Twenty of the most dynamic emerging producers from across Europe have been selected to take part in European Film Promotion's (EFP) promotion and networking platform PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE before and during the Festival de Cannes (May 16 - 27, 2023).
These are the 20 producers from 20 European countries who were selected for the programme from all of the nominations submitted by the European national film promotion institutes (EFP’s member organisations):
Gentian Koçi (Albania), David Bohun (Austria), Julie Esparbes (Belgium), Vanya Rainova (Bulgaria), Miljenka Čogelja (Croatia), Stelana Kliris (Cyprus), Alice Tabery (Czech Republic), Emile Hertling Péronard (Denmark), Emilia Haukka (Finland), Silvana Santamaria (Germany), Vicky Miha (Greece), Júlia Berkes (Hungary), Kathryn Kennedy (Ireland), Valon Bajgora (Kosovo*), Dominiks Jarmakovičs (Latvia), Erik Glijnis (The Netherlands), Elisa Fernanda Pirir (Norway), Radu Stancu (Romania), Juraj Krasnohorský (Slovak Republic) and Julia Gebauer (Sweden).
They will all take part in a tailor-made programme to foster international co-productions, intensify the exchange of experiences and help create new professional networks. The pre-festival online programme, which started yesterday and runs until 4 May, includes 1:1 speed meetings, roundtables and pitching sessions. The producers will then meet during the Festival de Cannes from 18 to 22 May and take part in a programme spread over five days, which will include case studies, social events and an extensive promotional campaign via the international trade magazines.
Three of the selected producers will be presenting their films at this year's Festival de Cannes: Dutch Erik Glijnis co-produced Lost in the Night by Amat Escalante which is running in the Official Selection - Cannes Premiere as an entry from Mexico. Following Dalva in 2022, Julie Esparbe's The (Ex)perience of Love by Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balbonin will be screened in Cannes‘ Critics Week as a title coming from Belgium while Juraj Krasnohorský’s animated short Electra by Daria Kashcheeva will be premiering in the La Cinef selection as an entry from the Slovak Republic.
Other participants of this year’s PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE line-up have already been behind a number of award-winning films: Miljenka Čogelja produced Juraj Lerotić’s Safe Place whose tally of prizes includes three awards at the Locarno Film Festival and two awards at the Sarajevo Film Festival as well as being Croatia’s candidate for the 95th Oscars. Gentian Koçi’s own films as producer and director, Daybreak and A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On, were both Albania’s Oscar entry in 2018 and 2023 respectively. Other prize-winners are David Bohun from Austria (The Trouble With Being Born: Special Jury Award 2020, Berlinale; Special Award of the Jury 2021, Austrian Film Awards 2021; Movements of a Nearby Mountain: Grand Prix 2019, Cinema du Reel; Political Film Award of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 2019, Filmfest Hamburg), Germany’s Silvana Santamaria (Pamfir: George Gund III Memorial Central and Eastern European Competition 2023, Cleveland International Film Festival; Scythian Deer/Grand Prix 2022, Molodist International Film Festival) and Romania’s Radu Stancu (Alis: Crystal Bear 2022, Teddy Award 2022, Berlinale; To the North; Premio Bisanto D’Oro 2022, Venice Film Festival).
Some of the producers have concentrated on the production of documentaries such as Emile Hertling Péronard from Denmark, who produced Lin Alluna’s feature-length documentary Twice Colonized, which premiered at Sundance in January 2023; Czech producer Alice Tabery whose credits include the films Traces of a Landscape by Petr Záruba and Reconstruction of Occupation by Jan Šikl; and Greece’s Vicky Miha who produced Gregoris Rentis‘ hybrid documentary Dogwatch; or Elisa Fernanda Pirir whose production of Luis Alejandro Vero’s Calls From Moscow screened at this year’s Berlinale.
In addition to creative documentaries, animation and feature films, Dominiks Jarmakovičs from Latvia has also been producing films for younger audiences like Jaak Kilmi’s Christmas in the Jungle and The Sleeping Beast and is now raising the finance for Signe Baumane’s animated feature Karmic Knot.
