Please join us for the EFP Screenings of Academy Award® Entries

Please join us for the
EFP Screenings of Academy Award® Entries from Europe
Fourteen films submitted in the BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM category
November 6 - 14
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills
For AMPAS, HFPA, guild members
RSVP: [email protected], 310 260 2800
For buyers and press
RSVP: [email protected]
Spain: 15 YEARS + 1 DAY
Belgium: THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN
Directed by Gracia Querejeta
Wed, Nov 6 / 6:15 pm
Directed by Felix van Groeningen
Wed, Nov 6 / 8:00 pm (with Q&A)
Sweden: EAT SLEEP DIE
Montenegro: ACE OF SPADES - BAD DESTINY
Slovak Republic: MY DOG KILLER
Bulgaria: THE COLOR OF THE CHAMELEON
Finland: THE DISCIPLE
Greece: BOY EATING THE BIRD'S FOOD
Germany: TWO LIVES
Iceland: OF HORSES AND MEN
The Netherlands: BORGMAN
Norway: I AM YOURS
Slovenia: CLASS ENEMY
Croatia: HALIMA’S PATH
Directed by Gabriela Pichler
Thu, Nov 7 at 3:00 pm
Directed by Ulrika Bengts
Sun, Nov 10 / 2:00 pm (with Q&A)
Directed by Alex van Warmerdam
Tue, Nov 12 / 8:00 pm (with Q&A)
Directed by Drasko Djurovic
Fri, Nov 8 / 4:00 pm (with Q&A)
Directed by Ektoras Lygizos
Sun, Nov 10 / 4:00 pm
Directed by Iram Haq
Wed, Nov 13 / 6:15 pm (with Q&A)
Directed by Mira Fornay
Sat, Nov 9 / 4:00 pm
Directed by Georg Maas
Sun, Nov 10 / 6:00 pm (with Q&A)
Directed by Rok Biček
Wed, Nov 13 / 8:15 pm
European Film Promotion, Friedensallee 14-16, 22765 Hamburg, Germany
[email protected], www.efp-online.com
With the support of EU‘s MEDIA Programme
EFP is financially supported by
Directed by Emil Christov
Sat, Nov 9 / 6:00 pm (with Q&A)
Directed by Benedikt Erlingsson
Tue, Nov 12 / 6:15 pm
Directed by Arsen Anton Ostojic
Thu, Nov 14 / 4:00 pm (with Q&A)
Visit the EFP Umbrella Office during the AFM
at Loews Hotel #863
In cooperation with
Bulgarian National Film Center, Croatian Audiovisual Centre, EYE International, The Netherlands, Finnish
Film Foundation, Flanders Image, German Films, Greek Film Centre, Icelandic Film Centre, Instituto
de la Cinematografa y de las Artes Audiovisuales / ICAA (Spain), Ministry of Culture of Montenegro,
Norwegian Film Institute, Slovak Film Institute, Slovenian Film Centre, Swedish Film Institute
European Film Promotion invites you to the screenings of fourteen films submitted
in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the 86th Academy Awards®.
European Film Promotion
Hamburg, Germany
+49 40 390 6252
www.efp-online.com
Contact during AFM
EFP Umbrella Office
Loews Hotel #863
+1 310 458 6700 ext. 863
The films will be presented to buyers, selected journalists, and Academy members.
Wednesday, November 6
6:15 pm
Spain: 15 YEARS + 1 DAY by Gracia Querejeta, 96 min
8:00 pm
Belgium: THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN by Felix van Groeningen, 100 min
followed by Q&A with the director
Thursday, November 7
3:00 pm
Sweden: EAT SLEEP DIE by Gabriela Pichler, 104 min
Jo Mühlberger
Project Director
[email protected]
Friday, November 8
4:00 pm
Montenegro: ACE OF SPADES – BAD DESTINY by Drasko Djurovic, 103 min
Tatiana Detlofson
LA publicist
[email protected]
+1 310 260 2800
Saturday, November 9
4:00 pm
Slovak Republic: MY DOG KILLER by Mira Fornay, 90 min
6:00 pm
Bulgaria: THE COLOR OF THE CHAMELEON by Emil Christov, 114 min
followed by Q&A with the director
followed by Q&A with the producers
Sunday, November 10
2:00 pm
Finland: THE DISCIPLE by Ulrika Bengts, 94 min
followed by Q&A with the director and the producer
4:00 pm
6:00 pm
Greece: BOY EATING THE BIRD’S FOOD by Ektoras Lygizos, 80 min
Germany: TWO LIVES by Georg Maas, 97 min
followed by Q&A with the director
Tuesday, November 12
6:15 pm
Iceland: OF HORSES AND MEN by Benedikt Erlingsson, 80 min
8:00 pm
The Netherlands: BORGMAN by Alex van Warmerdam, 113 min
followed by Q&A with the lead actress
Wednesday, November 13
6:15 pm
Norway: I AM YOURS by Iram Haq, 96 min
followed by Q&A with the director
8:15 pm
Slovenia: CLASS ENEMY by Rok Biček, 112 min
Thursday, November 14
4:00 pm
Croatia: HALIMA’S PATH by Arsen Anton Ostojic, 93 min
followed by Q&A with the director
SCREENING ADDRESS
Wilshire Screening Room
8670 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills
Free parking available
Please RSVP for the individual screenings to [email protected]
EFP Screenings of European Oscar® Entries
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills
Wednesday, November 6 at 6:15 pm
Spain
15 YEARS
+ 1 DAY
(15 AÑOS Y UN DÍA)
in cooperation with
and supported by
Directed by
Gracia Querejeta
Genre
Drama
Language Spanish
Country Spain
Year
2013
Length
96 min
Format
35 mm
Screening
ratio 1:1.85
Director
Gracia Querejeta
Screenplay
Gracia Querejeta
Antonio Mercero Santos
Main cast
Tito Valverde
Maribel Verdú
Arón Piper
Belén López
Production Company
Tornasol Films
Gerardo Herrero
Mariela Besuievsky
Madrid, Spain
+34 91 1023 024
[email protected]
www.tornasolfilms.com
Co-producing company
Castafiore Films (Spain)
Synopsis
The film depicts the relationship between Jon, a troubled teenager and his
grandfather Max, a retired military man who lives in a village on the Costa
de la Luz. After Jon is expelled from school, his mother decides to send him
away with Max to teach him a lesson. But it won’t be that simple, Jon likes to
flirt with danger and the veteran has now settled down into a comfortable
life. Both characters will have to confront their fears and limitations.
