. PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION Hussen Ibraheem T: +96 171855131 E: hussen.ibraheem@gmail.com W: hussenibraheem.daportfolio.com 38 Crossroads Projects DIRECTOR’S/PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual DIRECTOR’S/PRODUCER’S PROFILE Are we there yet? short, 2014 Typo, short, 2013 3:30, short, 2012 Franco Arab FF-Best Narrative Film Award Nomadic, short doc, 2012 A Lebanese film maker with Turkish origins, he did his BA in architecture and then received a fully covered scholarship to do his MFA at The Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in Jordan, a branch of the University of Southern California (USC). During these two years he directed and worked on dozens of short films and documentaries. His first short film received the jury prize for the best narrative at the FrancoArab film festival and was selected for more than 15 international film festivals. He produced and directed his second short film Typo, which was also officially selected for more than 17 international film festivals and he is also producing, writing and directing his first feature film Tide which is still in the development process as it was selected at the Rawi Screenwriter Development Workshop by the Royal Film Commission in Jordan and supported by the Sundance Film Institute, and was also selected to Meditalents which is a one year round script development workshop. Meditalents is organized by the Agence Algerienne du Development Culturel (AARC), and the French Institute of Algeria (IFA), with the Support of Euromed Audiovisual, and Supported by the Centre National Du Cinema (France) and the Centre Cinematographique Marocain (Morocco) and TV5. Also the film was presented at the Beirut Cinema Project in 2013 for a possible co-production with Europe. Hussen is also working on the development of two short films, Sweet Discomfort of Missed Connections which is in the development process and Zoher. Hussen is also co-directing with Rami el Harayri the short film Beirut 1975, which received the Alba fund at Malmo Arab film development fund for short films in Oct 2015. Hussen Ibraheem Present at Crossroads The director’s previous films, 3:30 and Typo, are available at the Agora Film Market. 39 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Crossroads Projects Usud Serbia Produced by: EED// Productions Director: Stefan Malesevic Scriptwriter: Stefan Malesevic Producer: Vladimir Vasiljevic Budget: 515,715 Euro Secured Financing: 10,000 Euro (EED Productions investment) Location: Bosnia and Serbia or other co-producers’ country Looking for: Co-producer & Post-Production Partner SYNOPSIS In a Slavic pagan village two brothers inherit a farm from their father. Just like before their father’s death, the younger brother keeps doing all of the work until one day he confronts the older brother with his decision to split the property in half. After the split, he continues working hard but to no avail. His half of the land seems cursed. Grains don’t grow, fruit rots, animals get sick and die, floods and droughts fall upon him. The man keeps trying the way he used to before but the troubles don’t ease up. One night he sets out to find the reason for all the misfortune that has fallen upon him. He starts his search for Usud, the deity responsible for assigning destinies. His search lasts for countless days during which he wanders through various landscapes and adventures until he finally reaches a portal to Usud’s realm. He waits and observes as Usud assigns destinies to newborns. After three days of waiting Usud finally hears out his guest’s problems, shrugs and explains that he has no power of decision, but simply does his job as days change. He explains to the man that he was born on a “muddy day”, while his brother was born on a “golden day”, so there’s nothing to be done. After the man insists, Usud suggests that he marry his brother’s daughter Milica, who was also born on a “golden day”, and let her claim all his belongings. He returns, does what Usud suggested and the farm, now owned by Milica, starts flourishing again, inspiring him to work even harder, until one day a mysterious figure shows up during his work in the field and asks about the owner of the field. The man replies that the field belongs to him and the field goes up in flames that very moment. DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION EED// Productions, Belgrade, Serbia T: +381 641514812 E: vladimirvasiljevic@gmail.com W: www.eed.rs SLOVOFILM, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina T: +387 51340640 E: slovofilm@gmail.com 40 Once upon a time humans were beasts – living and dying, surviving, killing and being killed. Then humans developed words and acquired reason. Words became names, and naming a person or an object separated it from the universe as a whole, making it unique and more valuable. Humans wanted to own what was marked as valuable. But when belongings started to decay, humans became aware of their fragility and passage of time, so they developed technology to try to protect themselves from nature and preserve what they owned. As this battle could not be won, the humans started asking questions, wanting to know and to understand. “Why is all this happening to us and what should we do about it?” But they couldn’t find a definite answer, so they kept getting disappointed because they couldn’t escape death, make a house that doesn’t decay over time, prove that God exists or doesn’t exist, find the smallest particle or the end of the universe, make their lives independent from nature, and so on. Usud explores the cursed desire to label and own, the human depending relationship with nature and the insatiable urge to find definite answers for the eternal questions. Through these three main subjects Usud covers a wide spectrum of problems and reflections of a human in the western world of social organization based on male principles and attitudes towards work, decay, owning, finiteness, communion, death, knowledge and cognition. The film is put in a rural society from the past, but all the problems of the main character can easily be transposed to any time and equally well describe the medieval kings, seventies communist political prisoners not knowing the reason for their incarceration, tycoons of today or any regular human that ever had a chance to call something his own, and then shared this something with others, willingly or forced. Starting point of my writing process was an old Serbian pagan tale, transmitted orally from generation to generation until it reached me through my grandfather. While researching I found out that this story can be found in many places other than the Slavic Mythology. The peoples of Finland, Central Africa, Russia and India have their own versions of this story, which shows how universal and timeless the themes of Usud are. The basis of the story is supplemented by and intertwined with family legends from lives of my ancestors, all in relation to the central themes of the film – owning, division and decaying. The whole film will be shot in an extinct proto-Slavic language (Old Church Slavonic), so that it is not referring to any contemporary culture specifically, but to all pagan cultures of our past. The idea is to make a pagan film, instead of a film about pagans, conveying the essence of pagan worldviews rather than the form of their customs and costumes. It will employ an organic approach - brutal, honest, immediate, naive and natural. EED SLOVOFILM As a result of a year’s long experience building, EED// Productions was founded in order to produce outstanding films with an attitude. We understand that filmmaking is all about passion and that’s why EED// is run by experienced filmmakers and young talents whose passion can add up. Slovofilm was formed in 2015 by the director and producer Stefan Malešević, mostly to serve as a backbone to production of his own author films but with the goal to serve as a house open for co-productions for Stefan’s colleagues from Bela Tarr’s film.factory academy. Slovofilm is currently developing and pre-producing two feature films written and directed by Stefan Malešević. Crossroads Projects 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY DIRECTOR’S PROFILE A Fine Day for Bananafish, short, 2014 Trieste Film Festival–Official Competition Pogradec FF–Jury prize Edinburgh IFF Dublin IFF Stefan Malešević was born in 1989 in Belgrade, Serbia. He is currently attending the film.factory PhD program in Sarajevo run by Bela Tarr, where workshops are given by a number of important names from the film industry such as Fred Kelemen, Carlos Reygadas, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Gus Van Sant, Guy Maddin, Cristian Mungiu, Tilda Swinton, Juliette Binoche and many others. He directed more than 20 short films (fiction, animation, experimental, documentary), many of which were screened and/or awarded at international film festivals in Trieste, Paris, London, Dublin, Belgrade etc. He is currently developing his first feature film under the mentorship of Bela Tarr. Non-Stop Plavi, short, 2013 Die Rothaarige, short, 2012 The Day I Stopped Caring, short, 2009 Elipsa, short, 2009 PRODUCER’S FILMOGRAPHY (selected) PRODUCER’S PROFILE The Last Goodbye, by Milica Tomovic (in development) Vladimir Vasiljevic was born in 1981. in Kragujevac, Serbia. In 2002, he enrolled in the Faculty of dramatic arts in Belgrade, section Film and Television production. Started working as a film professional from 2002. As a result of a year’s long experience founded the EED// Productions. Vladimir has participated in EAVE European Producers Workshop (2015); Sarajevo Film Festival – Sarajevo Talent Campus (2012); Cannes Film Festival – Producers Workshop (2011); Faculty of Dramatic Arts – (2002-2006) MA in Film & TV Producing Mamonga, by Stefan Malesevic (in pre-production) Black Dog, by Ivan Bukvic (pre-production) Transition, short, by Milica Tomovic (production) The Black Pin, by Ivan Marinovic (post-production) The director’s previous film, A Fine Day for Bananafish, is available at the Agora Film Market. Stefan Malesevic Present at Crossroads Vladimir Vasiljevic Present at Crossroads 41 AGORA WORKS IN PROGRESS 2015 12 NOVEMBER 2015 The Agora Works in Progress selection team are Marie-Pierre Macia, Yianna Sarri, Angeliki Vergou (Agora Industry), Dimitris Kerkinos (Balkan Survey), Eleni Androutsopoulou (Greek Films) AWARDS SPONSOR This industry activity gives the opportunity to selected sales agents, distributors and festival programmers, to be the first to discover feature films from Central Europe, the Mediterranean and the Balkan region, in the stage just before completion. Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim Egypt page 48 The Black Pin Montenegro-Serbia page 49 The City with No Compass Spain page 50 Works in progress Goran Croatia page 51 Fellini Greece page 52 Hristo Bulgaria, Italy page 53 Land of the Little People (out of competition) Israel-Palestine page 54 The Last Day Romania page 55 That Trip We Took With Dad (working title) Germany, Romania-Hungary, Sweden page 56 Voevoda Bulgaria, Croatia page 57 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Agora Works in Progress Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim Egypt Production Company: TRANSIT FILMS–FILM CLINIC Director: Sherif El Bendary Screenwriters: Ahmed Amer-Ibrahim El Batout Cast: Nahed El Sebaï, Ali Sobhi, Salwa Mohamed Ali, Ahmed Magdi Producer: Hossam Elouan-Mohamed Hefzy Production Stage: Post-production Duration: 110’ Budget: 776,830 Euro Secured Financing: 83% Looking For: Partners, Funds, Sales Agents CONTACT PERSON Hossam Elouan, Producer TRANSIT FILMS T: +20 1060528732 E: hossamelouan@gmail.com Mohamed Hefzy, Producer FILM CLINIC T: +202 252 680 50 E: mohefzy@film-clinic.com W: http://film-clinic.com/ SYNOPSIS Ali is rarely seen without a goat called Nada who he believes is the incarnation of his fiancée who died years ago. Ibrahim is a sound man who hears voices that scare him to death. Both Ali and Ibrahim’s paths cross and they embark on a journey that will change their lives. DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY Dry Hot Summers, short, 2015 Robert Bosch Stiftung-Film Prize for International Cooperation On the Road to Downtown, 2011 Doha Film Institute Sherif El Bendary, film director Curfew, short, 2011 Cannes FF Abu Dhabi FF At Day's End, short, 2008 Tribeca FF Rise & Shine, short, 2006 DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Born in 1978, Egyptian filmmaker Sherif El Bendary lives and works in Cairo. El Bendary graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts in 2001 and he then studied Film Directing at the High Institute of Cinema in Cairo. He graduated in 2007 and he has been teaching film directing there since 2008. 48 Hossam Elouan, producer present at Agora WiP Agora Works in Progress 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual The Black Pin Montenegro, Serbia Production Company: ADRIATIC WESTERN Director: Ivan Marinović Screenwriter: Ivan Marinović Cast: Nikola Ristanovski, Leon Lučev, Bogdan Diklic, Seka Sablić Producer: Ivan Marinović Key Partner: Ministry of Culture (Montenegro), Vladimir Vasiljević (EED Production Serbia), Production Stage: Post-production Duration: 90’ Budget: 500,000 Euro Secured Financing: 80% Looking For: Post-production resources, Sales Agent & Distribution SYNOPSIS Father Peter is afraid that the universe is indifferent. God no longer intervenes. His wife has abandoned him. His son rebels against him. And his mother seldom recognizes him thanks to Alzheimer's. When Peter becomes an obstacle to a large property sale in his parish, the group of colourful, but also vengeful villagers decides to chase him away. Their creative ways made the entire superstitious village to believe that Peter is the cause of all troubles on the peninsula. Their clash escalates at the funeral of a supposed witch that turns into a surreal mayhem. Peter’s faith in people completely vanishes, but his enemies may show kindness when he needs it the most. CONTACT PERSON Ivan Marinović, Producer ADRIATIC WESTERN T: +38269469314 E: ivan.marinovic@ymail.com W: adriaticwestern.com DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY Praise the Sea, Stick to the Shore, short doc, 2010 Supetar Super FF Montenegro FF A Football Story, short, 2009 Famufest DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Born in 1984 in Kotor, Montenegro. He graduated from the FAMU film and television academy in Prague (MgA degree in film directing) in 2011. He shot several short films, as well as a noted documentary Praise the Sea, Stick to the Shore. He was a co-writer and directing assistant on Ivo Trajkov’s feature film 90 Minutes - The Berlin Project which was selected for Cameraimage in Poland, and Manaki Brothers in Bitola. The Black Pin is his first full-length feature as a writer/director. It won multiple awards for its screenplay (Jerusalem film lab 2014, Cinelink Sarajevo FF). Ivan Marinović, film director/producer present at Agora WiP 49 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Agora Works in Progress The City with No Compass Spain Production Company: SAVINELLI FILMS Director: Antonio Savinelli Screenwriter: Antonio Savinelli Cast: Javier Mejía, Agnes Kiraly Producers: Antonio Savinelli, Ismael García Lopez Production Stage: Post-production Duration: 80’ Budget: 12,000 Euro Secured Financing: 60% Looking For: Post-production, Sales and Distribution CONTACT PERSON Antonio Savinelli, Producer SAVINELLI FILMS T: +34 605869030 E: info@savinellifilms.com W: www.savinellifilms.com SYNOPSIS The City With No Compass becomes the meeting point for two foreigners that have lost the way to their dreams. Anna is a Hungarian immigrant and Pascual is a stranger in his own life. Their paths cross just to remind them of what really matters. DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY Orange Juice, short, 2006 San Sebastián FF L’hermita–1st prize Habitat, videoart short, 2009 21th Instants Video Festival Marseille Óptica Festival Antonio Savinelli, film director/producer present at Agora WiP Nebbia, videoart short, 2010 Festival Tirant Avant–Best video creation Óptica Festival Festival Desvelarte Athens Video Art Festival Lizdas, short doc, 2012 3rd Festival Benisanó–Best Photography, Best Short film prize Green Film Festival Seoul MiradasDoc12 International Festival The Canary Islands DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Ismael Garcia Lopez, producer present at Agora WiP 50 Antonio Savinelli is a filmmaker. He is the author of numerous short films, documentaries and video arts that have been awarded in important film festivals. He has extensive experience as a teacher at various schools and universities. The City With No Compass is his feature film debut. Agora Works in Progress 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual Goran Croatia Production Company: ANTITALENT D.O.O. Director: Nevio Marasović Screenwriter: Gjermund Gisvold Cast: Franjo Dijak, Nataša Janjić, Goran Bogdan Producer: Danijel Pek Production Stage: Post-production Duration: 90’ Budget: 350,000 Euro Secured Financing: 88.57% Looking For: Post production funding, World sales representative, Distribution SYNOPSIS Goran just wants to drive his taxi and take care of his blind wife, Lina. However, people close to him have their own agendas and dreams which threaten his carefree existence. In the idyllic surroundings of snow-covered highlands, few gatherings of old friends and family occur. At first, it all seems ideal but one can notice (though, not pinpoint) something worrisome and just not quite right. As the story progresses, fiery personalities of highlanders surface and collide. White gets mixed with red. CONTACT PERSON Danijel Pek, Producer ANTITALENT D.O.O. T: +385 91 1250 205 E: danijel.pek@gmail.com W: www.antitalent.hr DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY Vis-à-Vis, feature, 2013 Pula FF–Best Film, Young Cinephile Jury Zagreb FF–Official Competition, Special Mention Los Angeles FF–Best feature film PriFest Priština–Best Balkan Director Transilvania IFF Nevio Marasovic, film director The Show Must Go On, feature, 2010 Shanghai IFF DIRECTOR’S PROFILE In 2013, Nevio Marasović directed his second feature-length film, Vis-A-Vis. At Prifest, he was proclaimed the best director in the Balkans and the film was voted one of the top five European films of the year by European film portal CINEUROPA and won the Grand Prix at SEEfest LA. Katarina Janković, executive produce present at Agora WiP 51 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Agora Works in Progress Fellini Greece Production Company: ZONARAS PRODUCTIONS Director: Karolos Zonaras Screenwriters: Karolos Zonaras, Katerina Bei Cast: Katia Leclerc O'Wallis, Konstantinos Aspiotis, Athina Pappa, Pavlos Evangelopoulos Producer: Katia Leclerc Key Partners: Lefteris Danikas, Katiana Micha, Konstantinos Aivalis Production Stage: Post-production Duration: 95’ Budget: 200,000 Euro Secured Financing: 60 % Looking For: Distribution, Sales CONTACT PERSON Katia Leclerc, Producer ZONARAS PRODUCTIONS T: +30 210 3412711, 698 2211542 E: katiaow@orange.fr W: www.zonarasproductions.com SYNOPSIS The film narrates the ordeal of a young Greek, who wakes up after a traffic accident not knowing who he is. An Italian passport with his alleged name: Pedro Noula, a broken cell phone, a bank check and the photograph of a woman are the only clues he has at his disposal. With these at hand and with the help of a woman, a wellknown singer with whom he becomes romantically involved, he will attempt to search for his identity. His quest will turn out to be a nightmarish adventure, in which he will find himself confronted by his darkest side. The film was presented as a project in the Crossroads Co-production Forum 2013 DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY Big Hit, feature, 2012 Thessaloniki IFF Warsaw IFF Kolkata IFF Karolos Zonaras, film director present at Agora WiP Charlie's Son, feature, 2009 Thessaloniki IFF Cult FF London Greek FF Ade E Core, short, 1994 Locarno IFF Oreste a Tor Bella Monaca, short 1993 Venice FF DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Katia Leclerc O' Wallis, producer present at Agora WiP 52 Karolos Zonaras was born in Athens in 1956. He studied Economics at the University of Piraeus and Cinema at NYU in New York. He then attended the Centro Sperimentale in Rome, Italy where he lived for 13 years. Since 1999 he lives in Greece, making commercials and documentaries. His first feature Charlie’s Son was released in Greece in 2009. Agora Works in Progress 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual Hristo Bulgaria, Italy Production Company: LEMA FILM