EWIP: Positive résumé and award ceremony
With yesterday’s award ceremony, the newly initiated industry event European Work in Progress Cologne (EWIP) is drawing to a successful close. Yesterday evening, this year’s international industry jury (Jonas Dornbach, Olimpia Pont Cháfer, Aistė Račaitytė, Pernille Munk Skydsgaard) announced the winners of the 22 film projects presented:
Winner & Jury statements:
EWIP MMC-Studio Award: € 20,000 for post-production services
"End of Season" (Germany, Azerbaijan/ Color of May – Imanov & Blondiau Filmproduktion) by Elmar Imanov: A story of a small Azerbaijani family, which is being shaken to the core by an incident. Jury: “We would like to give some good words and the main prize for a project that immediately shows a strong directorial voice and brings an important story in a capturing manner.”
EWIP MMC-Studio Award: € 15,000 for post-production services
"Taste of Pho" (Germany, Poland/ Rohfilm Productions/ Lava Films) by Mariko Saga: An adorable story about a single-Vietnamese father and his ten-year-old daughter who live in Warsaw. Jury: “For a moving and sincere project that shows the new and traditional worlds together in a poetic and cinematic language.”
EWIP K13 Studio Award: € 10,000 for 10 days of sound mixing of an original movie
"Martin Eden" (Italy, Germany, France/ The Match Factory, Avventurosa srl) by Pietro Marcello: A fable of the 20th century. Jury: “For an outstanding European author, whose intelligent and uncompromising filmmaking results in a very unique, personal and at the same time easily approachable contemporary cinema.”
EWIP Eclair Award: 2 x € 2,000 for the subtitling of a movie in two languages
"Unconditional" (France, Belgium/ Petit Film) by Stéphane Demoustier: Lise is 18, lives in a quiet suburb and studies law. For the last two years she has worn an electronic bracelet as she is accused of having murdered her best friend. Jury: “For a project with strong characters and brilliant performances, that deals with a daring topic and offers the audience a possibility to comprehend the story from different perspectives.”
Special Jury Mention:
"Nocturne" (The Netherlands, Belgium/ Lemming Film) by Viktor van der Valk: Two producers, one night, an investor, a deadline, a woman, a gun and a hopelessly romantic boy. Jury: “For a true spirit of newcomers to European auteur cinema and a daring and unconventional project, widening the cinematic language.”
Thorsten Frehse, Board of Directors AG Verleih: "We congratulate this year’s winners and are delighted that during the EWIP days we were able to fulfil our aim of bringing together the makers of promising projects with established industry players from all over Europe. For us this is a signal to continue next year".
Following on from their pitching’s at EWIP, the filmmakers of the selected projects also had the opportunity in one-on-one meetings to exchange ideas in more detail and discuss important issues with experienced industry representatives. The accompanying panel discussions on sales and marketing strategies as well as effective exploitation strategies for European arthouse cinema productions also met with an enormous response.
European Work in Progress Cologne (EWIP) will take place from October 9th to 11th, 2018 during the Film Festival Cologne. EWIP is an Initiative by AG Verleih, the association of German independent distributors and supported by the Film and Media Foundation NRW, one of Germany’s leading film funding institutions. The industry event aims to create opportunities to collaborate with experienced sales agents, distributors, producers, commissioning editors, financiers, festival representatives as well as other complementary partners.