They are at the very beginning of their careers, highly creative, and are coming from film schools throughout Europe where they have just realised their first films. Ten film students and graduates have been chosen to take part in European Film Promotion’s (EFP) new programme FUTURE FRAMES: Ten new filmmakers to follow at the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) in Czech Republic (3 – 11 July 2015). Working in close cooperation with the festival, EFP will introduce the young directors and their films – all Czech premieres – to the public, film industry and press during the three-day event running from July 5 - 7.
The participants have been nominated by the EFP member organisations according to artistic quality, content and international appeal, with the final selection being made by KVIFF. This new initiative, aimed at creating a greater awareness for new, ground breaking European cinema and the promising directing talent behind it, is supported by the Creative Europe – Media Programme of the European Union and the respective EFP member organisations.
“Since Europe’s young directors are playing an increasingly significant role in the ongoing revitalisation of European cinema, we have a strong interest in supporting them”, says Martin Schweighofer, EFP Vice President and Managing Director at Austrian Film Commission to describe EFP’s motivation for launching the new programme. “Creating opportunities for new talent to emerge in the European film arena helps to strengthen the industry overall.“
Karel Och, Artistic Director at KVIFF, states: “It has been a very interesting experience to go through the contenders and I believe that we managed to put together a group of very talented upcoming filmmakers with a bright future.”
The selected directors will present their films during the busiest days of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. While introducing young talent to the festival audiences is of great importance, EFP also aims to encourage strong and long-term industry contacts for the directors. Networking events with the attending producers, distributors and sales agents will provide opportunities for establishing valuable international business contacts. Moreover, a master class headed by a renowned filmmaker and a panel discussion with the involvement of film school representatives will give additional input for the further steps in their film careers.
EFP and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival can look back on 18 years of cooperation in highlighting young European talent. Following the “Variety Critics’ Choice: Europe Now!” with its spotlight on first- and second-time directors, the partners are now moving the focus to the youngest filmmaking generation with FUTURE FRAMES.
As a significant player in the European festival landscape and a bridge between Eastern and Western Europe, KVIFF provides a strong platform for the marketing of young film-makers and is known as a hub for young cinema.
Michael stands in front of a house. He rings the bell. He waits. Nobody opens. He rings again. But nothing happens. Then suddenly Lea, a little eight year old girl, exits the house. She is followed by her mom. Lea jumps into Michael's arms happily. „Daddy!". He hugs her. Then the two drive off. It pretty much seems like every second weekend. But after a while Lea can't help but feeling that something is just not right.
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Everything Will Be Okay
Patrick Vollrath
Austria
Perdition County is an atmospheric story focusing on a foot soldier, named Desmond, who defects from his band of scalp-collecting pilgrims. He sets out on an odyssey to freedom, throughout the endless landscapes of a fictional county, and attempts to reclaim his humanity.
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PERDITION COUNTY
Raphaël Crombez
Belgium
Bohemia, 19th Century. Ladislav, the mischievous son of a landlord, terrorizes the village with cruel jokes. War breaks and Ladislav is forced to hide in a monastery, where he unexpectedly discovers his hidden desires. He returns home and befriends Jan, a sensitive young poet. Together they experience moments of undiluted happiness. However, passionate Ladislav soon becomes jealous and his endeavor to dominate Jan triggers a series of grievous events... A dramatic history of the rise of one of the most influential Czech writers, paved with flesh, bones and blood. A black comedy based on a true story, a queer literary encyclopedia, and a historical picture book in one.
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Peacock
Ondřej Hudeček
Czech Republic
Washingtonia starts when the giraffes heart can no longer be heard. Washingtonia is an alternative name for Athens, a place where people, like animals, fall into summertime sadness because of the heat. Washingtonia is the only palm tree that its heart is not devoured by the red beetle. Because it's heart is small and dry and no one likes small and dry hearts.
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WASHINGTONIA
Konstantina Kotzamani
Greece
A prisoner by the name of Maydan has the fortunate chance to escape from his guard. But, still chained to a handcar, he is forced to follow the rails. He has no way of knowing who is friend and who is enemy, or whether the girl he meets will help him to evade the law.
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The Border
Mátyás Szabó
Hungary
Set in a small fishing town in rural Ireland, Flick, a nineteen year old school dropout, spends his days drinking in the local pub, amongst older degenerates of the town; Shooter and Ham being the head-hunters. Flick lives in a broken home. His mother is living God-knows-where and his father, Joe Doyle, is a man plagued by violence and alcohol. Everyone expects Flick to turn out the same way. Nico Murphy, a local mechanic, see's potential in Flick and offers him the odd bit of work, when he can. From fear of ridicule, this position becomes a challenge for Flick as Nico's sexual orientation is a topic of debate amongst the local community. When Flick meets Sue, a forty-two year old widow with two children, his world is turned upside down. Their acquaintance becomes sexual and for the first time in Flick's life, things are looking up. Perhaps she sees something in Flick that others don't. It doesn't take long for Flick's destructive drinking behaviour to send things spiralling downwards, leading him to believe that he may never make something of his life or leave this dead-end town.
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SKUNKY DOG
James Fitzgerald
Ireland
Benjamin and Maya share a life and an apartment in the center of Oslo. On the occasion of Benjamin's 26th birthday, Tobias -- Benjamin's younger and more successful brother -- comes to visit for the weekend. During a late night dinner party with friends, Maya tells a story about a sexual experience she had in Brazil. As a consequence, Benjamin's insecurities and vulnerabilities begin to surface. Bird Hearts is a film about gender roles and jealousy, sex and family - and the tricky power of the stories lovers tell.
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BIRD HEARTS
Halfdan Olav Ullman Tøndel
Norway
Picture of an overworked woman, living alone with her son and old father. She struggles with everyday problems until fantasy wins over her. Or not?
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Green Line
Martina Buchelova
Slovak Republic
Two arborists, Samir and Sara, are hired to cut down a healthy tree in a family's backyard. Why the family wants the tree removed seems at first quite incomprehensible, yet the wife is determined, while the husband behaves rather strangely. It's obvious there's something they don't want to talk about. While taking the tree down, Samir observes the backyard and the people he meets.
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All We Share
Jerry Carlsson
Sweden
Sami is about to accept a job in the Swiss Bureau of Intelligence, at the risk of betraying the values at the heart of his family history.
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The Offer
Moïra Pitteloud
Switzerland