Directors: Grigor Lefterov, Todor Matsanov Screenwriter: Grigor Lefterov Cast: Dimitar Nikolov, Dimitar Krumov Producers: Grigor Lefterov, Todor Matsanov Key Partner: Federico Saraceni-Idea Cinema (Italy), Bulgarian National Film Center Production Stage: Post-production Duration: 100’ Budget: 520,000 Euro Secured Financing: 83% Looking For: Sales Agents, Distributors, Producers and Festival Programmers SYNOPSIS Hristo is a former homeless boy who managed to find a job and rent a place. He would do anything to get a normal life. Despite his hard work, one day he gets fired and he is forced to go back to living on the streets. Time passes by in unsuccessfully trying to find a new job. Life gets tougher in the winter and he reaches his limits in order to survive. One night, he almost kills a man in order to take his job. Things begin to get better, when he's suddenly faced with the dilemma of saving his friend's life or losing his job. CONTACT PERSON Grigor Lefterov, Todor Matsanov, Producers LEMA FILM T: +359888518967 E: tmazanov@gmail.com DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY GRIGOR LEFTEROV The Desert Runner, feature, 2009 (Warsaw FF & Golden Rose FF in Varna) Elin Pelin – the European, doc, 2008 – Somebody’s Children, doc, 2004 Train 301, feature, 1997 – Zeitnot, doc, 1996 DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY TODOR MATSANOV Nightingale of the Bulgarian Radio, doc, 2010 – With a Friend to You, doc, 2008 The Belly of a Penguin, doc, 2000 – With Reference to the Incident, feature, 1997 (Munich FF) Look at Me, short, 1996 (Students'Short FF Skopje-Audience Award) Grigor Lefterov, film director/producer DIRECTORS’ PROFILE Grigor Lefterov studied film and television directing at the Bulgarian National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia, gaining a master's degree. In the period between 1998 and 2011, he worked at the Bulgarian National Television as a director and screenwriter for many programmes. In 2012, his script Hristo was ranked first in the feature film category at the Bulgarian National Film Centre. Todor Matsanov gained a master's degree in film and television directing at the Bulgarian National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts. In the period between 1998 and 2011, he worked as a director and scriptwriter; he shot many television programmes for Bulgarian Television. Todor Matsanov, film director/producer present at Agora WiP 53 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 Land of the Little People Agora Works in Progress (out of competition) Israel, Palestine Production Company: FRESCO FILMS Director: Yaniv Berman Screenwriter: Yaniv Berman Cast: Lior Rochman, Amit Hechter, Mishel Pruzansky, Ido Kestler Producer: Tony Copti Key Partner: Israel Film Fund Production Stage: Grading, Sound Design, Music Duration: 83’ Budget: 200,000 Euro Secured Financing: Post-production 50% Looking For: Post-production money (co-producer), Distribution, Sales Agent, Festival premiere CONTACT PERSON Tony Copti, Producer FRESCO FILMS T: +972 544 822255 E: tony@frescofilms.com W: www.landofthelittlepeople.com SYNOPSIS Four young kids who live in a village for military officers’ families form a small gang. An old abandoned army base, located in the surrounding wild fields, turns into their camp. Another war begins in Israel and most men are drafted to serve their country. The mothers are sitting worried in front of the televisions, listening to the constant news reports, while the kids, with no one to supervise them, return to their camp in the wild. To their surprise, they discover two soldiers who deserted from their units, using their camp as a hideout. The children try to regain control over their stolen territory, but the soldiers hold their grounds. A ruthless struggle develops between the groups, and the soldiers, who sought refuge from the war outside, find themselves in another war, which turns to be just as dangerous and bloody. DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY Yaniv Berman, film director present at Agora WiP The Alpha Diaries, doc, 2007 Zagreb FF Helsinki Documentary FF Singapore Independent Documentary FF Jerusalem Cinematheque Documentary Madrid Even Kids Started Small, short, 2006 Cannes FF–Cinefondation Bangkok IFF Montpellier Mediterranean FF Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montréal Haifa IFF DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Tony Copti, producer present at Agora WiP 54 Born in Haifa, Israel, Yaniv Berman is a graduate student from the film and television department at Tel-Aviv University. Agora Works in Progress 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual The Last Day Romania Production Company: GREEN FILM Director: Gabriel Achim Screenwriters: Gabriel Achim, Cosmin Manolache Cast: Mimi Brănescu, Doru Ana, Adrian Văncică, Adrian Ciglenean, Rodica Lazăr Producer: Gabriel Achim Delegate producer: Dan Burlac Production Stage: Post-production Duration: 106’ Budget: 154,189 Euro Secured Financing: 80% Looking For: Post-production funds, Partners SYNOPSIS The devil used to tempt people, nowadays he doesn’t even bother. He just shows them the way and wishes them a “safe journey!” CONTACT PERSON Gabriel Achim, Producer GREEN FILM T: +40729550304 E: gabriel@greenfilm.ro W: www.greenfilm.ro DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY Adalbert’s Dream, feature, 2011 Reykjavik IFF–Official Competition Thessaloniki IFF–Balkan Survey Tallinn IFF–Special Mention Sofia IFF–Official Competition Romanian Film Industry Awards–Gopo Award for Best feature debut Bric Brac, short, 2009 Berlin FF Karlovy Vary IFF–Fresh Film Capalbio Cinema ISFF Mons IFF Porto IFF DIRECTOR’S PROFILE As a child he suffered from an illness called humility (poor thing!). Now, as a result of that wretched illness, he tyrannises amateurs and dreamers by giving to the youngest of them long speeches about life’s hidden dangers. Gabriel Achim, film director/producer present at Agora WiP 55 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 That Trip We Took With Dad Agora Works in Progress (working title) Germany, Romania, Hungary, Sweden Production Company: FILMALLEE GMBH Director: Anca Miruna Lazarescu Screenwriter: Anca Miruna Lazarescu Cast: Alex Margineanu, Susanne Bormann, Razvan Enciu, Ovidiu Schumacher Producer: David Lindner Leporda Key Partners: Strada Films (Romania), Mirage Films (Hungary), Chimney (Sweden), Bayerischer Rundfunk/Arte (Germany/France) Distribution Company: Movienet (Germany), Strada Film International (Romania) Production Stage: Post production (final cut) Duration: 106’ Budget: 2,600,000 Euro Secured Financing: 96% Looking For: World Sales, Festival Premiere, Post-production and Financing CONTACT PERSON David Lindner Leporda, Producer FILMALLEE GMBH T: +49 89 64 98 11 16 E: info@filmallee.com W: www.filmallee.com SYNOPSIS That Trip We Took with Dad (WT) is a moving story and it plays out in a turbulent year, in 1968. With the Prague Spring setting the scene for the film, a German family from Arad (Romania), two very different brothers and their father, start a journey towards the GDR. There, the older brother hopes that his weary father will be able to have surgery and thus the family harmony will be restored. But after they cross the East German border, their way back is closed by Soviet tanks moving into the CSSR. Suddenly, the family finds itself in West Germany and our protagonists are faced with a universal question: How many sacrifices can one take to reunite with one’s family? The film participated in the Balkan Script Development Fund 2010 winning the Balkan Fund Award. DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY Silent River, short, 2011 International Student Festival Beijing China-Outstanding International Student Film Award Québec Short Film Festival–Grand Prix FICBueu Festival Internacional de Bueu–Grand Prix, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Curtas Vila do Conde IFF–Audience Award and Prize RTP2 Onda Curta Festival International du Cinéma Méditerranéen de TétouanPrix du Jury Lille European Short FFGrand Prix Anca Miruna Lazarescu, film director One Day Today Will Be Once, short doc, 2009 Syracuse International Film Festival–Best short documentary award The Secret of Deva, short doc, 2007 CRONOGRAF International Documentary Film Festival–Grand Prix Sehsüchte, Potsdam–Best Emerging German Film Award Trieste Film Festival–Audience Award DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Born in Timisoara, Romania, Anca Lazarescu immigrated with her family to Germany in 1990. She studied directing at the German Academy for film and television in Munich and directed several films which attracted international interest. Her graduation film, Silent River, premiered at the International Competition of the Berlinale Shorts and won over 80 awards worldwide. She is a member of the European and the Romanian Film Academy. That Trip We Took with Dad (Wt) is her first feature film 56 David Lindner Leporda, producer present at Agora WiP Agora Works in Progress 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual Voevoda Bulgaria, Croatia SYNOPSIS Forced to leave home and her child, Roumeno becomes a fighter, a woman, voevoda, leader of a rebellious gang in the brutal men’s world of the 19th century. She struggles to defend her female nature against the male routines and for that she is perceived as a demon. Based on a true story and character. DIRECTOR’S FILMOGRAPHY Production Company: MQ PICTURES Director: Sophia Zornitsa Screenwriter: Zornitsa Sophia Cast: Valeri Jordanov, Zornitsa Sophia, Vladimir Zombori, Petar Genkov, Leart Dokle, Dimitar Selenski, Jordan Bikov Producer: Zornitsa Sophia Key Partner: Focus Film (Croatia) National Film Center (Bulgaria), Yariv Lerner, Nu Boyana Film (Bulgaria), Dream Team Films (Bulgaria), Nova TV Production Stage: Finished shooting Duration: 115’ Budget: 1,000,000 Euro Secured Financing: 95% Looking For: Gap financing for the post-production, Festival premiere and Distributors for Russia, Ukraine and Croatia. World Sales: Millennium Films, USA except for Russia, Ukraine, Croatia and Bulgaria Forecast, feature, 2008 Golden Rose Bulgarian FF–Academica Award I Mannheim-Heiledberg IFF I Cairo IFF I Sofia IFF I Goa IFF Modus Vivendi, doc, 2006 Sofia IFF Death and All the Way Back, doc, 2005 Sofia IFF I Sarajevo FF I Berlin festival for TV films Mila from Mars, feature, 2005, Sarajevo FF–Best Film and Special Jury Award Mannheim-Heidelberg IFF–Fassbinder Award and Ecumenical Jury Award Golden Rose Bulgarian NFF–Best Film, Best Actress, Best Debut, Journalists' Award and Best Directorial Debut Sofia Film Festival–Kodak Award for Best BG film I Thessaloniki International Film Festival CONTACT PERSON Sophia Zornitsa, Producer MQ PICTURES T: + 35 9897334505 E: zornitsa.sophia@gmail.com W: www.zornitsasophia.com DIRECTOR’S PROFILE Zornitsa Sophia has a master in fine arts, a major in painting, is an alumni of NAFA, Sofia and has studied in the School of Visual Arts, New York and the American University, Washington DC. At the age of 22, she restored, together with the prisoners, a church in the biggest male prison in Bulgaria. For 4 years she has been an art director in advertising agencies, while taking part in over 60 visual art festivals and exhibitions around the world with video art, installations, actions and paintings. She specialized in directing under the supervision of academic Lyudmil Staykov at the NAFTA. Sofia for her graduation and debut film Mila from Mars received great reviews, 16 awards, was the Bulgarian submission for the Academy awards and a box office hit. It was followed by the feature length documentary Death and All the Way Back, Modus Vivendi and her second feature film Forecast. Sophia has directed 17 episodes in 5 TV series: Kantora Mitrani (2011), Where Is Magi (2012), Home Arrest (2012), Sex, Lies and TV (2013), Tree of Life (2013). She has staged successfully the awarded play When the Rain Stops Falling by Andrew Bovel. Voevoda is her third and most personal film. Sophia Zornitsa,film director/producer present at the Agora WiP 57 AGORA FILM MARKET 7-14 NOVEMBER 2015 The Agora Film Market promotes the majority of the feature films participating in the official sections of the 56th TIFF and the latest film productions from Central Europe, the Mediterranean and the Balkans. Also includes the previous films of Crossroads participants, as well as a selection of Greek films produced within the past two years. Agora Film Market Film Market 3:30 is a film about a robbery by three men and a woman. Due to a lack of trust among them, their plan ends up in a fiasco. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 317 03:30 14' Hussen IBRAHEEM, Lebanon 2012 Production Company The Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts Hussen Ibraheem T. +96 171 855 131 hussen.ibraheem@gmail.com Crossroads Previous Film During a night shift, an emergency ambulance with a team of three, a doctor, a paramedic and a driver, is called to an old man’s apartment. The event will change their lives forever. A drama with social connotations, suspense, black humour and a touch of a psychological thriller. 216 03.ByPass 90' Nap TOADER, Romania 2015 Production Company Clandestino Production Corina Stavila T. +40 722 339 162 clandestino.pictures@gmail.com Film Market Arnulfo Rubio, a young gun trafficker between the United States and Mexico, is being followed by ATF agent Hank Harris. After a risky mistake by Harris, Rubio makes a desperate decision: he smuggles the agent to Mexico. And while these two apparent enemies will slowly connect, they reach a dangerous place. And the only way out will be by trusting each other. 268 600 Miles 84' Gabriel RIPSTEIN, Mexico 2015 World Sales Company NDM Fiorella Moretti T. +33 626 100 765 fm@mantarraya.com Official Selection Two passengers transform a daily bus ride into a love affair of desire and longing before the bus, and maybe the affair, reach the end of the line. 304 807 11' Alexandros SKOURAS, Greece 2012 Production Company Alexandros Skouras T. +30 6938 311 241 askouras81@yahoo.gr Crossroads Previous Film 61 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 305 Film Market Athens, Christmas 2012. A man finds a Christmas tree in the garbage. Abies 3' Alexandros SKOURAS, Greece 2013 Production Company Alexandros Skouras T. +30 6938 311 241 askouras81@yahoo.gr Crossroads Previous Film 255 Aferim! 108' In 19th century Romania, Costandin (50), a policeman of the time, and his son Ionita (15) travel through the south of the country in search of a fugitive Gypsy slave. Radu JUDE, Romania-Bulgaria-Czech Republic 2015 World Sales Company Beta Cinema GmbH Cosima Finkbeiner T. +49 89 67 34 69 823 cosima.finkbeiner@betacinema.com Official Selection 188 After Spring Comes Fall 93' Daniel CARSENTY, Germany 2015 Production Company Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf Cristina Marx T. +49 33 1620 2564 distribution@filmuniversitaet.de The film is about a Syrian woman coming as a refugee to Germany, living as an immigrant under difficult conditions. The Syrian security service finds her and forces her to work as an informer, spying on the members of the Syrian opposition in Europe. The film deals with the questions of how far a person can be pressured to betray his/her ideals and at what point does resistance start. Film Market 136 Agnes 100' Johannes SCHMID, Germany 2015 World Sales Company Pluto Film Distribution Network Jana Wolff T. +49 30 21 918 220 jana@plutofilm.de Film Market 62 Walter is planning to write a book about German entrepreneurs. On a spring day he meets Agnes. She proposes that he writes a story about her. Their love story begins, and they experience wonderful days until Walter gets irritated, because Agnes follows the picture he draws of her in real life. This initially ignites their passion, but after a while things change. Walter discovers that there can only be one ending to his story – but this ending could cost Agnes’s life. Film Market The “manager” of a pancake stall finds himself confronted with an odd but likeable elderly lady looking for work. A taste of her homemade bean jelly convinces him, starting a relationship that is about much more than just street food. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 280 An 113' Naomi KAWASE, France-Japan-Germany 2015 World Sales Company MK2 Anne-Laure Barbarit T. +33 1 44 67 31 11 anne-laure.barbarit@mk2.com Official Selection Anna leaves her hometown of Athens to live with her boyfriend in Glasgow: a new life that triggers traumatic memories. But as her life descends into violent paranoia, Anna realizes that one of her new co-workers holds the key to her past in Greece, influencing her to stay, at the risk of her sanity. 210 Anna Unbound 89' Bernd PORR, UK 2015 Production Company Eigen Productions Bernd Porr T. +44 7840 340069 mail@berndporr.me.uk Film Market In which Scheherazade tells of the restlessness that befell the country: “It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that in a sad country among all countries, where people dream of mermaids and whales, and unemployment is spreading. In certain places, forests burn into the night despite the falling rain; men and women long to set out to sea in the middle of Winter. Sometimes there are animals that talk although it is highly improbable that they are listened to. In this country, where things are not what they appear to be, men of power promenade on camels and hide permanent and shameful erections; they await the moment when taxes are collected so they can pay a certain wizard whom...” And seeing the morning break, Scheherazade fell silent. 221 Arabian Nights - Volume I, The Restless One 125' Miguel GOMES, Portugal-France-Germany-Switzerland 2015 World Sales Company The Match Factory GmbH Michael Weber T. +49 221 539 709 0 info@matchfactory.de Official Selection In which Scheherazade tells of how desolation invaded men: “It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that a distressed judge will cry instead of giving out her sentence on a night when all three moons are aligned. A runaway murderer will wander through the land for over forty days and will teletransport himself to escape the Police while dreaming of prostitutes and partridges. A wounded cow will reminisce about a thousand-year-old olive tree while saying what she must say, which will sound none less than sad! The residents of a tower block in the suburbs will save parrots and piss inside lifts while surrounded by dead people and ghosts; including in fact a dog that...”. And seeing the morning break, Scheherazade fell silent. 222 Arabian Nights - Volume II, The Desolate One 131' Miguel GOMES, Portugal-France-Germany-Switzerland 2015 World Sales Company The Match Factory GmbH Michael Weber T. +49 221 539 709 0 info@matchfactory.de Official Selection 63 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 223 Arabian Nights - Volume III, The Enchanted One 125' Miguel GOMES, Portugal-France-Germany-Switzerland 2015 World Sales Company The Match Factory GmbH Michael Weber T. +49 221 539 709 0 info@matchfactory.de Film Market In which Scheherazade doubts that she will still be able to tell stories to please the King, given that what she has to tell weighs three thousand tons. She therefore escapes from the palace and travels the kingdom in search of pleasure and enchantment. Her father, the Grand-Vizier, arranges to meet her at the Ferris wheel and Scheherazade resumes her narration: “O auspicious King, in old shanty towns of Lisbon there was a community of bewitched men who, with all dedication and passion, devoted themselves to teaching birds to sing...” And seeing the morning break, Scheherazade fell silent. Official Selection 105 Arise 85' Petros PENATOS, Greece 2015 Production Company Nikel Productions Petros Nicolaides T. +30 6933 350 393 akapulkohaze@yahoo.gr In a society that is divided between the life in the streets and the city of luxurious comforts, an insurance broker begins searching for his ex-girlfriend after anunexpected invitation by her, though he hasn’t seen her for years. At the same time, inflation and economic changes start to strike the middle class. Αccidental events or a vicious conspiracy? Film Market 232 Arventur 80' Irina EVTEEVA, Russia 2015 World Sales Company ANT!PODE Sales & Distribution Elena Podolskaya T. +7 499 978 7314 Festivals@antipode-sales.biz Arventur is a dilogy about an imaginary land that is magically visited by the films’ characters. The first part is based on Alexander Grin’s story Fandango. It takes place in Saint Petersburg in 1921, where the main character’s spiritual quests lead him into a marvellous, unreal world. The second part, called “The Mystery of the Sea View” is based on a Daoist parable about a great Chinese artist and the Emperor. Film Market 163 Baba 65' George INCI, Germany-Morocco 2014 Production Company Inci Pictures Filmproduction George Inci T. +49 171 264 0141 verleih@hirschen-film.com Film Market 64 An old musician tells the story of his life through his music. A young mother gives birth to twins. She knows that she only can feed one of them and has to decide. She gives her milk to the healthier one and tries to find other solutions for the thinner brother. But sometimes life has other plans... Film Market Ten-year-old Nori and his father Gezim earn their living by selling cigarettes in pre-war Kosovo of the nineties. Gezim will hear nothing of Nori’s mother. He is an expert at escaping the past and now he wants to flee Kosovo without Nori. But the boy tries everything in his means to prevent his dad from leaving. An accident results. The shocked father takes Nori to the hospital. When Nori gets out, his father is gone. Angry, yet determined, Nori sets out on a perilous journey and indeed finds his father in Germany. With the persistence only a child can have, he confronts his father with leaving him behind. