Black Nights Film Festival Baltic Event: Coproduction Market 2016
The Baltic Event Coproduction Market, taking place since 2005, is the largest coproduction platform in the region of Northern and Central Europe. With a complete overview of the year’s audiovisual production in the region and a range of programs open for feature film projects, Baltic Event is the key production platform to be at in November.
For its 15th edition, Baltic Event selected 14 projects from its traditional roster of new EU territories, Scandinavia and Russia, as well as a project from Georgia in collaboration with EAVE and 2 projects from this year’s focus country, Luxembourg. The Baltic Event Coproduction Market presented these 17 projects from November 22 to 24, 2016 to international coproducers and buyers at more than 500 one-to-one meetings during the 20th jubilee edition of the Black Nights Film Festival.
The Baltic Event team was satisfied by the exceptionally high quality of the record number of this year’s submissions, the resultant slate reflecting the topics and emotions current in Europe and society today. In that sense, a number of projects revolve around the particularly sensitive issue of immigration and controversies surrounding politics and religion, while many stories simply deal with the isolation and loneliness of a person in this ever-globalizing world. Nevertheless, many filmmakers opt to approach their works with humor, thus lending some lightness to the otherwise somber topics.
As always, Baltic Event aims to find balance between seasoned, award-winning directors — Vinko Bresan (“The Priest’s Children”) from Croatia, Martti Helde (“In the Crosswind”) from Estonia, Tinatin Kajrishvili (“Brides”) from Georgia, Simo Halinen (“Open Up to Me”) and Juha Wuolijoki (“Christmas Story”) from Finland, Laila Pakalnina (“Dawn”/ “Ausma”) from Latvia, Wojtek Smarzowski (“The Wedding”) and Dariusz Gajewski (“Warsaw”) from Poland, Andrei Gruzsniczki (“The Escape”) from Romania and Karzan Kader (“Bekas”) from Sweden — and up-and-coming talents — Zdeněk Viktora from the Czech Republic, Tomas Smulkis (“Paradise Road”) from Lithuania, Vicki Thornton and Chris Neuman from Luxembourg, Magnus Meyer Arnesen (“Sing Me To Sleep”) from Norway, Maxim Dashkin from Russia and Maria Eriksson from Sweden).
This year’s Baltic Event Coproduction Market selection was as follows:
- As I Fall, producer Gyda Velvin Myklebust, DNF Masters, Norway, director Magnus Meyer Arnesen
- Citizen Saint, producer Lasha Khalvashi, Artizm, Georgia, director Tinatin Kajrishvili (in collaboration with EAVE — European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs)
- The Clergy, producer Jacek Rzehak, Profil Film, Poland, director Wojtek Smarzowski
- East of Sweden, producer Liisa Penttilä-Asikainen, Kaiho Republic, Finland, director Simo Halinen
- Emil, producer Oana Giurgiu, Hai Hui Entertainment, Romania, director Andrei Gruzsniczki
- Far Frontiers, producer Anna von Dziembowska, Victoria Films, Russia, director Maxim Dashkin
- Fear Eats the Soul, producer Emma Åkesdotter Ronge, Anagram Film & TV, Sweden, director Maria Eriksson
- Ibracadabra, producer Peter Krupenin, Hob AB, Sweden, director Karzan Kader
- Insect Night, producer Laila Pakalnina, Hargla Company, Latvia, director Laila Pakalnina
- Miss Hanoi, producer Zdeněk Viktora, Screenplay By s.r.o., Czech Republic, director Zdeněk Viktora
- People We Know Are Confused, producer Dagne Vildziunaite, Just A Moment, Lithuania, director Tomas Smulkis
- Scandinavian Silence, producer Elina Litvinova, Three Brothers, Estonia, director Martti Helde
- Trust, producer Kuba Kosma, Takfilm sp. z o.o., Poland, director Dariusz Gajewskie
- Vinski and the Invisibility Powder, producer Juha Wuolijoki, Snapper Films Oy, Finland, director Juha Wuolijoki
- What a Country!, producer Ivan Maloča, Interfilm, Croatia, director Vinko Bresan
- (N)ostalgia, producer Marion Guth, a_BAHN, Luxembourg, director Vicki Thornton
- Skin Walker, producer Jesus Gonzalez, Calach Films, Luxembourg, director Chris Neuman
The Eurimages Coproduction Development Award worth 20,000 went to Citizen Saint by Tinatin Kajrishvili.
According to the jury, who was impressed by the wide universal appeal of this locally rooted story, “this black comedy tackles social and political issues at a time when populism is on the rise in Europe and elsewhere, making us question our individual responsibility in regards to this social phenomenon.” The jury members are convinced that “this emerging and talented director will deliver a film that has the potential to reach a wide audience.”
The Screen International Best Pitch Award, offering coverage of the life-cycle of the film went to Vicki Thornton’s (N)ostalgia.
In addition, the two producers who received the Cannes Marché du Film Producers’ Network Award for Promising Young Producer with free accreditations to next year’s edition were Emma Åkesdotter Ronge and Kuba Kosma.
The jury of this year’s Baltic Event Coproduction Market consisted of the Head of Production and Development of the National Film Centre of Latvia, Uldis Dimiševskis (Latvia), the Executive Producer of TV4/Bonnier Broadcasting, Suzanne Glansborg (Sweden) and the CEO/Producer of unafilm, Titus Kreyenberg (Germany).
Moreover, in other sections, Baltic Event highlighted 8 Baltic and Nordic projects in the Script & Pitch Workshop — POWR Baltic Stories Exchange with the following line-up for this year:
- Audnvin by Inger Dietrichs (Norway)
- Children of Strauss by Carita Forsgren (Finland)
- Deleted Scenes by Paula Korva (Finland)
- For Anna by Toke Westman Steensen (Denmark)
- A Gift from the Moon by Ramin Pourmand (Estonia)
- Good-Bye Soviet Union by Lauri Randla (Estonia)
- The Hood by Andrius Lekavicius (Lithuania)
- Scenes from a Dying Town by Kaisa El Ramly (Finland)
Baltic Event is supported by the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, Eurimages, a Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Estonian Film Institute, the Lithuanian Film Center, the National Film Centre of Latvia, the Finnish Film Foundation, Film Fund Luxembourg, Film Commission Poland, the Swedish Institute, the Embassy of Sweden in Estonia, FilmVäst, the Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Nordic Hotel Forum, Tallink Hotels, EAVE, the Cannes Marché du Film Producers’ Network, the Torino Film Lab, Screen International, Film New Europe, Orbital Vox Studios and Apollo Music.
