KVIFF Eastern Promises Awards 2020
KVIFF Eastern Promises, the festival's Industry section, has the exciting mission of being a bridge between talented filmmakers and their potential partners, festivals and audiences. This year, a total of 41 film projects were screened on the 5 platforms dedicated to feature films, documentaries and new cinematographic forms in development.
Works in Progress TRT Award
Jury:
Gabor Greiner, COO, Films Boutique Faruk Güven, Head of Co-Productions, Turkish Radio and TV Corporation
Vanja Kaludjerčić, Festival Director, IFF Rotterdam
In this years' Works in Progress, eight projects from countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, and North Africa were presented. Additional eight Works in Progress projects were introduced thanks to the First Cut+ program, showcasing projects that previously participated in First Cut Lab programs. The jury chose the film Wild Roots (Hungary, Slovak Republic) directed by Hajni Kis and produced by Júlia Berkes and Balázs Zachar as the winning project. A cash prize of 10.000 EUR from TRT will be given to the project.
Jury statement:
The award goes to a visually compelling debut feature, which displays a distinct directing style and promising talent. Showing skilful ability to engage both professional and non-professional actors, the director delivers a profoundly moving and intriguing story.
Works in Progress Post-production Development Award
Jury: Ivo Marák, Head of Film & TV Services Department, UPP Karel Och, Artistic Director, Karlovy Vary IFF Michaela Patríková, Sound Designer, Soundsquare
The jury chose the film The Alleys (Jordan, Qatar, France, Saudi Arabia) directed by Bassel Ghandour and produced by Rula Nasser. The award consists of post-production services in UPP and Soundsquare.
Jury statement:
The jury has unanimously decided to give the Post-production Development Award to The Alleys by Bassel Ghandour for an exciting promise of a captivating tale in which the writer-director uses genre film elements to deliver an intriguing look into a society driven by violence.
Docs in Progress Award
Jury: Salma Abdalla, Managing Director, Autlook Filmsales
Rada Šešić, Festival Programmer, Film Lecturer, Filmmaker Charlotte Cook, Co-Founder and Executive Producer, Field of Vision
The jury saw the selection of 8 documentaries from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North Africa. The Docs in Progress Award went to the project The Lines (Slovak Republic), directed by Barbora Sliepková and produced by Barbara Janišová Feglová, along with a cash prize in the amount of 5.000 EUR.
Jury statement:
With a symphonic approach to location, character and aesthetic, and with highly skilful and cinematic and artistic choices, the jury were struck by this strong debut that demonstrates an amazing new filmmaking talent. The jury are awarding the prize to The Lines by Barbora Sliepková.
Works in Development - Feature Launch Awards
KVIFF & MIDPOINT Development Award Jury: Joseph Fahim, Film Critic, International Consultant, Karlovy Vary IFF
Danijel Hočevar, Producer, Head of Studies at MIDPOINT Feature Launch Alessandra Pastore, Founder and Manager of LAND-Local, Industry Coordinator at When East Meets West
On this award, KVIFF has partnered with the Midpoint script and project development program as well as When East Meets West co-production market and Trieste Film Festival. Together they showcased nine projects from Central and Eastern Europe that have gone through development within the Feature Launch 2020 program. The jury decided to award the 10.000 EUR cash prize for further development to Usud (Serbia) directed by Stefan Malešević and produced by Andrijana Sofranić Šućur.
Jury statement:
The KVIFF & MIDPOINT Development Award goes to an ambitious project of formal and thematic uniqueness; a comic philosophical meditation on destiny, choice, and the burden of being a human in an indifferent world. Brilliant in its conception and precise in its structuring, this highly ambitious project ventures into fresh, untreaded waters in the increasingly obvious cinema of the present.
Special Mention went to Sara's Bungalow (Poland) directed by Julia Rogowska, produced by Krystyna Kantor and written by Małgorzata Piłacińska.
Jury statement:
This dystopian sci-fi romance is the kind of smart, urgent genre picture we seldom see in the region, and we're confident that the team in charge will deliver an exceptional film that will soon be the talk of the festival world.
Connecting Cottbus Award
The jury consisting of Marjorie Bendeck and Katharina Stumm awarded the film Vacuum (Ukraine), directed and written by Yelizaveta Smith and produced by Aleksandra Kostina.
Jury statement:
Out of a once again incredibly strong selection at Midpoint Feature Launch, we have decided to invite Vacuum from Ukraine to present their project at Connecting Cottbus in November, acknowledging its international potential. Underlined by a visual concept both haunting and reflective, Vacuum suggests that we can discover a missing person's identity in the empty spaces they left behind - and what better medium to pursue this in than cinema.
Rotterdam Lab Award
The jury consisting of Alessia Acone and Mirjam Klootwijk awarded Andrijana Sofranić Šućur, the producer of the film Usud (Serbia).
Jury statement:
Despite the challenges that all these talented professionals are currently dealing with, the presentations of all the projects were very inspiring and our one-on-one meetings were truly engaging. Andrijana, as a strong emerging talent, is the selected producer for the next edition of Rotterdam Lab 2021. She impressed us with her personal drive towards the project, her engagement in an upcoming creative team, and her strong desire to extend her international network.
