Projects
Projects
Lesvia, the herstory of Eressos
Category: Thessaloniki Goes to Cannes
Directed by: Tzeli Hadjidimitriou
Produced by: Tzeli Hadjidimitriou, Anemos Dimiourgias, with the support of the Region of North Aegean, developed with the support of Onassis Culture
Country of Production: Greece
Original Title: Λesvia, the herstory of Eressos
Genre: Documentary
Language: Greek, English, Italian, French
Runtime: 80min
Completed in: 2023
Birthplace of the Archaic Greek poet Sappho, Eressos, decorates its squares with statues of her, a lesbian. This affirmation has marked the island of Lesbos as a meeting point for the international lesbian community. What does this place actually mean to them and how do the locals perceive them?
Demons
Category: Tallinn Black Nights Goes to Cannes
Directed by: Natalka Vorozhbyt
Produced by: Dmytro Minzianov (Kristi Film) Denis Ivanov (Arthouse Traffic)
Country of Production: Ukraine
Original Title: Демони
Genre: Feature film
Language: Ukrainian
Runtime: 105min
Completed in: May 2023
Slavik, a homeless man from Russia, finds himself in Gogol’s places near Sorochyntsi. In order to survive the winter, he becomes friends with Ninka, an older woman. However, he underestimates the scale of her personality and the peculiarities of the region that overwhelm the uninvited guest.
Lollipop
Directed by: Lisa Marie Russo
Produced by: Kate Ogborn (Fly Film), Vicki Rock (Enter Yes)
Country of Production: UK - Ireland
Original Title: Lollipop
Language: English
Runtime: 85min
Completed in: 2024
Lollipop (the sweet sounding name of a mastectomy scar) explores the creator’s surreal odyssey of tackling breast cancer. Twice. Her avatar, Eva, slips into youthful memories of seaside attractions and sunshine, which morph into something dark and corporeal as she juggles family life and illness.
Original Title: মশারি
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Language: English, Bengali, Hindi
SXSW South by Southwest Film Festival
When blood thirsty creatures have taken over the world, the only survivors are in South Asia: two sisters are forced inside a mosquito net (moshari) just to survive – but first they must survive each other.
Alex Honnold: The Soloist VR
Genre: Adventure, Documentary, Sports
Produced by: Jonathan Griffith Productions
Directed by: Jonathan Griffith
Original Title: Alex Honnold : The Soloist VR
Lead Artist: Jonathan Griffith
Runtime: 2x 30 minutes
Language: English
Completed in: 2022
Synopsis:
A gripping two part series following Alex Honnold around his stomping grounds in the US before taking you to the high mountains of the European Alps. Alex Honnold: The Soloist VR is a ground-breaking VR production using the latest in high resolution 3D 360° capture in some of the most remote and wildest locations possible. From the director and Producer of Everest VR : Journey to the Top of the World , this experience brings you right by Alex’s side as he solos thousands of feet above the ground. In Episode 1 of Alex Honnold: The Soloist VR, viewers begin by getting to know Honnold, before following him to Yosemite National Park, home of the famed El Capitan, and Red Rocks. Viewers are then brought to Europe where Honnold teams up with Swiss climber and Red Bull athlete Nicolas Hojac to tackle some of the toughest climbs in the Dolomites.
Director’s statement:
The film is the result of two years of meticulous planning and crafting. What really sets it apart aside the visuals is the narrative. Leaning on the strenghts of VR we striped the entire experience down to the bare bones; you will find yourself fully immersed in a live action adventure- there is no voice over, and only minimal music. The end result is a far more intense and immersive experience because of it.
Origin: UK
Devices: HTC Vive series/Ocolus Rift series/Quest
Platform: VeeR, Alexandria
Caiti Blues
Original Title: Caiti Blues
Directed by: Justine Harbonnier
Produced by: Nellie Carrier (Cinquième maison, Canada), Julie Paratian (Sister Productions, France)
Country of Production: Canada, France
Runtime: 70'
Expected Release: November, 2022
Production Stage: Post Production
Budget: $264 127 (63% in place)
1st Feature: Yes
Looking for: Gap financing, festivals, sales agents
Synopsis:
Caiti Blues portrays the daily life of a 30 year old singer, Caiti Lord, and the locals of Madrid, US, an ancien ghost town transformed in a landmark for hippies and marginal people. Through Caiti’s life and artistic practice, this film explores more universal struggles such as self-acceptance, the burden of social norms and the ideological challenges of her generation in the US current political landscape.
Director’s profile:
After getting a Master’s degree in comparative literature, Justine directed her first short film, Angèle. Distributed by Spira (Canada), the film had its world premiere at the MoMA in New York. All while directing experimentals projects – including the video poem Waste Land, which was distributed by La Maison de la poésie in Montreal – Justine participated in documentary development for production companies. Her second short film, Andrew Keegan is Moving was screened in various film festivals (FID Marseille, RIDM, DOXA). Justine is currently developing her first feature Caiti Blues, with Sister productions (France) and Cinquième Maison (Québec).