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 205 Babai 104' Visar MORINA, Germany-UNMI Kosovo-FYROM-France 2015 World Sales Company Heretic Outreach Ioanna Stais T. +30 210 600 5260 ioanna@heretic.gr Official Selection A thriller about a young street kid couple from Pittsburgh (Jack and Sam), saving up cash to go to Germany, to get lost in the electronic dance music scene that they love. Things don't turn out as expected though. Jack wakes up dazed and confused after a rave, Sam is gone and Jack lacks most of his memories of the last rave. A group of German street kids decide to help Jack to look for Sam. Together they go on a wild ride of drugs, raves, and parties, and discover things they did not want to discover. 193 Bad Trip 90' Michael ANTON, Germany 2015 Production Company ena Film GmbH Alex Jovanoski T. +49 172 654 7536 a.jovanoski@enafilm.com Film Market 17-year-old Naama Barash enjoys alcohol, drugs and hanging out with like-minded friends. Her activities are an escape from a home where her parents always fight, and a rebellious, army-enrolled sister, who, one day, disappears. As a new girl shows up at school, Barash falls deeply in love for the first time, and the intensity of the experience at once confuses her and gives her life new meaning. 288 Barash 85' Michal VINIK, Israel 2015 World Sales Company m-appeal Torsten Schulze T. +49 30 6150 7505 films@m-appeal.com Film Market Sara lives in her private prison controled by his father, a retired military fascist. The arrival of Joseph, a Jewish university professor, to the flat is a new hope for Sara but her father will do anything to finish their relationship. In this story, the Jewish professor represents the arrival of culture and the joy of living to a house where the darkness of fascism still prevails. And despite the tragic outcome, fascism will not defeat hope and the desire to live. 196 Behind the Door 73' Pere SOLÉS, David GIMBERNAT, Spain 2015 Production Company DDM VISUAL SL Pere Solés T. +34 61 537 7585 psoles@comg.cat Film Market 65 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 174 Bestfriends 84' Jonas GROSCH, Carlos VAL, Germany 2014 World Sales Company Résistefilm Jonas Grosch T. +49 172 320 6035 jonas@resistefilm.com Film Market Susi Q loves to travel. To dance. To get drunk. She loves women. She loves her best friend. She loves life! And now all that should suddenly change? Because she’s getting “too old”? Take responsibility... Settle down with someone... Live a normal life... Like everyone else? Not Susi Q! Film Market 229 Beyond Here 72' Hugo BOUSQUET, Belgium 2015 World Sales Company ANT!PODE Sales & Distribution Elena Podolskaya T. +7 499 978 7314 Festivals@antipode-sales.biz Basile and Lea walk across mountains. They rob every shelter and hut found on the road, carrying off whatever they find. They seek to reach Gondolin. Basile hopes to cross the pass before winter but Léa is exhausted. A comfortably equipped refuge with significant reserves of food, firearms and ammunition, allows them some rest. After a few days Basile wants to leave. But while she appropriates the place, Léa tries to delay their departure. Film Market 201 The Bicycle 82' Arne KORNER, Germany 2015 Production Company Against Reality Pictures Arne Körner T. +49 176 8201 3843 info@arne-koerner.de Mark and Antonia have a long-distance relationship. They are meeting in Paris on vacation. Antonia is from Canada and speaks no German and Mark speaks no English. Communication problems are a natural consequence, their last time together was a long time ago. Their vacation in Paris is a final attempt to salvage the deadlocked relationship. Mark living in Hamburg is an amateur filmmaker and takes his Bolex film camera along. He doesn’t want to miss out on the summer in Paris. Film Market 213 Billion Star Hotel 92' Alecs NASTOIU, Romania 2015 Production Company gat films Transilvania Ovidiu Vasu T. +40 7420 0252 alecs.nastoiu@gmail.com Film Market 66 A little homeless boy learns how things are going in real life from his mentor, Papa Rudi. Film Market For Cathy, it is not always easy to be born on February 29th, especially when for her birthday, her father gives her an egg to hatch. But it is probably less difficult than to be suffering from myopathy like her best friend Margaux... 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 130 Birds of Passage 84' Olivier RINGER, Belgium 2015 World Sales Company Attraction Distribution Xiaojuan Zhou T. +32 2 344 0785 info@attractiondistribution.ka Official Selection Pierre, a theater director, wants his production of The Robbers to be a huge success. But when his leading lady, Julia, fails to live up to all his expectations, he tries everything to bend her to his will. And then there is Julia’s boyfriend, Manuel, who decides to boycott Pierre’s entire production. 225 The Bittersweet Taste of Power 70' Jan GALLI, Germany 2015 Production Company Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg Martin Rohé T. +49 163 262 8721 martin.rohe@filmakademie.de Film Market Bruno, in his thirties, is young but suffers from a bad illness. He doesn't believe in anything. In the end, what remains of our beliefs in a material and often-dehumanized world? These beliefs take shape in the film in different forms: to believe in the other, to believe in a mystic dimension, to believe in possible redemption and, finally, to believe in the illusion of cinema. 172 Black Lake 72' Jean-Baptiste GERMAIN, France 2015 Production Company La Vingt-Cinquième Heure Pierre-Emmanuel Le Goff T. +33 760 388 964 contact@25hprod.com Film Market Greece. A seaside resort plagued by a terrible heat wave. Water is scarce and violence is ready to explode. Ashraf, a solitary immigrant, guards a French family’s villa while they are away. In this dry land, crushed by the sun, he is stopped by a policeman for an I.D. check... 278 Blind Sun 88' Joyce A. NASHAWATI, Greece-France 2015 Production Company Blonde S.A. Fenia Cossovitsa T. +30 210 608 0650 fenia@blonde.gr Official Selection 67 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 139 Blue Blood 119' Lírio FERREIRA, Brazil 2014 World Sales Company Picture Tree International Moritz Kleine Bornhorst T. +49 304 2082 4816 moritz@picturetree-international.com Film Market Living in an idyllic island paradise, ten-year-old Pedro is separated from his sister Raquel because their mother fears a forbidden attraction between the siblings. Against his will, the boy is sent away to the mainland where he joins a traveling circus. Growing up among a colorful family of circus performers, Pedro transforms into a legendary figure called “Zolah, the Cannon Man”. On a circus tour, Zolah – now grown into a handsome and seductive man – returns to the mystical island he was forced to leave behind. Trying to reconnect with his past, he longs for the forbidden love of his lost childhood. Official Selection 285 A Brazilian coroner learns that the dead do tell tales. Body 90' Malgorzata SZUMOWSKA, Poland 2015 World Sales Company Memento Films International Sata Cissokho T. +33 153 349 033 sata@memento-films.com Official Selection 228 Bopem 77' Zhanna ISSABAYEVA, Kazakhstan 2015 World Sales Company ANT!PODE Sales & Distribution Elena Podolskaya T. +7 499 978 7314 Festivals@antipode-sales.biz Rayan is a 14-year-old teenager. He lives alone in the territory of the dried Aral Sea. He used to have a lovely mother. When Rayan was five, his mother died. Rayan is missing his mother and still goes to the former beach, but there he sees sand instead of water and a rotten ship.One day, Rayan is told at a hospital that he is sick with a life-threatening disease. There is a cure, but little chance that Rayan receives quota for free surgery from the state. Film Market 264 Box 94' Florin ȘERBAN, Romania-France-Germany 2015 World Sales Company The Match Factory GmbH Michael Weber T. +49 221 539 709 0 info@matchfactory.de Official Selection 68 Under the pretext of a love story, Box unfolds a coming-of-age narrative. Rafael and Cristina are two people who were never supposed to meet. He is 19, a Gypsy, working in a car-wash and wanting to make it big as a boxer; he lives with his grandfather, and he is about to have a breakthorugh as an athlete. She is 34, Hungarian, an actress in the local theater, married, and going through a professional and personal crisis; her husband is the star of the theater ensemble and it seems that she has been living in his shadow for a while. Film Market A young student finds a home with a family living in the forest where he takes on the responsibility of teaching the young Klaus. Unable to cope with the high expectations of his parents, Klaus has no time to play or enjoy being a child and stands up to his domineering parents. As the situation threatens to spiral out of control, Der Bunker creates a world of its own, somewhere between an absurd comedy, a horror film, a melodrama and a B movie, reminiscent of early David Lynch and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 145 The Bunker 85' Nikias CHRYSSOS, Germany 2015 World Sales Company Film Republic Ines Skrbic T. +44 203 287 9112 ines@filmrepublic.biz Film Market This is a story about a man, driven to despair, who is being transformed into a beast. This is an effort to investigate what a person can stand, what tortures and indignities he can overcome, how many people he can kill for the sake of saving one... 214 Captum 84' Anatoliy MATESHKO, Ukraine 2015 Production Company Oleksandr Itygilov & Anton Sladkevych productions Anton Sladkevych T. +380 667 404 038 festivals.kinovyr@gmail.com Film Market Soldiers with a mysterious sleeping sickness are transferred to a temporary clinic in a former school. The memory-filled space becomes a revelatory world for housewife and volunteer Jenjira, as she watches over Itt, a handsome soldier with no family visitors. Jen befriends young medium Keng who uses her psychic powers to help loved ones communicate with the comatose men. Doctors explore ways, including colored light therapy, to ease the mens’ troubled dreams. Jen discovers Itt’s cryptic notebook of strange writings and blueprint sketches. There may be a connection between the soldiers’ enigmatic syndrome and the mythic ancient site that lies beneath the clinic... 266 Cemetery of Splendor 122' Apichatpong WEERASETHAKUL, UK-Thailand-France-Germany-Malaysia 2015 World Sales Company The Match Factory GmbH Michael Weber T. +49 221 539 709 0 info@matchfactory.de Official Selection In Heaven, scribes are busy writing scenarios for all of mankind, dictating everyone’s upcoming destiny. Celestial tea server Chasuke never misses a chance to catch up on some of the latest chapters, especially those about Yuri, on whom he has a secret crush. But when he discovers that the writers accidentally kill her off, he decides to break the rules and go down to Earth to save her. But nothing goes according to plan, since nothing has been prewritten for him... 160 Chasuke's Journey 106' Sabu, Japan 2015 World Sales Company Films Boutique Valeska Neu T. +49 30 6953 7850 valeska@filmsboutique.com Film Market 69 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 332 Chevalier 99' Athina Rachel TSANGARI, Greece 2015 World Sales Company The Match Factory GmbH Michael Weber T. +49 221 539 709 0 info@matchfactory.de Film Market In the middle of the Aegean Sea, on a luxury yacht, six men on a fishing trip decide to play a game. During this game, things will be compared. Things will be measured. Songs will be butchered, and blood will be tested. Friends will become rivals and rivals will become hungry. But at the end of the voyage, when the game is over, the man who wins will be the best man. And he will wear upon his little finger the victorious signet ring: the “Chevalier.” Official Selection 270 The Chicken 15' Una GUNJAK, Germany-Croatia 2014 As a present for her 6th birthday, Selma gets a live chicken. When she realises the animal is going to be killed to feed the family, she decides to save it and set it free, unaware of the high stakes such action will lead to. While trying to bring back the missing chicken, Selma’s mum becomes the target of a sniper. It's Sarajevo 1993. World Sales Company Salaud Morisset Emma Silhol T. +49 152 3767 4084 festival@salaudmorisset.com Official Selection 165 Children 100' A child with a flickering helmet, an escape from prison, a friendship between a boy and a canary, a trip to the sea. A film about the relationships between parents and children. Jaro VOJTEK, Slovakia 2014 World Sales Company MPhilms Mátyás Prikler T. +42 194 420 1190 mphilms@mphilms.sk Official Selection 240 Chronic 92' Michel FRANCO, France-Mexico 2015 World Sales Company Wild Bunch Esther Devos T. +33 1 4313 2115 edevos@wildbunch.eu Official Selection 70 A home care nurse works with terminally ill patients. Film Market Live. Love. Dance. Now! Young Mae roams the streets of Vienna as a punk in her dead brother's Converse shoes. She lives on canned beer, sprays walls, tries her hand at poetry slams. She’s not interested in bourgeois life but in stronger experiences. When she is sent to an AIDS center to work off a punishment, she meets and falls in love with Paul. Chucks tells the featherlight story of growing up between life and death. Full of humor, at times rebelliously loud, then extremely tender. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 286 Chucks 93' Sabine HIEBLER, Gerhard ERTL, Austria 2015 Production Company Dor Film Ulrike Ladenbauer T. +43 1 427 1018 office@dor-film.at Official Selection After leaving prison, Tomáš goes back to his former lonely life. He watches TV, listens to his neighbors squabbling through the wall and calls his mother for routine conversations. He is a funeral service worker, a “cleaner”: he goes to homes from which dead bodies have just been removed and cleans them up. One day, something breaks the boredom and predictability of his daily life. 253 The Cleaner 94' Peter BEBJAK, Slovak Republic 2015 Production Company DNA Production Rasto Sestak T. +421 905 946 692 rs@dnaproduction.sk Film Market A space-ship is lost in space, carrying a small team of scientists who no longer know, probably due to an over-long cryogenization period, where they are, where they’re going, or where they’ve come from. 244 Cosmodrama 115' Philippe FERNANDEZ, France 2015 World Sales Company Wide Management Loic Magneron T. +331 4489 9974 festivals@widemanagement.com Film Market Alonso is a skater who goes across Spain with the skate as his only means of transport. The road will force him to meet with characters that will change his life and they will discover the reason why Alonso has gone on this curious and strange trip. 164 Crossing the Sense 99' Iván FERNANDEZ DE CORDOBA, Spain 2015 World Sales Company Digital 104 Film Distribution Jonay García T. +34 616 834 890 distribucion@digital104.com Film Market 71 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 120 Cruel 101' Eric CHERRIERE, France 2015 Film Market Pierre Tardieu is a part-time worker living in an old house with his sick father. No one is aware of his existence. Pierre is a serial killer. His victims are ordinary people with ordinary lives. Men and women living, working and suffering side by side yet apart, forming together a crowd lost in a big city... World Sales Company Wide / Eye on Films Gaëlle Simonetti T. +33 1 5395 0464 info@eyeonfilms.org Film Market 134 The Culpable 95' Gerd SCHNEIDER, Germany 2015 World Sales Company Pluto Film Distribution Network Jana Wolff T. +49 30 21 918 220 jana@plutofilm.de “Someone is blackening our name! Shit sticks if there’s enough of it!” Jakob Voelz, Catholic minister at a state penitentiary would be more than happy to believe this statement as his hieratical colleague and best friend Dominik Bertram is arrested under suspicion of sexual abuse. Yet, what Jakob is beginning to suspect but doesn't want to know, becomes a crucial test for his faith and his self-conception as a priest: There is a truth we welcome and there is a truth we fear, about which we tend to fall silent. As Jakob begins to turn against that silence within the church, he is taught a lesson – the church is a mother, and one does not hit a mother. But finally Jakob must raise his hand... Film Market 208 The Cypress Deep Down 75' Nikos KORNILIOS, Greece 2015 Production Company Nikos Kornilios Evgenia Papageorgiou T. +30 6977 082 977 ncornilios@gmail.com She comes into your life and finds the details / of your past of your body / of your everyday habits / Life without this merciful presence / has no meaning anymore – and suddenly / she leaves and life has no meaning... Mourning / lasts for a while and if you survive – which you will / you start recounting again the same details / from the past, releasing your body on another body, sharing your every day again / You learn from this repetition / You learn to ignore / the certainty of your gestures / You learn to ignore / the impressive architecture of a meaningful life. Official Selection 290 Daddy 89' Gerald McCULLOUCH, USA 2015 World Sales Company m-appeal Torsten Schulze T. +49 30 6150 7505 films@m-appeal.com Film Market 72 Colin McCormack thinks he has it all – a great job, a stream of hot young guys, and a best friend whose devotion he takes for granted. When a charming intern sweeps Colin off his feet, his lifelong friendship is put to the test. In the intern, Colin sees his chance to start a family, but what he comes to discover may cost Colin everyone – and everything – he holds dear. Film Market “Far off / Beyond forbidden lands Emerges / The soul / Of a child / That blossomed / From the powdered earth / Of ancient villages. / This lightness of Perception / Bears the image / Unveiled and new, / With an effortless shot / On the trails of Chance. / And now this cabinet / Of curiosities / And questions / Is illuminated / With a flicker / Of hidden memories.” A poem by Martine Desmonceaux, who plays herself in the movie (Marina’s mother) 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 156 The Departure 74' Julia BEN CHETTRIT, France 2015 Production Company Autoproduction Julia Ben Chettrit T. +33 678 276 672 juliabench@gmail.com Film Market A young American writer falls for a Russian hustler and introduces him to his alternative lifestyle amongst Berlin’s queer and underground scenes, but as they make their hedonistic journey through clubs and parties, their inner desires reveal themselves. 181 Desire Will Set You Free 92' Yony LEYSER, Germany 2015 World Sales Company Wavelength Pictures John Flahive T. +44 7968 772 792 john.flahive@wavelengthpictures.co.uk Film Market After her mother decides that eighteen-year-old mentally disabled Dora no longer has to take sedatives, the young woman begins to blossom. But when pleasure-loving Dora discovers her sexuality, her quest for independence becomes increasingly risky. To her mother’s horror, Dora has a spontaneous sexual encounter with a dubious man who is obviously taken with the young girl’s uninhibited sensuality. As this encounter turns into a secret liaison, Dora’s parents struggle to protect their vulnerable child… 114 Dora or The Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents 90' Stina WERENFELS, Switzerland-Germany 2015 World Sales Company Wide / Eye on Films Gaëlle Simonetti T. +33 1 5395 0464 info@eyeonfilms.org Film Market Drifters is a social drama thriller about street pusher Minna’s struggle for survival. After cheating some local dealers, she finds refuge at an illegal residence where junkies, thieves and exiles dictate their own way of living. The temporary peace is broken when Minna’s adversaries find her trail, setting of a chain of events with dangerous consequences. Drifters is an intense and deeply captivating look at a woman’s life and survival on society’s margins. 