Eurimages Lab Project Award
Jury: Els Hendrix, Representative of Eurimages Mark Peranson, Head of Programming, Berlinale
Adina Pintilie, Filmmaker, Visual Artist and Curator
Eight projects in production or post-production stage, each transgressing the borders of traditional filmmaking were showcased during this year's Eurimages Lab Project. The prize in the value of 50.000 EUR went to the winning project Atlantide (Italy, France), directed by Yuri Ancarani and produced by Marco Alessi.
Jury statement:
The Eurimages Lab Project Award goes to a project which brings an unsettling yet fascinating vision of a dying world.
Using the metaphor of Atlantis, the director's singular gaze brilliantly synchronises the perspective of teenagers with the sad perspective of a vanishing city. Nevertheless, like contemporary Noah's arks, the motorboats race across the Venetian lagoon, driven by the energy of youth, in a life-affirming view of a possible future.
More information on the awarded projects:
Wild Roots
Countries: Hungary, Slovak Republic
Directed by: Hajni Kis
Scriptwriter: Fanni Szántó, Hajni Kis
Producer: Júlia Berkes, Balázs Zachar
Camera: Ákos Nyoszoli
Music: Oleg Borsos
Cast: Gusztáv Dietz, Zorka Horváth, Éva Füsti Molnár
Runtime: 98 min
Film synopsis
Ex-con Tibor’s brute force and savage temper serve him well in his work as a club bouncer, but less so in life. In financial straits and estranged from nearly everyone, Tibor hasn’t seen his wild child daughter Niki in seven years. Twelve-year-old Niki lives with her grandparents, and like Tibor, she can’t be kept under control. When Niki finds out that Tibor has been released from prison and is working at a local nightclub, she decides to go after him despite her grandparents’ strictest warnings. This unexpected reunion may be Tibor’s last chance to face his dark past, let the light into his life and face up to the responsibility of becoming a real father
The Alleys
Countries: Jordan, Qatar, France, Saudi Arabia
Directed by: Bassel Ghandour
Scriptwriter: Bassel Ghandour
Producer: Rula Nasser
Camera: Justin Hamilton
Music: Nasser Sharaf
Cast: Emad Muhtaseb, Maisa Abdul Hadi, Monther Rayahneh
Runtime: 113 min
Film Synopsis
The Alleys tells the story of a gossip-ridden, violent neighbourhood. At its heart is a charming hustler pretending to be a white-collar career man. He is secretly involved in a relationship with an innocent and playful young lady, but their romance is caught on camera by an extortionist and the embarrassing video is sent to her mother. Hoping to avoid public embarrassment, the mother discreetly convinces a gangster to put a stop to it all… but things don’t go according to plan and all of their lives collide not just with each other, but with others in the neighbourhood.
Atlantide
Countries: Italy, France
Directed by: Yuri Ancarani
Scriptwriter: Yuri Ancarani
Producer: Marco Alessi
Camera: Yuri Ancarani
Music: Lorenzo Senni
Runtime: 85 min
Film Synopsis
Venice: a city of gondolas, canals and inexorably sinking palaces, where tourists come and locals go. There is a parallel world here where teenagers pimp out their motorboats, customizing them with dazzling LED lights and powerful stereo systems and souping up their engines to a stunning horsepower so they can race across the Lagoon and live out their adolescence freely. And after the usual party on a deserted island, here they are, challenging each other in dangerous illegal races to win girls’ hearts, without lights to avoid the police, pointing their bows and wildly heading towards the Serenissima. Daniele, Luca, Alberto, our main characters, will drive us into their summer made by dreams and nightmares of a generation running at full speed.
The Lines
Country: Slovak Republic
Directed by: Barbora Sliepková
Scriptwriter: Barbora Sliepková
Producer: Barbara Janišová Feglová
Camera: Maxim Kľujev, Michal Fulier
Music: Jonatán Pastirčák
Runtime: 80 min
Film synopsis
Bratislava is a city of thick lines. A post-socialist metropolis, it is defined by the stereotypes and doctrines of its inhabitants. We are part of an on-going and everyday search for the right rhythm in an intimate and public setting. This urban essay about the loneliness of a city dweller is visually inspired by Slovak conceptual art and photography.
Usud
Country: Serbia
Directed by: Stefan Malešević
Scriptwriter: Stefan Malešević
Producer: Andrijana Sofranić Šućur
Film synopsis
In a Slavic pagan village, two brothers – the hard-working Mladen and lazy Radovan – inherit a farm after their parents die. Mladen’s frustration with his brother’s relaxed attitude leads to the division of the estate, after which Mladen’s luck takes a turn for the worse: grains don’t grow, fruit rots, animals die and the troubles don’t subside despite his diligence. When everything fails, he sets out to find the reason behind his misfortune, starting a long and adventurous journey to Usud, the god responsible for assigning destinies to people. It turns out that Usud has no real power or knowledge, but simply assigns destinies based on a predetermined set of rules. Mladen returns to his village broken, but wiser, trying to reconcile with his brother and unite the family property again.
