Script Pool Award was given to the most promising project receiving a 5 000 euro monetary prize by PWC.
Winner: What remains
Director and writer: Leon Yersin
Producer: David Fonjallaz
Production company: Lomotion AG (Switzerland)
Jury comment: “For a script that explores in depth the tragedy of the loss of the father not by destiny but by choice, and the way it can dramatically affect the life of his son, a beautiful and sensitive story that we look forward to seeing in the cinema, the award goes to What Remains by Léon Yersin.
In addition, the jury decided to give out a special mention.
Special mention winner: Rise of the Water Fox
Writers: Elisabeth Kužovnik and Carlos E. Lesmes
Director: Carlos E. Lesmes
Producer: Johanna Maria Paulson
Production company: Stellar Film (Estonia)
Jury comment: Special mention to Rise of the Water Fox, an inventive, imaginative and excellent project – we wish there were two prizes!
The Script Pool main award for the most promising project of 5000 Euro prize by PWC is given to a writer-producer team selected by the jury including Teresa Cavina (festival programmer, and script analyst), Aleks Fomin (producer at Hype Studios), Sam Taylor (co-founder of Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME)).
In 2023, the participants had the opportunity to receive innovative training by EU project CresCine, with a strong focus on script and project development and training on decision-making, maximising the chances of success. Script Pool also proudly cooperated with T-Port, the online short film market. T-Port has supported the selection process and showcases past short films from Script Pool directors.
Mirror of Nightingales - directed by Karla Lulić and produced by Jelena Mađarić and Karla Lulić. (Croatia, Romania, Serbia)
This Is It, the Apocalypse - directed by Balahan Gürel and produced by Aysun Karaman and Okan Üzey (Turkey)
Rise of the Water Fox - written by Elisabeth Kužovnik and Carlos E. Lesmes, directed by Carlos E. Lesmes and produced by Johanna Maria Paulson (Estonia)
Casa de Fieras - directed by Eva Saiz and produced by Raquel Pedreira (Spain)
What Remains- directed by Léon Yersin, co-written by Lois de Goumoens and produced by Léon Yersin (Switzerland).
The participants will work with well-known script doctors and pitching mentors to support the script and maximise its production and distribution potential. Each project will have the chance to pitch its story to a top specialist in the field and get one-to-one feedback.
Award was handed out to the promising project receiving a 2500 euro monetary prize.
And Thus It Will Go On
Director and writer: Marina Palacio
Producer: Lara Izagirre
Country: Spain
Jury comment: “We are thrilled to award the debut feature project And thus it will go on for its unique and adventurous approach to storytelling. We can't wait to see the finished film and wish Marina Palacio the best of luck for this exciting journey.”
The projects were selected together with the online platform T-port, where it is possible to check out the previous projects of the participants.
CHECK OUT THE PROJECTS 2022 FROM THE CATALOGUE (PDF)
The main award of 2500 Euro prize is given to a writer-producer team by the jury that includes Mark Brennan (literary agent at United Agents), Margot Hervee (Senior Licensing Manager, MUBI) and Louis Balsan (Executive VP, international distribution and acquisitions at Anton).
Mark Brennan has been a literary agent at United Agents for just over three years, representing writers and directors across film, TV and theatre, having come up through the offices of Tim Corrie and Camille McCurry. He began his career in the industry working in post-production as an edit and sound assistant before moving into docu-drama casting and research for Midas Productions and Irish broadcaster TG4 (CEART AGUS COIR, IDIR MNA). What followed included time spent at Element Pictures (THE FAVOURITE) working primarily across their theatrical and distribution arm, Rainmark Films (now Turbine Studios – SMALL AXE) as production and development support for producer Tracey Scoffield and her team, and Sebastien Raybaud’s financing studio Anton Corp (HIS DARK MATERIALS, PADDINGTON 2) as their acquisitions and development executive.
After graduating from Sciences Po Bordeaux with a Masters in IP Law, Margot Hervee was an active team member for the launch of Tënk, a SVOD platform dedicated to creative documentary cinema based in Lussas, France. She then moved to London for a Masters in Film Studies at UCL and started to work at MUBI alongside her studies. She now manages licensing operations for MUBI globally, with a focus on exclusive direct to platform releases and global editorial programmes, working with both sales agents and director/producers to secure the best films for the platform. Her previous experience includes working at institutions (Cinémathèque de Toulouse, Institut Français du Royaume-Uni), in film production (La Huit Production) and in festival coordination (FIFIB).