260 Drifters 92' Peter GRONLUND, Sweden 2015 World Sales Company The Match Factory GmbH Michael Weber T. +49 221 539 709 0 info@matchfactory.de Official Selection 73 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 184 Escapes 88' Film Market The journey of a woman who has lost her family. A tour of her feelings. Showcase your imagination. A succession of large and small adventures. Mercedes GASPAR, Spain 2014 Production Company La Fragua Audiovisual sl mercedes Gaspar T. +34 646 718 356 lafraguaudiovisual@gmail.com Film Market 276 Eva Doesn't Sleep 85' The embalmed corpse of Eva Peron is taken to various cities throughout Europe before returning to her home in Argentina, where it is ultimately abducted. Pablo AGUERO, Argentina-France 2015 World Sales Company Pyramide International Agathe Mauruc T. +33 1 42 960 101 amauruc@pyramidefilms.com Official Selection 155 Eva Nová 85' Marko ŠKOP, Slovakia 2015 Eva would do anything to regain the love of the one she hurt the most – her son. She is a recovered alcoholic but decades ago she was a famous actress. World Sales Company LOCO FILMS Florencia Gil T. +33 7 62 994 919 florencia.gil@loco-films.com Official Selection 104 The Face of the Ash 87' Shakhwan IDREES, Iraqi Kurdistan 2014 Production Company M studio production Shakhwan Idrees T. +96 4750 340 9733 shakakurdi@yahoo.com Film Market 74 During the Iraqi-Iranian war which started in 1980 and lasted for eight years, a Muslim family in a Kurdish village receive from the government the corpse of their son who was killed in the war. While they are preparing for the funeral, they discoverd that the corpse is not circumcised and they question its identity. Once they tell their Christian neighbor's about it, the problem becomes bigger because each family claims that the body is theirs. Film Market In 2001, during the peaking political turmoil in Turkey, Emine(25), an electrical engineer, starts working on a construction site in Istanbul where mostly Kurdish workers are employed. She gradually assumes a hostile attitude against the workers. Ayşe (8), the daughter of a Kurdish family in a southeastern village, witnesses her family being forced to leave their land by Turkish local authorities. This nested story of Emine and Ayse is about getting stuck between one’s social surroundings and conscience. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 312 The Fall From Heaven 88' Ferit KARAHAN, Turkey 2013 Production Company Fk Film Ferit karahan T. +90 533 663 3373 karahan.ferit@gmail.com Crossroads Previous Film Υiorgos and Sophia are trying hard to cope with their financial problems and the needs of their two children. The grandfather helps them out with his pension since the family business, a small grocery store, does not provide them with enough income. When the grandfather suddenly dies in his sleep, they decide to keep it a secret for as long as they can so as to continue collecting the money from his pension. But things become more complicated when officers from the social security department start looking for the grandfather. 179 Family Member 104' Marinos KARTIKKIS, Cyprus 2015 Production Company HOMEMADE MOVIES Marinos Kartikkis T. +357 99 311 031 marinoskartikkis@primehome.com Official Selection On a small island, a saint is about to be canonized by the church. His icon has no face. According to local lore, one night the saint stepped out of the icon, visited the fair and scandalized the believers. He was ashamed of his behaviour and never returned. 190 Fate 97' Andreas MARIANOS, Greece 2015 Production Company System Media Art- SMART Stavros Meleas T. +30 6936 246 348 andreasmariano@yahoo.gr Official Selection Bollersdorf is average. Its citizens take great pride in being average 108 and go to great lengths to remain average. The children of Bollersdorf have had a bellyful of average and with the help of their pet coati Fiddlesticks 82' they set about freeing their grandparents from the local old folks’ Veit HELMER, Germany 2014 home. A hilarious caper ensues, to create a new world record, put Production Company Bollersdorf on the map and make it a centre of technology. Veit Helmer-Filmproduktion Veit Helmer T. +49 30 217 7777 veit.helmer@arcor.de Official Selection 75 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 273 A Fine Day for Bananafish 26' Stefan MALESEVIC, Serbia 2014 Production Company Gonella Productions Mariana Ortega T. +387 6524 2051 contact@gonellaproductions.com Film Market A Kosovo war veteran is having a hard time readjusting to his life after returning from the service. He and his wife, both from Serbia, try to rescue their broken marriage by taking a vacation to beautiful Lake Ochrid, FYROM, but there is little compassion and trust left after his erratic episodes. His wife's mother is worried for her safety and advises her to come back home. He spends most of the time alone at the beach, where he meets a young girl who could give a different perspective to his otherwise dark view of this world. Crossroads Previous Film 245 France Is a Gas 86' Benoit FORGEARD, France 2015 France, 2020. President Bird's éminence grise Michel Battement must urgently get the head of state’s popularity ratings up to avert the looming fall of the regime. Deep in the cluttered basement of the Elysée Palace, he organizes a secret consultation with the greatest minds in the land. World Sales Company Ecce Films Josephine Avril T. +331 4489 9974 avril@eccefilms.fr Film Market 326 French Blood 97' Diastème, France 2015 It’s the story of a Frenchman, born in 1965, on the outskirts of Paris. The story of a skinhead, who hates Arabs, Jews, blacks, communists and gays. An anger that will take thirty years to die out. A bastard, who will take thirty years to become someone else. And he will never forgive himself for it. World Sales Company Indie Sales Martin Gondre T. +33 1 4483 0227 sales@indiesales.eu Official Selection 261 Frenzy 117' Emin ALPER, Turkey-France-Qatar 2015 World Sales Company The Match Factory GmbH Michael Weber T. +49 221 539 709 0 info@matchfactory.de Official Selection 76 Istanbul is in the grip of political violence. Hamza, a high-ranking police officer offers Kadir a conditional release from prison. To be released, he has to agree to work in the new intelligence unit of garbage collectors. Kadir accepts, and starts collecting trash from the shanty towns, checking to see whether it contains material related to bomb-making. Kadir finds his younger brother Ahmet in one of those neighborhoods. Ahmet works for the municipality as part of a team responsible for destroying stray dogs. Ahmet’s unwillingness to bond with Kadir as brothers, in spite of Kadir’s insistance, lead Kadir to plot conspiracy theories to explain Ahmet’s distance. Film Market John (Reynor) lives with his mother, Jean (Collette), in a social housing suburb and ekes out a meager living as a nighttime taxi driver. John returns home one morning to find his mother unconscious from an alcohol overdose. Jean violently rejects John’s attempts to help, as well as his intentions to unite the family. When Jean is offered an opportunity to recover, with no savings or insurance, John is forced to offer his services to a criminal to help pay for his mother’s rehab. John is faced with a life-changing task that may alter him and his family's lives forever. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 147 Glassland 89' Gerard BARRETT, Ireland 2014 World Sales Company Kaleidoscope Film Distribution Rosie Flynn T. +44 203 397 4410 rosie@kaleidoscopefilmdistribution.com Official Selection Golden Kingdom is a narrative feature film about four orphan boys, all novice monks, living in a Buddhist monastery in a remote part of Northeast Burma. The head monk departs on a long journey from which he may never return, leaving the boys alone in the middle of the forest. Once the boys are on their own, strange, magical events begin to occur. Orphan Witazara realizes he must protect the three other boys throughout this series of bizarre events, which threaten to unravel the fabric of the young monks’ reality. 116 Golden Kingdom 103' Brian PERKINS, USA 2015 World Sales Company Wide / Eye on Films Gaëlle Simonetti T. +33 1 5395 0464 info@eyeonfilms.org Film Market The setting is a small Montenegrin village, in the summer of 1968. It was the time of building the essential infrastructure throughout Yugoslavia, and the goal, specificaly in Montenegro, was to connect the poor north to the south of the country. The village is visited by a land surveyor, who will prepare the necesary documentation for the route of the future road. He is accompanied by his beautiful wife, Klara, a ballet dancer from Novi Sad. We follow the reactions of the villagers at their arrival, especially with regard to Klara, and their willingness to corrupt the surveyor, and do basicaly anything so that the road bypasses their land. And that is one line of the story. 194 Gorcilo - Did You Come to See Me 100' Milan KARADZIC, Serbia 2015 Production Company Vision Team Iva Vukmirovic T. + 381 11 201 9829 iva.vukmirovic@visionteam.rs Film Market Christina wakes up every morning listening to Mozart’s “Gran Partita”. In the apartment next door lives Anna. Until then the two neighbors merely exchanged greetings. On that day, in the elevator, they start talking about the “Gran Partita”. 303 Gran Partita 15' Alexandros SKOURAS, Greece 2011 Production Company Alexandros Skouras T. +30 6938 311 241 askouras81@yahoo.gr Crossroads Previous Film 77 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 248 The Grief of Others 103' Patrick WANG, USA 2015 Film Market Based on Leah Hager Cohen’s critically acclaimed novel, a family struggles with a tragic loss when an unexpected visitor arrives. She stirs the pain of past betrayals but might also offer an unforeseen gift: a way out of their isolating grief. Production Company Vanishing Angle Matt Miller T. +33 1 4489 9974 mmiller@vanishingangle.com Film Market 234 Gruber Is Leaving 104' Marie KREUTZER, Austria 2015 Production Company Allegro FilmproduktionsGmbH Felix Müller T. +43 1712503616 mueller@allegrofilm.at John Gruber is in his mid-thirties, an egocentric, living life in the fast lane and sparing no expense. But all of a sudden he is thrown off track by a cancer diagnosis and by the person who unwillingly delivers the news: Sarah, a DJane from Berlin, who is not his type at all. Feelings just aren’t Gruber’s cup of tea and now, without having asked for them, he has more than ever before… Official Selection 233 The Gulls 87' Ella MANZHEEVA, Russia 2015 World Sales Company ANT!PODE Sales & Distribution Elena Podolskaya T. +7 499 978 7314 Festivals@antipode-sales.biz Elza the fisherman’s wife lives in a seaside town in Kalmykia. She wants to leave her husband but cannot take this step because she is afraid of uncertainty. Suddenly, her husband dies. Because of his death, Elza has to think everything over and reconsider her views on life, on happiness, on liberty… Film Market 119 Happy 97' Jordan GOLDNADEL, France 2015 World Sales Company Wide / Eye on Films Gaëlle Simonetti T. +33 1 5395 0464 info@eyeonfilms.org Film Market 78 Florent, 23, is an upper class Parisian who dreams of going back to America, where he attended college. One summer he meets Alessia, an American girl, lost in the streets of Paris. Together and with random encounters while on a journey from Paris to Normandy, they explore their passions, which draws them closer as well as brings up their clashing differences. As they face a crucial crossroad in their lives, they will uncover new sides of themselves, struggling to determine who they are personally, professionally and sexually, while trying to break free from their upbringings. Film Market On her 40th birthday, Elia gathers together a few select relatives and friends at a luxury country house to tell them some extraordinary news: she has won a jackpot of €140,000,000! From that moment onwards, the atmosphere becomes increasingly tense and what started off as shared happiness, gradually transforms into greedy plotting to take Elia’s fortune. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 322 Happy 140 98' Gracia QUEREJETA, Spain 2015 World Sales Company LATIDO FILMS Francesca Perin T. +34 9 1548 8877 francesca@latidofilms.com Film Market A family of nomads live in the high, remote mountains of Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia; elderly herdsman Tabyldy, his wife Karachach, their daughter-in-law Shaiyr and their 7-year-old granddaughter Umsunai. Shaiyr’s son is studying in the city and visits them only during the summer holidays. The family breed horses and life goes on as normal amidst the beautiful scenery of the mountain gorge. But then another resident of the area appears in Shaiyr's life, meteorologist Ermek, whose weather station is located near to the family's home. 135 Heavenly Nomadic 81' Mirlan ABDYKALYKOV, Kyrgyzstan 2015 World Sales Company Pluto Film Distribution Network Jana Wolff T. +49 30 21 918 220 jana@plutofilm.de Film Market In grainy VHS footage from a childhood that has since become youth, Heavens reflects, in a dark and poetic way, on the fragile relationship between young Sashka and her parents. The historical gulf between former Yugoslavia and today’s Belgrade is also a generation gap. And those who were children during and after the war that constantly rumbles outside the frames of the image, have now themselves become adults with a need to define and form their own identity and future. Sashka is one of them. Past and present (and possibly future) cross paths. 131 Heavens 20' Jelena MAKSIMOVIC, Ivan SALATIC, Serbia-Montenegro 2014 Production Company Non-Aligned Films Jelena Maksimovic T. +381 69 3165487 jelenamaksic@gmail.com Official Selection Former Eastern German boxing champ Herbert is now a hard-up bouncer and debt collector. After a training session, Herbert suddenly collapses with spasms of pain but chooses to ignore the signs. When his physical deficiencies become more and more apparent, Herbert finally sees a specialist who ultimately diagnoses him with a fatal neural disease. With not much time left, Herbert struggles with himself and the hard outer shell he’s cultivated over time. Not many things really matter to him apart from his ‘lost’ daughter Sandra, whom he abandoned when the family fell apart. Now a mother herself, Sandra is still deeply hurt and afraid of allowing her dying father to be a part of her life again. 254 A Heavy Heart 111' Thomas STUBER, Germany 2015 World Sales Company Picture Tree International Moritz kleine Bornhorst T. +49 30 4208 2480 moritz@picturetree-international.com Official Selection 79 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 198 Hey 90' Alex JOVANOSKI, Germany 2015 Production Company ena Film GmbH a.jovanoski@enafilm.com T. +49 1 726 547 536 a.jovanoski@enafilm.com Film Market Gambling debts force broke Leo to break into Ella’s apartment, a young woman and aspiring artist who has just been diagnosed with a devastating disease. Lonely and desperate as they are, an odd bond forms between the two which will change both lives for good. *Note: -Some of the music is only temporary and will be replaced/changed in the final movie. - The movie is still in post production, especially sound post-production and sound design and will be finnished around the end of this year. Film Market 113 Hide and Seek 86' Joanna COATES, United Kingdom 2015 World Sales Company Wide / Eye on Films Gaëlle Simonetti T. +33 1 5395 0464 info@eyeonfilms.org In an isolated English cottage, four young people from London move in together, seeking to challenge social conventions and their own tolerances by engaging in scheduled partner-swapping. As their inhibitions and past traumas fade, they achieve a unique kind of collective happiness but the durability of their new living arrangement is tested by the arrival of an outsider, who fails to get in tune with the foursome’s radical spirit. Film Market 154 The High Pressures 84' Angel SANTOS, Spain 2014 World Sales Company MÁRGENES DISTRIBUCIÓN AnnaMaria Scaramella T. +34 653 973 635 info@matriuska.eu With the commitment of registering some locations for a film, Miguel travels to his hometown. During his stay, he will try to complete his work even though he would rather film the natives he meets, the movements and faces of his friends, the trains passing by or the sea. His trip will offer a new perspective on his situation and also the chance for new love. A journey around the uprooting (the cinema) and love. Film Market 127 The High Sun 123' Dalibor MATANIC, Croatia-Slovenia-Serbia 2015 World Sales Company Cercamon World Sales Sebastien Chesneau T. +97 1566 06 3824 sebastien@cercamon.biz Official Selection 80 Three different love stories, set in three consecutive decades, in two neighboring Balkan villages burdened with a long history of interethnic hatred: this is a film about the dangers – and the enduring strength – of forbidden love. Film Market Susana Le Marchand, 63, a lonely housewife ignored by her wealthy husband and alienated by their social milieu, hires a new maid, Hilda. Hilda’s presence at the house suddenly triggers an identity crisis in Mrs. Le Marchand and makes her reevaluate her life. She begins remembering her revolutionary past and questions her luxurious but empty present. In the meantime, her dependency on Hilda grows slowly and becomes an obsession. An obsession that, in the end, will come at a high price. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 289 Hilda 88' Andrés Clariond RANGEL, Mexico 2014 World Sales Company m-appeal Torsten Schulze T. +49 30 6150 7505 films@m-appeal.com Film Market One day the factory in the village of Hirschen, where almost everyone works, closes. Most of the inhabitants move away. Only a few people decide to stay. They try to find a solution that would offer them the possibility to stay in their beloved Hirschen. Suddenly, very close to the village, a car crashes into a deer. The village people take very good care of the slightly injured driver. He lives in the butcher's hotel, the doctor examines him, the mechanic repairs his car, the policeman settles all the papers and the major shows him the whole village, leading the friends to a strange but lucrative idea... 162 Hirschen 126' George INCI, Germany-Austria 2015 Production Company Inci Pictures Filmproduction George Inci T. +49 171 264 0141 verleih@hirschen-film.com Film Market Jessica, an ambitious cello student, moves into a new flat with her boyfriend Lorenz. When she receives the honorable invitation to represent Germany in an international contest for classical music, it seems to be her great opportunity – but at the same time an enormous pressure. In her home, Jessica starts preparing meticulously for the contest. However, her own four walls don’t appear to shelter her as Jessica finds herself increasingly exposed to small and major anonymous harassments. What is the neighbor’s involvement, who mysteriously pries behind half-closed curtains? 