28 sales companies from five European countries are to present their latest films from Europe at one of Asia’s most important film markets which runs from 13 - 16 March. This year's EUROPE! UMBRELLA is being joined by key French sales companies since Unifrance won't be having its own stand.
Seven of the participating sales companies are bringing eight films which were recently awarded prizes at this year‘s Berlinale, including the Berlin Bear winners The Plough by Philippe Garrel (Silver Bear for Best Director; Wild Bunch), 20,000 Species of Bees by Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren (Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance/Sofía Otero; Luxbox), and Disco Boy by Giacomo Abbruzzese (Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution/cinematographer Hélène Louvart; Charades) as well as Orlando, My Political Biography by Paul B. Preciado (Special Jury Award, Encounter & Special Mention, Berlinale Documentary Award; The Party Film Sales), The Klezmer Project by Leandro Koch and Paloma Schachmann (GWFF Best First Feature Award; Films Boutique), Longing for the World by Jenna Hasse (Special Mention, The Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury/Best Film; Latido); The Burdened by Amr Gamal (Amnesty International Film Award; Films Boutique) and Midwives by Léa Fehner (Prize of the Ecumenical Jury/Panorama; Pyramide International).
*** click here for EUROPE! UMBRELLA participants and contact details***
In order to increase the visibility of European films and to boost sales to the region, EFP is awarding Film Sales Support (FSS), a financial support to back international promotional campaigns, to 20 European films by seven European sales companies. Those receiving funding include TrustNordisk for Handling the Undead by Thea Hvistendahl, Reel Suspects for If Yes, Okay by Dick Verdult, and SND Group 6 (Société Nouvelle de Distribution) for The Book of Wonders by Lisa Azuelos. Support was also allocated to Kinology to create high-quality promo reels for David Alaux’s animated feature Argonuts and to Loco Films for the production of flyers in Chinese for Sylvain Desclous’ film Grand Expectations.
*Click here for the complete list of supported films at FILMART
The EUROPE! UMBRELLA at FILMART in Hong Kong is supported by the Creative Europe – MEDIA Programme of the European Union with substantial backing from the EFP member ICAA – Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (Spain). FILMART is the most important audiovisual trade fair in Hong Kong in the spring and a key destination for the export of European films.
Apart from FILMART, FSS is also awarding support for the promotion of Northern Comfort by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson (Iceland, UK, Germany) and Upon Entry by Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez (Charades). Both films will be having their world premieres in the Narrative Spotlight section of South by Southwest (SXSW) 2023.
*Click here for the complete list of supported films at SXSW