Director’s Statement
“15 Years and One Day” talks about being a teenager, a vast, overwhelming
subject that echoes and resonates in cinema and literature. I wanted to take
an original stance, step away from the typical clichés used when portraying
a teenager. I did not want to describe this teenager as a drunkard or a
drug addict, or a delinquent or a videogame addict, or as an aggressive
and cheeky, disrespectful son. I was far more interested in approaching
a teenager full of contradictions, full of doubts typical of his age, a bit
selfish, who makes some bad choices, but who is also affectionate, athletic,
romantic and full of life.
I also thought it would be interesting to approach the subject from an adult’s
point of view, a point of view full of prejudices. Adults look at teenagers
with fear and worry, but actually, oftentimes it is their own lives that are
floundering. The only problem the teenager really has is that he is going to
turn fifteen, and that age is an undefined one. However, in this story, the lives
of the adults are at a standstill: the mother cannot yet accept her husband’s
death, the grandmother cannot accept her divorce, the grandfather is bitter
and has closed his heart to the world. Being in contact with a teenager will
be like a breath of fresh air for them all, and it will force them to take a hard
look at themselves.
Instituto de la Cinematografa y de
las Artes Audiovisuales / ICAA
Madrid, Spain
Rafael Cabrera
Madrid, Spain
+34 917 017 259
[email protected]
www.mcu.es/cine/index
International Sales
Latido Films
Miren Zamora
Madrid, Spain
+34 91 548 8877
[email protected]
www.LatidoFilms.com
Festivals & Awards (selection)
Malaga Film Festival
• Best Movie
• Best Screenplay
• Best Original Soundtrack
• Award Special Jury Criticism Fnac
Spanish entry for Ariel Awards
The paradox lies in appearances, on the surface, it is the boy who needs help
but, in reality, the adults need it far more.
http://vimeo.com/76441570
Trailer
EFP Screenings of European Oscar® Entries
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills
Wednesday, November 6th 8:00 pm
Belgium
THE BROKEN
CIRCLE
BREAKDOWN
in cooperation with
and supported by
Directed by
Felix van Groeningen
Genre
Intense Drama
Synopsis
Language
Dutch
Country Belgium
Year
2012
Length
100 min
Format
DCP
Elise (Veerle Baetens) and Didier (Johan Heldenbergh) fall in love at first
sight. She has her own tattoo shop and he plays the banjo in a bluegrass
band. They bond over their shared enthusiasm for American music and
culture, and dive headfirst into a sweeping romance that plays out on
and off stage – but when an unexpected tragedy hits their new family,
everything they know and love is tested. An intensely moving portrait
of a relationship from beginning to end, propelled by a soundtrack of
foot-stomping bluegrass, The Broken Circle Breakdown is a romantic
melodrama of the highest order.
Screening
ratio 1:2.35
Director’s Statement
Co-production
country
The Netherlands
Director
Felix van Groeningen
Screenplay
Carl Joos
Felix van Groeningen
I can only be intensely grateful and happy that the unique combination
of this unusual story and the talent and the passion of a very motivated
cast and crew resulted in a film that I could only have dreamt of three
years ago.
Flanders Image
Christian De Schutter
Brussels, Belgium
+32 2 226 0630
[email protected]
www.flandersimage.com
International Sales
The Match Factory
Michael Weber
Cologne, Germany
+49 221 539 7090
[email protected]
www.the-match-factory.com
Festivals & Awards (selection)
Ghent Film Fest
Berlinale
· Panorama Audience Award
· Europa Cinemas Label
Tribeca
· Best Actress
· Best Script
CPH Pix
· Audience Award
Haugesund
· Audience Award
Paris Cinéma;
Karlovy Vary
(10 Euro Directors to Watch)
Cast
Veerle Baetens
Johan Heldenbergh
Nell Cattrysse
Production Company
Menuet
Dirk Impens (producer)
Ghent, Belgium
+32 9 235 7370
[email protected]
www.menuet.be
www.thebrokencirclebreakdown.be/en
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TOTOwrgOzw
Trailer
EFP Screenings of European Oscar® Entries
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills Thursday, November 7 at 3:00 pm
Sweden
Eat Sleep Die
(ÄTA SOVA DÖ)
In cooperation with
and supported by
Directed by
Gabriela Pichler
Genre
Drama
Language Swedish, Montenegrin, Serbian
Country Sweden
Year
2012
Length
104 min
Format
DCP
Screening
ratio 1:1.85
Director
Gabriela Pichler
Screenplay
Gabriela Pichler
Main cast
Nermina Lukač
Milan Dragišić
Jonathan Lampinen
Peter Fält
Ružica Pichler
Cinematographer
Johan Lundborg
Production Company
Anagram
China Åhlander
Lund, Sweden
+46 70 576 59 59
[email protected]
www.anagram.se
Synopsis
Ever wondered who packs the fresh plastic-sealed salad you are having for
lunch? Who the people losing their factory jobs in dead end small towns
would be? Ready for a visit to the “new” Sweden? When the forceful young
Muslim Swedish/Balkan ”take-no-shit” factory worker Raša loses her job,
she faces the system of unemployment. With no high school diploma, no job
– but her boots deeply stained with the mud of the small town she grew up
in – Raša finds herself on collision course with society and it’s contradictable
values and expectations. First time amateur actors play all of the main
characters in the film.
