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    Azerbaijan

  • Citizen Saint

    Georgia

  • Girlie

    Angola

  • Saint Unknown

    Morocco

  • The Fever

    Brazil

  • A Wrong Season

    Philippines

  • Yalda

    Iran

  • Dirty River

    Costa Rica

  • The Other Half of the African Sky

    Zimbabwe

  • Amal

    Egypt

  • Imam Hasanov

    Director

    Imam Hasanov is a young filmmaker from Baku, Azerbaijan. For many years, he directed television dramas. His first feature film, Holy Cow, premiered in the First Appearance Competition at IDFA in 2015. Imam is an active member of Baku’s underground scene and founded Azerbaijan’s first independent theatre. He has participated in the Sarajevo and Berlinale Talents.

    SYNOPSIS

    A son is reluctant to follow ancient death rites.

    Deep in the Caucasus Mountains, no one dares to disobey the ancient customs. To free their parents souls, children must abandon them at the mercy of vultures to be devoured. Sahran, the village’s teacher, disallows this funeral rite.

    Free Art

    PRODUCTION

    Imam Hasanov founded the independent production company Free Art in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2011. The company produced music videos and television commercials before working on Hasanov’s documentary, The Virgin’s Happiness or the Invisible Side, in 2012. In 2015, Free Art co-produced the documentary Holy Cow, which premiered at IDFA’s First Appearance Competition. Free Art supports author-driven, art house films, as well as creative documentaries with local impact and global relevance.

    CONSET Production (Romania)

    Fiction / 100 minutes / colour / HDCAM

    Azerbaijan
    Produced by

    Imam Hasanov – Free Art (Azerbaijan) Andra Popescu – Conset Production (Romania)

    Shooting locations

    Azerbaijan

    Estimated budget

    390.000 €

    Funding in place

    40 000 €

    Research partners

    France, Germany, Norway

    Actual status

    In development (first draft of the script)

    Contact

    Director

    Imam Hasanov Imam.gasan@gmail.com - Phone : +994503759959 / +33 614524868 (Cannes)

    Producer

    FREE ART (Azerbaijan) Imam Hasanov +994 503759959 Baku, Azerbaïdjan imam.gasan@gmail.com CONSET Production (Romania) Andra Popescu contact@consetfilm.com www.consetfilm.com

  • Tinatin Kajrishvili

    Director

    Tinatin Kajrishvili was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 1978. In 2001, she graduated from Georgia’s state theatre and film university as a qualified film director. In 2014, her first feature film Brides premiered and was awarded at the Berlin International Film Festival.

    SYNOPSIS

    There is no place for saints in today’s society.

    One day, the statue of a crucified saint comes to life. None of the investigators, government officials or locals know what to do with him. The Saint is accused of damaging artwork, ruining the city’s only tourist attraction and being a swindler. Everyone agrees: a saint’s place is on the cross. After interminable discussions, they put him back on his cross and crucify him again. Mary, an employee in a the city’s local museum, wants to protect him.

    ARTIZM

    PRODUCTION

    The production company Artizm was founded in 2013 by Lasha Khalvashi. It became specialized in first films and documentaries and produced among others the short films Guest, and Waiting for Anna in 2016, in coproduction 
with France.

    Fiction / 100 minutes / colour / digital

    Georgian
    Produced by

    Lasha Khalvashi – Artizm (Georgia)

    Shooting locations

    Chiatura (Georgia)

    Estimated budget

    800.000 €

    Funding in place

    120.000 € (Georgian National Film Center’s development grant...)

    Research partners

    Co-producers, sales agents and distributors (France, Germany, Poland, Spain and Norway)

    Actual status

    In development (second draft of the script)

    Contact

    Director

    Tinatin Kajrishvili t.kajrishvili@gmail.com - Phone : +995597202550 / +33 614864954 (Cannes)

    Producer

    Artizm - Lasha Khalvashi - lashafilm@gmail.com - studioartizm@gmail.com - Phone: +995595926206 / Cannes : +33 621660423 - 33 Lado Asatiani Street, Tbilisi, 0105 Georgia

  • Pocas Pascoal

    Director

    Pocas Pascoal is Angola’s first camerawoman. She studied cinema in Paris before directing several documentaries and short films. Since 2002, she has participated in a number of contemporary art exhibitions. In 2012, she made her first feature film Alda and Maria, winning seven film festival awards.

