Projects 2020

28 feature-length film projects had been selected to present first scenes to the attending group of international buyers, distributors, festival programmers, financiers as well as other key decision makers and experts to give them an ahead of the game look and to find complementary partners in their final stage of production.

The jury was comprised of the renowned industry representatives Triin Tramberg, Programme Coordinator at the Talinn Black Nights Festival, Leslie Chen, Senior Advisor of Blossoms Entertainment, Melanie Andernach, Managing Director and Co-Founder of MADE IN GERMANY Filmproduktion, as well as Sebastian Lückel, Head of Acquisitions, Co-Productions and Programming at ARD Degeto. Prizes with a total value of € 37.500 including post-production services as well as press support at an international festival were awarded.

Thank you to our award sponsors K13 Studios, LAVAlabs Moving Images, ARRI Media and ZOOM Medienfabrik.

THE AWARD WINNERS & JURY STATEMENTS OF EUROPEAN WORK IN PROGRESS COLOGNE 2020:

EWIP K13 Studios Award 2020
endowed with € 10.000 for sound-mixing

OCTOPUS SKIN (Ecuador, Germany, Greece, Mexico/ CALEIDOSCOPIO CINE) by Ana Cristina Barragan
Agatha and Ariel are 14-year-old twins who live with their mother and their older sister on a remote beach on a Galapagos island filled with molluscs and reptiles. One day the twins find themselves forced to go to the city for the first time.

Jury: “We were mesmerised by the great cinematography of Ana Christina Barragan’s movie OCTOPUS SKIN. It gave us a short glimpse of the beautiful nature of the island. The clips also provided a closeness to the young child actors. We felt an emotional connection with this rather special coming-of-age story. The characters search for their identity and a „bigger world“ – only figure out later that sometimes the small place you flee is actually the place you belong.”

EWIP LAVAlabs Moving Images Award 2020
endowed with € 10.000 for visual effects

SINJAR (Spain, USA/ KaBoGa) by Anna M. Bofarull
SINJAR explores the intertwined lives of three women – Carlota, the middle-aged European mother, Hadia, the Yazidi slave held captive in Syria, and Arjin, the sex slave turned girl soldier in Iraq – who, after their lives and families are destroyed by ISIS, find their shared destiny in fighting back.

Jury: “SINJAR was pitched as a powerful story with different angles and a very convincing cast. The fact that the story combines ISIS with a West European perspective shows that war and its effects travel around the globe – not just in movies, but in real life.”

EWIP K13 Studios Award 2020
endowed with € 5.000 for dubbing

CONVENIENCE STORE (Russia, Slovenia, Turkey/ METRAFILMS) by Michael Borodin
A personal, intimate story about being a mother and a woman under unbearable circumstances of modern slavery.

Jury: “Even though the everyday news-cycle only surpasses forced modern day slavery, it is still a subject that should be noticed. With the background of the director we as an audience can feel the authenticity on screen.”

EWIP ARRI Media Award 2020
endowed with € 5.000 for colour grading services

DARKLING (Serbia, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria/ Film Deluxe International) by Dušan Milić
A family living in post-war Kosovo, protected by KFOR at daytime, experience a dreadful torment when night falls. They struggle to prove their fear is real, to keep their sanity and to stay alive.

Jury: “The film shows that terror and trauma can affect your everyday life to a point that you feel complete horror in doing daily things. Struggling the fear of the unknown is like struggling the inner monster which everyone can relate to.”

EWIP ZOOM Medienfabrik Award 2020
endowed with € 7.500 for international festival public relations

SPAS (Ukraine, Croatia, Czech Republic/ Tabor) by Maksym Nakonechnyi
Returning home from the front line after being held captive for two months, 29-year-old soldier Lilia discovers that she is pregnant after being raped by her warden. Will she manage to survive this trauma and save the child in a society that is not ready to accept either of them?

Jury: “An untold story about women and war – when trauma is so relevant and only silence remains, it is important we hear the voice of a woman continue their fight in real life.”

and

WHISPERS OF WAR (Germany/ Chromosom Film) by Florian Hoffmann
When Khalil, an elementary teacher in Berlin, gets hold of images of war from his Kurdish hometown of Cizre, he is forced to question his entire life in Germany.

Jury: “We believed that as a graduate student, the film shows a mature way of telling a story about the responsibility of the media and society, also about hidden wars that are unseen for the public.”