115 Homesick 98' Jakob M. ERWA, Germany 2015 World Sales Company Wide / Eye on Films Gaëlle Simonetti T. +33 1 5395 0464 info@eyeonfilms.org Film Market Johannes Lepsius is an influential theologian, who acts on behalf of 297 German missionaries. In order to stop the Ottoman “deportation” policy regarding Armenians, he visits Enver Pasha, the most powerful Homo Politicus 20' general of Turkey. Halfway through their meeting, the atmosphere Haci ORMAN, Turkey 2015 changes and a philosophical, intellectual wordy warfare, which sometimes feels like chess and sometimes a boxing match, ensues. Production Company Praksis Film Hacı Orman T. +90 534 517 5058 ormanhaci@gmail.com Crossroads Previous Film 81 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 123 Honey Night 89' Ivo TRAJKOV, FYROM 2015 Production Company Kaval Film Robert Jazadziski T. +389 2 244 7107 robert@kavalfilm.com.mk Film Market It’s the night of the national holiday and a wedding anniversary for Nikola, deputy Minister, and his wife Anna. Returning home from a gala reception hosted by the Prime Minister, they start to experience their biggest marriage crisis yet. Anna starts a quarrel as Nikola has forgotten their anniversary. Obsessed with the current political scandal and the arrest of a minister, Nikola fears he might be arrested too. After a long, turbulent night, he reconciles with his destiny and awaits his arrest. Official Selection 202 Hopefuls 75' Ives ROSENFELD, Brazil 2015 Hopefuls tells the story of Junior, a young soccer player in an amateur team. He has to deal with the pregnancy of his girlfriend, while his best friend since childhood signs a contract with a professional team. Hopefuls will follow the growing of Junior’s envy, till it takes on dangerous proportions. World Sales Company Figa Films Sandro Fiorin T. +55 21 9930 74619 sandro@figafilms.com Official Selection 291 How to Win at Checkers (Every Time) 80' Josh KIM, Thailand-Hong Kong-USA-Indonesia 2015 World Sales Company m-appeal Torsten Schulze T. +49 306 150 7505 films@m-appeal.com On the morning of the annual military draft lottery, Oat reflects on his childhood, to the time when his older brother Ek faced the same exercise. While the parents of his wealthy boyfriend are able to maneuver their son out of the draw, Ek, part of the lower class, has no options. Unable to convince his brother to do whatever he can to change his fate, young Oat takes matters into his own hands, resulting in unexpected circumstances. Film Market 294 How to Win Enemies 78' Gabriel LICHTMANN, Argentina-Cuba-Germany-Switzerland 2015 World Sales Company m-appeal Torsten Schulze T. +49 306 150 7505 films@m-appeal.com Film Market 82 Lucas, a modest, young Jewish lawyer with a penchant for detective stories, meets the beautiful Bárbara in a café. Sexy, independent, and with good taste in literature, she seems perfect, and Lucas, enthralled, takes her home after their first date. Things aren’t always what they seem, however, and Lucas wakes up to find his savings, and Bárbara, gone. Determined to find her, Lucas sets off like the hero in one of his beloved books, and, as he pieces together the puzzle of the grand theft, he realizes that his closest allies may be his biggest foes. Film Market Katharina and Steffen have well-paying jobs, a loving relationship and a spectacular apartment. And yet they long to break from the predictability of their lives. One night, they decide on a radical change – to extinguish all traces of their existence so they can start all over. They begin to destroy their apartment, empty their bank accounts and erase the digital remnants of their lives. But just as everything breaks into pieces, their secretive revolution becomes a fight for their love. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 241 Icons of Light 81' Christian Moris MULLER, Germany 2015 Production Company Christian Moris Müller Filmproduktion Christian Moris Müller T. +40 151 2115 8810 cmorism@hotmail.com Film Market Sotiris is a financial editor at a local newspaper, living a mundane life until he locks eyes with the gorgeous Olga at a Russian expat Christmas party. Unable to get her out of his head, he starts looking for the girl of his dreams only to find himself immersed in a dark and dangerous world, where illusion and reality will soon be made abundantly clear. With Zenia Kaplan as the proverbial femme fatale, Savvas Karidas explores the twin concepts of escape/dream and dead-end/deceit. It's a film about contemporary credit crunch societies and their effect on relationships and attitudes, imposing a new moral order where love and friendship are tested, redefined and demystified. Two sisters in their early thirties find themselves isolated in the Aegean summer cottage of their childhood, as they must deal with their uneasy sibling relationship and confront their devastating recent past. 218 Illusion 90' Savvas KARYDAS, Greece 2014 Production Company Michael Panayiotopoulos T. +30 6944 933 280 mtvs@metavision.gr Official Selection 316 The Impeccables 95' Ramin MATIN, Turkey 2013 Production Company Giyotin Film, Karavan Film Emine Yıldırım T. +90 532 646 1907 emine@giyotinfilm.com Crossroads Previous Film Totally disconnected from his past and memory, the Passenger tries to define himself, confronted by his pre-determined fate, a fate that he has to re-live upon every anniversary of his death. 187 Impressions of a Drowned Man 82' Kyros PAPAVASSILIOU, Cyprus-Greece-Slovenia 2015 Production Company DRYTREE FILMS Kyros Papavassiliou T. +35 797 855 893 info@drytreefilms.com Official Selection 83 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 177 In the Kitchen 80' Spyros AMIROPOULOS, Greece 2015 Production Company One Touch Spyros Amiropoulos T. +30 6936 809 371 thouhast@gmail.com Film Market Six different couples, in six different kitchens, in six different acts / certain times of their relationships, share a life which could have been the life of one couple alone. This common thing that everyone shares with each other, unites and separates us – the couples of one certain place and the whole world in one common, as well as, a different experience. The thing we have in common in the stories of our relationships. Official Selection 227 In Your Arms 88' Samanou A. SAHLSTROM, Denmark 2015 Maria is a young and caring nurse who wants to break free. Niels is an incurable patient who wants to travel to Switzerland to commit assisted suicide. Together they embark on an intense journey that will bring them closer to each other but also closer to their dreams. World Sales Company ANT!PODE Sales & Distribution Elena Podolskaya T. +7 499 978 7314 Festivals@antipode-sales.biz Official Selection 107 Inches from the Ground 120' Maxim GENCHEV, Bulgaria 2015 Production Company Amrita Art Dr. Zlatina Filipova T. +359 887 963 283 amritaart@abv.bg A border post in Bulgaria, 1954. The mind of little Michael is full of kaleidoscopic panoramas of naïve Socialism, Balkan Stalinism and the Cold War. His father is a strong lieutenant with his own ideas of duty and lofty heroism. His mother, in her dream of Chanel perfume, mixes up family honor with the pink wings of her youth, locked up in the barracks. The happy saga of people fulfilling their duty to their country is suddenly overshadowed by a saboteur and a series of tragic events. Film Market 186 Inside 92' Mirko ABRLIC, Jelena MARKOVIC, Serbia 2015 Production Company Evropski Blok Jelena Marovic T. +38 164 212 3259 jelenamarkovic2512@gmail.com Film Market 84 Jovan, a student from the provinces, starts serving his one year prison sentence in a Special Prison Hospital, in the department for addicts. Jovan plans to serve quietly and to go back to his student life, but inside, he gets cought in a web of unwritten rules and convicts’ relations. A small group of convicts formed around dealer Mare imposes rules on the block. The scheme of drug dealing is revealed. Pressure on Jovan grows, as truth breaks out on his shoulders. Film Market Two young men meet, one Italian the other Rumanian, and travel together through the city of Rome. We follow their journey from the lifeless suburbs to the inert ruins of the ancient city as they struggle against the loneliness and silence that surrounds them. Both of them wander the city from side to side seeking redemption, deliverance, or maybe just a hideout. In their search they’ll reach the sea, the flesh of a young prostitute, but they’ll find what they’re looking for in the feeling that bonds them together. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 279 Inside Rome 28' Francesco COSTABILE, Italy 2005 Production Company CSC PRODUCTION T. +39 340 868 8481 c.manfredonia@cscproduction.it Crossroads Previous Film A post-modern theater adaptation of a classic Greek tragedy takes place in a central theater in Athens. Like they do every night, the members of the audience take their seats and the play begins. Suddenly, the lights go out and the stage is dark. A group of young people, dressed in black and carrying guns, come up on stage. They apologize for the interruption and invite people from the audience to join them on stage. The play resumes with one main difference: life is now imitating art, and not the other way around. 310 Interruption 110' Yorgos ZOIS, Greece-France-Croatia 2015 World Sales Company EZ Films Ray Meirovitz T. +33 953 698 094 ray@ez-films.com Official Selection Aris is a 38-year-old lonely guy working in a factory. When he gets fired without any warning, he is shocked. As his attempts to be rehired fail, he feels the ground falling out from beneath his feet. Aris gradually becomes obsessed with the idea of revenge. He buys a gun with the last of his money, when his ex-wife dumps their 6year-old son on him. 256 Invisible 80' Dimitri ATHANITIS, Greece 2015 World Sales Company Greek Film Centre Iliana Zakopoulou T. + 30 210 3678 500 iliana.zakopoulou@gfc.gr Official Selection Vicenc is a politician with major aspirations, married to Carmen. She is unhappy with their marriage and lives obsessed with having children. A young boy who was a part of their lives fifteen years ago starts a process that will destroy Vicenc both professionally and personally. 148 The Invisible Artery 119' Pere VILÀ BARCELÓ, SPAIN 2015 Production Company Eddie Saeta SA. Noelia Gomez T. +34 934 677 040 eddie@eddiesaeta.com Film Market 85 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 251 Ivy 103' Tolga KARAÇELIK, Turkey 2015 Film Market Ivy is set to sail to her loading port in Egypt to carry goods to Angola. As she is sailing south, the owner company, who has not been able to pay salaries to the crew members for quite sometime, goes bankrupt. The captain and everyone else on board learns that there is a lien on the ship and they are not allowed to dock or call the port. Production Company Karaçelik Film Bilge ELif Özköse T. +90 533 459 8747 bilgeelif@gmail.com Official Selection 239 Ixcanul - Volcano 90' Jayro BUSTAMANTE, Guatemala-France 2015 World Sales Company Film Factory Entertainment T. +34 933 684 608 info@filmfactory.es María, a 17-year-old Kaqchikel Maya, lives with her parents on a coffee plantation at the foot of an active volcano. She is set to be married to the farm's foreman. But María longs to discover the world on the other side of the mountain, a place she cannot even imagine. And so she seduces a coffee-harvester who wants to escape to the USA. When this man leaves her behind, María discovers her own world and culture anew. Official Selection 143 Jack 95' Elisabeth SCHARANG, Austria 2015 World Sales Company Picture Tree International Moritz kleine Bornhorst T. +49 304 2082 4816 moritz@picturetree-international.com Official Selection 274 A Journey to Village Lane 75' Panagiotis PAPADOPOULOS, Greece 2014 Production Company Panagiotis Papadopoulos T. +30 6934 007 231 papadopoulos84@hotmail.com Film Market 86 One winter’s night a girl freezes to death after suffering brutal injuries. Jack is convicted of her murder. When released from prison 15 years later, he becomes an acclaimed writer and well-known ladies’ man, and Vienna’s society celebrates his example of successful social rehabilitation. But questions arise when more and more prostitutes are being found dead. Can a man change that fundamentally? From murderer of a woman to ladykiller, from jailbird poet to society darling – Jack Unterweger was the talk of the town in early 1990s Vienna. His suicide following the conviction for multiple murder left many questions unanswered, and 20 years later, his story has not lost any of its mystery. Focusing on the enigmatic title character, Elisabeth Scharang (In Another Lifetime) presents a breath-taking and haunting psychograph. A group of friends encounter an obstacle.A decision must be made and a journey begins, to another era. As the mosaic of events unfolds, we are led to a past which seems so near and familiar that it actually still exists. The simple yet forgotten issues of life, as experienced in an organized society, are revealed to us in the form of an adventure. We are gently guided towards a confrontation of the various difficulties, which will lead us to insight and the realization that we know nothing about the different forms of reality found in life in the village, and in all of us. A journey towards another reality – a journey to Village Lane. Film Market Juan is a child who doesn’t have any friends. La Nube is a cloud who doesn’t have any cloud friends. They find each other and become friends. However, Juan grows up and gets lost in the grey adult world. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 272 Juan and the Cloud 14' Giovanni MACCELLI, Spain 2014 World Sales Company Madrid en Corto Ismael Martin T. +34 915 121 060 mail@madridencorto.es Official Selection Justino, a miner who is sick of the social and economic situation, decides to become a vigilante group. 199 Justice&co 86' Ignacio ESTAREGUI, Spain 2014 World Sales Company Freak Independent Film Agency Chloe Marbehan T. +34 927 248 248 internacional@agenciafreak.com Film Market Barra da Tijuca, West Side Zone of Rio de Janeiro. A wave of murders plague the area. What starts off as morbid curiosity for the local youth slowly begins to eat away at their lives. Among them is Bia, a fifteen-year-old girl. After an encounter with death, she will do anything to make sure she stays alive. 333 Kill Me Please 101' Anita ROCHA DA SILVEIRA, France 2015 World Sales Company MPM Film Hippolyte Lykavieris T. +33 674 736 791 Hippolyte@mpmfilm.com Film Market Klezmer is a realistic and allegorical story about a journey through wartime Land of Evil. It is set during World War II in the Polish countryside, although away from the front. It seems that nothing has changed there and life goes on just like before the war. However, people carry the war in their hearts and souls… 192 Klezmer 93' Piotr CHRZAN, Poland 2015 Production Company Human Power Aleksandra Zakrzewska T. +48 50 446 8180 aleksandra.zakrzewska@human-power.pl Film Market 87 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 133 Koza 75' Ivan OSTROCHOVSKY, Slovak Republic-Czech Republic 2015 World Sales Company Pluto Film Distribution Network Jana Wolff T. +49 30 21 918 220 jana@plutofilm.de Film Market Peter “Koza” Baláž is struggling to make ends meet. Miša learns that she is expecting a child and decides to terminate her pregnancy. She pressures Koza to get money for the procedure. Koza, who has not trained in a while, steps back into the ring, hoping to earn some much-needed cash and possibly change Miša’s mind. He and his manager, Zvonko, embark on a “tour”, where success is not measured in victories, but in the amount of blows that Koza can take. Official Selection 207 Land and Shade 97' César ACEVEDO, Colombia 2015 World Sales Company Pyramide International Agathe Mauruc T. +33 1 42 960 101 amauruc@pyramidefilms.com Alfonso is an old farmer who has returned home to tend to his son, who is gravely ill. He rediscovers his old house, where the woman who was once his wife still lives, with his daughter-in-law and grandson. The landscape that awaits him resembles a wasteland. Vast sugar cane plantations surround the house, producing perpetual clouds of ash. Seventeen years after abandoning them, Alfonso tries to fit back in and save his family. Official Selection 230 Land of Oz 100' Vasiliy SIGAREV, Russia 2015 World Sales Company ANT!PODE Sales & Distribution Elena Podolskaya T. +7 499 978 7314 Festivals@antipode-sales.biz Film Market 171 Laputa 95' Jakub SMID, Czech Republic 2015 Production Company Cineart TV Prague, Ceska televize (Czech TV) Jitka Prochazkova T. +420 261 137 438 jitka.prochazkova@ceskatelevize.cz Film Market 88 A magic New Year’s story about a girl, Lenka Shabadinova, full of incredible events, unexpected meetings, spontaneous confrontations and fairytale solutions of emotional conflicts. It is an ironic and a philosophically conceptual eccentric comedy about ‘a girl in a city’. It tells the adventures of a modest salesgirl trading in trifles in a mysterious country – modern Russia; in a mysterious city – modern Yekaterinburg; in mysterious time – in our time; in a mysterious season – the Urals New Year; among incredible creatures – her own fellow countrymen endowed with Siberian health; surrounded by phantasmagoric trees – Christmas trees, both living outdoors and brought home... Johanka (27) spends all of her time in her café Laputa. Men come here and leave again. Miki, a poet, leaves for Turkey with Johanka’s sister; Johanka’s old flame Felix returns from distant travels, forms a band and then flies off again to Puerto Rico, where he gets married. Futility stares out at Johanka from every beer mug and so she turns the café into a massage parlour. Apparently nothing has changed, but the cards say it clearly: she should take a look at her life from a distance and realise that this is me, this is my home and this is my family. Film Market Rex is a cab driver who has never left Broken Hill in his life. When he discovers he doesn’t have long to live, he decides to drive through the heart of the country to Darwin, where he’s heard he will be able to die on his own terms; but along the way he discovers that before you can end your life you’ve got to live it, and to live it you’ve got to learn to share it... 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 212 Last Cab to Darwin 123' Jeremy SIMS, Australia 2015 World Sales Company Films Distribution Sanam Madjedi T. +33 153 103 399 fry@filmsdistribution.com Official Selection Pierre is one of the plantation managers pouring chemicals into the poor region of Misiones. In love with a young militant, he will try to step back. But with the social war going on, you can’t switch sides so easily. 110 La Tierra Roja 104' Diego MARTINEZ VIGNATTI, Belgium-Argentina-Brazil 2015 World Sales Company LATIDO FILMS Francesca Perin T. +34 915 488 877 francesca@latidofilms.com Official Selection David Miller wants to die and chooses assisted euthanasia. He’s planned everything: the place, the time and the manner. However, nothing goes right. With Esperanza, a member of the association, and Tréplev, a young prostitute, David embarks on his ultimate night with total strangers. 247 La Vanité 75' Lionel BAIER, France-Switzerland 2015 World Sales Company Wide Management Loic Magneron T. +33 1 4489 9974 festivals@widemanagement.com Film Market The late 80s. Idols of the past are staggering in Algeria as in the rest of the world. Socialism is in its death throes. Algeria is importing new idols. Which one will win out? IMF-inspired capitalism? Or Afghan-style Islamism? For Nouredine, a civil servant with literary aspirations, there is only one idol to be challenged: his mother. Nouredine will marry the beautiful Yasmina under maternal orders and have a child, Kamel. Soon after this, everything goes wrong: first his marriage, then the whole country that stumbles into violence under Islamist pressure. Nouredine and Yasmina will try to make their way in a society that is collapsing, under absurdity and into Islamist fanaticism and barbarity... 320 Let Them Come 95' Salem BRAHIMI, France-Algeria 2015 Production Company KG Productions Michèle Gavras T. +33 1 4972 0666 kg@kgproductions.fr Official Selection 89 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 106 Levski 130' Maxim GENCHEV, Bulgaria 2015 Production Company Amrita Art Dr. Zlatina Filipova T. +359 887963283 amritaart@abv.bg Film Market While in Europe free personality triumphs, an empire in the East is in agony. When slaves do not realise that they are enslaved… One is chosen to bear the cross of his enslaved people: Levski. Levski is a classic tale about the life and death of the greatest Bulgarian revolutionary Vasil Levski. The story starts in 1841, during the darkest period of the Turkish yoke. Film Market 330 Light Years 85' Esther May CAMPBELL, UK 2015 World Sales Company The Match Factory GmbH Michael Weber T. +49 221 539 709 0 info@matchfactory.de Rose reckons a family’s like a constellation – all connected, hanging up there, in the infinite. Stars can feel each other, even if some died millions of years ago. Even if they’re light years apart. Over the course of one long day, as mum wills her children closer, Rose’s fractured family pulls back into its constellation. Aching to reconnect they find themselves facing the true implications of their own devastating, inherited legacy. Official Selection 295 Like Cattle towards Glow 93' Dennis COOPER, Zac FARLEY, Germany-France-USA-Canada 2015 World Sales Company Raspberry&Cream Torsten Schulze T. +49 306 150 7505 films@m-appeal.com The film is a complex, intimate, strangely serene, wide-ranging, and always challenging exploration of sexual desire as a hiding place. In these unique, stylistically and temperamentally diverse scenes, each one featuring its own set of characters and storyline, sex makes a promise of something so intense and untenable to the characters that they feel they must enter it in secret – through an act of violence, or under the guise of an unrelated transaction, or by rationalizing its dangers away with the help of politics, or through utilizing it remotely as material for a purely aesthetic project. Film Market 231 Little Bird 90' Vladimir BEK, Russia 2015 World Sales Company ANT!PODE Sales & Distribution Elena Podolskaya T. +7 499 978 7314 Festivals@antipode-sales.biz Film Market 90 When does your childhood go away? It goes away when instead of playing football with other kids you sit down and silently contemplate the river. When your thoughts don’t let you sleep, and a lightning bug beats in a pot like a heart. When poems come into your mind and you feel you really need to sing. It goes away when you suddenly realize: this summer is going away and it is the last summer of your childhood. Film Market One morning Joel finds his wife’s dog Elvis half dead. This forces him out of his home, something he has avoided for a long time. After forgetting his keys inside, he’ll spend the day desperately trying to get back into his flat, his shelter. