The Baltic Event Co-Production Market will take place on 20-22 November. 14 new film projects will be presented, including debut works, new features, and engaging stories by experienced directors. This year the market has expanded its diverse selection to include feature films aimed at youth and children.
Baltic Event Co-Production Market, held at Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event since 2005, is the meeting place for feature films in development looking for co-producers, financiers, and sales agents. The event will hold around 300 pre-arranged meetings with decision-makers.
Helen Räim and Kärt Väinola, Co-Managers of the Baltic Event Co-Production Market, have highlighted the diversity and strong selection of titles for this year’s event, with projects from the Baltic States, Nordic countries, and Southern Europe. “The selection features a range of dramas that address critical societal issues - climate crisis, migration, technological innovation," they noted. "For the first time, we are also presenting films for children and youth, which we hope will open up new opportunities for co-productions." This addition reflects the market's growing scope, offering a platform for stories that appeal to younger audiences while maintaining its focus on impactful, socially relevant themes.
Focus country 2024 Germany is represented with five titles, including a drama co-produced with Ukraine, Women Suicide Season, a bold debut from Anastasiya Gruba. The film is produced by Oleksandra Kostina (Bosonfilm), whose first title Pamfir premiered at the Cannes IFF and was nominated for an EFA Award. The German-Bulgarian co-production The Worker by Eliza Petkova follows a Roma man who keeps up the appearance of a successful life in Germany in the eyes of his family. The slate continues with a first feature by German director Jonas Steinacker, Save Our Souls, telling the rough story of three young people in their fight against consumer greed and globalization. The project is mentored by Michael Haneke.
As from 2024 there are also children and youth film included in the market selection, the Focus Country Germany is represented with Ruki’s First Summer, a debut by Frédérique Veith following a 10-year-old girl's greatest adventure, a summer holiday in Tunisia with her father and an old soup chicken, and Amy - Great Adventures on Little Paws!, a debut by Yann Sochaczewski.
From the Nordic countries, Sweden and Norway are represented in the market with the dark comedy Push The Button - a satire about technological advancements, written and directed by Anton Källrot. Norway is also co-producing the Estonian feature Container by Arun Tamm, which follows a father and his sons in a container full of refugees. A Belgian-Norwegian film project, Norden, by Belgian-Spanish writer-director Eva Cools, explores the effects of alternative upbringing, isolation, and neglect, highlighting the lasting impacts. Little Mr Sandman, a family film by Finnish director Heikki Kujanpää, tells the story of an 8-year-old Anni and about the healing power of imagination.
The selection also includes a number of titles from the Baltic States, including Latvian-Slovenian drama The Last Meal by Latvian director Elza Gauja, which explores the experiences of homeless people, highlighting their humanity and struggles. Lithuanian drama Flood, the first feature by Jorūnė Greičiūtė, looks at the fear of impending disaster and explores the dynamics of love and trust in the face of threat. Ukrainian writer and director Ivan Tymchenko returns to Tallinn with a creative documentary animation English Lesson, featuring six stories told by Ukrainian children during an online English lesson related to the war.
The diverse slate also entails a Turkish-French co-production, My Happy Family by Alkim Özmen. The film explores complex family dynamics, self-discovery, and the challenges of adolescence while focusing on Azat, an 11-year-old boy. Bulgarian director Kamen Kolarov's first feature film, the thriller When a Tree Falls in the Forest, focuses on an important environmental issue close to the director's heart - the destruction of forests.
For the first time in the Baltic Event Co-Production Market history, all the projects will be presented to the audiences on November 20 at 16.30 in a conversation with Sibylle Kurz and Marta Balaga
The selected projects will be pitched to the jury that includes: Celine Dornier, Logical Pictures, Paul de Beco, Playtime, and Elena Chandrinou, Eurimages.
The Best project will be handed The Eurimages Co-Production Development Award that includes a non-reimbursable subsidy of €20,000 for feature-length fiction, animation, and documentary films, which must be used exclusively to cover the development expenses of the co-production project.
In addition, the Producers Network Prize for promising young producers will be handed out.
Baltic Event Co-Production Market selection 2024:
Since 2005, the Baltic Event Co-Production Market has showcased over 400 film projects, many of which have reached the silver screens across the globe and enjoyed successful festival runs. The presented projects have later been selected for Cannes, Berlinale, Venice, Karlovy Vary, Warsaw, Cairo, Tribeca, and more and earned Golden Globe and Oscar nominations.