Director’s Statement
I wanted to make a film about the people I have always loved, but was
sometimes ashamed to be part of. Sweden has an uneasy relationship with
its self-image that has to come to terms with its status as an immigration
and asylum country.
I want to be part of the process of redefining Sweden’s national identity.
Someone like Raša, an intense, cocky, straight-forward Muslim working
class girl who doesn’t give a shit of what others think about her is an obvious
challenge to the way Swedes have traditionally seen themselves.
Raša’s story has a lot to do with her own identity and the way people see
her, but it also plays out against the background of experiences many
young people have in the ongoing European economic crisis with high
unemployment and increasing internal contradictions within society.
But just as importantly I wanted to develop a more personal topic and show
the kind of portrait of a father-daughter relationship hat I never got to see
on screen when I was a young girl.
Co-producing companies
Film i Skåne (Sweden)
Sveriges Television
Film i Väst (Sweden)
www.anagram.se/projekt/eat-sleep-die
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWoacp0nAnI
Trailer
The Swedish Film Institute
Pia Lundberg
Stockholm, Sweden
+46 8 665 1100
[email protected]
www.sfi.se
International Sales
The Yellow Affair
Miira Paasilinna
Stockholm, Sweden
+46 76 199 3166
[email protected]
www.yellowaffair.com
Festivals & Awards (selection)
Nominated Nordic Council Film Prize
2013
Nominated in LUX Prize 2013
(Official Selection)
Angers Film Festival 2013
• Grand Prix du Jury – Best Picture
Angers Film Festival 2013
• Best Actress in a Leading Role
The Swedish Federation of Film Critics
• Greta Award 2012
Guldbagge Award 2013
• Best Picture / Best Director / Best
Screenplay / Best Actress in a Leading
Role
Venice Film Festival
• Audience Award
American Film Institute Festival
• Grand Jury Prize -New Auteur Section
Nominated European Film Award
EFP Screenings of European Oscar® Entries
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills Friday, November 8 at 4:00 pm
Montenegro
ACE OF SPADES
– BAD DESTINY
(AS PIK – LOSA SUDBINA)
In cooperation with
and supported by
Directed by
Drasko Djurovic
Genre
Drama/Action
Language Montenegrin/English
Country Montenegro
Year
2012
Length
103 min
Format
Blu-ray
Screening
ratio 1:2.35
Director
Drasko Djurovic
Screenplay
Obrad Nenezic
Main cast
Michael Madsen
Branimir Popović
Pedja Bjelac
Momcilo Otašević
Jelena Simić
Milica Milsa
Olja Vuković
Branka Otasević
George Pusep
Danilo Čelebić
Dragan Raočić
Slavko Klikovac
Synopsis
Set in the nineties of the past century, Bad Destiny explores the consequences
of war on its protagonists and the tragedy which those people carry. Beli
returns to a small Montenegrin town, after years in prison. During the war
in former Yugoslavia, he was a member of the paramilitary unit Shadows,
which participated in cruel executions.
After returning to his birth place, Beli gradually develops a bond with his
younger brother Kenta, a gambler, who lives as an foreign businessmen‘s
ladies entertainer. But Beli’s dark habits, which emerge day after day, will
force Kenta, who is in love with Sanja, a refugee from Sarajevo, to question
life outside social norms.
In the same time, former members of Shadows find Beli, who managed to
sell the video footage of their war crimes some time ago. The old debts are
ready for payment.
Ministry of Culture
of Montenegro
Ilija Subotic
Cetinje, Montenegro
+382 41 232 583
[email protected]
www.ministarstvokulture.gov.me
International Sales
Princ Films
Igor Princ
Eden Prairie, MN, USA
+1 763 458 1967
[email protected]
www.princfilms.com
Director’s Statement
One country in Europe –Yugoslavia – fell apart. Beli is an ex-war dog during
the 1990’s, escapes to Italy with his younger brother Kenta. But Kenta meets
Sanja a refugee from Sarajevo, and war buddies are looking for Beli.
I wanted to make story about fear. I wanted to make a story about revenge.
And I wanted to make a story about love, first of all.