Some producers from this year's selection were also creatively involved in their own productions, including Stelana Kliris from Cyprus, who wrote, directed and produced The Islander, and Ireland’s Kathryn Kennedy who wrote the screenplays for the psychological horror feature Púca (Pooka) and the satire My Mother, She Wrote as well as co-writing the scripted animated series The Thin Place with Anthony Murphy.
The line-up also includes producers who continue long-standing collaborations with ”their“ directors, discover new talents in their respective countries or focus on debuts such as Júlia Berkes from Hungary (Gábor Reisz/ For Some Inexplicable Reason, 2014; Bad Poems, 2018; Explanation for Everything, in post-production; Hajni Kis / Wild Roots, 2021; Ich bin Marika), Kosovo’s* Valon Bajgora (Blerta Basholli: Hive, 2021; Era), Sweden-based Julia Gebauer (The Swedish Connection by Thérèse Ahlbeck and Marcus A. Olsson), Finland’s Emilia Haukka (The Woodcutter Story by Mikko Myllylahti) and Vanya Rainova from Bulgaria (January by Andrey Paounov).
EFP PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE is made possible thanks to the support of Creative Europe – the MEDIA Programme of the European Union, Eurimages, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, as well as the participating national film promotion institutes (EFP’s member organisations) from the Producers on the Move’s countries: Albanian Center of Cinematography, AFC - Austrian Films, Bulgarian National Film Center, Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Deputy Ministry of Culture (Cyprus), Czech Film Center, Danish Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, German Films, Greek Film Centre, National Film Institute Hungary, Kosovo Cinematography Center, National Film Centre of Latvia, Norwegian Film Institute, Romanian Film Development, Screen Ireland / Fís Éireann, SEE NL (The Netherlands), Slovak Film Institute, Swedish Film Institute and Wallonie Bruxelles Images. The main media partner is Variety, with Cineuropa as an additional media partner and Festival Scope as a programme partner.
* “This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.”
Artalb Film Production
Albania
Since founding Artalb Film Productions in 2011, Gentian has successfully produced the documentary Not a Carwash and his two feature films Daybreak and A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On, which were both Albania’s Oscars entry in 2018 and 2023 respectively. He was a co-producer on Dimitris Kanellopoulos’ 2021 debut Pack Of Sheep and is currently in development on his third feature film, the intimate, existential drama Cold Sun.
Gentian Koçi
Albania
Cinepoint
Czech Republic
Alice joined Cinepoint in 2011 in order to develop and produce creative documentaries and auteur films as international co-productions. She co-produced Marko Škop’s debut feature Eva Nová (FIPRESCI Prize at Toronto IFF 2015) and is now focusing on documentaries with a daring vision and strong protagonists. Alice now has new projects by Petr Záruba (Kaprálová) and Bára Tyson Jichová (the hybrid documentary Playtopia) in development.
Alice Tabery
Czech Republic
Pipser
Croatia
A co-founder with Duro Gavran of Zagreb-based Pipser, Miljenka’s most significant production to date has been Juraj Lerotić’s Safe Place which began a successful award-winning festival career at Locarno’s 2022 edition and was Croatia’s candidate for the 95th Oscars. She also produced Dana Budisavljević’s docufiction The Diary of Diana B. and is now developing Miroslav Sikavica’s debut feature, the intense, claustrophobic family drama Milch Cow.
Miljenka Čogelja
Croatia
Meraki Films
Cyprus
Stelana launched Meraki Films in 2016, both as a banner for her ownwork as a director and as a production house for local filmmakers,mostly women. In 2022, she wrote, directed and produced The Islanderstarring Harry Connick Jr, which was the biggest local film to be shotin Cyprus in terms of cast and budget. She is currently in developmenton her next feature Apart from Her and Yianna Americanoussecond feature My Name is Lily.