Producers’s profile:
Nellie Carrier produced in 2016 her first feature, Sashinka by Kristina Wagenbauer, (FNC, Seattle int. film fest., Canadian Screen awards 2019). In 2017, She co-created Cinquième maison and produced the same year the short films Girlfriends (TIFF 2018) and Looking for strong woman (best director Rhode Island festival, best short film Berlin film fest. and Big water fest.). She co-produced in 2019 the short film As prings comes by Marie-Ève Juste (TIFF, FNC 2020) and Miryam Charles’ first feature This house as line producer (Berlinale – forum, Hot Docs 2022), both with Embuscade films. She is currently co-producing the documentary Caiti Blues (copro France-Canada), by Justine Harbonnier and the short films Ghislaine (Franie-Éléonore Bernier), and Nuit blonde (Gabrielle Demers). She is developing short and features, including fiction feature Querelle de Roberval by Gabrielle Demers.
Dark Child
Original Title: Dark Child
Directed by: Ursula Williams
Produced by: Alexander Behse (Monsoon Pictures International, New Zealand)
Country of Production: New Zealand
Runtime: 90'
Expected Release: Januray, 2024
Production Stage: Shooting
Budget: $1M USD (100% in place)
1st Feature: Yes
Looking for: Sales Agents
Synopsis:
Eminent household star Marlon Williams is pissing off his publicist by choosing to write and record his next album in the indigenous language of New Zealand, te reo Māori. This feature music documentary secures a years unvarnished access to a rising star from the bottom of the globe on his journey to international fame. Dark Child, befitting the laid back personality of its subject, will never take itself too seriously and it will never forget that, at heart, it is a story of joyful self discovery and reclamation; on that journey, we witness Marlon connecting the threads of self. This, of course, is always something to celebrate.
Director’s profile:
Ursula has a knack for telling intimate stories. As Head of Production for VICE New Zealand she produced and directed a number of award-winning documentaries. Her most recently awarded documentary, Deportees of Tonga: Gangsters in Paradise, has so far been viewed by over eleven million people worldwide and was awarded Best Feature Video at the 2021 Voyager Media Awards. The Zealandia series, which Ursula produced and directed, has been picked up by networks all over the globe and viewed collectively by nearly twenty five million people. Since VICE, Ursula has directed the six part series Milk and Money on the New Zealand dairy industry which was picked up by The Guardian.
Producers’s profile:
German born Alexander Behse has been in the Pacific for over two decades and swiftly established himself as one of NZ’s most respected film and television producers. Landmark productions include, the top 3 NZ feature documentaries of all time POI-E: The Story of our Song (Sony Pictures); the Hulu released and globally sold Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web; My Year with Helen about former PM Helen Clark (EP) and NZ’s first HBOmax Original: There is no I in Threesome.
Lagoons: Battle for Paradise
Original Title: Лимани. Бій за Рай
Directed by: Serhii Lysenko
Produced by: Anna Kapustina (Albatros Communicos, Ukraine), Oleksandra Kravchenko (Ukraine)
Country of Production: Ukraine
Runtime: 75'
Expected Release: October, 2023 (date is subject to change due to the war of Russia in Ukraine)
Production Stage: Post Production
Budget: €198,300 (80% in place)
1st Feature: No
Looking for: Festivals, sales agents / distributors, buyers, gap financing, strategic guidance
Synopsis:
During one year, the wheel of wildlife at Tuzly Lagoons Nature Park in Ukraine comes full circle, as people who want to live as a part of Nature, fight those who only want to use it. Heavenly landscapes inhabited by rare animals and birds become a stronghold for the dangerous struggle of Ivan and Iryna, the two park managers and activists, against the poachers, illegal developers and corrupted politicians.
Director’s profile:
Serhiy Lysenko studied film directing at the Kyiv University of Theatre, Cinema, and Television. From 2005 until 2011 he worked as a director and screenwriter of television films. In 2012, he founded his own company and began making documentary films. At present, he works as a filmmaker and film editor. Currently based in Kyiv, filming for the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the frontline of the Russian war against Ukraine.
Producer’s profile:
Anna Kapustina is a producer based in Ukraine and the founder of the production company ALBATROS COMMUNICOS. In 2003 – 2014 had been producing commercials, TV programs and reality-shows. Since 2014 is a producer of the Ukrainian film community #BABYLON`13. Selected participant at IDFAcademy Summer School, Dok.Incubator and B2BDoc. Her latest film The Earth Is Blue As An Orange won The Best Director Award at the Sundance FF.