Production Company
B-Film Montenegro
Branko Baletic
Podgorica, Montenegro
+382 67 810 200
[email protected]
Festivals & Awards (selection)
Montenegro Film Festival, 2012
• Award for Best Actor Branimir Popovic
• Special Award from the Council of
the Festival
Balkan New Film Festival, Stockholm,
Sweden, 2013
· Special Award
SEE a Paris" South-East European Film
Festival, France 2013
· Award for Best Actor Branimir Popovic
Motovun Film Festival, Croatia, 2013
· Nomination for Bauer Award –
Film of the Year
Sarajevo Film Festival, 2013
Lescovac International Festival of Film
Directing - LIFFE, Serbia, 2013
· Award for the Best Actress Jelena Simic
Co-producing company
Filmmakers’ Association of
Montenegro - UFSCG
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDn5ctqTamI
Trailer
EFP Screenings of European Oscar® Entries
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills
Saturday, November 9 at 4:00 pm
Slovak Republic
MY DOG
KILLER
(MÔJ PES KILLER)
in cooperation with
and supported by
Directed by
Mira Fornay
Genre
Drama
Language Slovak, Czech
Country Slovak Republic
Co-prod.
country Czech Republic
Year
2013
Length
90 min
Format
35mm / digital
Screening
ratio 1:1.85
Director
Mira Fornay
Screenplay
Mira Fornay
Synopsis
Shame and pride can kill
Eighteen year old Marek lives near the Slovak-Moravian border with his dad
and his hooligan pals, however Marek’s best friend is his dog. Alienated from
everyone, he is on his own in the racist circle that surrounds him - and suddenly
the cause of an incident…
Director’s Statement
International Sales
Shame is the most powerful, painful and potentially very dangerous emotion
– especially for those who don’t understand its origins or don’t know how
to manage it. This is Marek’s case, who starts to act anxiously after he finds
out about the secret of his lost mother. His feeling of shame comes from the
absurd idea of racism. In Marek’s opinion, the revelation of this secret might
not just damage his family dignity in the eyes of others, but mainly his own
self-respect and his position in the group of skinheads.
m-appeal
Maren Kroymann
Berlin, Germany
+49 30 61 50 75 05
[email protected];
[email protected]
www.m-appeal.com
Festivals & Awards (selection)
Main cast
Adam Mihál
Irena Bendová
Marián Kuruc
Libor Filo
Production Company
MIRAFOX
Juraj Buzalka
Pezinok, Slovak Republic
+421 904 881 384
[email protected]
www.mirafox.sk
Co-producing companies
Cineart Tv Prague (Czech Republic)
Česká televize (Czech Republic)
Rozhlas a televízia Slovenska
(Slovak Republic)
www.mirafox.sk/project_my_dog_killer.php
www.m-appeal.com/M-Appeal.com/our_films/Seiten/MY_DOG_KILLER.html
Trailer
Slovak Film Institute
Alexandra Strelkova
Bratislava, Slovak Republic
+421 2 5710 15 27
[email protected]
www.sfu.sk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBF5Sb4xhNo
Rotterdam IFF 2013
• Hivos Tiger Award
Vilnius IFF 2013, Lithuania
• Best Director Award
Titanic FF 2013, Hungary
• Special Jury Award
München FF 2013, Germany
• CineVision Award
Zerkalo IFF 2013, Russia
• Best Director Award
Split FF 2013, Croatia
• Special Award
Busan IFF 2013, South Korea
Warsaw IFF 2013, Poland
La Rochelle IFF
Edinburgh IFF, United Kingdom
EFP Screenings of European Oscar® Entries
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills
Saturday, November 9 at 6:00 pm
Bulgaria
The Color
of the
Chameleon
(Cvetat na hameleona)
in cooperation with
and supported by
Directed by
Emil Christov
Genre
Dark Comedy/Political Thriller
Language Bulgarian
Country Bulgaria
Co-prod.
country
Slovenia
Year
2012
Length
114 min
Format
35mm, DCP
Screening
ratio 1:2.35
Synopsis
A maniacal informant creates his own phantom secret-police department.
He recruits a group of unsuspecting intellectuals to spy on each other.
After the fall of Communism he uses his secret archive to wreak havoc on
the government.
Director’s Statement
The movie offers a paradoxical twist in the standard representation of
totalitarianism as a society of victims and victimizers. This is a story
without innocents. Secret policing reveals its dark nature not only in
its nauseating cruelties, but also most suggestively, in its deviant
pleasures.