Stelana Kliris
Cyprus
asterisk*
Greece
Vicky launched asterisk* in 2017 as a one-stop production consulting company for international producers, collaborating on 500+ projects with 75 companies from 20 countries. Her filmography includes Stelios Kammitsis' romantic drama The Man With The Answers and Gregoris Rentis' hybrid documentary Dogwatch. Vicky is currently in production on Alexandros Avranas' family drama Apathy and raising finance for Minos Nikolakakis' Asphalt, among others.
Vicky Miha
Greece
Panama Film
Austria
David co-founded Panama Film with Lixi Frank in 2018 and has produced award-winning films by Sandra Wollner (The Trouble With Being Born) and Sebastian Brameshuber (Movements of a Nearby Mountain) as well as Bernhard Braunstein's documentary Stams. He made his first foray into trilateral co-production in 2022 with Timm Kröger's The Theory of Everything and is now developing new projects by Brameshuber and Wollner.
David Bohun
Austria
Soilfilms
Germany
Producer-director Silvana founded Berlin-based Soilfilms in 2013 and has seen her last two films Sharaf (2021) and Pamfir (2022) enjoying great success both nationally and internationally. She is currently raising finance for a slate of projects including Iranian filmmaker Nader Saeivar’s The Witness, based on a screenplay by Jafar Panahi, and the next film by director Shekhar Kapur.
Silvana Santamaria
Germany
Artichoke
Slovak Republic
Juraj co-founded Artichoke in 2010 with production manager Henrieta Cvangová and produced their first feature, the comedy Tigers in the City, in 2013. In2023, his production of the animated sci-fi drama White Plastic Sky screened in the Berlinale's Encounters section, while Daria Kashcheeva's animated short Electra premieres in Cannes'2023 LaCinef selection. He is now co-producing the puppet stop-motion film Of Unwanted Things and People and financing on Juraj Lehotský's English-language feature The Fall.
Juraj Krasnohorský
Slovak Republic
Portokal
Bulgaria
A partner at Sofia-based Portokal, Vanya has written and/or produced several award-winning shorts and documentaries, including Pavel G. Vesnakov’s Pride and Svetoslav Stoyanov’s The Last Black Sea Pirates. She produced documentary filmmaker Andrey Paounov’s debut fiction feature, the mystery drama January, which had its international premiere at Tallinn Black Nights Festival in 2021. Vanya is now in post-production on Yana Titova’s second feature, Dyad.
Vanya Rainova
Bulgaria
Kennedy Films
Ireland
Kathryn founded Kennedy Films in 2012, producing Simon Fitzmaurice's multi award-winning feature debut My Name is Emily, and Frankie Fenton's documentaries It's Not Yet Dark and Atomic Hope: Inside the Pro-Nuclear Movement. Her current development slate includes her own scripts for the psychological horror feature Púca (Pooka), the satire My Mother, She Wrote, as well as the scripted animated series The Thin Place, co-written with Anthony Murphy.
Kathryn Kennedy
Ireland
Way Creative Films
Sweden
Julia has been working at Way Creative Films since 2005 on such films as Joachim Hedén's survival thriller Breaking Surface, which sold to more than 75 countries, and herco-production of Ameen Nayfeh's festival award-winner 200 Meters. Her production of Lovisa Sirén's road movie Maya Nilo (Laura) premiered in Göteborg in 2022, and Julia is now raising finance for Thérèse Ahlbeck and Marcus A. Olsson's debut, the Second World War comedy drama The Swedish Connection.
Julia Gebauer
Sweden
STÆR
Norway
In February 2023, Elisa joined forces with KriStine Ann Skaret to launch their company STÆR and saw their first international co-production, Luis Alejandro Vero's Calls From Moscow, premiere at the Berlinale. She is now in post on Ernst de Geer's Hypnosen and shooting new features by Emilija Skarnulyte and Elle Sofe Sara. Elisa had previously worked at Mer Film with responsibility for non-European co-productions, TV projects and its new talent programme.
