Editor

The members of European Film Promotion (EFP) have made their selection and chosen 22 aspiring and highly promising producers for the PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE initiative during the Festival de Cannes. They will be presented to the press and the film industry within the framework of an extensive PR campaign. This EFP initiative is financially supported by the MEDIA Programme of the EU.

Since launching the PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE initiative in 2000, EFP has taken a central role in highlighting the wealth of young producing talent that Europe has to offer. Between 2000 2005, PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE has focused international attention on more than 100 young producers and worked in this way to support their cross-border cooperation on future projects. EFP’s programme of activities is designed to offer these up-and-coming professionals many of whom will become key industry players in the future a platform where their talent and potential can be recognised.

For the seventh year now EFP has specifically promoted international networking among up-and-coming European producers through this initiative. They have the opportunity of presenting their projects to other filmmakers at a co-production lunch attended by 100 producers from all over Europe and during a “round table” meeting. These activities and other meetings offer them the chance to make important contacts beyond their own national borders and possibly lay the foundations for future cooperative projects.

As the most important international film event in the world, the Cannes festival and market offer an ideal platform for producers to showcase their upcoming projects and recent films.

The following producers have been selected by the EFP member organisations:

Producteur (Company) EFP member organisation
Helen Ahlsson (Tre Vänner) Swedish Film Institut
Iván Angelusz (Katapult Film) Magyar Filmunió, Hungary
Aleksi Bardy (Helsinki Filmi Oy) Finnish Film Foundation
Bettina Brokemer (Heimatfilm) German Films
Piotr Dzieciol (Opus Film) Polish Film Institute
René Ezra (Nordisk Film) Danish Film Institute
Tomas Leyers (Minds Meet) Flanders Image
Ken Marshall (Steel Mill Pictures) British Council
Christian Fredrik Martin (Friland) Norwegian Film Institute
John McDonnell (Fantastic Films) Irish Film Board
Fabrizio Mosca (Titti Film) Filmitalia
Christof Neracher (Hugofilm Productions) Swiss Films
Ieva Norviliene (Tremora) Baltic Films Lithuania
Loris Omedes (Bausan Films) ICAA, Spain
Panos Papahatzis (Argonauts Productions) Greek Film Centre
Ariane Payen (LuxAnimation) Film Fund Luxembourg
Leontine Petit (Lemming Film) Holland Film
Antoine Rein (Delante Films & Karé Productions) Unifrance
Jožko Rutar (Staragara) Slovenian Film Fund
Karla Stojáková (Axman Production) Czech Film Center
Ingvar Thordarson (Kisi Production) Icelandic Film Centre
Alexandre Cebrian Valente (Utopia Filmes) ICAM, Portugal

Additional information (including selected quotes) about former participants:

Many producers have met colleagues at PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE and then worked together to realise common projects. For example, Nathalie Lichtenthaeler (Ireland) and Lena Rehnberg (Sweden) cooperated on the production of „The Front Line“ (in postproduction) after they met at EFP's initiative in 2005. After conversations with Jarkko Hentula (Talent House/now Juonifilmi Oy, Finland) at PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE in 2004, Ralph Schwingel of Wüste Film (Germany) made an instant remake of the football comedy „FC Venus“ which will open in German cinemas on 200 prints, April 27th. Els Vandevorst from The Netherlands, PRODUCER ON THE MOVE in 2000, is still in regular contact with many colleagues from the Cannes initiative. For example, in 2001, she produced the film „It Is All About Love“ with Brigitte Hald (Denmark) and worked with Turid Øversveen (Norway) on Lars van Trier's „Dogville“.

According to Jens Meurer, Egoli Tossell Film (German participant in 2005): „We are now regularly 'in touch' with the Scandinavians and the Czechs. Sooner or later, a collaboration will be sure to come out of this. Seen especially from the German perspective, European networking is the future and EFP is right in there."

Antonio Saura, Zebra Producciones (Spanish participant in 2003): “I really had great exposure thanks to being there. That was a good push for my career and was really helpful.“