    SYNOPSIS

    This film explores emotions and the environment, showing one parent’s capacity to deprive the other
of their child and a child’s inability to choose between his parents.

    Ema (6) lives with her father, a musician, in Lisbon. One day, during an authorised visit, her mother kidnaps her and takes her back to her home country, Cape Verde. Ema’s father attempts to find them, but her mother keeps running away. As Ema travels closer to the country’s heartland, she must face the solitude and mysteries of this new world.

    Omboko

    PRODUCTION

    In 2008, Pocas Pascoal created her own company to produce films and visual arts projects. This company has allowed her to produce her own work: with Omboko, Pocas Pascoal has already directed and produced three films, including the feature Alda and Maria.

    Fiction / 90 minutes / colour / CinemaScope

    Portuguese
    Produced by

    Pocas Pascoal - Omboko (Angola) and Pandora Da Cunha Teles - Ukbar filmes (Portugal)

    Shooting locations

    Lisbon and Santo Antão, Cape Verde

    Estimated budget

    1.300.000 €

    Funding in place

    102,000euros (Omboko, Ukbar Filmes)

    Research partners

    Co-producers, sales agents and international funds (France, Germany and Scandinavia)

    Actual status

    In development (funding)

    Contact

    Director

    Pocas Pascoal
    pocas.pascoal@gmail.com
    +351 912 419 983 Portugal
    +33 751 246 068 Cannes

    Producer

    Omboko
    Pocas Pascoal
    +351 912 419 983 pocaspascoal@gmail.com
    +33 7 51 24 60 68 (Cannes)

  • Alaa Eddine Aljem

    Director

    Alaa studied film at ESAV in Morocco and INSAS in Brussels. His films have been selected for festivals around the world, winning several awards. His most recent short film, The Desert Fish, won the critics’, screen-writing and grand prizes at the Moroccan National Film Festival. His first feature film project, Saint Inconnu, featured in the Open Doors section at Locarno Film Festival.

    SYNOPSIS

    A whole village worships by mistake a devilishly large sum of money. The mausoleum reveals the absence
of spirituality and the influence of local traditions.

    Amine, a thief who has stolen a large sum of money, escapes into the hills with the police hot on his heels. He buries the cash, hiding it under a makeshift tomb, before being arrested. Ten years later, he is released from prison and sets off in search of his money. Meanwhile, a shrine has been built where he buried it to honour an unknown saint.

    Le Moindre Geste production

    PRODUCTION

    Le Moindre Geste is an independent production company founded by Francesca Duca and Alaa Eddine Aljem in Casablanca in January 2012. The company aims to support young filmmakers throughout the production process by building strong relationships between directors and producers. Le Moindre Geste does not set themes, but is open to authors’ artistic approaches.

    Fiction / 80 minutes / colour / HD

    Arabic / Moroccan dialect
    Produced by

    Francesca Duca – Le Moindre Geste (Morocco)

    Shooting locations

    Morocco

    Estimated budget

    754.645 €

    Funding in place

    92.748 € (ICAM Open Doors Grant...)

    Research partners

    Co-producers outside Morocco (preferably French or German), television broadcasters, distributors in all countries, sales agents and international funds

    Actual status

    In development (third version of the script)

    Contact

    Director

    Alaa Eddine Aljem Alaa.e.aljem@gmail.com - Phone : 00212 656343075 / +33 627424822 (Cannes)

    Producer

    Le Moindre Geste production Francesca Duca 214 BD IBNOU SINA 20210 Casablanca - Phone : 00212 6 45429087 / +33 627424822 (cannes) -  fra.duca@gmail.com

  • Maya Da-Rin

    Director

    After studying design and the philosophy of art in Brazil, Maya Da-Rin graduated with honours from the French visual arts school Le Fresnoy. Her work has been shown at film festivals (Locarno) and museums (MoMA). She is working on her first feature, The Fever, selected for a Cinéfondation residence and Torino Script&Pitch, and supported by the Hubert Bals Fund.

    SYNOPSIS

    Caught between the fever of the city and the humidity of the forest, an Amerindian family is disrupted by the appearance of a creature reported on television to be a dangerous beast.

    Manaus is an industrial city surrounded by the Amazon rainforest. Justino, a 45- year-old Amerindian, works as a security guard at a cargo port and lives with his daughter on the outskirts of town. When she decides to leave to study medicine in the capital, Justino is gripped by a mysterious fever. He believes he is being followed, but he is not sure whether it is by an animal or by a man.

