Line-up for the 16th edition of European Short Pitch announced!
As the European Short Pitch development workshop gets underway in a week, the initiative announces the twelve selected projects that will participate in ESP 2022|23.
Under the direction of Julie Marnay (Head of Programme) and Olga Lamontanara (Head of Coproduction Forum), ESP celebrates its 16th edition of supporting emerging European talent via its mentorship programme.
The team is especially proud of the 2022|23 development line-up, which covers a broad representation of European countries from East to West. It also includes a presence from beyond the continent, with participants strongly connected to Europe, from as far as South Africa, Australia and Canada. The focus has been on encouraging a variety of thematic approaches and genres ranging from drama to comedy, romance, dystopia, and addressing topics such as minorities, modern society, and youth awakening. In line with previous editions and as a true reflection of the emerging film scene, 83% of the the selected projects have a female director or co-director.
Région Bretagne (France) has been accompanying the programme since 2019, and this year the Coproduction Forum will once again take place in partnership with the Travelling Film Festival, in Rennes. European Short Pitch also has the opportunity to spotlight Breton talent and welcome a project from the region.
The twelve selected projects hail from 13 European countries and feature 10 live action fictions as well as 2 animations:
Bloom by Tamara Broćić, produced by Lucha / Jovana Jovicic - Serbia
Boyfriend by Leesa Ulanova-Wilson and Braden Wilson, produced by Alexandra Film / Marianne Ostrat - Estonia
Eraserhead in a Knitted Shopping Bag by Liliya Kosseva, produced by Portokal / Vanya Rainova - Bulgaria
Gusto Gusto by Marja Bål Nango and Ingir Bål Nango, produced by Máigon Film / Marja Bål Nango - Norway
Husky by Lana Bregar, produced by Staragara / Nina Robnik - Slovenia
I Curse You With All the Love In My Body by Carmen Baltzar, produced by Kenno Filmi Osk / Danai Anagnostou - Finland
Last Night of the Year by Ivana Hucíková, produced by Kraft / Monika Kraft - Slovakia
Robert (the Robot) by Aaron Lucas, produced by Black Boat Pictures / Valentin Le Blanc - Germany / France / Belgium
Sang de Bou by Claudia Munuera, produced by Fractal 7 / Marc Guanyabens Pous - Spain
Siblings by Jessica Laurent, produced by Sun Creature France / Charlotte de la Gournerie - France (Focus Brittany)
Sleep Leap by Eirini Vianelli, produced by Heretic Films / Danae Spathara - Greece
Vultures by Dian Weys, produced by Electronic Roof Films / Le Roux Fourie - Netherlands / South Africa
As the participants will shortly embark on the development of their projects, they will do so under the guidance of a team of script consultants. The ESP tutors for this year will include: Romanian filmmaker and playwright, ESP alumna Andreea Bortun, who, as well as enjoying international recognition on the festival circuit as a writer and director (Cannes Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, Toronto, Karlovy Vary), is also the co-founder of the Pustnik Screenwriters Residency; Berlin-based Britta Krause, a freelance script consultant with a professional background in writing, directing and editing as well as extensive experience as a scriptwriting tutor (Semaine de la Critique’s Next Step, the Doha Film Institute, TorinoFilmLab, Nipkow Programm, Attagirl (BFI) and Full Circle Lab); Stockholm and Tallinn-based Bangladeshi Nayeem Mahbub, former participant of Berlinale Short Form Station, Less is More and European Short Pitch, with a background in film and video editing (Swedish comedy series Streams (SVT)), Nayeem is now working as a script consultant and lastly, French producer and scriptwriter Emilie Dubois. With more than 40 short films under her belt as a producer, the associate and Head of Development at Insolence Productions, will be stepping in to specifically share her experience in production with the participants.
The first part of the programme, the development workshop, will take place on 14-18 November 2022. The focus will be on script development, with the aim of further enhancing the projects and preparing them for presentation to the industry.
During winter, the selection will be enriched by 2 to 4 work-in-progress films, including one Swiss film selected in partnership with and supported by the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur.
This will be followed by intermediate sessions where participants will have the opportunity to engage in further consultations on script, sales and distribution. The last step will be the Coproduction Forum on 9-10 February, 2023, on-site & 13-15 February, online (dates TBC). The event will culminate in a final pitch and 1:1 meetings with industry professionals. The Coproduction Forum will take place in a hybrid format, both online and on-site during the Festival Travelling in Rennes, which continues to support the ESP initiative as a partner.
European Short Pitch 2022|23 is organised in partnership with: Région Bretagne, Clair Obscur / Festival Travelling, Institut Français, Villes de Rennes, Rennes Métropole, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Procirep, Wyth, Films en Bretagne, Music & Cinema Marseille, Radiator IP Sales, Pustnik and Festival Scope Pro.