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 282 The Long Way Home 85' Sergi PEREZ, Spain 2014 Production Company NIU d'INDI Aritz Cirbian T. +34 667 007 290 hola@niudindi.com Official Selection Grace, 16, runs away from home. Her parents, Dan and Denise, head off on the road across the Western Australian wheat belt with a retired detective, Norris, to try and get her back. But life unravels faster than they can put it back together. Grace, Dan and Denise learn that life is confusing and arbitrary, but wonderful. Looking for Grace is about how we make sense of the mess of our lives and what it all means. It is a wry drama about lies, secrets, small and large griefs and love. 315 Looking for Grace 97' Sue BROOKS, Australia 2015 World Sales Company Fortissimo Films Nelleke Driessen T. +31 206 273 215 info@fortissimo.nl Official Selection In the search of Karmen, the camera travels to Seville during the fiesta of April. The camera is fascinated by the local dresses, the dancing, the fun of the people of Seville, like Jose and Escamillo are fascinated by Karmen. Karmen can be found everywhere on the land of Seville in reality and in dreams. She is a timeless symbol of passion... 309 Looking for Karmen 64' Aggelos THEODOROPOULOS, Greece 2015 Production Company Aggelos Theodoropoulos T. +30 210 382 8258 theaggelos@yahoo.gr Film Market From the bowels of Vesuvius, Pulcinella, a foolish servant, is sent to present-day Campania to grant the last wish of Tommaso, a simple shepherd: he must rescue a young buffalo called Sarchiapone. In the Royal Palace of Carditello, an abandoned Bourbon residence in the heart of the 'Land of Fires' whose remains were looked after by Tommaso, Pulcinella finds the young buffalo and takes him towards the north. The two servants, man and beast, embark upon a long journey throughout a lost and beautiful Italy, at the end of which they will not find quite what they had expected. 331 Lost and Beautifull 87' Pietro MARCELLO, Italy 2015 World Sales Company The Match Factory GmbH Michael Weber T. +49 221 539 709 0 info@matchfactory.de Official Selection 91 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 219 Louder Than Bombs 109' Joachim TRIER, Norway-France-Denmark 2015 World Sales Company Memento Films International Sata Cissokho T. +33 1 5334 9033 sata@memento-films.com Film Market Three years after her unexpected death, the preparation of an exhibition celebrating the famous war photographer Laura Freed brings her husband and their two sons together for the first time in years. When an unsettling secret resurfaces, the three men are forced to look at each other and themselves in a new light, redefining their innermost needs and desires. A rich picture of the family’s dreams, disappointments and secrets is gradually developed through nonlinear fragments of shared memories, daily challenges and strained attempts to coexist. Official Selection 175 Love Me! 80' Philipp EICHHOLTZ, Germany 2014 World Sales Company daredo media GmbH Andreas Stumpf T. +49 621 1228 5835 andreas.stumpf@daredo-media.com Sarah spent the night with her best friend but he’s not on the same page as her regarding their relationship. Stupidly enough, her laptop is broken. But maybe the guy from the computer store can fix it? Or maybe he can fix her life altogether? He is trying to do both and Sarah lets him, because behind her loud and impulsive façade she has a big desire for love. However, she tests the limits of what this blooming relationship could take, how many arguments she can have with her father or how much she can party in Berlin’s night life. Film Market 203 Lovestruck 90' Thodoris ATHERIDIS, Greece 2014 Production Company VIEW MASTER FILMS Effie Skrobola T. +30 210 641 1992 viewmasterfilms@gmail.com Antonis is a firefighter, living in Piraeus. The story begins two days before his wedding to Natassa, a nurse, when Anna, his ex-girlfriend, visits him out of the blue. The old flame is still going strong. Antonis will not bail out of his wedding with Natassa, even though Anna is obviously very keen to restart the relationship. Things get more complicated when Antonis starts a “double life” in his own home. What will happen when Anna shares the same space with Natassa? Official Selection 150 L'ultimo Tango - Spaghetti Noir 112' Giuseppe IACONO, Italy 2015 Production Company Giuseppe Iacono T. +39 339 180 0560 giuseppeiacono75@gmail.com Film Market 92 Alberto Tango is the owner of a small and shabby detective agency on the outskirts of Naples. Tango lives by his wits, often on the edge of legality, to repay the huge debt that he has incurred with the cynical Rava, his former employer and current creditor. Tango receives a call from Sergio Tudisco, an important industrialist. He wants to hire him to find his daughter Olga, a rebellious girl who has run away. Tudisco gives Tango the sum that would solve his problems with Rava. Tango accepts after a brief hesitation. There is not much time and the pressure is high, so occasionally Tango sees God in person... and talks with him! Maybe stress? The epilogue is to be discovered. Film Market Omar, an unstable and lonely teenager, lives in a slum in the suburbs of Mostaganem. He is addicted to a well-known psychotropic drug, nicknamed “Madame Courage”: Artane tablets, very popular among young Algerians, for their euphoric effect of invincibility. Omar is a specialist in snatching. One morning, he goes downtown to commit his usual crimes. His first prey is a young girl called Selma, walking with her friends, prominently wearing a gold necklace. As he commits his larceny, their eyes meet. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 281 Madame Courage 89' Merzak ALLOUACHE, Algeria-France 2015 Production Company Baya films Merzak Allouache T. +33 6 0805 7148 m.allouache@free.fr Official Selection French-Italian Madeleine and her teenage sister Sophie spend the summer vacation at their paternal Grandmother in the North of Italy. Their parents are divorced. Their father lives in the busy city, where his job precludes him from visiting the girls, while the mother is on holiday with her new boyfriend. The girls’ daily life in the countryside, filled with the desire to see their father, is spiced up by a mysterious peacock, whose sound they often hear. One day, Granny Adriana feels sick. The worried grandchildren call for a doctor, who shows far more interest in Sophie, instead of the Grandmother. The girls become frightened. To protect her sister, brave little Madeleine pushes the doctor down the stairs. The girls, unsure if the man has died, run off to look for their father. Only when they find him do they realize, that apart from having to tell him what really happened, the broken family has a lot to make up for. 167 Four actors (plus their annoying friend) wait in an old house for a drama teacher to arrive and lead them in a workshop. At some point they get hungry and buy five portions of beans from a nearby restaurant – but the beans lead to comical hallucinations and weird goings-on, allowing them to resolve their personal issues in unexpected ways. 103 Madeleine 93' Lorenzo CEVA VALLA, Mario GAROFALO, Italy-Hungary 2015 Production Company Amego Film Andrea Osvárt T. +36 304 247 389 info@amegofilm.com Film Market The Magic Beans 101' Theo PANAYIDES, Cyprus 2015 Production Company Theo Panayides T. +357 99 322 106 theo@cyprus-mail.com Film Market After meeting online, Sarah and Philip develop a tragic plan to end their lives. They plan a trip to the mountains, where Sarah used to hike with her father as a child, intending to jump off a cliff together. On their journey to the top, they will face the ghosts that have haunted them for years… 151 Maybe Tomorrow 88' Alex K. LEE, Italy 2014 Production Company Penny Lane Film Angelo D'Agostino T. +43 650 8747 277 angelo@pennylane-film.at Film Market 93 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 169 Meat Stew 6' Film Market A version made for the actress Rosa Novell; a macabre tale of the Brothers Grimm which, like all stories, appeals to our collective subconscious. Luis MIÑARRO, Spain 2014 Production Company Eddie Saeta SA. Noelia Gomez T. +34 934 677 040 eddie@eddiesaeta.com Film Market 269 Mediterranea 107' Jonas CARPIGNANO, Italy-USA-Qatar 2015 World Sales Company NDM Fiorella Moretti T. +33 626 100 765 fm@mantarraya.com Ayiva recently left his home in Burkina Faso in search of a way to provide for his sister and his daughter. He takes advantage of his position in an illegal smuggling operation to get himself and his best friend Abas off of the continent. Ayiva adapts to life in Italy, but when tensions with the local community rise, things become increasingly dangerous. Determined to make his new situation work, he attempts to weather the storm, but it has its costs. Official Selection 191 Menandros & Thais 122' Ondrej CIKAN, Antonin SILAR, Czech Republic-Austria 2015 Production Company nutprodukce Katerina Safarikova T. +42 060 482 1642 katka@nutprodukce.cz An experimental, feature-length adventure movie based on a novel by Ondřej Cikán. An Austrian/Czech co-production by Die Gruppe, FAMU and nutprodukce. A kidnapped bride. A distraught hero. Odysseys in surreal worlds. At her wedding to Menandros, Thaïs is carried off by pirates. In his search for her, the bridegroom becomes a bloodthirsty avenger, his horse grows wings, a witch promises him another woman, King Xerxes attempts to unman him, but eventually everything comes to a happy ending. Or does it? Film Market 325 The Missing Scarf 7' Eoin DUFFY, Ireland 2015 Production Company Eoin Duffy T. +1 604 728 2441 eoin@eoinduffy.me Official Selection 94 Albert the Squirrel makes a startling discovery... an empty space where once his favourite scarf lay. He heads off into the forest only to find everyone else is preoccupied with worries of their own. He helps who he can before moving on, but never seems to get any closer to his goal. Ultimately, Albert’s problem is put into perspective by the friends he helped and the problems they faced and overcame together. Film Market They can always leave you alone. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 157 Moscow 61' Rafael NAVARRO MINON, Spain 2015 World Sales Company Digital 104 Film Distribution Jonay García T. +34 616 834 890 distribucion@digital104.com Film Market Nesrin is an urban, middle-class woman recovering from a divorce. She’s quit her office job, abandoned her house in Istanbul, and come to the village house of her deceased grandmother to finish a novel and live out her childhood dream of being a writer. When her conservative and increasingly unhinged mother turns up uninvited and refuses to leave, Nesrin’s writing stalls and her fantasies of village life turn bitter as the two are forced to confront the darker corners of each other’s inner worlds. 277 Motherland 90' Senem TÜZEN, Turkey-Greece 2015 Production Company Zela Film Olena Yershova T. +90 537 300 8702 o.yershova@gmail.com Official Selection A white ceiling, with a long white florescent light that keeps flickering, takes a young woman down memory lane… She recalls her old habit of laughing when nervous. Sitting right across the young woman is her loving and protective mother. But when an unexpected truth about the young woman is revealed to the mother, will this caring relationship remain pure and untainted? 149 Mother Virgin No More 7' Derya DURMAZ, Turkey 2014 Production Company Giyotin Film Emine Yildirim T. +90 532 646 1907 emine@giyotinfilm.com Official Selection A devout woman is living with her family in the Jewish cemetery on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives. During the day, while her husband and children are at school, she is left alone on the mountain. She goes for walks in the cemetery, trying to escape the endless housework. One night, out of frustration, she storms out of the house, climbing through the cemetery, running wherever her feet will carry her. To her surprise, she is exposed to an unsettling sexual scene. Stirred by this image, she starts exploring this new realm of the mountain, while trying to keep a normal face during her daytime routine. Until she can’t anymore. 298 Mountain 83' Yaelle KAYAM, Israel-Denmark 2015 World Sales Company Films Distribution Sanam Madjedi T. +33 1 53 10 33 99 sanam@filmsdistribution.com Official Selection 95 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 129 Mustang 94' Deniz Gamze ERGÜVEN, France-Turkey-Germany-Qatar World Sales Company Kinology Gregoire Gresslin T. +33 95 147 4344 festivals@kinology.eu Film Market It’s the beginning of the summer. In a village in the north of Turkey, Lale and her four sisters come home from school, innocently playing with boys. The supposed debauchery of their games causes a scandal with unintended consequences. The family home slowly turns into a prison, classes on housework and cooking replace school, and marriages begin to be arranged. The five sisters, driven by the same desire for freedom, fight back against the limits imposed on them. Official Selection 117 My Skinny Sister 95' Sanna LENKEN, Sweden 2015 Just as Stella enters the exciting world of adolescence, she discovers that her big sister and role model Katja is hiding an eating disorder. The disease slowly tears the family apart. A story about jealousy, love and betrayal told with warmth, depth and laughter. World Sales Company Wide / Eye on Films Gaëlle Simonetti T. +33 1 5395 0464 info@eyeonfilms.org Official Selection 311 Namesakes 30' Mircea NESTOR, Romania 2013 Two childhood friends, now in their thirties, have grown apart over the years. Just as one of them is about to leave the country, they get together one last time for an all-nighter with the old gang, just like in the good old days. Production Company Mircea Nestor T. +40 742 127 302 mircea.nestor@gmail.com Crossroads Previous Film 328 Neon Bull 101' Gabriel MASCARO, Brazil-Uruguay-The Netherlands 2015 World Sales Company Memento Films International (ARTSCOPE a label of Memento Films) Sata Cissokho T. +33 1 5334 9020 sales@memento-films.com Official Selection 96 Iremar and his makeshift family travel through Northeast Brazil taking care of bulls at the Vaquejadas, a Brazilian rodeo. But the region's booming clothing industry has stirred new ambitions and filled Iremar's mind with dreams of pattern cutting and exquisite fabrics... Film Market In the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear accident, Mariko becomes unable to sleep. When she moves to Sicily to stay with her former fiancé, Salvatore, she discovers that she is able to sleep only when driven around at night, nurtured by the lights of the unknown city. The day becomes a new opportunity to rediscover and reinterpret the signs and meanings of her life through her skills as a photographer in the search for a new imaginary place together, where both Mariko and Salvatore may be able to find each other again… 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 152 The Nightless City 87' Alessandra PESCETTA, Italy-UK 2015 World Sales Company Penny Lane Film Angelo D'Agostino T. +43 650 8747 277 angelo@pennylane-film.at Film Market A man falls in love with a female butcher. Just to watch her chop the meat, he opens a butcher’s shop and hires her. 301 On the Butcher's Bench 23' Haris RAFTOGIANNIS, Greece 2006 Production Company Haris Raftogiannis T. +30 6974 669 520 harisraft@gmail.com Crossroads Previous Film After being the sole unfortunate witness to a domestic quarrel that ends up in a murder, Patrascu finds himself at odds with two very close neighbors: one is the bizarre murderer. The other is his very conscience. 161 One Floor Below 93' Radu MUNTEAN, Romania 2015 World Sales Company Films Boutique Valeska Neu T. +49 30 6953 7850 valeska@filmsboutique.com Official Selection A huge supermarket is the only meeting point for 14-year-old Julian 283 and his newly met friends. Fresh emotions of brotherhood, affection and excitement encourage their wish to break out of suburban bore- One of Us 86' dom. One night, Julian and his pal Marko break into the supermarket Stephan RICHTER, Austria 2015 full of promising products. A moment of childish freedom ends Production Company abruptly in a moment of harsh grown-up reality. Golden Girls Filmproduction & Film Services GmbH A story inspired by true events. Arash T. Riahi T. +43 1 810 5636 office@goldengirls.at Official Selection 97 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 141 Only for the Weekend 87' Director KOBAYASHI, Italy 2015 Production Company Director Kobayashi srl Gianfranco Gaioni T. +39 366 179 9093 info@directorkobayashi.com Film Market It may seem like Las Vegas, but it’s Milan. Aldo Broggi, a copywriter addicted to psychiatric drugs, gets dumped by his sexually frustrated wife. That's when he will meet an old criminal friend of his, who will get everybody involved in all sorts of shenanigans, completely out of control. Gambling houses, sexy women, mysterious briefcases, swimming pools. Total madness? No, just Milan. Film Market 215 Our Everyday Life 89' Ines TANOVIĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina 2015 Production Company DOKUMENT Sarajevo Alem Babic T. +38 76 121 1803 alembabic@me.com Forty-year-old Sasha, a war veteran, tries to cope with the unresolved political situation and economic hardships of post-war Bosnia, while his father, 63-year-old Muhamed, refuses to forsake his ideals in an increasingly corrupt society. Torn by the problems of her husband and son, 62-year-old Maria falls ill, and her illness causes the family to bond again. When the problems start lining up, both Muhamed and Sasha realize that the only thing that matters is family; a person’s last oasis. Official Selection 111 Our Loved Ones 102' Guy is found dead in the basement of the family home. Years later, his son David, now a loving father of two children, secretly carries the weight of the enigmatic tragedy. Anne EMOND, Canada 2015 World Sales Company Wide / Eye on Films Gaëlle Simonetti T. +33 1 5395 0464 info@eyeonfilms.org Film Market 112 Panama 105' Pavle VUCKOVIĆ, Serbia 2015 World Sales Company Wide / Eye on Films Gaëlle Simonetti T. +33 1 5395 0464 info@eyeonfilms.org Film Market 98 Jovan starts dating Maja casually, no strings attached. But over time, her mysterious and shady behavior begins to disturb him. Jovan starts to follow videos and clues over social networks that hint at Maja’s parallel life. In a web of lies, pride, jealousy and passionate sex, Jovan loses himself, desperately trying to understand who Maja really is. Film Market A holiday bus driver, Mario has spent his whole life shuttling pensioners to the sunny south. Stuck in retirement and bored with his wife and with life, he decides to accept one final trip. Only this time his passengers are not pensioners, but a motley crew of partygoers on their way to a festival in Croatia. His last journey soon turns into a fascinating trip that not only confronts him with his prejudices but also with his long lost son. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 292 Paradise Trips 90' Raf REYNTJENS, Belgium-The Netherlands 2015 World Sales Company m-appeal Torsten Schulze T. +49 306 150 7505 films@m-appeal.com Film Market On the coast of a foreign land, Sophia and her child are constant wanderers, their only property is a red suitcase and their only problem is to find a way to eat and a place to lay their head for the night. But who are they? Are they fleeing from a distant memory or are they themselves a memory from years ago in someone’s mind? What happens when past visions and future facts collide? Inspired by a real entry in a forgotten diary, Paragraph treads the delicate line between storytelling and memory. 