    Enquadramento Produções

    PRODUCTION

    The Fever is a Brazilian coproduction bringing together Enquadramento Produções, a company founded eight years ago by the producer Leonardo Mecchi to produce features and short films by emerging directors, and Tamanduá Vermelho, a company recently created by the director Maya Da-Rin to produce and coproduce art house films.

    Fiction / 90 minutes / colour / digital

    Portuguese
    Produced by

    Leonardo Mecchi - Enquadramento Produções (Brazil), Maya Da-Rin - Tamanduá Vermelho (Brazil), Juliette Lepoutre, Pierre Menahem – Still Moving (France)

    Shooting locations

    Manaus, Amazonas (Brazil)

    Estimated budget

    600.000 €

    Funding in place

    10 000 € - (Hubert Bals Fund...)

    Research partners

    International funding; sales agents, TV sales and distributors from Europe and North America; co-production partners from Germany, Holland, Norway, Spain, Colombia and Argentina

    Actual status

    In development (third draft of the script, funding)

    Contact

    Director

    Maya Da-Rin mayadarin@gmail.com - Phone : + 55 21 996495892 / +33 613346533 (Cannes)

    Producer

    Enquadramento Produções
    Leonardo Mecchi
    R. Ana Catharina Randi, 155 / São Paulo-SP / 04637-130 / BRÉSIL + 55 11 999 90 05 15
    leonardo.mecchi@yahoo.com ; leomecchi@gmail.com
    + 33 6 99 03 74 36 (Cannes)

  • Carlo Francisco Manatad

    Director

    Carlo Francisco Manatad, born in Tacloban City, is an alumnus of the Asian Film Academy, the Berlinale Talents and the DocNet Campus Project. His short film, Junilyn Has, screened at the Locarno and Clermont Ferrand film festivals and since then, has travelled the festivals circuit.

    SYNOPSIS

    This film is a love song to my hometown, a long- forgotten place that seemingly belongs only to my past; a fact I never faced until this tragedy. Now I ask myself what more, what now?

    In autumn 2013, in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest typhoon in recorded history, the jail warden temporarily releases the prisoners so they can tend to their families during the disaster. Miguel, one of the released prisoners, looks for his mother and his ex-girlfriend to flee the city. When his mother decides to stay, Miguel’s freedom and life are put in jeopardy.

    Quantum Films, Inc

    PRODUCTION

    Quantum Films, Inc. was founded in 2004 by Atty Joji Alonso. Its mission is to make quality films that reflect the artistic merits and universal values of Filipino culture. It has produced significant Filipino films such as The Bet Collector (International Critics Jury Prize – 28th Moscow IFF, FIPRESCI prize - 8th Osian’s Cinefan Festival of Asian Cinema, Special Jury Prize – Asiatica Film Mediale in Rome) Woman in the Septic Tank (Berlinale 2012, the Philippines’ Academy Award entry in 2011), and The Bit Player (Toronto International Film Festival 2013).

    Fiction / 90 minutes / colour / HD

    Waray-waray
    Produced by

    Armi Rae Cacanindin - Quantum Films, Inc. (Philippines)

    Shooting locations

    Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines

    Estimated budget

    385.000 €

    Funding in place

    198.600 € (Asian Cinema Fund Script Development Grant...)

    Research partners

    European co-producers, distributors, sales agents, investors and broadcasters

    Actual status

    In development (first draft of the script, funding)

    Contact

    Director

    Carlo Francisco Manatad - carlo.quantumfilmsph.com - Phone : +63917 581 8298 12 / +33 625680726 (Cannes)

    Producer

    Quantum Films, Inc Armi Rae Cacanindin U2207 22/F Philippine AXA Life, 1286 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave. Makati City, Philippines - armi@quantumsph.com - Phone : +63917 954 9021 / +33 617035686 (Cannes) - www.quantumfilmsph.com

  • Massoud BAKHSHI

    Director

    Massoud Bakhshi was born in Tehran. Between 1990 and 1998, he worked as a film critic, script writer and producer. He has made ten documentaries and one short film, which have received many prizes. His first feature film, A Respectable Family (distributed by Pyramide in France), was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 2012. Yalda is his second feature film.

    SYNOPSIS

    In Iran, the future of a young woman facing retributive justice plays out live on the country’s most popular reality show. This film is about women and dignity.