Born in Kherson, Ukraine in 1983. Since 2011, Oleksandra Kravchenko has worked in the film industry: as a communications director (Odesa International Film Festival, Arthouse Traffic film distribution company), executive marketing manager (Animagrad animation studio / FILM.UA Group), and independent producer (ESSE Production House, DGTL RLGN, Albatros Communicos, Moon Man).
Clout Chasers – like, follow and love me!
Original Title: Clout Chasers
Directed by: Anna-Maija Heinonen & Krista Moisio
Produced by: Oskar Forstén ( Polygraf, Finland)
Country of Production: Finland
Runtime: 80',58'
Expected Release: January, 2024
Production Stage: Production
Budget: € 414,000 (76% in place)
1st Feature: Yes
Looking for: Buyers, Co-producers, distributors and strategic guidance in the international market place
Synopsis:
Twenty-year-old Atte has gotten the attention of forty thousand online followers by branding himself as a funny and laid-back “party guy”, who discusses topics on drug abuse with his followers. One morning he wakes up in a pre-trial detention center and starts to question his need to be admired and the cost of online stardom. At the same time, eighteen-year-old Jonsu starts cutting Atte out of her life.
Director’s profile:
Anna-Maija Heinonen (born in 1993) is a Helsinki-based filmmaker. Since graduating from film school in 2016, she has been exploring topics regarding youth, taboos and underground phenomenons. She’s interested in stories that portray the ambivalence of human experience in modern times. In her first upcoming feature documentary, Clout Chasers, she and co-director Krista Moisio explore the use of social media and self-branding as a tool for self-discovery and approval in Gen Z. Upon discovering the film’s topic and protagonist, she knew instantly that this is the project she wants to devote her time, passion and heart to. In her spare time she is developing her screenwriting and editing skills.
Co-Director’s profile:
Krista Moisio (born in 1992) has a sharp eye and a beating heart for subcultures and phenomenons trending among teens. She has a deep-rooted need for understanding different kinds of people, and loves to develop her understanding by spending a lot of time on online forums and social media. This spare time hobby paid off when she discovered the clout phenomenon on Jodel (Finland’s most popular communication platform) in 2020. In her first feature documentary she wants to help people understand what Gen Z is all about. Finnish teens have felt neglected in the public eye, it seems like nobody truly understands their needs. The film Clout Chasers tells their story. Clout chasing isn’t just about fame or impact on social media, it’s a modern way to be accepted by others.
Producers’s profile:
Oskar Forstén was born in Helsinki in February 1981. He studied all aspects of filmmaking in a wide range of schools between the years 1998 and 2009 in Finland, Sweden and the UK. He founded the production company ”4KRS Films » together with Arthur Franck back in 2007 for the love of creative documentaries. During the past 10+ years the name of the company has changed regularly (now Polygraf), but the objective is still the same: to produce engaging documentary content. As a producer Oskar focuses on non-fiction projects with a strong visual and narrative approach. He’s looking for stories with a universal appeal and his films have been competing and screened at festivals around the world. Oskar lives in Helsinki with his small family of three. When not working, he spends his time in the Finnish archipelago and Scandinavian mountains.
Donkey Boys
Original Title: فتية الحمير
Directed by: Ahmad Al-Bazz
Produced by: Ameen Nayfeh (Odeh Films, Palestine), Paul Cadieux (Megafun Productions Inc, Canada)
Country of Production: Palestine, Canada
Runtime: 70'
Expected Release: Late 2022
Production Stage: Post Production
Budget: € 250,000 (50% in place)
1st Feature: Yes
Looking for: Festivals, buyers
Synopsis:
Donkey Boys is a humorous, intimate look at daily life in the West Bank, seen through the eyes of a young activist and veterinary student. Mounes and his friends are on a mission to create the greatest donkey tour Palestine has ever seen. It’s a terrible business idea and destined for failure, but, like their stubborn donkeys, our heroes defiantly persevere in the face of economic and political obstacles.
Director’s profile:
Ahmad Al-Bazz, born in 1993, is a multi-award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker based in the West Bank city of Nablus, Palestine. Ahmad holds an MA degree in Film and Television Studies and Creative Practice from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom (2018), and a BA degree in Media and Mass Communication from An-Najah National University in Palestine (2014). Since 2012, Ahmad has been a member of the Activestills documentary photography collective.
Producers’s profile:
Born in Palestine in 1988. Despite an early interest in filmmaking, in 2010 he earned his B.Sc. in Nursing from Al-Quds University. Two years later, he earned an MFA in film production from the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in Jordan with the goal of being able to tell authentic stories from his region. Beside writing and directing award winning short films, in 2020 Ameen Finished his first feature narrative 200 Meters starring Ali Suliman. Which premiered in the 77th Venice Film Festival and won the BNL people’s Choice Award at the Venice Days competition. The film was also Jordan’s official submission to the Oscars 2021. So far the film had won a total of 20 international film awards.