EWIP 2020 included the following 28 selected projects:

9TH STEP (Lithuania) Can anything be more difficult than apologising to your daughter for her stolen childhood? Genre: Drama Director: Irma Puzauskaite Writer: Egle Vertelyte Producer: Lukas Trimonis (Inscript), Junior Producer: Viktorija Cook (Inscript)

CONVENIENCE STORE (Russia/Slovenia/Turkey) A personal, intimate story about being a mother and a woman under unbearable circumstances of modern slavery. Genre: Drama Director/Writer: Michael Borodin Producers: Artem Vasilyev, Asya Pavlovskaya (METRAFILMS) Co-Producers: Ales Pavlin, Andrej Stritof (PERFO), Diloy Gulun (KARMA FILMS) Creative Producer: Julia Shaginurova (Einbahnstrasse Productions)

DARKLING (Serbia/Denmark/Italy/Greece/Bulgaria) A family living in post-war Kosovo, protected by KFOR at daytime, experience a dreadfultorment when night falls. They struggle to prove their fear is real, to keep their sanity and tostay alive Genre: Drama Director/Writer: Dušan Milić, Writer: Dušan Milić Producer: Snežana van Houwelingen (Film Deluxe International) Co-Producers: Ivan Krstović (This and That Productions), Ivana Miković (Firefly Productions), Stefan Kitanov (RFF International), Lene Broglum (Space Rocket Nation), Debora Desio (A_Lab), Rena Vougioukalou (Graal S.A)

FABIAN (Germany) Berlin, in the early 30s: the copywriter Fabian loses his job, his girlfriend, his best friend – and tries to keep his dignity while the world is going to the dogs. Genre: Drama Director: Dominik Graf Writer: Constantin Lieb, Dominik Graf Producer: Felix von Boehm (Lupa Film), Co-Producers: Marc Schmidtheiny, Christoph Daniel (DCM Pictures)

IN LIMBO (Russia) This is the story about Teenagers protesting against their parents and the realities of modern Russia, who face a difficult choice – to give up their struggle or commit suicide. Genre: Adventure, Criminal Drama, Coming of Age Director: Alexander Hant Writer: Vladislav Malakhov, Alexander Hant Producer: Maxim Dobromyslov (LLC Perevorot) Co-Producer: Ruben Dishdishyan (LLC Mars Media)

IRON STREAM (Bangladesh/Germany) After finding herself pregnant, an unmarried single woman (33) living in a tabooed Muslim society of Bangladesh struggles in her lonely journey to salvage the relation and the baby – while the man lives in his political utopia until it’s too late! Genre: Drama Director/Writer: Kamar Ahmad Simon Producer: Sara Afreen (Studio BEGINNING) Co-Producers: Yvonne Wellie, Jonas Weydemann (Weydemann Bros.)

LES BARRICADES MYSTÉRIEUSES (Germany/Austria) 1962. Johannes, 32, visits a physics congress in the Swiss Alps, where he finds himselfdragged into a sinister story – a story of false memories, real dreams, impossible love and adark, roaring mystery hidden under the mountain. Genre: Mystery, Thriller Director: Timm Kröger Writer: Roderick Warich, Timm Kröger Producers: Heino Deckert, Tina Börner (ma.ja.de Fiction) Co-Producers: Lixi Frank, David Bohun (Panama Film)

LOVE IS A DOG FROM HELL (Philippines /Germany) In Manila, Orphea goes through hell. While passionately searching for her Eurydiko, he is already hot on her heels. Genre: Surreal Love Musical Director: Khavn de la Cruz Writers: Douglas Candano, Khavn de la Cruz Producers: Stephan Holl, Antoinette Köster (Rapid Eye Movies), Achinette Villamor, Khavn de la Cruz (Karmias Overground)

LOVING HIGHSMITH (Switzerland/Germany) Based on Patricia Highsmith’s personal writings and accounts of her family and lovers, the film casts new light on the famous thriller writer’s life and oeuvre, permeated by themes of love and its defining influence on identity. Genre: Biopic Director/Writer: Eva Vitija Producers: Franziska Sonder, Maurizius Staerkle-Drux (Ensemble Film) Co-Producers: Carl-Ludwig Rettinger, Lino Rettinger (Lichtblick Film)