Director
Emil Christov
Screenplay
Vladislav Todorov
Main cast
Ruscen Vidinliev
Rousy Chanev
Irena Milyankova
Svetlana Yancheva
Samuel Finzi
Deyan Donkov
Kasiel Noah Asher
Bulgarian National Film Center
Irina Kanusheva
Sofia, Bulgaria
+359 2 988 38 31
[email protected]
www.nfc.bg
Festivals & Awards (selection)
Toronto IFF 2012
(Discovery)
Stockholm IFF 2012
(Main Competition)
Thessaloniki IFF 2012
(Main Competition)
Karlovy Vary IFF 2013
(Variety's Ten European Directors
to Watch)
New York New Directors/New Films
IFF 2013
Palm Springs IFF 2013
Istanbul IFF 2013
Edinburgh IFF 2013
Production Company
Peripetia
Bouriana Zakharieva
Sofia, Bulgaria
+1 201 736 1991
[email protected]
www.peripeteiafilms.com
Co-producing companies
Bulgarian National Film Center
Bulgarian National TV
Nu Image Boyana (Bulgaria)
Restart (Slovenia)
www.peripeteiafilms.com/The%20Color%20of%20the%20Chameleon.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm6glbdXl88
Trailer
EFP Screenings of European Oscar® Entries
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills Sunday, November 10 at 2:00 pm
Finland
THE DISCIPLE
(LÄRJUNGEN)
In cooperation with
and supported by
Directed by
Ulrika Bengts
Genre
Drama
Language Swedish
Country Finland
Year
2013
Length
94 min
Format
DCP
Screening
ratio 1:2.39
Director
Ulrika Bengts
Screenplay
Roland Fauser
Jimmy Karlsson
Main cast
Erik Lönngren
Patrik Kumpulainen
Amanda Ooms
Ping Mon Wallén
Niklas Groundstroem
Production Company
Långfilm Production Finland Oy
Mats Långbacka
Helsinki, Finland
+358 505 710 951
[email protected]
www.langfilm.fi
Synopsis
The summer of 1939: Thirteen-year-old orphan Karl arrives at an isolated
island to work as lighthouse master Hasselbond’s assistant. Karl and
Hasselbond’s oppressed son Gustaf make friends, but their friendship changes
to rivalry and hate when Hasselbond starts to favour Karl over his own son.
The Finnish Film Foundation
Kati Nuora
Helsinki, Finland
+358 9 6220 300
[email protected]
www.ses.fi
Director’s Statement
The Disciple is an archaic story.
Festivals & Awards (selection)
We have an isolated, rocky island, a God-like, controlling father, a revolting
mother, an innocent young daughter, and a teenage son, fearing and loving
his father. To this doomed island and dysfunctional family a boy arrives to
become the lighthouse keeper’s assistant.
Montreal World Film Festival
Rome Film Festival
(Alice nella Citta competition)
Le Festival international du film d'Arras
(Competition)
The boy, Karl, has been raised and beaten in an orphanage. Now he has to
make it of his own. The lighthouse keeper’s son, Gustaf, is of the same age as
Karl. The two boys are becoming friends. They have no other to get close to,
no one else to talk to, than each other on the isolated island.
Mr Hasselbond is maltreating Gustaf, always telling him how useless he is.
In fear of his father Gustaf always fails. He asks Karl for advice. Karl is clever
and quick-witted. When Hasselbond finds out how skilled Karl is he makes
Karl his favourite, using him in humiliating Gustaf. If Karl wants to succeed
he has to play by Mr Hasselbond’s rules, facing moral and existential choices
in every situation.
www.larjungen.fi
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXUbJUjOhxU
Trailer
EFP Screenings of European Oscar® Entries
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills
Sunday, November 10 at 4:00 pm
Greece
Boy Eating
The Bird’s
Food
(To Agori Troei To Fagitou
Tou Pouliou)
in cooperation with
and supported by
Directed by
Ektoras Lygizos
Genre
Drama
Language Greek
Country Greece
Year
2012
Length
80 min
Format
DCP
Screening
ratio 1:1.78
Director
Ektoras Lygizos
Screenplay
Ektoras Lygizos
Main cast
Yiannis Papadopoulos
Lila Baklesi
Production Company
Giorgos Karnavas/Heretic
Giorgos Karnavas
Athens, Greece
+30 69 4567 6069
[email protected]
www.heretic.gr
Co-producing companies
Stefi Productions (Greece)
Oxymoron (Greece)
Trailer
Synopsis
A 22-year-old boy in Athens has no job, no money, no girlfriend and no
food to eat, but he’s got a canary bird and a beautiful singing voice. When
he finds himself withοut a home, he has to seek a shelter for his bird. And
when the bird gets trapped inside the shelter, the boy has to find some
help. He has to find someone to confess that he has no job, no money, no
girlfriend and no food to eat.
Director’s Statement
I didn’t think politics would be at the forefront of this film but of course I
was being naive: one guy fighting against a hostile world and against his
own world view – that’s a political film. And while I did not start out to
make a political film, it certainly is not just a personal story. The film may
stand as an allegory in the way that most of the people here in Greece can’t
see themselves reflected in each other; they cannot assess their value. Entire
generations of Greeks in their twenties, thirties and forties have now been
told they are not useful, that their existence and role has no meaning. In
the film, the story revolves around our character’s first full realization that
something is wrong … that he is just not useful within this society.
With this, my first film, I wanted to express my reaction towards the Greek
situation today, though in a non-directly political way. I accidentally read
Hunger, the novel by Knut Hamsun, and from that came the inception of an
idea…the beginning of a story about a young artist who has nothing but
what he can create in his mind. It was the pretext of a story. I feel that this
story and our current political and economical environment is something
that has been growing for decades, if not centuries – a natural evolution
of capitalism that is this suppression and oppression of a people; people in
society ending up feeling alone, useless, helpless. In Greece, we always had
the family to fall back on; the family to make sure we didn’t fall too far. Now,
we are starting to lose even that. My film would have been an alien concept
in the Greece of just ten years ago. Now, for the first time, we are truly on our
own with no family, literally no mother, to take care of us. Our mothers are
in the same position we are.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mdrg7jGZKY
Greek Film Center
Stavroula Geronimaki
Athens, Greece
+30 2103678500
[email protected]
www.gfc.gr
International Sales
Premium-Films
Kasia Karwan
Paris, France
+33 66 89 86 97 3
[email protected]
www.premium-films.com
Festivals & Awards (selection)
Karlovy Vary IFF
• Special Mention
Cinergia
• Gold Award
Crossing Europe
• Gold Award
Thessaloniki
• Best Director
• Best Actor
Gallway
• Best First Feature Award
Seville
• Best Director
• Best Actor
Toronto IFF
IFF Rotterdam
Les Arcs
EFP Screenings of European Oscar® Entries
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills
Sunday, November 10 at 6:00 pm
Germany
TWO LIVES
(ZWEI LEBEN)
Associated with
Directed by
Georg Maas
Genre
Drama/ Thriller
Language Norwegian/German/
English/Danish
Country Germany
Co-prod.