Louis Balsan is the Executive Vice President of international distribution and acquisitions at Anton. Anton is a global provider of premium content for all platforms across film, television, digital, short-form and animation. The company partners with leading creators worldwide to produce shows which marry creativity with commercial prowess. Its hallmark is high-quality storytelling. With offices in London, Los Angeles and Berlin, the Anton team is committed to bringing the best of European and international content to global audiences.
Read the news about the projects of 2022 Script Pool and the programme attached
Award was handed out to the promising project receiving a 2500 euro monetary prize.
Dreaming of Lions by director and screenwriter Paolo Marinou-Blanco (Portugal/Belgium)
Producer: Justin Amorim
Jury comment: “It’s always hard to judge a script because so much of it comes from your own imagination. The winning script tonight won us over because of the director's ability to share his vision. We also believe that it is the closest to the final draft which is something we wanted to reward. For its clever mix of death and laughter, we are awarding Dreaming of Lions.”
Script Pool Jury consisted of Marie Zeniter, Director of International Sales, Magnolia Pictures, USA, Patrick Fischer, Producer and Co-Managing Director, Creativity Capital, United Kingdom and Katrin Kissa, Producer, Homeless Bob Production, Estonia.
Dreaming of Lions
Director: Paolo Marinou-Blanco
Screenwriter: Paolo Marinou-Blanco
Producer: Justin Amorim
Hum
Director: Stefano Nurra
Screenwriter: Stefano Nurra&Maria Grazia Cassalia
Producer: Scott Imren, Gareth Jones
Selma
Director/Screenwriter: Reshad Kulenović
Screenwriter: John Bernstein, Reshad Kulenović
Producer: Azra Mehić
The Beauty from Comet
Director: LIAO Zihao
Screenwriter: LIAO Zihao
Producer: ZHU Yirong, SUN Bowen, Ruoyao Jane Yao
Werewolf
Director: Eeva Mägi
Screenwriter: Eeva Mägi
Producer: Kristofer Piir
Read more about the projects from the catalogue
Script Pool Film and TV Award is given to an outstanding script in Film and TV series category (a 5 000 EUR).
Script Pool Film
Winner: 20,000 Species of Bees
Screenwriter Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren
Production company: Gariza Films and Sirimiri Films. Spain
Comment from the jury:
We were enchanted by the world writer/director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren created in this poignant and personal journey of young Lucia making the biggest decision of her life during a hot summer holiday in rural Spain. We were especially impressed by Solaguren’s characters and her strong vision of the story, it’s allegories and it’s setting. We hope that winning the Black Nights Film Festival Script Pool 2020 prize helps this project to advance from development to production and we look forward to seeing it in competition at major film festivals in 2022!
Script Pool TV Award
Winner: When You Fall
Scriptwriter: Biljana Crvenkovska
Production company: OXO Production. North Macedonia
Comment from the jury:
The creators of the winning project have meticulously researched the world in which their story is based, immersing themselves deeply into this world that they want to create, and bringing a unique local viewpoint, while also weaving in themes that will resonate beyond their own borders.
They have put a lot of thought not just into the story that they want to tell on the page, but into how they might better reach their intended audience online and make them fall in love with the characters, whilst also making an impact on their lives for the better.
Crucially, we were also delighted to see some diversity in the characters, which was woven into the plot in a very natural way.
Finally, we felt that the writer and producers’ passion for their subject matter leapt off the page, creating a show that hooks you from the beginning with intriguing believable characters and a layered mystery that is slowly unpeeled across the series.
Script Pool Film Jury included Patrick Fisher, managing director of Creative Capital, Patrik Andersson, Producer of Midsommar (2019), Euphoria (2017), Agathe Maurac (Head of International Sales at Pyramide International.
The Script Pool TV/drama jury included Julie Hodge, Fremantle, Editorial Director at Global Drama, Anna Katharina Brehm, Production and Content Director at Seriencamp Conference, Toomas Ili (Head Of Content Acquisitions, Elisa).
Script Pool Film selected projects in 2020:
ScriptPool TV participants in 2020
Script Pool Tallinn 2020 Juries
The juries for both categories – film and drama scripts – include acknowledged experts in the film and/or drama field.
The Script Pool TV/drama jury includes Julie Hodge (Fremantle, Editorial Director at Global Drama), Anna Katharina Brehm (Production and Content Director at Seriencamp Conference) and Toomas Ili (Head Of Content Acquisitions, Elisa).
The jury of Script Pool Film includes Patrick Fisher (managing director of Creative Capital), Patrik Andersson (Producer of Midsommar 2019, Euphoria 2017) and Agathe Maurac (Head of International Sales at Pyramide International).
