During the pitching session, the jury granted the 2025 ArteKino International Prize, valued at €20,000, to Alexander Glehr and Johanna Scherz for the project “Gentle Monster,” directed by Marie Kreutzer (Austria).

The Investors Circle, the Marché du Film’s exclusive gathering of top film financing experts and investors, concluded its third edition yesterday with resounding success.

Held during the 78th Festival de Cannes at the Plage des Palmes – the Festival & Marché’s official beachside venue – this year’s high-profile featured insightful panels with leading international experts in film and media financing, followed by a private pitching session showcasing ten grand-scale film projects – never-before-revealed – from acclaimed directors.

Among the notable auteurs presenting were Festival de Cannes’ Competition regular Jessica Hausner (Little Joe, Club Zero), Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sebastián Lelio (A Fantastic Woman, Disobedience), Grand Prix winner and Caméra d’Or recipient Lukas Dhont (Close and Girl) and Oscar-nominated & Golden Bear winner Jasmila Žbanić (Quo Vadis, Aida?).

Carefully selected for their potential to captivate audiences and investors alike, these projects – with budgets ranging from 3 to 9 million euros – represent a diverse array of storytelling and bold creative visions.

The selection process was overseen by Aleksandra Zakharchenko, Head of Industry Programs at the Marché du Film, alongside a distinguished committee of industry figures, including Remi Burah, Managing Director and Board Member at ARTE France Cinéma; media entrepreneur Serge Hayat; Tamara Tatishvili, Head of Hubert Bals Fund (Rotterdam International Film Festival) and moderator of the pitching session; and Marcin Łuczaj, Head of Acquisitions at New Europe Film Sales.

The presence of lead producers and internationally renowned directors lent an air of exclusivity to the session, as they unveiled their projects to a select audience of VIP investors, who had the rare opportunity to discover these 10 anticipated projects for the first time.

“The Investors Circle is a rare and valuable event,” said Celine Dornier, VP Financing & Acquisitions at Logical Pictures Group and one of the selected investors invited to attend the event. “It’s truly designed with investors in mind, which makes all the difference. The selection of projects is consistently high-level, with prestigious and diverse filmmakers that match what I’m looking for.”

To accompany the selected directors in their meetings with equity investors, 111 Avocats — a leading law firm fully dedicated to the entertainment industry — provided each project team with tailored legal guidance ahead of their one-on-one conversations.

The 2025 ArteKino International Prize, valued at €20,000, was awarded to Alexander Glehr and Johanna Scherz of Film AG Produktions GmbH, the producers behind Gentle Monster, directed by Marie Kreutzer (Austria).

“I’m surprised in the most positive way,” said director Marie Kreutzer, upon her win. “Filmmaking is a really big mountain, and what happens before the premiere – to get a film made – is a very long climb. So we really need people who want to support cinema and have love for cinema – that’s why meeting investors is extremely important. I had great conversations with these investors so far. The script has sparked their interest, and they’re eager to learn more about the project.”

The 10 film projects revealed at the 2025 Investors Circle are:

Coward (working title)
directed by Lukas Dhont (Belgium)
produced by Michiel Dhont at The Reunion

Disorder
directed by Giacomo Abbruzzese (Italy)
produced by Marco Alessi, Giulia Achilli at Dugong Films

Gentle Monster
directed by Marie Kreutzer (Austria)
produced by Alexander Glehr, Johanna Scherz at Film AG Produktions GmbH

Kamo
directed by Kornél Mundruczó (Hungary)
produced by Mike Goodridge at Good Chaos, Ilya Stewart at Hype Studios and Balthazar de Ganay

Motherlove
directed by Eliza Hittman (US)
produced by Paul Mezey, Andrew Goldman at Present Company

On Land and Sea
directed by Hlynur Pálmason (Iceland)
produced by Katrin Pors at Snowglobe and Anton Máni Svansson at STILL VIVID

Poeta Chileno
directed by Sebastián Lelio (Chile)
produced by Rocío Jadue, Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín at Fabula

Quo Vadis, Aida - The missing part
directed by Jasmila Žbanić (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
produced by Damir Ibrahimović at Deblokada

The Puma
directed by Marcela Said (France/Chile)
produced by Carole Scotta, Barbara Letellier, Eliott Khayat at Haut et Court

Toxic
directed by Jessica Hausner (Austria)
produced by Johannes Schubert at Schubert and Philippe Bober at Coproduction Office