Elisa Fernanda Pirir
Norway
Studio Locomotive
Latvia
Dominiks joined Studio Locomotive in 2017, with Lithuanian director Ignas Jonynas’ Invisible being his first co-production. Since then, he has produced Dāvis Sīmanis’ The Year Before the War and co-produced two vastly different films for young audiences by Jaak Kilmi, Christmas in the Jungle and The Sleeping Beast. Dominiks is now producing his first feature-length documentary El Lobo Leton and raising finance for Signe Baumane’s animated feature Karmic Knot.
Dominiks Jarmakovičs
Latvia
deFilm
Romania
Radu launched his company deFilm in 2009, initially focussing on producing shorts. In 2022, his co-production of the feature documentary Alis won the Berlinale's Crystal Bear and Teddy Award, and Mihai Mincan's To the North premiered in Venice's Orizzonti competition. Radu will serve as one of the co-producers on the Greek filmmaker Konstantina Kotzamani's debut feature Titanic Ocean, and he is developing Mincan's next feature Milk Teeth.
Radu Stancu
Romania
Ikonë Studio
Kosovo
Valon co-founded Ikonë Studio in 2010 and has since been involved as a co-producer for feature films by Visar Morina (Exile) and Fisnik Maxville (The Land Within Me). He produced Blerta Basholli's multi-award-winning debut feature Hive, which premiered at Sundance in 2021, and is now developing her autobiographical second feature Era. Valon recently completed production of Gazmend Nela's second feature, the crime drama Silence of Sirens.
Valon Bajgora
Kosovo
Proton Cinema
Hungary
Juli joined Proton Cinema in 2009 and has since produced a number of shorts and feature films, including Gábor Reisz’s box-office hits For Some Inexplicable Reason and Bad Poems and Kornél Mundruczó’s Evolution. Her passion lies in discovering new voices in Hungarian cinema such as Hajni Kis with Wild Roots. She is now in post-production on Reisz’s third feature Explanation for Everything and developing Kis’ second feature Ich bin Marika.
Júlia Berkes
Hungary
Lemming Film
The Netherlands
Erik has worked at Lemming Film since 2016, producing films classified as experimental and groundbreaking, but also reaching a wide audience. His producer credits include Nina Thyberg's Cannes 2020/Sundance 2021 title Pleasure and Shariff Korver's suspense drama Do Not Hesitate. Erik is currently in post-production on feature films by such directors as Ena Sendijarevic and Amat Escalante, and developing Korver's third feature, the psychological/social horror film Tenok.
Erik Glijnis
The Netherlands
Ánorâk Film
Denmark
Emile is the co-owner with Inuk Silis Høegh of Ánorâk Film operating out of both Nuuk and Copenhagen and has produced documentaries by co-directors Jørgen Leth and Andreas Koefoed, and Ainara Vera. His latest production, Lin Alluna’s feature-length documentary Twice Colonized, premiered at Sundance in January 2023. Emile recently launched Greenland’s first production service company, Polarama Greenland, to advance the Greenlandic film industry.
Emile Hertling Péronard
Denmark
Aamu Filmcompany
Finland
Emilia co-owns Aamu Film Company with Jussi Rantamäki and was one of the producers of Juho Kuosmanen’s Cannes 2021 competition title Compartment No. 6 as well as Mikko Myllylahti’s The Woodcutter’s Story in the Cannes Critics’ Week line-up in 2022 and Tia Kouvo’s Family Time screening at the Berlinale’s Encounters in 2023. She is now working with new filmmaking talents Aino Suni, August Joensalo and Jojo Erholtz on the development of their projects.
Emilia Haukka
Finland
Hélicotronc
Belgium
Julie had produced around 20 shorts at Hélicotronc before working with Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni on their 2020 award-winning debut feature Madly in Life. She has since produced Emmanuelle Nicot’s Cannes Critics’ Week 2022 title Dalva and the TV series Good People and Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni’s The (Exp)erience of Love which premieres in the 2023 Critics’ Week line-up. Her development slate includes new projects by Catherine Cosme, Vasilis Kekatos and Valery Carnoy.
Julie Esparbes
Belgium