country
Norway
Year
2012
Length
97 min
Format
DCP
Screening
ratio 1:2.35
Director
Georg Maas
Screenplay
Georg Maas, Christoph Tölle,
Stale Stein Berg, Judith Kaufmann
Main cast
Juliane Köhler, Liv Ullmann,
Ken Duken, Sven Nordin,
Julia Bache-Wiig, Rainer Bock,
Thomas Lawinky, Dennis Storhoi
Production Companies
Zinnober Film GmbH
Dieter Zeppenfeld
B&T Film GmbH
Rudi Teichmann
Helgeland Film A/S
Axel Helgeland
Contact
Zinnober Film GmbH
Aachen, Germany
+49 241 970 180
www.zinnober.de
Synopsis
Europe 1990, the Berlin wall has just crumbled: Katrine, raised in East
Germany, but now living in Norway for the last 20 years, is a “war child”;
the result of a love relationship between a Norwegian woman and a
German occupation soldier during World War II. She enjoys a happy
family life with her mother to come forward as witnesses in a trial
against the Norwegian state on behalf of the war children, she resists.
Gradually, a web of concealment and secrets is unveiled, until Katrine
is finally stripped of everything, and her loved ones are forced to take
a stand:
What carries more weight, the life they have lived together, or the lie
it is based on?
Director’s Statement
What was fascinating about the topic was, at first, the story itself, which
is extremely suspenseful and keeps going off in unexpected directions.
You never know where it's heading. Right at the beginning, it’s obvious
that the story has a secret and wants to try and find out what it is. Only
at the very end do all the parts come together as in a puzzle to form one
large picture.
The many layers of the characters and the complexity of the story
fascinated me for many years. The lead characters in this film are both
guilty and innocent. They are both perpetrators and victims, and they did
not get involved in this dilemma out of their own free will. They live to find
happiness in the present, but they cannot flee from the shadows of their
past. This is the drama of their existence. While writing the script, I was
increasingly concerned about the question of identity: What is the truth,
what is a lie, who are we? What do I know about the other.
www.zweileben-film.de
www.betacinema.com/twolives
Trailer
German Films
Mariette Rissenbeek
Munich, Germany
+49 89 599 787 0
[email protected]
www.german-films.de
International Sales
Beta Cinema GmbH
Dirk Schürhoff
Munich, Germany
+49 89 6734 69828
[email protected]
www.betacinema.com
Festivals & Awards (selection)
Palm Springs International
Filmfestival
Seattle International Filmfestival
Stony Brooks Film Festival
(Closing Film)
Gotemburg International
Filmfestival
Audi Festival of German Films
Australia
· Audience Award
· Best Film
Shanghai Filmfestival
International Emden Filmfestival
· Audience Award
Biberach Filmfestival
· Best Film
Festival des Jeunes Réalisateurs,
St. Jean de Luz
· Best Actress for Juliane Köhler
· Audience Award 'Best Film'
EFP Screenings of European Oscar® Entries
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills
Tuesday, November 12 at 6:15 pm
Iceland
OF HORSES
AND MEN
(HROSS Í OSS)
In cooperation with
and supported by
Directed by
Benedikt Erlingsson
Genre
Drama/Comedy
Language Icelandic
Country Iceland
Co-prod.
country
Germany
Year
2013
Length
80 min
Format
DCP
Screening
ratio 1:1.78
Director
Benedikt Erlingsson
Screenplay
Benedikt Erlingsson
Synopsis
A country romance about the human streak in the horse and the horse in the
human. Love and death become interlaced and with immense consequences.
The fortunes of the people in the country through the horses’ perception.
Director’s Statement
This is not a straightforward story.
I hope that the English title, Of Horses and Men, gives the viewer the right
point of view.
The word that is missing, “stories“, is the key. And of course it must be said
that here in the north, women are also men.It is important to state that no
horses were hurt in the making of this film. It says so at the end of the credits,
and it is absolutely true. The entire cast and crew are horse owners and horse
lovers. We might as well have been working with our children.I must admit,
however, that there were some human actors that were traumatized during
the shooting of the film, but I happen to know that they were still alive when
this was written.
