38 films - among them several co-production, from different European countries - are receiving a financial boost via European Film Promotion’s Film Sales Support (FSS). Grants in excess of 87,000 EUR (including FSS Top Up Grants) are bolstering promotion campaigns at the Marché du Film 2025, one of the most important film events of the year.
The funds are being used by the respective 18 world sales companies to develop comprehensive digital marketing strategies, create early awareness among overseas buyers on their way to Cannes as well as to offer online services and digital information to those professionals who are unable to attend. Effectively, FSS helps maintain much needed essential, exclusively digital marketing efforts - before, during, and after the market - to ensure robust global visibility for European films.
Following the long-standing mission of FSS to nurture sales of European cinema to countries outside of Europe, this year’s promotional support includes titles in La Semaine de la Critique, such as the opening film Adam’s Sake by Laura Wandel (Belgium, France), represented by Indie Sales, Sleepless City, a debut feature by Guillermo Galoe (Spain, France), sold by Best Friend Forever as well as Kika by Alexe Poukine (Belgium, France) from Totem Films. Meteors by Hubert Charuel (France / Pyramide International) which screens in Un Certain Regard is also receiving a promotional extra.
The assorted portfolio of FSS films from a range of different European countries contains manifold finished and unfinished titles selling at the Cannes market. For the example, the psychological Haneke-style thriller, Feels Like Home by Gábor Holtai from Hungary (Celluloid Dreams), football crime-drama, Fran the Man by Stephen Bradley from Ireland, The Wolf, the Fox and the Leopard by David Verbeek from The Netherlands, both represented by LevelK and the survival challenge, Ice Skater by Taavi Vartia from Finland (Minerva Pictures).
Inclusive themes and circumstances are depicted in 11 of the 38 films, such as The Redemption by Daniel Guzmán (Spain / Film Factory), Her Will Be Done by Julia Kowalski (France / WTFilms) and the documentaries, Fire Within by Laetitia Jacquart & Corine Sullivan (France / Outplay Films) and Circusboy by Julia Lemke & Anna Koch (Germany / Pluto Film Distribution), to name a few.
Please find HERE full list of supported films
swiss films
Thanks to SWISS FILMS and their aspiration to help films from Switzerland travel beyond Europe, the Swiss-Austrian film, Bernadette Wants to Kill by Oliver Paulus & Robert Herzl (Reel Suspects) is likewise benefitting from FSS at this year’s Marché.
hot docs canadian international documentary festival 2025
In the early spring, FSS was awarded to the Swedish documentary Ultras by Ragnhild Ekner, screening in the Nightvision section of the Hot Docs Festival. The film was represented in Toronto by Autlook Filmsales and gives a fresh take on the familiar world of soccer.
FSS has been underwritten by the respective national film institutes, the Danish Film Institute, the Finnish Film Foundation, German Films, ICAA (Spain), Screen Ireland, the Swedish Film Institute, Unifrance and Wallonie Bruxelles Images.
