Two new cash prizes introduced this year in Swiss film festival Visions du Reel’s industry section, VdR-Industry, were among a flurry of awards handed out as the program wrapped in Nyon, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
The Eurimages Co-production Development Award, created to promote the fund’s role in encouraging international co-production from the initial stages of a project, and which comes with a cash prize of €20,000, went to “The Last Days of the Hospital” by Mehran Tamadon.
Set in a psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of Paris, it tells the story of a group of patients invited to take over the wards as the health personnel gradually leave amid a crisis in the health sector.
A visibly moved Tamadon picked up the award, thanking the entire VdR-Industry team for organizing “such amazing pitching sessions.” The Franco-Iranian director was thrilled with the prize which he told Variety was a great stepping...
The Eurimages Co-production Development Award, created to promote the fund’s role in encouraging international co-production from the initial stages of a project, and which comes with a cash prize of €20,000, went to “The Last Days of the Hospital” by Mehran Tamadon.
Set in a psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of Paris, it tells the story of a group of patients invited to take over the wards as the health personnel gradually leave amid a crisis in the health sector.
A visibly moved Tamadon picked up the award, thanking the entire VdR-Industry team for organizing “such amazing pitching sessions.” The Franco-Iranian director was thrilled with the prize which he told Variety was a great stepping...
- 4/17/2024
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
Swiss documentary festival Visions du Réel has unveiled the projects to be presented at its 2024 industry programme VdR-Industry, taking place April 14-17, including features from Iran-born French filmmaker Mehran Tamadon and Chilean director Tana Gilbert.
A total of 29 projects have been selected. 15 projects in development will be part of VdR–Pitching, and six projects in finishing stages will be presented at the VdR–Work In Progress pitch. Four projects have been selected for both the VdR–Rough Cut Lab and the VdR–Development Lab respectively.
Scroll down for full list of projects
The line-up includes a number of returning Visions du Réel directors.
A total of 29 projects have been selected. 15 projects in development will be part of VdR–Pitching, and six projects in finishing stages will be presented at the VdR–Work In Progress pitch. Four projects have been selected for both the VdR–Rough Cut Lab and the VdR–Development Lab respectively.
Scroll down for full list of projects
The line-up includes a number of returning Visions du Réel directors.
- 3/14/2024
- ScreenDaily
A revolution is working through Latin American filmmaking. It’s powered by new gen cineastes, educated at top film schools, very often women, who are questioning pretty much everything everywhere all at once, re-representing themselves and questioning what can make up a movie these days.
Locarno’s Open Doors is a case in point. Five takeaways on this year’s lineup:
Recalibration of a Sense of Self
“Three Bullets,” at Open Doors Projects Hub, is made by Dominican Génesis Valenzuela, an alum of San Sebastian’s prestigious Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, which plumbs the murder of Dominican immigrant Lucrecia Pérez, shot and killed by four neo-Nazis, the same year that Spain celebrated its conquest of Latin America. Valenzuela will come in at the film as she reconstructs her own identity as a “human being/woman/Afro-Caribbean/filmmaker.” “The driving force of this film is the desire for emancipation, both from...
Locarno’s Open Doors is a case in point. Five takeaways on this year’s lineup:
Recalibration of a Sense of Self
“Three Bullets,” at Open Doors Projects Hub, is made by Dominican Génesis Valenzuela, an alum of San Sebastian’s prestigious Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, which plumbs the murder of Dominican immigrant Lucrecia Pérez, shot and killed by four neo-Nazis, the same year that Spain celebrated its conquest of Latin America. Valenzuela will come in at the film as she reconstructs her own identity as a “human being/woman/Afro-Caribbean/filmmaker.” “The driving force of this film is the desire for emancipation, both from...
- 8/1/2023
- by John Hopewell and Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
Directors Paz Fábrega and Gloria Carrión among those presenting projects.
Rotterdam Tiger Award winning filmmaker Paz Fábrega and exiled Nicaraguan director Gloria Carrión are among those set to present projects at this year’s edition of the Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors programme.
The initiative, aimed at supporting independent cinema from the global south and east, is entering the second of a three-year cycle focused on Latin America and the Caribbean and takes place August 3-8 as part of the Locarno Film Festival.
Scroll down for full list of projects and participants
Open Doors will present eight projects in its Projects’ Hub co-production initiative,...