MARTIN AND THE FOREST SECRET (Czech Republic/Germany/Slovakia) The adventurous story about a young geek city boy, Martin, who has to overcome himself and stay two weeks in the summer camp without his comfort and any technology. Here he will be challenged to help the forest creatures to save their forest of being destroyed by greedy developers. Genre: Fiction, Adventure, Family Drama Director: Petr Oukropec Writer: Kateřina Kačerovská Producer: Peter Badač (BFILM) Co-Producers: Anette Unger (Leitwolf Filmproduktion)

MEMORY OF WATER (Finland/Germany/Estonia/Norway) In the waterless world of the future, Noria, a courageous young Tea Master, finds a secret source of water. In order to expose the secret, she must convince her cynical friend to believe that the world can be changed and to join her on a dangerous journey. Genre: Dystopian Drama Director: Saara Saarela Writer: Ilja Rautsi Producers: Mark Lwoff, Misha Jaari (BUFO) Co-Producers: Reinhard Brundig, Nina Frese (Pandora Film), Ivo Felt (Allfilm), Maria Ekerhovd (Mer Film)

OCTOPUS SKIN (Ecuador/Germany/Greece/Mexico) Agatha and Ariel are 14-year-old twins who live with their mother and their older sister on a remote beach on a Galapagos island filled with molluscs and reptiles. One day the twins find themselves forced to go to the city for the first time. Genre: Drama Director/Writer: Ana Cristina Barragan Producer: Isabella Parra (Caleidoscopio Cine) Co-Producers: Titus Kreyenberg (unafilm), Konstantina Stavrianou (Graal)

PASSERBY (WT) (Syria/Palestine/Germany) The life of a desperate, alcoholic, unlicensed doctor is taking another unlucky turn when he encounters a wounded victim from the war in Syria. Genre: Drama Director/Writer: Ameer Fakher Eldin Producers: Tony Copti, Jiries Copti (Fresco Films Co.) Co-Producer: Dorothe Beinemeier (RED BALLOON FILM) Executive Producers: Gwendolyn Wynne, Carol Shine (Apricot Films)

SAVING ONE WHO WAS DEAD (Czech Republic/Slovakia/France) The father falls into a coma, so the family finds itself in an extreme life situation. The mother and her son quietly focus all their strength. They meekly accept the diagnosis but defy the verdict. Genre: Drama Director: Vacláv Kadrnka Producer: Vacláv Kadrnka (Sirius Films), Simona Kadrnková Co-Producers: Katarina Krnacová (Silverart), Jasmina Sijercic (Bocalupo Films)

SHELTER (Ireland) When his over-cosseting parents pass away, gormless recluse John Cunliffe discovers their land to be extremely valuable, and he is forced to navigate the choppy waters of courtship, trust and vengeance for the first time. Genre: Drama Director/Writer: Seán Breathnach Producer: Paddy Hayes (Magamedia)

SINJAR (Spain/USA) SINJAR explores the intertwined lives of three women – Carlota, the middle-aged European mother, Hadia, the Yazidi slave held captive in Syria, and Arjin, the sex slave turned girl soldier in Iraq – who, after their lives and families are destroyed by ISIS, find their shared destiny in fighting back. Genre: Drama Director/Writer: Anna M. Bofarull Producer: Anna M. Bofarull, Marian Matachana (KaBoGa) Co-Producer: Azadeh Khatibi (Genius at Large)

SMILING GEORGIA (Georgia/Germany) Elderly residents of a village in Georgia were left toothless as a result of the failed pre-election campaign “Smiling Georgia” in 2012. Will the villagers’ lives change as the cycle repeats and new promises and guarantees are made to them in sight of approaching elections of 2020? Genre: Documentary with fictional scenes Director/Writer: Luka Beradze Producers: Nino Chichua, Anna Khazaradze (1991 Productions) Co-Producer: Eva Blondiau (COLOR OF MAY)

SPAS (Ukraine/Croatia/Czech Republic) Returning home from the front line after being held captive for two months, 29-year-old soldier Lilia discovers that she is pregnant after being raped by her warden. Will she manage to survive this trauma and save the child in a society that is not ready to accept either of them? Genre: Drama Director: Maksym Nakonechnyi Writer: Maksym Nakonechnyi, Iryna Tsilyk Producer: Darya Bassel, Yelizaveta Smith (Tabor) Co-Producers: Anita Juka (4Film), Dagmar Sedláčková (MasterFilm)

