For the first time, Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event Co-Production Market joins the Co-Production Day at the Marché du Film in Cannes and presents seven promising projects from all over Europe at the event!
The head of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event Marge Liiske commented that the team handpicked six of the projects submitted to Marché du Film from the participants of the Baltic Event Co-Production Market in Tallinn 2020: “We took a close look at the projects and selected the ones in the most suitable stage of financing and that would benefit the most from the opportunities Cannes Co-Production Day has to offer. We had a very wide and diverse selection of projects last year, so the selection was an interesting challenge.” Regarding the final project, she added, “We also decided to include the new Estonian project by award-winning scriptwriter and director Moonika Siimets and producer Riina Sildos - her latest production “Compartment no 6” is part of this year’s main competition at Cannes Film Festival.”
“Co-production is not always an easy road to travel, especially in the post-COVID world, where the cross-border shooting can be difficult, but each and every one of the projects we have chosen to bring with us to Cannes has the potential and artistic merit to really flourish on the international stage,” Liiske said.
The projects presented at Cannes Co-Production Day by the Baltic Event Co-Production Market include:
8 Views of Lake Biwa, an avant garde drama blending Japanese and Estonian art traditions across eight intertwined love stories. Written and directed by Marko Raat, produced by Ivo Felt, Dora Nedeczky, Allfilm, Estonia.
Aliya, written and directed by Dekel Berenson, produced by Marek Rozenbaum, Transfax Film Productions ltd., AR Content, Israel, Russia. The film follows the journey of a young Ukrainian woman of Jewish heritage training to become an instructor in the Israeli army.
Black Hole, written and directed by Moonika Siimets, produced by Riina Sildos, Amrion, Estonia. Three comically absurd tales interweave in Black Hole, making a point about the essence of modern life when people are in moral decline and have lost the ability to connect with each other.
Spilt Milk, written by Cara Loftus, directed by Brian Durnin, produced by Laura McNicholas, 925 Productions, Ireland. Class A follows 11-year-old Bobby O’Brien, a precocious and energetic boy obsessed with becoming a great detective and looking into the disappearance of his brother Oisin.
Kevlar Soul, a family drama dealing with addiction. Written by Pelle Rådström, directed by Maria Eriksson-Hecht, produced by Ronny Fritsche, Zentropa Sweden, Sweden
Historical drama Maria’s Silence follows the dark life events of former silent cinema and theatre star Marija Leiko around the time of World War 2. Written and directed by Dāvis Sīmanis, produced by Gints Grūbe, Mistrus Media, Latvia.
Tasty, written and directed by Egle Vertelyte, co-written by Irena Kuneviciute, produced by Lukas Trimonis, Inscript, Lithuania. Ona and Saule, two best friends, who work in a local canteen “Tasty”, enter a national competition which will challenge not only their cooking skills but their friendship as well.
Baltic Event Co-Production Market, held since 2005, is the meeting-place for feature films in development looking for co-producers, financiers and sales agents. Around 15 projects are selected each year and over 400 pre-arranged meetings are held with decision-makers who have made Tallinn their yearly stopover to look for new projects for their slates.
Marché du Film Co-Production Day enables projects in development, selected by five Co-production market partners, including the Baltic Event Co-Production Market, to present their projects at one-to-one speed meeting sessions and look for co-producers and financiers.