168 Paragraph 63' Yoni BENTOVIM, Emily HARRIS, UK 2015 Production Company Indivision Films Yoni Bentovim T. +44 079 4103 1179 yoni75@hotmail.com Film Market Paulina abandons her successful career as a lawyer in Buenos Aires 271 to engage in social activism back in her homeland on the border between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. After two weeks working in Paulina 103' a neighborhood scarred by marginalization, she is assaulted by a Santiago MITRE, Argentina-Brazil-France 2015 gang. Despite the brutality of the attack, instead of fleeing, Paulina resolves to hold on tighter to her convictions – to survive, against World Sales Company the odds. Versatile Alexandre Moreau T. +33 1 7621 6168 amoreau@versatile-films.com Official Selection Seventeen-year-old Layla’s prayers are answered when she wins a college scholarship. From a low-income family, she has been working full time at a local telemarketing company and it hasn’t stopped her from being at the top of her high school class. Hanging out with her slacker boyfriend Danny and partying with her best friend Melanie round out Layla’s routine. But an unplanned pregnancy changes everything. Giving into family pressure, Layla decides against an abortion, drops her college dreams and moves into her loving Grandma‘s trailer on the edge of town... 262 Petting Zoo 93' Micah MAGEE, Germany-USA-Greece 2015 World Sales Company The Match Factory GmbH Michael Weber T. +49 221 539 709 0 info@matchfactory.de Official Selection 99 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 170 Photographer 133' Irena PAVLASKOVA, Czech Republic-Slovak Republic 2015 Film Market A story freely inspired by the fortunes of the celebrated Czech photographer Jan Saudek, which outlines some of the fateful crossroads of an artist blessed with exceptional talent in more than one field, as well as with spontaneity and passion. All these attributes brought him fame as well as rejection; love as well as betrayal; masses of admirers as well as loneliness. Production Company Cineart TV Prague, Ceska televize (Czech TV) Jitka Prochazkova T. +420 261 137 438 jitka.prochazkova@ceskatelevize.cz Film Market 296 Pikadero 98' Ben SHARROCK, UK-Spain 2015 Production Company Caravan Cinema Irune Gurtubai T. +44 782 549 0610 igurtubai@gmail.com Unable to leave the nest due to the economic crisis that is gripping Spain, a penniless young couple have trouble consummating their fledgling relationship in their parents’ homes. As they become increasingly desperate to make love and with no money to afford a hotel, they are forced to look to popular public hotspots commonly used for sex among young people, known by the locals as “pikaderos”. However, things are never as easy as they seem, and their relationship is quickly tested as they try to break free from the shackles of a crumbling economy. Film Market 122 The Project of the Century 100' Carlos M. QUINTELA, Argentina-Cuba-Germany-Switzerland 2015 World Sales Company m-appeal Torsten Schulze T. +49 306 150 7505 films@m-appeal.com Amidst a mosquito plague, Leonardo, struggling with the breakdown of his relationship, moves back to live with a grandfather who fights with everyone and everything, and a father living with the melancholy of the unfinished. In a city once promised to become the hub of the Soviet nuclear project in the Caribbean, the scant remains of this world weigh down on these three solitary men, who, unlike their pet fish Benjamin, have yet to learn how to breathe under water. Official Selection 246 The Purple Onion 75' Matt SZYMANOWSKI, USA 2015 Production Company Wolves Films Matt Symanowski T. +1 415 412 9983 matt@mattszy.com Film Market 100 Inspired by the standup acts of real life, Chinese American comedian Edwin Li, a young man in San Francisco, spirals downward into disappointment until he finds solace in a brief sexual encounter with an older woman to whom he may or may not be related. Film Market Catherine has entered a particularly dark period in her life: her father, a famous artist whose affairs she managed, has recently died, and on the heels of his death she's dumped by her boyfriend James. Looking to recuperate, Catherine heads out to her best friend Virginia's lake house for some much needed relaxation. However, once Catherine arrives, relaxation proves impossible to find, as she is overcome with memories of time spent at the same house with James the year before... 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 263 Queen of Earth 90' Alex Ross PERRY, USA World Sales Company The Match Factory GmbH Michael Weber T. +49 221 539 709 0 info@matchfactory.de Official Selection Jozef, a Polish man in his fifties, arrives in France not only to work in construction, but also to find his son Roman whom he had abandoned fifteen years earlier. He goes to Rose, the construction foreman’s daughter to help him in his search. 249 Raging Rose 80' Julia KOWALSKI, France-Poland 2015 World Sales Company Alpha Violet Virginie Devesa T. +33 1 4489 9974 info@alphaviolet.com Film Market One girl. One car. One night. No coincidence. 124 Ramona 21' Andrei CREŢULESCU, Romania 2015 World Sales Company New Europe Film Sales Jan Naszewski T. +48 600 173 205 jan@neweuropefilmsales.com Official Selection In a remote Icelandic valley, two estranged brothers come together to save their sheep. 125 Rams 93' Grímur HÁKONARSON, Iceland 2015 World Sales Company New Europe Film Sales Jan Naszewski T. +48 600 173 205 jan@neweuropefilmsales.com Official Selection 101 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 144 Real Life 90' Robert HEBER, Germany 2015 Production Company Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF Cristina Marx T. +49 1 728 096 474 robertheber28@hotmail.com Film Market A border region village between the Czech Republic and Germany tells the love story of Tommy (19) from a socially disadvantaged background and Julia (18) from a wealthy family. Julia becomes unexpectedly pregnant. Against their parents’ wishes, Julia and Tommy want to build a future together with the child. Money is a big issue for Tommy, who works as a baker’s apprentice. Tommy is offered a risky deal – drug smuggling. The young relationship is put to the test. Film Market 102 Red 97' Yücel MUSTEKIN, Turkey 2015 World Sales Company Match Point Melis Konca T. +90 533 578 0699 eric@urbandistrib.com Film Market 323 Red Rose 88' Sepideh FARSI, France 2014 World Sales Company Urban Distribution International Eric Schnedecker T. +33 1 445 45477 thierry@cinesudpromotion.com Umut is a tormented young man, haunted by the demons of his past. After celebrating their first dating anniversary with friends, Umut brings his girlfriend Asli to his place at the top floor of a creepy, deserted historical building, where only he and the janitor and his wife live. With heads spinning from love and booze, just before they fall asleep, they are startled to find a big surprise: a big red suitcase, begging to be opened, waiting for them in the middle of the living room – but neither of them is the owner! Panic and tension infects the calm atmosphere between the lovers and they start to attack each other with meaningless accusations. When they finally gather their wits and open the suitcase, they face the horrible scene that will lead them to a nightmare. Will they ever wake up from it? Tehran. June 2009. The uproar of a city that is awash in the “Green Wave” of protest against the rigged presidential election. An apartment as a shelter. A man and a woman who belong to two different generations. A mobile phone and a computer to communicate with the free world. A love story, that will change two lives. Crossroads Previous Film 300 Rising Voices 95' Bénédicte LIENARD, Mary JIMENEZ, Belgium 2015 Production Company Tarantula Thomas Meys T. +32 422 59079 thomas@tarantula.be Official Selection 102 Their names are Moktar, Najat, Joseph, Gernaz, Duraid, Hayder, Kader, Esma... They fled Syria, Iraq, Iran, Congo, Morocco and Niger... Together, they occupy a church. They will risk their lives for asylum. Days of countdown begin; a test of strength in itself. Inside, Kader has assumed the role of leader, but, mysteriously, sometimes he is missing. Day by day, devotedly, Esma cares for this community. Exhaustion increases; tensions rise. But bonds are forged and strengthened. Between betrayal and brotherhood, the group will have to put itself to the test, and face up to the challenge. Film Market A minefield by the Evros River. The border. A platoon of sappers is struggling to clear it. Yannis is among them. Gangs transfer immigrants and refugees across the border-river. Sometimes the minefield breaks its dark silence. Chryssa, who takes the children across, will stumble on Yannis. Challenging death is their common fate. She will be lost. Yannis will stay behind trying to understand what love is, through a miracle. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 235 Riverbanks 96' Panos KARKANEVATOS, Greece-Germany-Turkey 2015 Production Company Vergi Film Productions Antea Karafilli T. +30 210 656 1330 info@vergilab.gr Official Selection Rana and Guy, a young married couple live in today’s city of Beirut. A city forced into modernity and constantly transforming to a rhythm of an unstable environment. Rana suddenly quits her job and falls slowly into a state of lingering. Guy decides they need to leave their home and go on a road-trip that leads them to the mountains. The road becomes one of remembrance and nostalgia. A road that might bring them closer to themselves and ultimately to each other. 166 The Road 98' Rana SALEM, Lebanon 2015 Production Company Artrip productions Christel Salem T. +96 1 3904 838 email@ranasalem.com Film Market Sebastián takes Jalil on a most important mission. What begins as an inconvenience for Sebastián ends up being an adventure that will change his life. 217 Road to La Paz 90' Francisco VARONE, Argentina 2015 World Sales Company Figa Films Sandro Fiorin T. +54 114 966 0110 sandro@figafilms.com Official Selection Sabali is a dramatic film with touches of absurdist comedy, and features surrealist dream sequences and a colourful art design. The story is centered on Jeannette, who has a severe heart condition that keeps her trapped in a suburb of Montreal. After receiving her new heart, Jeannette begins to have strange visions of her donor’s former life. Soon after, she is befriended by her donor’s son, a Malian teenager, who believes she is his mother reincarnated. The story itself is based on the scientific concept of cellular memory, the idea that cells contain memories, and that organ recipients sometimes take on the personality traits of their donors. 173 Sabali 79' Ryan McKENNA, Canada 2015 World Sales Company K-Films Amerique Louis Dussault T. +43 8881 0501 ldussault@kfilmsamerique.com Official Selection 103 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 182 Saints 78' Ivan PERIĆ, Croatia 2014 Production Company Dream Division Production Ivan Perić T. +385 91 4777 600 info@dream-division.com.hr Film Market The story takes place in the suburbs of Split (Croatia), during the mid-90s and follows three young men on the margins of society, trying to make a living. Kralj ("King") and Joke are small time crooks with their unsuccessful attempts to get rich. When Kralj is arrested and sentenced to six months in prison, Joke seeks help from a mutual friend Šporki (”Dirty”). Together they forge a plan that will not go smoothly and will lead them into a series of weird situations and comic adventures. Film Market 327 Sam Klemke's Time Machine 89' Since 1977, Sam Klemke has filmed his life, creating a strange and intimate portrait of what it means to be human. Matthew BATE, Australia 2015 World Sales Company Visit Films LornaLee Sagebiel T. +1 718 312 8210 lls@visitfilms.com Official Selection 140 Sanctuary 104' Marc BRUMMUND, Germany 2015 World Sales Company Pluto Film Distribution Network Jana Wolff T. +49 30 21 918 220 jana@plutofilm.de May 1968: Rolling Stones, bell-bottoms, mini-skirts, sexual revolution, protests against the Vietnam War… While Germany sets off for a new era of freedom, rebellious fourteen-year-old Wolfgang gets sent to Freistatt, a foster home for difficult children. There he will be “educated” to become a decent boy. Wolfgang puts up a determined resistance against the brutal working conditions and the perfidious education methods of the wardens; he doesn’t allow them to get him down. But for how long can he manage to resist the system of violence and oppression without brutalizing himself? Film Market 265 The Second Mother 110' Anna MUYLAERT, Brazil 2015 World Sales Company The Match Factory GmbH Michael Weber T. +49 221 539 709 0 info@matchfactory.de Official Selection 104 Val is the kind of live-in housekeeper who takes her work seriously. She wears a crisp maid’s uniform while serving perfect canapés; she serves her wealthy São Paulo employers day in and day out while lovingly nannying their teenage son whom she’s raised since toddlerhood. Everyone and everything in the elegant house has its place, until one day Val’s ambitious, clever daughter Jessica arrives from Val’s hometown to take the college entrance exams. Jessica’s confident, youthful presence upsets the unspoken yet strict balance of power in the household; Val must decide where her allegiances lie and what she’s willing to sacrifice. Film Market Mahir, a musician renowned for his proud personality, has been having a secret romantic relationship with her daughter’s friend Duru. Duru’s father Ali is a traditional, family-oriented man. Mahir and Duru drift apart in their fear while Ali is just about to learn of their secret relationship. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 109 Secret 102' Selim EVCI, Turkey 2015 Production Company Evci Film Mediha Didem Türemen T. +90 212 249 5835 didem@evcifilm.com Film Market Larry (Jason Schwartzman) is content with his dog Arrow and booze, barely tolerating anything or anyone else. His marginally successful relationships include his grandmother, who keeps him afloat financially, and his best friend Norwood, who provides him with pharmaceuticals. But a chance encounter at a Jiffy Lube gives Larry a beguiling new boss and the impetus to head in another direction for a while. This movie showcases all that may be needed to help a person get unstuck in life: love (or an unrequited crush), friendship (or someone your family likes better than you) and family (or in this case a grandmother who will support you whenever you get fired from a job). 329 Seven Chinese Brothers 76' Bob Byington, USA 2015 World Sales Company Spotlight Pictures Will Robelo T. +1 323 871 2551 will@spotlight-pictures.com Official Selection It’s summer and everybody seems to be talking only about sex. Edoardo is insecure and awkward with girls: he never told anybody, even his best friend Arturo, that since birth his foreskin is too narrow, preventing him from having sex. But when you are 17, love is in the air: Edoardo will have to find his way. 128 Short Skin 86' Duccio CHIARINI, Italy 2014 World Sales Company Films Boutique Valeska Neu T. +49 3069537850 valeska@filmsboutique.com Film Market Amongst the constantly talking animals of a herd, the basic rule of normality is the theater of conversation. When a young animal loses its voice and goes into hiding, the talking herd can’t accept its weakness and follows the rule, speaking to it using monologues. The young animal remains silent and the talking herd stands confused and unable to decide whether it’s really sick or just pretending. But as the silent, isolated animal struggles to get its voice back, the talking animals surround its cage and the most distrustful of them attacks. 226 Silent 92' Yorgos GKIKAPEPPAS, Greece 2015 Production Company Film Society Yorgos Gkikapeppas T. +30 694 155 9080 yorgosgkikapeppas@gmail.com Official Selection 105 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 302 A Silent Sea 43' Haris RAFTOGIANNIS, Greece 2012 Film Market In the Aegean sea, the fish population is collapsing. Two are the main factors: illegal fishing and overfishing. In contrast, the coastal fishermen of the Cycladic islands, give their own battle to ensure the future of the sea. Production Company doc3 valerie kontakos T. +30 6974 669 520 harisraft@gmail.com Crossroads Previous Film 158 Sin & Illy Still Alive 71' Maria HENGGE, Germany-Austria 2014 Sin and Illy have a plan: on a Greek island they want to get “clean” on their own. But the intention of the two girls fails already on the way to the airport. Finally, Sin realizes she has to free herself of her heroin addiction all alone. Production Company abadon production, Nanookfilm Maria Hengge T. +49 1 638 294 145 mariahengge@gmail.com Film Market 183 Sirens and Screams 82' Ivan PERIĆ, Croatia 2015 Production Company Dream Division Production Ivan Perić T. +385 91 4777 600 info@dream-division.com.hr This film has been shot in a continuous 78-minute take. The story takes place in a city ravaged by crisis, poverty and crime. The people who remained belong mostly to the low class, and they’re struggling to survive through various criminal activities. One of the last prosperous citizens was murdered, and we’re following a large cast of characters in their quest to find his corpse. One of the characters has different plans, but he gets involved in the quest against his will. Film Market 224 Six and a Half 86' Julio FRAGA, Spain 2015 Production Company Cristina Rojas T. +34 60 931 9211 homero@tenemosgato.es Film Market 106 Six and a half is an innovative film that makes a bet on telling a rarely told, though much experienced story, and does so from an unusual point of view and in an equally unusual way. An apparently complex, even puzzling outset soon traps and entices viewers to the evolution of a love story fighting to survive from the unstable position provided by a 6.5 level. Film Market The Sky Above Us is an authentic, contemporary drama about the bombing of Belgrade in 1999. Ana, Sloba and Bojan: three different people, three different ways of hanging on to normal life in the most difficult of situations. The NATO bombings took place 15 years ago. Unfortunately, to this day similar wars continue to shake and divide Europe and the world. When will there finally be peace? 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 206 The Sky Above Us 97' Marinus GROOTHOF, The Netherlands-Serbia-Greece-Belgium 2015 World Sales Company Heretic Outreach Ioanna Stais T. +30 210 600 5260 ioanna@heretic.gr Official Selection Smac (Second mitochondrial activator of caspases) is a mitochondrial protein that promotes natural cell death. Eleni has cancer. Andreas is homeless. An accidental encounter benefits both of them. 258 Smac 110' Elias DEMETRIOU, Greece 2015 Production Company Ammos Films Elias Demetriou T. +30 6944 881 820 ammosfilms@gmail.com Official Selection After the death of her father, 17-year-old Noufissa must go with her mother and live in the mansion of Lalla Amina, the wife of an important Tetouan dignitary. Once there, a close friendship develops between her and Fattouma, Lalla Amina's granddaughter. The 2 young girls promise to share everything and never leave each other. But when Fattouma discovers that Noufissa will soon get married, she will do the impossible not to lose her friend. 101 Small Pleasures 85' Mohamed Chrif TRIBAK, Morocco 2015 Production Company Clipper Films Mohamed Chrif tribak T. +212 603 715 787 chriftribak@gmail.com Film Market Snow is a film about the choice, betrayal and forgiveness between brothers and sons, narrated against the background of the harsh reality of an abandoned place. 178 Snow 80' Ventsislav VASILEV, Bulgaria-Ukraine 2015 Production Company 100 Film Konstantin Burov T. +35 988 601 7206 kbourov@gmail.com Film Market 107 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 197 Song of Songs 76' Eva NEYMANN, Ukraine 2015 Film Market 1905. A Jewish Shtetl. Shimek and Buzya are two 10-year-olds. Of course, she is a princess and he is a prince. They live in the same yard, in neighboring palaces. What Buzya really means to him, Shimek begins to understand only years later when, far away from home, he receives the news that Buzya is about to be married off. World Sales Company Everything Works Ivana Ivisic T. +38 591 181 1002 ii@everythingworks.hr Official Selection 252 Spirit of Dust 95' Nesimi YETIK, Turkey 2014 Production Company Ozminimalist Film Betul Esener T. +90 5541 373 0341 betulesener@gmail.com Metin (37) is a male day-cleaner in Istanbul. He is a simple-hearted man living in his small and happy world. He is passionate about ‘arabesque’ music and he composes songs. Metin’s small world is first disturbed by the visit of his nephew, Umit, who is doing his military service in Istanbul. But his world is truly shaken by the arrival of Neslihan, the manicurist he knows through one of his clients. Eventually, both of them leave Metin's life as they have entered. Metin, once again, finds himself with his solitude in his small world. Meanwhile, something curious happens and the talent show for which he had sung invites him to the TV show. Film Market 287 Still Got Lives 23' Jan-Gerrit SEYLER, Germany 2013 Production Company Hamburg Media School Petra Barkhausen T. +49 172 239 6333 jg.seyler@gmail.com For Marco and Lisa it’s true love. Online, they fight side by side against dreadful monsters. Sometimes they die on their mission, but there is always one life to spare. Still, Lisa refuses to meet Marco for real. When one day she stops showing up for the game, Marco decides to go searching for her. But in Lisa’s world, they will need all their strength and courage to really meet each other. Official Selection 319 Still Waters 14' Nir SAAR, Maya SARFATY, Israel 2012 Production Company Tel Aviv University Nir Saar T. +972 503 422 523 nirsaar@gmail.com Crossroads Previous Film 108 By an ancient spring near Jerusalem, an Israeli couple finds a quiet moment away from the rat race of Tel Aviv life. The cool water spring is also used by a group of Palestinians heading to their jobs in Israel. At high noon, they are forced to look each other in the eye. Film Market Paris, 1971. Delphine meets Carole. The former, a farmer’s daughter, has moved to the capital in order to become financially independent and dreams of heading up her own business, an inconceivable notion at that time. The latter, who is in a relationship with Alexandre, is gleefully experiencing the beginnings of the feminist rebellion. One of them is reserved, keeps to herself, but she knows that she likes other women. The other was completely unaware that she could experience an attraction like this. Their encounter throws their lives into turmoil. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 299 Summertime 105' Catherine CORSINI, France 2015 World Sales Company Pyramide International Agathe Mauruc T. +33 1 42 960 101 amauruc@pyramidefilms.com Official Selection On Sunday, a nine-year-old boy whose parents are divorced, visits 176 his father, a doctor. The boy is angry at him for not allowing him to bring his dog to the apartment. He rejects any form of communica- Sunday 22' tion. Father needs to go on a medical intervention to the village but Goran DEVIĆ, Croatia 2015 he cannot leave the boy alone in the apartment. What the boy exProduction Company periences at the village will change him for life. Petnaesta umjetnost Hrvoje Osvadić T. +385 91 2188 480 hrvoje.osvadic@15art.hr Official Selection Two Albanian brothers, Saimir and Vini, emigrate to Greece and try, each in his own way, to integrate into their host country by following two different lifestyles, with no way of turning back. 314 Sunrise 104' Robert BUDINA, Albania 2012 Production Company Erafilm Sabina Kodra T. +35 569 409 5804 robertbudina@gmail.com Crossroads Previous Film An Albanian woman who – according to her region’s custom – has lived as a man for most of her life, wants to reclaim her sexual identity. 126 Sworn Virgin 90' Laura BISPURI, Italy-Switzerland-GermanyAlbania-UNMI Kosovo-France 2015 World Sales Company The Match Factory GmbH Michael Weber T. +49 221 539 709 0 info@matchfactory.de Official Selection 109 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 132 Symptom 87' Angelos FRANTZIS, Greece 2015 World Sales Company The Gardens Angelos Frantzis T. +30 6945 595 631 frantzisangelos@gmail.com Film Market One winter, on an isolated island, a creature with a leather jacket and eyes that glow in the dark, appears. Whoever comes in contact with him loses his mind. The residents ask for help from a strange girl who seems to be the only one to have the power to confront the creature. The girl, in order to strengthen her faith, ends up acting more and more outrageously. Her actions seem to hide a secret relationship with it. Official Selection 250 Tabula Rasa 100' Natalia STRATOU, Iro DONTA, Greece 2015 Production Company Iro Donta T. +30 6944 568 807 tabularasafilm15@gmail.com It is the story of a young boy, leaving the orphanage he grew up in after turning 18. When he finds out that his only friend, who he left behind at the orphanage, is sent away to the city of Athens, he embarks on a journey into the unknown. He is an immature and naive young man who knows nothing of his identity, like a blank slate shaped by people he meets along the way and his new experiences. The boy’s personality and understanding of the world change to such an extent that they leave him wondering who he really is... Official Selection 259 Thanatos 117' Max STURGEON, Poland-USA 2015 Production Company Bury Mis Films Agnies Cynkowska T. +1 512 358 4571 burymisfilms@gmail.com The lives of three strangers, each holding a dark secret, spiral out of control. A broken man craving pain and punishment, a woman consumed by a life of reckless promiscuity, and a husband whose picture perfect life comes crashing down. When paths collide, it will either lead to their ultimate downfall or unexpected salvation. The film is a dark drama not unlike Leaving Las Vegas or 21 Grams. Film Market 238 Thank you for Bombing 100' Barbara EDER, Austria 2015 World Sales Company Premium Films Kasia Karwan T. +33 1 4277 0639 kasia.karwan@premium-films.com Official Selection 110 Three international TV correspondents cross paths while waiting for a war that has already begun long ago in their own lives. Film Market Two old friends reconnect after a long time. One is a sketchy bar manager,the other an art designer with a huge poker debt. Their lives couldn't be more different. But is their childhood bond strong enough to forgive a missed wedding and carry out a promise to a dead father? 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 185 There is Nothing in This World 10' Andreea VALEAN, Romania 2015 Production Company AMOIDEE Andreea Valean T. +40 724 382 033 avalean@hotmail.com Official Selection The Thin Yellow Line is the journey of five men who are hired to paint 321 the median line of a road that connects two villages in Mexico. On board an old truck, they do the job: more than 200 kilometers that The Thin Yellow Line 95' they have to complete in less than fifteen days under a burning sun. Celso GARCIA, Mexico 2015 Five solitary men that will acknowledge that there is a thin line between right and wrong; between laughter and crying; between life World Sales Company Latido Films and death. Francesca Perin T. +34 915 488 877 francesca@latidofilms.com Film Market A couple and their teenage son eke out a living on a hilltop, doing the laundry for local hotels, despite the intermittent water supply. Their simple life is overturned by the arrival of a father-and-daughter team of diviner and well-digger, who promise to bring an end to this precarious existence by finding a source on their arid hill. But ultimately, these newcomers quench a thirst that is much stronger than that for mere water. 267 Thirst 90' Svetla TSOTSORKOVA, Bulgaria 2015 World Sales Company Alpha Violet Keiko Funato T. +33 1 4797 3984 info@alphaviolet.com Official Selection There is a B&B where every room is a city of the world. You can choose the room-city you want to go to and you'll live in its time zone. It's a training course for long distance relationships. Apparently. 209 Time Zone Inn 73' Andrea DI IORIO, Italy 2015 Production Company I Film Good Andrea Di Iorio T. +39 328 384 8593 distribution@ifilmgood.com Film Market 111 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 137 To My Beloved 113' Aly MURITIBA, Brazil 2015 World Sales Company Pluto Film Distribution Network Jana Wolff T. +49 302 191 8220 jana@plutofilm.de Film Market After the loss of his wife Ana, Fernando becomes a quiet and introspective man, who raises his son Daniel by himself. Every night, while the boy sleeps, he recalls his love by organizing her personal belongings. One day he watches one of her VHS tapes and finds out that she has been unfaithful. Fernando decides to get to know the man, who ruined the image he had of his beloved wife. Film Market 324 A community of beleaguered goatherds deals with increasing poverty. To the Wolf 74' Christina KOUTSOSPYROU, Aran HUGHES, Greece 2012 World Sales Company Homemade Films Maria Drandaki T. +30 213 041 5200 maria@homemadefilms.gr Crossroads Previous Film 220 Toro 83' Martin HAWIE, Germany 2015 Production Company Aacademy of Media Arts Cologne Ute Dilger T. +49 221 2018 9330 ute.dilger@khm.de Toro, whose real name is Piotr, came to Germany 10 years ago. Since than he has worked as an Escort. Currently he is saving up his money to return home to Poland with his best friend Victor. Toro wants to start from there again as a boxing trainer. Victor has already given up his dreams. His drug addiction drives the sensitive Latino into prostitution. When three small-time criminals are out to get him, Toro and Victor’s manic environment descends into chaos. Their longstanding friendship is put to the test. Film Market 293 Tough Love 89' Rosa VON PRAUNHEIM, Germany 2015 World Sales Company m-appeal Torsten Schulze T. +49 306 150 7505 films@m-appeal.com Film Market 112 A man set to lose it all, former world karate champion Andreas Marquardt and his fictional counterpart recreate a turbulent past, showcasing a childhood rife with sexual abuse, a career as a pimp, and, ultimately, a lengthy jail sentence. Andreas recounts how his early life choices later led him to get treatment, enabling him to begin anew with the one woman who endured all and stayed with him during his darkest days. Today, he runs a karate school for young children, as well as a number of charities campaigning against child abuse, proving that it’s never to late to change. Film Market A man and a woman, together and separately, while the trains keep passing by. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 306 Trains 5' Alexandros SKOURAS, Greece 2013 Production Company Alexandros Skouras T. +30 6938 311 241 askouras81@yahoo.gr Crossroads Previous Film Moving through a world filled with scanners and surveillance algorithms, while frivolously using different social networks, online forms and credit cards, people today give away their privacy voluntarily. A decent citizen has nothing to hide. Only criminals do. 284 Transparency 6' Daniel ŠULJIĆ, Croatia 2015 World Sales Company Zagreb film Sanja Borčić T. +38 514 613 689 sanja.borcic@zagrebfilm.hr Official Selection An ordinary school day for a teenage girl in Istanbul and her encounters with three different men as she goes to school, plays basketball and takes a bus home. 211 Tuesday 12' Ziya DEMIREL, Turkey-France 2015 World Sales Company Origine Films Emilie Dubois T. +33 1 4284 2270 emilie@originefilms.fr Official Selection While on a business trip, Caroline, a French architect, and Jaako, a Finnish DJ, meet in Vilnius, Lithuania and end up spending the night together. But their relationship, though at first a one night stand, takes an unexpected turn when a volcanic ash cloud prevents all flights from taking off. 121 Two Nights Till Morning 88' Mikko KUPARINEN, Finland-Lithuania 2015 World Sales Company Wide / Eye on Films Gaëlle Simonetti T. +33153950464 info@eyeonfilms.org Film Market 113 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 318 Typo 7' Hussen IBRAHEEM, Lebanon 2013 Production Company Hussen Ibraheem T. +96 17 185 5131 hussen.ibraheem@gmail.com Film Market Faced by an impossible choice, a young man discovers he is dead 8 years earlier than his decided time. This divine mistake can only be corrected by one of two ways: either stay in limbo for 8 years and keep himself, or lose his memories and start from scratch back on Earth. This is a story of life and death being put head to head just because of a Typo. Crossroads Previous Film 159 Under Electric Clouds 137' Alexey GERMAN Jr., Russia-Ukraine-Poland 2015 World Sales Company Films Boutique Valeska Neu T. +49 3069537850 valeska@filmsboutique.com Russia 2017. The world could be on the verge of a great war. People are anxious that things could fall apart. Revolving around an unfinished building, a diverse group of outsiders struggle to find their place in this rapidly changing society, making up the mosaic of existence that is life itself… With sophisticated visuals and wit, writerdirector Alexey German Jr. boldy pursues his exploration of Russian culture and politics by reaching deep into the soul of the human spirit. Film Market 189 Ursa Minor 86' Elissavet CHRONOPOULOU, Greece 2015 World Sales Company Greek Film Centre Iliana Zakopoulou T. +30 210 3678 500 iliana.zakopoulou@gfc.gr Ιn a cheap by-the-hour hotel, a man is being arrested while the unconscious body of a woman is being transported to the hospital. In the back seat of the patrol car, on his way to the police station, the man is recalling the last few months. From the day he first met the girl, at the same hotel, until the dramatic end of their relationship, the morning of his arrest. Official Selection 275 Very Big Shot 107' Mir-Jean BOU CHAAYA, Lebanon-Qatar 2015 World Sales Company Be For Films Pamela Leu T. +32 4 898 02 123 pamela@beforfilms.com Official Selection 114 Intending to smuggle the amphetamine Captagon across the border, a small-time Lebanese drug-dealer makes a brilliant discovery and, with the help of an underrated filmmaker, slyly manipulates public opinion. Film Market Tehran. Present day. After the death of his wife and facing the onset of Alzheimer’s, Mr Safari, an eighty-year-old pensioner, decides to visit his son, who lives abroad and cannot return home for security reasons. Sara, a young woman working in a travel agency, is given the task of organizing Mr Safari’s travel arrangements. But then Mr Safari falls in love with Sara, gives up all ideas of traveling and decides, before his memory completely fails, to express his love for Sara at any price, even if it involves murder. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 308 A Very Ordinary Citizen 100' Majid BARZEGAR, Iran-Czech Republic 2015 World Sales Company DreamLab Films Nasrine Médard de Chardon T. +33 493 387 561 nasrine@dreamlabfilms.com Official Selection Fede suffers from morbid obesity and lives confined among four walls. When his brother-in-law Ramón shows him a camera, Fede also wants one. During a trip to the camera shop he meets Paulo, a lonely teenager who loves comic books. The three of them form a friendship that completely changes their lives. 138 Walking Distance 104' Alejandro GUZMAN ALVAREZ, Mexico 2015 World Sales Company Pluto Film Distribution Network Jana Wolff T. +49 30 21 918 220 jana@plutofilm.de Film Market Having left England for a romantic escapade in the South of France, Olivier and James invite Caroline along at the very last minute. The trio arrives in a little Provencal village, somewhat cut off from the world. Though everything seems calm between the pool, sunshine and a village visit, Olivier finds himself more and more intrigued by Caroline. A tension of sexual jealousy and possessiveness will then escalate among the three of them. 118 WASP 72' Philippe AUDI-DOR, UK 2015 World Sales Company Wide / Eye on Films Gaëlle Simonetti T. +33 1 5395 0464 info@eyeonfilms.org Film Market Stelios is the owner of a jazz club in Athens. A few years ago, through the help of his former associate Vassos, Stelios received a business loan from a Romanian gangster in order to renovate his club. In 2010, the recession finds Stelios on the brink of bankruptcy, unable to repay the loan. The Romanian meets with Stelios and gives him one day to come up with a solution. In a vortex of adultery, drug abuse, violence, guilt and self-deceit, Stelios has a few hours left to save his club, salvage his crumbling marriage, battle the mafia loansharks, baptize his employee’s kid and show up at school to pick up his son’s report card like a responsible parent. 204 Wednesday 04:45 116' Alexis ALEXIOU, Greece-Germany-Israel 2015 World Sales Company Loco Films Florencia Gil T. +30 210 641 1992 florencia.gil@loco-films.com Official Selection 115 Agora Industry Manual - 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 142 We Monsters 95' Sebastian KO, Germany 2015 Film Market Paul and Christine know: Their teenager daughter Sarah, thrown off track by their separation, is capable of anything, including killing her best friend. Wanting to protect their daughter they thus decide to hide the crime. Their joint guilt forces the family back together, creating a web of lies and deadly intentions with no way out. World Sales Company Pluto Film Distribution Network Jana Wolff T. +49 30 21 918 220 jana@plutofilm.de Film Market 146 What's Between Us 94' Claudia LORENZ, Switzerland 2015 World Sales Company Film Republic Ines Skrbic T. +44 203 287 9112 ines@filmrepublic.biz Alice and Frank have just moved to a new house in the country with their children, but as their day-to-day life takes its course, Alice notices that Frank is worried about something. He only opens up to her gradually and the more he reveals about himself, the less Alice wants to know about the truth; that he is increasingly attracted to men. Film Market 243 Where There Is Shade 105' Nathan NICHOLOVITCH, France 2015 In Cambodia still haunted by the crimes of the Khmer Rouge, a 45year-old French crossdresser, Mirinda, lives as a prostitute in the backstreets of Phnom Penh. Meeting a young trafficked girl, he gradually discovers the feeling of fatherhood.. Production Company D'un film a l'autre Nathan Nicholovitch T. +33 1 5301 5026 dunfilmalautre@gmail.com Official Selection 236 White People 84' Lisa ASCHAN, Sweden 2015 Production Company Garagefilm International Anna-Maria Kantarius T. +46 8 6844 1300 annamaria@garagefilm.se Official Selection 116 Alex is seized on the street outside the grocery store and taken to an underground prison where people are locked up to await deportation. Viktoria is the director of the facility, and she rules with an iron fist. From the moment Alex arrives, she is determined to escape, no matter the cost. After making her debut with the critically praised She Monkeys, Lisa Aschan is back with White People – a topical film about power and hierarchy. Will you eat or be eaten? Also appearing, alongside Pernilla August and Vera Vitali, are Issaka Sawadogo, Aliette Opheim, Emil Almén, and Bahador Foladi. Film Market The last day of school. They talk about leaving Albania. Six days of the lives of six young people. They believe they have discovered the Viagra of the Balkans, a mosquito whose bite increases sexual potency. A country girl escapes from home and joins the group. A fugitive from the Greek prisons kidnaps the youngsters one by one and ties them to trees. Sexual abuse is sensed. Intrigue, love, hunger, fear, misunderstandings are present in every minute of the story. Queen "Pussquito" bites the fugitive when he’s being arrested by the policemen whom he tries to kiss. 56th Thessaloniki IFF-2015 - Agora Industry Manual 200 Wild Air Drinker 74' Kelmend KARUNI, Albania 2014 Production Company Sirea Film Esmeralda Blaceri T. +35 567 202 9994 leonardbombaj@yahoo.com Film Market At 19, Zenaida has fully experienced the ugly face of the European dream. A victim of women's trafficking, born in Africa and trapped in a European city, she is coerced by her “owners” to work in a brothel as a prostitute. Her life has been gradually reduced to a pathetic meaningless routine and a recurring sequence of drug-induced hallucinations, which, whilst providing an escape from the present, bring back to life nightmares from the past. Parallel images of her life in the poverty of an African slum and the misery of a ruthless European city. 257 Zenaida 66' Alexis TSAFAS, Yannis FOTOU, Greece-Cape Verde 2015 Production Company Criola producoes Alexis Tsafas T. +30 6974 115 187 altsa1@otenet.gr Official Selection Festival Director: Dimitri Eipides General Coordinator: Eleni Rammou AGORA INDUSTRY Coordinator: Marie-Pierre Macia Head of Market: Yianna Sarri Crossroads & Agora WiP Coordinator: Angeliki Vergou Agora Film Market & Agora WiP Coordinator: Denise Andreola Market Assistant: Leonidas Konstantarakos Crossroads: Marie-Pierre Macia, Angeliki Vergou Agora Industry Production: Panagiotis Galios Agora Industry Assistant: Geortina Serpieri Agora Industry Production Assistant: Nikos Bozanis Films Digitization Coordinator: George Nounessis Film Market Technical Assistance: Yannis Kalligatsis Copy editing & translations: Denise Andreola, Geortina Serpieri, Mary Kitroeff Design-Production: Andreas Remountis Acknowledgements Bulgaria: Mira Staleva (Sofia Meetings) France: Jerome Paillard, Julie Bergeron (Cannes Film Festival), Isabelle Fauvel (Initiative Films) Greece: Yorgos Kalogeropoulos, Eleni Kalogeropoulou, Dimitris Emmanouilidis (MFI Script 2 Film Workshops), Pola Bousiou 10 Aristotelous Sq., 54623 Thessaloniki, Greece Τ. +30 2310 378400 F. +30 2310 285759 7, Dion. Areopagitou st., 11742 Athens, Greece Τ. +30 210 8706000 F. +30 210 6448143 info@filmfestival.gr www.filmfestival.gr © 2015, Thessaloniki International Film Festival 117