THE CARS WE DROVE INTO CAPITALISM (Bulgaria/Germany/Denmark/Croatia/Czech Republic) A cinematic, character-driven insight to what it meant to produce and to own a car in communist times: the Socialist propaganda dreams and the hard reality of living that dream. The freedom that these slow and clumsy vehicles were giving to their owners; the cars as an instrument in the Cold War battle; legends and homemade tune-ups as an attempt to stand at least a little bit off the crowd. Genre: Documentary Directors/Writers: Boris Missirkov and Georgi Bogdanov Producer: Martichka Bozhilova (AGITPROP) Co-Producers: Simone Baumann, Sascha Beier (Saxonia Entertainment), Sigrid Jonsson Dyekjær (Danish Documentary Production), Miljenka Čogelja, Dana Budisavljević (Hulahop), Jiri Konečný (Endorfilm)

THE GREAT FREEDOM (Germany/Sweden) The love story of a married couple in their sixties facing the wife’s illness, the shame related to it, as well as disappointed expectations and ever-changing hopes. Genre: Drama Director: Wendla Nölle Writer: Greta Lorez Producers: Andrea Schütte, Nikola Bock, Dirk Decker (Tamtam Film) Co-Producer: NDR

THE LIVING MAN (Serbia/Germany/Bulgaria) An ageing rock musician searches for his youth and finds himself confronted with the very end. Genre: Dramedy Director: Oleg Novković Writer: Milena Marković Producers: Uroš Lazić, Ljiljana Djuričko (Salt), Marcel Lenz, Guido Schwab (ostlicht filmproduktion) Co-Producer: Borislav Chouchkov (Chouchkov Brothers)

THE PALACE (Italy/France) At a funeral wake, an unexpected inheritance awaits a group of eclectic friends in their fifties. One of them died prematurely, leaving behind hours of footage performed by their younger selves. The past breaks in to unsettle the tragically funny future of a generation. Genre: Creative Documentary Director: Federica Di Giacomo Writers: Federica Di Giacomo, Andrea Sanguigni Producer: Giulia Achilli, Marco Alessi (DUGONG FILMS) Co-Producer: Marie Balducchi (AGAT Films & CIE)

THE UGLY TRUTH (Germany) Theo and his wife Mona live a very privileged and wealthy life. But they cannot escape theirinner demons and keep on making the wrong choices – with dramatic consequences… Genre: Drama Director: Krishna Ashu Bhati Writer: Krishna Ashu Bhati, Eva Habermann Producers: Eva Habermann, Alexander König (Fantomfilm)

UNDER CONTROL (Belgium/France) In a pretty villa in a wealthy suburb, a man lives under the control of an electronic bracelet. Inside the 2 square kilometres in which he can still travel, he is constantly looking for traces of a son of whom he has no news. Genre: Drama Director/Writer: Manuel Poutte Produzent: Manuel Poutte (Lux Fugit Film) Co-Producer: Alexandre Cornu (Les films du Tambour de Soie)

VIRAL (Germany/Israel) A character-driven, bitter-sweet series about the year in which the Corona virus totally changed the lives of 8 characters. Produced entirely out of existing YouTube-material. Genre: Documentary series Directors/Writers: Udi Nir, Sagi Bornstein Producer: Christian Beetz (gebrueder beetz filmproduktion) Co-Producers: Udi Nir, Sagi Bornstein (udiVsagi production)

WALTER (Russia) It is an ethical ode about filial love. About the fact that war is first of all a human grief, that there are pain points and abscesses that never skin over. Genre: Drama Director/Writer: Robert Def Producers: Katerina Mikhaylova (Vega Film), Konstantin Fam

WHISPERS OF WAR (Germany) When Khalil, an elementary teacher in Berlin, gets hold of images of war from his Kurdishhometown of Cizre, he is forced to question his entire life in Germany. Genre: Drama Director/Writer: Florian Hoffmann Producers: Alexander Wadouh, Roxana Richters (Chromosom Film) Co-Producers: Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin, ZDF Das kleine Fernsehspiel

WHO I AM NOT (USA/Germany/South Africa) Diagnosed as intersex, South African beauty queen and devout Christian Sharon-Rose Khumalo cannot go on with her life until she comes to terms with what makes her a woman. Genre: Documentary Director: Tünde Skovrán Writer: Alicia Dwyer Producers: Andrei Zinca, Francoise Nieto-Fong (Double 4 Studios, Inc.), Patrick Hamm, (Bulldog Agenda)

Selected projects in 2019