Icelandic Film Centre
Laufey Guðjónsdóttir
Reykjavik, Iceland
+354 562 3580
[email protected]
icelandicfilmcentre.is
Festivals & Awards (selection)
San Sebastián Film Festival
• Kutxa-New Directors Award
Tokyo International Film Festival
(International Competition)
Main cast
Ingvar E. Sigurdsson
Charlotte Bøving
Production Company
Hrossabrestur
Fridrik Thor Fridriksson
Reykjavik, Iceland
+35 4 896 2464
[email protected]
www. hrosss.is
Co-producing company
Mogador Film (Germany)
www.hrosss.is
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKodaUmsYxk
Trailer
EFP Screenings of European Oscar® Entries
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills
Tuesday, November 12 at 8:00 pm
The Netherlands
Borgman
in cooperation with
and supported by
Directed by
Alex van Warmerdam
Genre
Thriller
Language Dutch
Country The Netherlands
Co-prod.
countries Belgium/Denmark
Year
2013
Length
113 min
Format
DCP-2K
Screening
ratio 1:2.35
Director
Alex van Warmerdam
Screenplay
Alex van Warmerdam
Main cast
Jan Bijvoet
Hadewych Minis
Jeroen Perceval
Sara Hjort Ditlevsen
Eva van de Wijdeven
Annet Malherbe
Tom Dewispelaere
Alex van Warmerdam
Production Company
Graniet Film
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
+31 20 6060 630
[email protected]
Synopsis
Borgman’s arrival in the tree-lined avenues of an exclusive residential
area is the beginning of a series of unsettling events around the carefully
constructed facade of a wealthy couple, their three children and the
nanny.
Director’s Statement
In Borgman I wanted to show that evil comes in everyday form, embodied
within ordinary, normal, polite men and women who perform their tasks
with pride and pleasure, and with ruthless attention to detail. I wanted
to show that evil is enacted not just on cold winter nights, but in the
optimistic summer, beneath a warm and comforting sun.
And I wanted to show that a man like Borgman, who continually remains
elusive, can intoxicate a woman so fully with desire that she is rendered
powerless.
This film is darker than my other films because I wanted to go further. I
wanted to descend into an unknown, dark part of my imagination and see
what was to be found there. And I wanted to make a film very much open
to interpretation, one that raises more questions than it answers.
EYE Film Institute Netherlands
Claudia Landsberger
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
+31 20 7582 375
[email protected]
international.eyefilm.nl
International Sales
Fortissimo Films
Winnie Lau
Michael Werner
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
+31 20 627 3215
[email protected]
www.fortissimofilms.com
Festivals & Awards (selection)
Cannes Film Festival
(Official Selection Competition)
I think Borgman is a strong film - ask me again in 10 years and I will have
forgotten how I ever came to write it - but in my experience there are
always things which could be better. Nevertheless I am very curious about
how it will be received. And in the meantime I am working on a new film,
my ninth film.
http://drafthousefilms.com/film/borgman
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh_Xq7goDUA
Trailer
EFP Screenings of European Oscar® Entries
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills
Wednesday, November 13 at 6:15 pm
Norway
I AM YOURS
(JEG ER DIN)
In cooperation with
and supported by
Directed by
Iram Haq
Genre
Drama
Language Norwegian/Urdu/
Swedish
Country Norway
Year
2013
Length
96 min
Format
DCP
Screening
ratio 1:1.85
Director
Iram Haq
Screenplay
Iram Haq
Main cast
Amrita Acharia
Ola Rapace
Prince Singh
Rabia Noreen
Tobias Santelmann
Assad Siddique
Trond Fausa Aurvåg
Production Company
Mer Film as
Maria Ekerhovd
Tromsø, Norway
+47 951 881 18
[email protected]
www.merfilm.no
Synopsis
I Am Yours is a portrait of Mina, a young single mother living in Oslo
with her 6-year-old son Felix. She is Norwegian-Pakistani and has a
troublesome relationship with her family. Mina is constantly looking
for love and has relations with different men, however none of the
relationships bearing any hope of lasting very long. Then Mina meets
Jesper, a Swedish film director and they fall head over heals in love.
Mina takes Felix with her to Stockholm to live with Jesper, but Jesper is
not ready for a family life. Mina fights hard for their love, but finally she
has to find out what love really is.
Director’s Statement
I have tried to make a portrait of a woman who has broken with just about
everything, then plots out the new direction her life is going to take.
A woman who tries to live as normal a life as possible, but doesn't quite
succeed. Her loneliness and her craving for love is so dominating that she
constantly ends up in situations, which make her even more vulnerable. I
have had a wish to relate my dirtiest thoughts and my inner chaos. To make
a vulnerable, honest portrayal of rootlessness, of being a woman who longs
for being loved and held. What does she do when her baggage is unsafe, and
no one catches her when she stumbles?
Her past is constantly catching up with her, and she has the sole responsibility
for a child. The child's love for her does not satisfy Mina's needs, because she
herself needs someone to care for her. When she is pushed into a corner, her
son's love for her is perceived as nothing but a demand, and an obstacle to
her own chances of being loved. When desire gets the upper hand, and her
role as a mother is given less priority, her inner chaos and shame increase.
Her shame and chaos influence the decisions Mina makes.
How do you handle your agitation and loneliness when you're young and
in love? When you have the sole responsibility for a child? When you seek a
sense of belonging, but feel trapped in your relationships with the people
closest to you? How do you act when you stand alone, and you have had an
unstable childhood? When you're caught up in a recurring pattern, which
you realize is no good for you, but which you're unable to break, and which
nearly makes you go too far, time and again? These are some of the issues I
try to approach in I Am Yours.