Rotterdam Tiger Award winning filmmaker Paz Fábrega and exiled Nicaraguan director Gloria Carrión are among those set to present projects at this year’s edition of the Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors programme.
The initiative, aimed at supporting independent cinema from the global south and east, is entering the second of a three-year cycle focused on Latin America and the Caribbean and takes place August 3-8 as part of the Locarno Film Festival.
Scroll down for full list of projects and participants
Open Doors will present eight projects in its Projects’ Hub co-production initiative,...
- 6/7/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The Locarno Film Festival has announced the line-up for the 21st edition of its Open Doors program, which will focus on filmmakers from underrepresented countries in Latin America and the Caribbean for the second year running.
The program runs online in July and onsite during the festival’s Locarno Pro Days industry sidebar, running from August 3 to 9.
The eight films in development selected for its Project Hub coproduction platform include Milky Way (Vía láctea) from Costa Rican director Paz Fábrega, whose Cold Water of the Sea won the Tiger Award in Rotterdam in 2010.
Further projects include exiled Nicaraguan director Gloria Carrión’s animated hybrid work Pantasma; Jamaican director Gibrey Allen’s Raised by Goats; first-time Venezuelan filmmaker Carlos Zerpa’s Loa. Kill Your Masters (Loa. Mata a tus amos) as well as vampire western Last of the Kings by Peruvian director Victor Checa. His first feature The Shape of Things to Come...
The program runs online in July and onsite during the festival’s Locarno Pro Days industry sidebar, running from August 3 to 9.
The eight films in development selected for its Project Hub coproduction platform include Milky Way (Vía láctea) from Costa Rican director Paz Fábrega, whose Cold Water of the Sea won the Tiger Award in Rotterdam in 2010.
Further projects include exiled Nicaraguan director Gloria Carrión’s animated hybrid work Pantasma; Jamaican director Gibrey Allen’s Raised by Goats; first-time Venezuelan filmmaker Carlos Zerpa’s Loa. Kill Your Masters (Loa. Mata a tus amos) as well as vampire western Last of the Kings by Peruvian director Victor Checa. His first feature The Shape of Things to Come...
- 6/7/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Following a vibrant 2022 edition in a three-year cycle dedicated to Latin America and the Caribbean which she oversaw in an interim capacity, Zsuzsi Bánkuti has been appointed the new head of Locarno’s Open Doors.
She replaces long-time Open Doors chief Sophie Bourdon, who stepped down earlier this year.
The key to this year’s Open Doors was its inspired choice of a focus on smaller territories in Latin America which are often home to first-class directors – one director this year, Dominican Yanillys Pérez scooped a Discovery Award at the Toronto Festival with her doc-feature “Jeffrey,” for example – but, apart from the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, lack robust state subsidy systems enabling producers to produce movies easily out of their own countries.
The obvious solution is international co-production. Tailor-made to advance this, Open Doors offers producers and directors networking opportunities and targeted training as well as a showcase for...
She replaces long-time Open Doors chief Sophie Bourdon, who stepped down earlier this year.
The key to this year’s Open Doors was its inspired choice of a focus on smaller territories in Latin America which are often home to first-class directors – one director this year, Dominican Yanillys Pérez scooped a Discovery Award at the Toronto Festival with her doc-feature “Jeffrey,” for example – but, apart from the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, lack robust state subsidy systems enabling producers to produce movies easily out of their own countries.
The obvious solution is international co-production. Tailor-made to advance this, Open Doors offers producers and directors networking opportunities and targeted training as well as a showcase for...
- 8/13/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Zsuzsi Bánkuti Appointed Head Of Locarno’s Open Doors
Zsuzsi Bánkuti has been appointed as the new head of the Locarno Film Festival’s project and talent incubator Open Doors. The 20-year industry initiative runs during the festival and supports filmmakers in regions where producing independent movies is particularly challenging. It has just entered a three-year cycle focused on Latin America and the Caribbean. Bánkuti oversaw the 2022 edition (August 5-9) in an interim capacity following the departure of long-time Open Doors head Sophie Bourdon earlier this year. “I am looking forward to discovering and developing new talents from this amazing and vibrant region and even more to do so in a festival that feels like home,” said Bánkuti. The industry veteran began her career as head of acquisitions for Cirko Film in Budapest in 2000, before heading to Germany’s The Match Factory in the same role in 2012. She first joined...