    Maryam (26) is “temporarily married” to Naser (65). She accidentally kills him, but is pregnant with his child. In Iran, only a victim’s family can pardon the killer. For Maryam, this pardon plays out on the country’s most popular reality show. She quickly realises that nothing is what it seems, including her own family. She must choose between her child and a pardon, in front of millions of viewers.

    Bon Gah

    PRODUCTION

    Bon Gah is an independent art and cultural centre founded by Mahmoud Bakhshi to produce a number of creative artistic projects, including books, exhibitions and films. Over the past ten years, it has been active in various ways. Bon Gah has produced or co-produced several films directed by Massoud Bakhshi, including Tehran Has No More Pomegranates (2006), Bag Dad Bar Ber (2007), Our Persian Rug (2010) and Image to Image (2016).

    Fiction / 90 minutes / colour / DCP

    Iran
    Produced by

    Mahmoud Bakhshi - Bon Gah (Iran) / Marianne Dumoulin and Jacques Bidou - JBA Production (France)

    Shooting locations

    Iran

    Estimated budget

    700.000 €

    Funding in place

    15.000 €

    Research partners

    Co-producers, financial partners, distributors, sales agents

    Actual status

    In development (script-writing and funding)

    Contact

    Director

    Massoud BAKHSHI
    Email : massoud.bakhshi@gmail.com
    Tel : +33 6 08 99 73 98 (Cannes)

    Producer

    Mahmoud Bakhshi, Bon Gah - Iran No. 149 / Babakhanlou st. / Sayyad Shirazi Hwy / Sepah Square / TEHRAN - Phone : +9821 77563621 / +33 622160352 (Cannes) - info@bon-gah.com http://bon-gah.com

    Marianne DUMOULIN et Jacques BIDOU, JBA Production (France) T : +33 (0)148048460 / +33(0)607386923 / mariannedumoulin@jbaproduction.com / +33(0)608439354 / jacquesbidou@jbaproduction.com www.jbaproduction.com

  • Gustavo Fallas

    Director

    Gustavo Fallas, a director, producer and writer, was born in Costa Rica in 1974. He studied screenwriting at UQAM, Canada, before founding Centrosur, a production company that makes documentaries, music videos, commercials and fiction films. The film Puerto Padre received the Silver Zenith award for Best First Fiction Film at the Festival des Films du Monde de Montréal.

    SYNOPSIS

    In Costa Rica’s rural areas, where there is a strong family tradition, life replays itself. Here, a grandfather takes the place of his grandson, and the grandson takes the place of his grandfather.

    Río Sucio tells the story of the meeting of two strangers: an elderly hermit living alone in the mountains where he hates his only neighbor, and his 12-year-old grandson whose mother has left him in his grandfather’s care. During their time together, the grandfather teaches the boy how to survive life in the mountains, but he also learns a lesson about hate and its fatal consequences.

    Centrosur Producciones

    PRODUCTION

    Centrosur Producciones is a production company located in Costa Rica which focuses on creating, producing and distributing high-quality films.

    Fiction / 100 minutes / colour / DCP

    Spanish
    Produced by

    Gustavo Fallas – Centrosur Producciones (Costa Rica), Ruth Sibaja – Magacine (Costa Rica), Ramiro Medina Flores (Mexico)

    Shooting locations

    Costa Rica

    Estimated budget

    399 000 euros

    Funding in place

    133 000 euros (Cinergia fund,...)

    Research partners

    Co-producers, distributors and sales agents (Europe, USA)

    Actual status

    In development (final draft of the script, casting process)

    Contact

    Director

    Gustavo Fallas gustavo@centrosurproduciones.com - Tel + (506) 87063685 / +33 626066120 (Cannes)

    Producer

    Centrosur Producciones
    Gustavo Fallas
    San José, Costa Rica gustavo@centrosurproducciones.com www.centrosurproducciones.com

  • Tapiwa Chipfupa

    Director

    An original, eclectic and creative filmmaker, Tapiwa Chipfupa worked on various projects in southern Africa before deciding to study. After gaining a Master’s degree from AFDA, Tapiwa received support from HotDocs (2016), Berlinale Talents (2015), Talents Durban (2013) and AfricaDocs (2010). Her projects have been acquired by broadcasters and won awards worldwide.