Don’t Sabotage Your Own Film! public workshop with Deborah Rowland (open to all festival attendees) for filmmakers took placeon the 24 November 2020. Deborah talked about the biggest mistakes she sees filmmakers make when preparing their film for release. She also showed how to avoid them and give your film the best chance of success when it comes to marketing and distribution.
Rowland runs We Are The Tonic, an entrepreneurial marketing and distribution consultancy, delivers an MA in Marketing, Distribution, Sales and Exhibition at the UK National Film and Television School, and is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Exeter. Previously she has held senior positions at Koch Media, Curzon Artificial Eye, Twentieth Century Fox, Disney, Icon Film Distribution, Contender/EOne and The Pearson Group. Rowland has managed the campaigns for hundreds of films, including: A Separation, Amour, Melancholia and We Need To Talk About Kevin.
Script Pool Tallinn has been an important stepping stone for several projects. Just recently it was announced that Shonali Bose, the winner of Script Pool Tallinn in 2017, has finished her film The Sky Is Pink and it will have its world premiere as a gala screening at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The film’s co-writer is Nilesh Maniyar, who presented the project in Tallinn – both of them also co-directed and wrote Margharita With A Straw, that received the best actress award at Black Nights Film Festival in 2014. Other past participants include Andrea Pallaoro (director of Hannah) and Aleksandr Kott.
Script Pool Tallinn 2019
Global Screen Award (5000 euros)
The third Script Pool Tallinn competition prize is provided by the leading international sales & distribution company Global Screen GmbH.
Winner: Molly by scriptwriter Nicole Paglia and producer Jessie Mangum
Jury comment: With its authenticity, current, relevant, subject matter and sense of humour, the nicely-shot Brownie is a film about appearance that digs deeper into many other levels and deserves international distribution.
Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event Works in Progress jury included Dhanushka Gunathilake, Cinematographer, Festival curator, Debra Liang, Level K and Alissa Simon, Palm Springs IFF, Chicago IFF
Selected projects in 2019 in feature film category
Script Pool TV 2019
Global Screen Award (5000 euros)
The third Script Pool Tallinn competition prize is provided by the leading international sales & distribution company Global Screen GmbH.
Winner: The Deep, written by Lauri Lippmaa
The Deep also received a The Hypewriter Award – an official invitation to the following year’s final eight to the Hypewriter International Series Pitch Forum in June 2020 in Budapest. The winner’s pilot episode will receive € 110 000 production support.
The selected projects 2019 for the TV drama category
The Deep, written by Lauri Lippmaa
The Secret Society of Souptown and the Cucumbria Mafia by Andris Feldmanis and Livia Ulman.
Court of Muses, developed by Julia Effertz and Luxembourg’s Wady Films.
The Holy Family by Gábor Osváthis.
Crossing Place by Gary Duggan
Different created by Petr Koubek
Script Pool TV 2019
Kamila Zlatušková – Independent TV producer from Czech Republic
Dominic Schreiber – Global Drama Executive at leading independent drama producer and distributor, Reel One Entertainment.
Benjamin Harris – writer and producer
Script Pool FILM 2019
Celine Dornier – Executive Producer at Logical Pictures
Yaron Shamir – Programmer and Special Events Coordinator at Haifa International Film Festival
Jennyfer Gautier – Buyer and international sales at UDI – Urban Distribution International
Script Pool Tallinn Awards 2018:
Global Screen Award (5000 EUR)
The Script Pool Tallinn competition prize is provided by the leading international sales & distribution company Global Screen GmbH.
Winner: Man Of Deeds by Radu Romaniuc, Romania
Director: Nicolae Constantin Tănase
Production companies: Papillon Film, Tangaj Production
Producer: Paul Negoescu, Anamaria Antoci
Jury statement: For the craft and cinematic vision in creating a fascinating modern-day noir, the award goes to “Man of Deeds” by Radu Romaniuc. We were particularly impressed by the well-developed and diverse characters, who create a complex mirror of today’s society, and by the ability to mix dark humour and deep moral conflicts, and to build up tension in revealing the dark truth hidden behind a seemingly peaceful landscape.
Script Pool Tallinn 2018 Selection:
Download the 2018 project catalogue.
Script Pool Tallinn 2018 Jury:
Katharina Suckale, producer at Bombay Berlin Film Productions
Marcello Paolillo, Head of Art of Panic, Stepln project manager at Locarno Film Festival
Julia Weber, Head of Theatrical Sales & Acquisitions of Global Screen GmbH