Norwegian Film Institute
Stine Oppegaard
Oslo, Norway
+47 22 4745 00
[email protected]
www.nfi.no
International Sales
Premium Films
Kasia Karwan
Paris, France
+33 668 986 973
[email protected]
www.premium-films.com
Festivals & Awards (selection)
TIFF
Nordic Filmdays in Lubeck
www.merfilm.no
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJmiZ0c3qxg
Trailer
EFP Screenings of European Oscar® Entries
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills
Wednesday, November 13 at 8:15 pm
Slovenia
Class
Enemy
(Razredni sovražnik)
in cooperation with
and supported by
Directed by
Rok Biček
Genre
Drama
Synopsis
Language
Slovenian, German
Country Slovenia
Year
2013
Length
112 min
Due to a huge difference in the way they perceive life, the relationship
between the students and their new German language teacher
becomes critically tense. When one of the students commits suicide, her
classmates accuse the teacher of being responsible for her death. The
realisation that things are not so black and white comes too late.
Format
DCP, colour
Screening
ratio 1:2.35
Director
Rok Biček
Director’s Statement
Festivals & Awards (selection)
I think film art should address issues which reflect the national as well
as global society. In Class Enemy this is achieved through the microcosm
of secondary school students, who are an extremely vulnerable
generation. As such they are – knowingly or unknowingly – sensitive
to everything happening to them or around them.
Venice Film Festival 2013
(Critic’s Week)
· Fedeora Award
Viennale
Bratislava FF
Sevilla FF
Mannheim Heidelberg FF
Goteborg FF
Istanbul
Screenplay
Rok Biček
Nejc Gazvoda
Janez Lapajne
Main cast
Igor Samobor
Nataša Barbara Gračner
Tjaša Železnik
Maša Derganc
Robert Prebil
Voranc Boh
Jan Zupančič
Daša Čupevski
Doroteja Nadrah
Production Company
Triglav film
Veronila Ailken Prosenc
Domžale, Slovenia
+386 41 799 800
[email protected]
http://www.triglavfilm.si/
Slovenian Filma Centre
Nerina T.Kocjančič
Ljubljana, Slovenia
+386 1 2343 204
[email protected]
www.film-center.si
www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/pages/Razredni-sovra%C5%BEnikClassEnemy-uradna-predstavitevofficial-presentation/332460466886878?fref=ts
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsOsFByeR0U
Trailer
EFP Screenings of European Oscar® Entries
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills
Thursday, November 14 at 4:00 pm
Croatia
HALIMA’S
PATH
(HALIMIN PUT)
in cooperation with
and supported by
Directed by
Arsen Anton Ostojic
Genre
Drama
Synopsis
Language
Croatian
Halima’s Path tells the tragic but inspiring story of a grieving, but
strong-willed Muslim woman Halima who tries, without success, to find
the remains of her son who was killed in the Bosnian War and buried
in one of the many mass graves. She realizes that she must track down
her estranged niece, who we find carries a mysterious connection to
him. After finding her, Halima discovers a horrifying fact from her worst
nightmares. With this discovery, the spiral of tragic events from the past
would continue in the present, disrupting once again the troubled lives
of the characters.
Country Croatia
Co-prod.
countries Slovenia, Bosnia-
Herzegovina
Year
2012
Length
93 min
Format
DCP
Screening
ratio 1:1.85
Director
Arsen Anton Ostojic
Screenplay
Fedja Isovic
Main cast
Alma Prica
Olga Pakalovic
Mijo Jurisic
Mustafa Nadarevic
Miraj Grbic
Production Company
Arkadena Zagreb
Slobodan Trninic
Zagreb, Croatia
+385 98 275 158
[email protected]
Co-producing companies
Studio Arkadena (Slovenia)
F.I.S.T. Produkcija (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Director’s Statement
Although it could be said there have been enough Balkan war stories,
the fact is that there is always a need for truthful and touching human
dramas, regardless from which part of the world they come.
What attracted me to this project is primarily the powerful emotional
story inspired by true events. My intention was to underline the
emotional impact of the script and to create believable characters,
deeply rooted in their environment. My directorial approach was rather
simple, in order to bring out the power of emotions and this universal
tragedy. The ending, despite all the suffering throughout the film,
brings relief, not only to the characters, but to the audience as well.
The screenplay was loosely inspired by a real-life story of Zahida and
Muharem Fazlic from a village near Prijedor in Western Bosnia whose
adopted son Emir was executed in 1992. It took them 20 years to find
their son’s biological mother who kept refusing to give her blood for the
DNA identification.
www.arsenantonostojic.com/aao/feature/halimaspath.html
https://vimeo.com/77115330
Trailer
Croatian Audiovisual Centre
Zagreb, Croatia
+385 1 604 1080
[email protected]
www.havc.hr
Festivals & Awards (selection)
21st Raindance Film Festival, London
· Best International Feature Award
29th Mons Int’l FF d’Amour, Belgium
· Grand Prix for Best Film
· Best Actress Award
· Cinefemme Foundation Award
19th MedFilmFestival, Rome, Italy
· Multicultural Jury Best Film Award
29th Festroia Int’l FF, Setubal, Portugal
· Best Actress Award
8th SEE Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA
· Audience Award
59th Pula Film Festival
· Audience Award
· Young Cinephiles Jury Award
22nd Cottbus Film Festival, Germany
· Audience Award
· Jury Mention
16th Tallinn Black Nights FF, Estonia
· Special Jury Prize
19th Int’l Festival of Mediterranean
Films, Tetouan, Morocco
· Grand Prix
· Best Actress Award
21st Varna Int’l Film Festival, Bulgaria
· Critics Award
5th Prishtina Int’l FF
· MEDIA Award
3rd Balkan Film and Food Festival,
Pogradec, Albania
· Grand Prix for the best film