    SYNOPSIS

    My identity crisis became a desire to understand my world.

    Estranged from her family by a dispute over her marriage, Tapiwa Chipfupa attempts to reconcile the situation through encounters with other Zimbabwean women from all walks of life also facing their own challenges. The film develops as a brutally honest story of Zimbabwe’s women that paints a vivid and intriguing portrait of contemporary Zimbabwe and its vast contradictions.

    Mahaka Media

    PRODUCTION

    Founded in 2001, Mahaka Media is one of the leading production companies in the southern African region with a proven track record in most SADC countries. The company takes pride in producing films that strike a good balance between disseminating information and good old-fashioned storytelling. Over the past three years, the company has sought to grow its portfolio to expand and interact with the world on an international level by shifting its focus to creative fiction and documentary projects that are strong, driven and authentic.

    Documentary / 90 minutes / colour / HD

    English
    Produced by

    Ben Mahaka – Mahaka Media (Zimbabwe) / Tapiwa Chipfupa – TC Pictures (Zimbabwe)

    Shooting locations

    Zimbabwe

    Estimated budget

    96 230 euros

    Funding in place

    14 000 euros (Sundance Institute Spotlight Award for documentary development, HotDocs Blue Ice Documentary Fund for development)

    Research partners

    Funders, financiers, broadcasters, presales, distributors, co-producers or partners from France, Germany, England, the Netherlands or Norway, and open to other possibilities

    Actual status

    In development (funding, reseaches...)

    Contact

    Director

    Tapiwa Chipfupa Email: tapiwachipfupa@gmail.com Mobile Zimbabwe: +263 772 560 401 / +33 609563934 (Cannes)

    Producer

    TC PICTURES, Tapiwa Chipfupa, MAHAKA MEDIA, Ben Mahaka, benmahaka@me.com - Phone : +263 772 560 401 / +33 610 245580 (Cannes) -  Sunninghill Close, Glen Lorne, Harare, Zimbabwe - www.mahakamedia.com

  • Mohamed Siam

    Director

    Mohamed Siam is a director, producer and DOP. His previous projects have received support from international institutes such as the Sundance Institute and the IDFA Bertha Fund. He has taken part in the Berlinale and Durban Talents, won the AfriDocs prize at the Durban FilmMart and won the Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Stiftung in 2015 for his project Amal.

    SYNOPSIS

    This film gives an overview of Egypt through Amal’s eyes, that of a child becoming a woman surrounded by unrest and violence.

    This documentary has followed a teenager for four years as she comes to terms with her identity and sexuality in a male-dominated society and post-revolutionary police state. Amal embodies the chaos reigning in Egypt, where the people try to fulfil their potential despite the authoritarian regime and political upheavals.

    Mohamed Siam – ArtKhana (Egypt) / Myriam Sassine – Abbout Productions (Liban) / Sara Bökemeyer - Detail Film (Germany)

    PRODUCTION

    ArtKhana is based in Cairo and shares its name with Alexandria’s ArtKhana Film Centre, an art centre which opened in 2006 to support animation and visual art projects. ArtKhana produces local and international films shot in Egypt. It aims to support documentary filmmakers who deal with interesting subjects in unique ways.

    Documentary / 80 minutes / colour – B&W

    Produced by

    Mohamed Siam – ArtKhana (Egypt) / Myriam Sassine – Abbout Productions (Lebanon) / Sara Bökemeyer - Consultant: Jihan El-Tahri – Big Sister

    Shooting locations

    Egypt – Germany

    Estimated budget

    258.000 €

    Funding in place

    130.000 € (Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, HotDocs Blue Ice Group Documentary Fund, AfriDocs Award,...)

    Research partners

    Broadcasters, sale agents and distributors (France, UK, Denmark, USA)

    Actual status

    In development (production)

    Contact

    Director

    Mohamed Siam: m_siam2000@yahoo.com ; siam.mohamed27@gmail.com - Phone: +201221542631 / +33 667730515 (Cannes)

    Producer

    ArtKhana
    37A Falaki St, Abdeen – downtown
    First floor - Apt #03 - 11516
    Cairo – Egypt
    T: +20 2 2794 9388 – M: +20 122 1542531 – Fr: +33 66 77 30 515

    Lebanon
    Abbout Productions
    Mobile +961 3 16 65 23
    Myriam@abboutproductions.com
    http://www.abboutproductions.com/

Official partners

And contribution of