Zsuzsi Bánkuti has been appointed as the new head of the Locarno Film Festival’s project and talent incubator Open Doors. The 20-year industry initiative runs during the festival and supports filmmakers in regions where producing independent movies is particularly challenging. It has just entered a three-year cycle focused on Latin America and the Caribbean. Bánkuti oversaw the 2022 edition (August 5-9) in an interim capacity following the departure of long-time Open Doors head Sophie Bourdon earlier this year. “I am looking forward to discovering and developing new talents from this amazing and vibrant region and even more to do so in a festival that feels like home,” said Bánkuti. The industry veteran began her career as head of acquisitions for Cirko Film in Budapest in 2000, before heading to Germany’s The Match Factory in the same role in 2012. She first joined...
- 8/12/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Zsuzsi Bánkuti was interim head of this year’s Open Doors event.
The Locarno Film Festival has appointed Zsuzsi Bánkuti as the permanent head of its Open Doors programme.
As part of Locarno Pro, Open Doors has been running for 20 years and aims to champion filmmaking from regions where independent cinema is especially challenging.
Bánkuti was interim head of this year’s event, the first edition of a three-year cycle focused on Latin America and the Caribbean.
Previously, Bánkuti was head of acquisitions at The Match Factory between 2012-2020, before joining the Open Doors team as talent development manager.
She...
The Locarno Film Festival has appointed Zsuzsi Bánkuti as the permanent head of its Open Doors programme.
As part of Locarno Pro, Open Doors has been running for 20 years and aims to champion filmmaking from regions where independent cinema is especially challenging.
Bánkuti was interim head of this year’s event, the first edition of a three-year cycle focused on Latin America and the Caribbean.
Previously, Bánkuti was head of acquisitions at The Match Factory between 2012-2020, before joining the Open Doors team as talent development manager.
She...
- 8/12/2022
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Paraguayan filmmaker Paz Encina’s “Eami” – being sold by MPM Premium – has won the top Tiger Award and a €40,000 cash prize at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), the festival announced Wednesday. The 51st edition of the Dutch event, forced online due to the Omicron wave, will wrap on Sunday.
The jury, made up of Zsuzsi Bankuti, Gust Van den Berghe, Tatiana Leite, Thekla Reuten and Farid Tabarki, was impressed with her complex, magical realist take on the suffering of the indigenous tribes, calling it a “powerful film.” “It gave us the opportunity to dream and, at the same time, a chance to wake up,” they stated.
Inspired by the stories of the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode people, as well as their mythology, Encina created a tale about a young girl who embarks on a journey after her village is destroyed.
“All my films deal with an issue of exile, of the diaspora,...
The jury, made up of Zsuzsi Bankuti, Gust Van den Berghe, Tatiana Leite, Thekla Reuten and Farid Tabarki, was impressed with her complex, magical realist take on the suffering of the indigenous tribes, calling it a “powerful film.” “It gave us the opportunity to dream and, at the same time, a chance to wake up,” they stated.
Inspired by the stories of the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode people, as well as their mythology, Encina created a tale about a young girl who embarks on a journey after her village is destroyed.
“All my films deal with an issue of exile, of the diaspora,...
- 2/2/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
The section concludes its three-year focus on Southeast Asia and Mongolia.
Projects from Indonesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, and the Philippines were among the winners of the 19th edition of Locarno’s Open Doors section which has concluded its three-year focus on Southeast Asia and Mongolia.
Prizes were given to projects from the Open Doors Hub and Lab at the awards ceremony on Tuesday morning (August 10).
The Open Doors Award for Hub projects worth 35,000 Chf went to the comedy- thriller A Useful Ghost by Thai director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke and his producer Cattleya Paosrijaroen of Bangkok-based 185 Films.
An Open Doors Award development grant...
Projects from Indonesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, and the Philippines were among the winners of the 19th edition of Locarno’s Open Doors section which has concluded its three-year focus on Southeast Asia and Mongolia.
Prizes were given to projects from the Open Doors Hub and Lab at the awards ceremony on Tuesday morning (August 10).
The Open Doors Award for Hub projects worth 35,000 Chf went to the comedy- thriller A Useful Ghost by Thai director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke and his producer Cattleya Paosrijaroen of Bangkok-based 185 Films.
An Open Doors Award development grant...
- 8/10/2021
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
The Locarno Film Festival’s Locarno Pro industry side is trying to rise to the challenge faced by many festivals that have been forced to cancel their physical editions.
