European Film Promotion has selected 20 rising European producers for the 26th edition of its Producers on the Move networking program, which runs during the Cannes Film Festival. Variety is the program’s main media partner.
The following producers are taking part: Blerina Hankollari (Albania), Andi G. Hess (Austria), Géraldine Sprimont (Belgium), Magdelena Ilieva (Bulgaria), Tamara Babun Zovko (Croatia), Daniel Mühlendorph (Denmark), Lionel Massol (France), Fred Burle (Germany), Claudia Sümeghy (Hungary), Deirdre Levins (Ireland), Francesca Andreoli (Italy), Kristele Pudane (Latvia), Klementina Remeikaitė (Lithuania), Vincent Quénault (Luxembourg), Bojana Radulović (Montenegro), Janne Hjeltnes (Norway), Agnieszka Wasiak (Poland), Carla Fotea (Romania), Eliza Jones (Sweden) and Thomas Reichlin (Switzerland).
They will take part in sessions designed to foster international co-productions, boost the exchange of experiences and help create new professional networks. Pre-festival kick-off online gatherings, which already started yesterday and are going to run until April 30, offer one-to-one speed meetings, roundtables and pitching sessions. All participants will then meet in person during the festival in Cannes from May 16 to 20 and take part in an on-site program, incorporating case studies, social events and a promotional campaign.
With their respective companies, the 20 producers are putting forward a wide range of narrative forms and genres, from drama and comedy to documentaries, series and animated films, from horror, fantasy and action to science fiction, coming-of-age and thrillers.
Three of the selected producers will be presenting their films that have been selected for this year’s Cannes festival: Fred Burle of One Two Films is the German co-producer of Kléber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent,” which runs in competition (as an entry from Brazil), Géraldine Sprimont of Need Productions from Belgium is involved in Déni Oumar Pitsaev’s documentary “Imago,” part of the competition section of Critics’ Week, and French producer Lionel Massol of Films Grand Huits is the associate producer of the short film “Loynes” by Dorian Jesper selected for Directors’ Fortnight.
Six of this year’s group of producers were involved in the production of their respective Academy Awards entries for the International Feature Film category. Kristele Pudane of Sunday Rebel Films from Latvia produced Latvia’s 2022 entry for the Academy Awards, “The Pit” by Dace Pūce. Blerina Hankollari of Artalb Film Production from Albania produced Gentian Koçi’s “A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On” (2023), and Francesca Andreoli of Cinedora the Italian entry “Vermiligo” by Maura Delpero (2025). Agnieszka Wasiak of Lava Films is the Polish co-producer of this year’s shortlisted Academy Award entry for Denmark, “The Girl with the Needle” by Magnus von Horn, and Klementina Remeikaitė from Lithuania of Afterschool Production was the producer of the Lithuanian entries “Pilgrims” (2022) and “Drowning Dry” (2024), both directed by Laurynas Bareiša. Thomas Reichlin from Switzerland of Alva Film was one of the producers of 2024 Swiss Oscar entry “Reinas” by Klaudia Reynicke and shortlisted with “Hive” as the Swiss co-producer for the Kosovo entry in 2022.
Further producers have attracted attention with highly acclaimed and award-winning films, such as Eliza Jones (Grand Slam Film) from Sweden with “Pleasure” by Ninja Thyberg as well as Tamara Babun Zovko from Croatia (Wolfgang&Dolly) who produced the IDFA award winner for best feature length documentary, “The Other Side of Everything” by Mila Turajlić whilst Vincent Quénault from Luxembourg (Red Lion) entered the Berlinale competition twice in a row with his co-productions, “Black Tea” by Abderrahmane Sissako (2024) and “The Safe House” by Lionel Baier (2025).
Claudia Sümeghy from Hungary (JUNO11) and Carla Fotea from Romania (microFILM) are also putting their focus on the production of films for younger audiences: Sümeghy produced Nóra Lakos’ “I Accidentally Wrote a Book” and Fotea was involved in Ana-Maria Comănescu’s debut feature film, “Horia.”
Concentrating on debuts, Daniel Mühlendorph from Denmark (Hyæne Film) takes credit for the production of Lisa Jespersen’s comedy-drama “Persona Non Grata” (2021) while other producers of the group follow their trusted talent such as Andi G. Hess from Austria (Schubert) who worked on Sandra Wollner’s documentary “The Impossible Picture” (2016) as well as on her fiction film “The Trouble With Being Born” (2021). Likewise, Norwegian Janne Hjeltnes (Empathitude Pictures) continues working with director Halkawt Mustafa (Hene Films) “Hiding Saddam Hussein” (2023).
With “Eternity Package” (2024) Magdelena Ilieva from Bulgaria (Little Wing Productions) also produces her own films as a director, while other female producers with their respective companies and films are focusing on stories told from a female perspective and realized by female or LGBTQ+ filmmakers: Irish Deirdre Levins (Fantastic Films) for example, was involved in the film You Are Not My Mother, and BojanaRadulović (Code Blue Production) will produce Eleonora Veninova’s next project, “Fires.”
Source link
