Line-up for the 17th edition of European Short Pitch announced!
In just one week, the European Short Pitch development workshop will commence, and the initiative is proud to unveil the twelve chosen projects for ESP 2023|24.
Under the direction of Julie Marnay, (Head of Programme), and Olga Lamontanara, (Head of Coproduction Forum), ESP marks its 17th edition of championing rising European talent through its mentorship programme. Until now, more than 130 films that took part in the programme were completed and released. Recent successes include Leila Basma’s Sea Salt selected at Venice Orizzonti 2023, or Manolis Mavris’ Cannes, Semaine de la Critique 2023 entry Midnight Skin.
The 2023|24 portfolio of projects is a true testament to Europe's emerging film scene, drawing from a broad spectrum of countries, each contributing their unique cinematic style. They cover a broad representation of European regions: from Nordic to Mediterranean, from Balkan to Baltic and Eastern countries. The emphasis has centred on promoting diverse thematic styles as well as formats, spanning from animation, live action, experimental, and documentary. The films encompass a broad spectrum of storytelling techniques and thematic explorations. In line with previous editions and as a true reflection of the emerging film scene, over half of the selected projects have a female director or co-writer.
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.
Comprising 1 experimental, 8 live action fictions, 1 documentary, and 2 animations, the twelve selected projects are led by filmmakers from 11 European countries:
Bitch by Nadia Parfan, produced by Phalanstery Films / Nadia Parfan - Ukraine
Bus Station by Vlad Petri, produced by Manifest Film / Monica Lazurean-Gorgan & Elena Martin - Romania
Chained by Sara Klimoska, produced by Unita Film / Vardan Tozija - North Macedonia
Dancing Pigeons by Christofer Nilsson, produced by Råttunge Produktion / Annegret Kunath - Sweden
The Figure’s Fall by Mathilde Supe, produced by La Cellule / Soyo Giaoui & Marion Barré - France, Focus Brittany
Hole by Danilo Stanimirović, produced by Rezon / Nikola Spasić - Serbia
Joy by Agata Wieczorek, produced by Futur Anterieur Production / Aymeric Isnard - Poland / France
Night Shift by Ívar Yeoman, writer: Stella Carneiro, produced by Skýlið Studio / Bia Tafner - Iceland / Portugal
Push by Sven Spur, co-writer: Fran Demeulemeester, produced by Animal Tank / Brecht Van Elslande - Belgium
Tears of Stardust by Vilma Razmutė, produced by Artshot / Agnė Adomėnė - Lithuania
They Made You Into a Weapon and Told You to Find Peace by Roxana Stroe - Romania / United Kingdom
Tropic of the Mourning Gecko by Stavros Markoulakis, produced by Atalante Productions / Ioanna Bolomyti - Greece
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.
This year's ESP tutors bring a diverse set of experiences and international perspectives to the table. From Italy: writer, story editor and producer Erica Barbiani. As an author, she published three novels; as a producer with her company Videomante, her acclaimed projects include The Special Need, which took home the Golden Dove at DOK Leipzig and, among the films in progress, Wishing on a Star by director Peter Kerekes. Anna Ciennik brings a blend of Polish roots and French education to her approach. A graduate from the esteemed La Fémis, she has been active in film production as well as running major industry events such as Les Arcs Industry Village. More recently, as a consultant, she has been associated with notable international labs like Locarno Open Doors, BoostNL, TorinoFilmLab and La Résidence of the Cannes Film Festival. Last but not least, Finnish director, screenwriter and poet Mikko Myllylahti, co-writer of Juho Kuosmanen's The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki (Prix Un Certain Regard 2016), whose directorial debut feature film The Woodcutter Story screened in competition at Cannes Critics’ Week in 2022.
The first part of the programme, the development workshop, will take place from the 30th October to the 3rd of November 2023. 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 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, production, sales and distribution as well as pitch preparation. In 2024, the last step will be the hybrid Coproduction Forum on 26-27 February, on site & 29 February-1 March, online. The event will culminate in a pitch and 1:1 meetings with industry professionals. The onsite part of the Coproduction Forum will take place during the Festival Travelling in Rennes, which continues to support the ESP initiative as a partner.
European Short Pitch 2023|24 is supported by Creative Europe MEDIA and is organised in partnership with: Région Bretagne, Clair Obscur / Festival Travelling, Institut Français, Villes de Rennes, Rennes Métropole, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Procirep, Films en Bretagne, Music & Cinema Marseille, Radiator IP Sales, Pustnik and Festival Scope Pro.