“The one thing I wanted to avoid was doing something just for the sake of doing something,” says Valentina Merli, who became head of Locarno Pro in January.
Not long after her appointment Merli found herself navigating the coronavirus crisis and did her best to figure out how to temporarily reconfigure the formidable informal indie industry space built by her predecessor Nadia Dresti — who remains on board as a consultant — for an edition that’s been cancelled as a physical gathering, but is going forward as a digital event.
Related Content Locarno Film Festival Puts on Digital Showcase
Given the humanist philosophy behind Locarno Pro, which is almost like a Swiss summer camp and the antithesis of the frenzied Cannes Marché du Film,...
“The one thing I wanted to avoid was doing something just for the sake of doing something,” says Valentina Merli, who became head of Locarno Pro in January.
Not long after her appointment Merli found herself navigating the coronavirus crisis and did her best to figure out how to temporarily reconfigure the formidable informal indie industry space built by her predecessor Nadia Dresti — who remains on board as a consultant — for an edition that’s been cancelled as a physical gathering, but is going forward as a digital event.
Related Content Locarno Film Festival Puts on Digital Showcase
Given the humanist philosophy behind Locarno Pro, which is almost like a Swiss summer camp and the antithesis of the frenzied Cannes Marché du Film,...
- 8/3/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
This new initiative is being overseen by Zsuzsi Bankuti, former head of acquisitions at The Match Factory.
The Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors programme, focused on discovering and supporting cinema from the global south and east, has unveiled a new offering of year-round services aimed at deepening and widening the scope of its work.
Up until now, Open Doors has confined most of its activities to onsite events taking place during the festival as well as to a relatively small number of filmmakers and producers each year.
The existing core programme – which is in the second year of a...
The Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors programme, focused on discovering and supporting cinema from the global south and east, has unveiled a new offering of year-round services aimed at deepening and widening the scope of its work.
Up until now, Open Doors has confined most of its activities to onsite events taking place during the festival as well as to a relatively small number of filmmakers and producers each year.
The existing core programme – which is in the second year of a...
- 6/16/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦69¦
- ScreenDaily
Panellists discuss march of the tech giants and keeping youth watching movies.
At the third edition of Flanders Image’s industry event Connext in Ghent, author Johanna Koljonen presented her annual future-facing study the Nostradamus report with updated findings.
The 2018 study was first presented at Goteborg’s Nordic Film Market in February and, in Ghent, was followed by a panel exploring its key themes.
One of the survey’s key findings, for which Koljonen interviewed a range of industry experts across film and TV including Danish Film Institute CEO Claus Ladegaard and Mediavision CEO Marie Nilsson, was the danger for...
At the third edition of Flanders Image’s industry event Connext in Ghent, author Johanna Koljonen presented her annual future-facing study the Nostradamus report with updated findings.
The 2018 study was first presented at Goteborg’s Nordic Film Market in February and, in Ghent, was followed by a panel exploring its key themes.
One of the survey’s key findings, for which Koljonen interviewed a range of industry experts across film and TV including Danish Film Institute CEO Claus Ladegaard and Mediavision CEO Marie Nilsson, was the danger for...
- 10/10/2018
- by Matt Mueller
- ScreenDaily
Panellists discuss march of the tech giants and keeping youth watching movies.
At the third edition of Flanders Image’s industry event Connext in Ghent, author Johanna Koljonen presented her annual future-facing study the Nostradamus report with updated findings. The 2018 study was first presented at Goteborg’s Nordic Film Market in February and, in Ghent, was followed by a panel exploring its key themes.
One of the survey’s key findings, for which Koljonen interviewed a range of industry experts across film and TV including Danish Film Institute CEO Claus Ladegaard and Mediavision CEO Marie Nilsson, was the danger for...
At the third edition of Flanders Image’s industry event Connext in Ghent, author Johanna Koljonen presented her annual future-facing study the Nostradamus report with updated findings. The 2018 study was first presented at Goteborg’s Nordic Film Market in February and, in Ghent, was followed by a panel exploring its key themes.
One of the survey’s key findings, for which Koljonen interviewed a range of industry experts across film and TV including Danish Film Institute CEO Claus Ladegaard and Mediavision CEO Marie Nilsson, was the danger for...
- 10/10/2018
- by Matt Mueller
- ScreenDaily
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