Debut fiction features by Romania’s Cristian Pascariu, Ukraine’s Valeria Sochyvets and Turkey’s Alkim Özmen are among 10 projects selected for Transilvania Pitch Stop (Tps) on June 20-21.
The international co-production platform takes place during the Transilvania International Film Festival in Cluj, Romania, and is part of the industry strand Ro Days.
Titles selected include Cristian Pascariu’s A Flower Is Not A Flower about an 11-year-old girl Ana who escapes from a communist Romanian orphanage into the sewers of Bucharest where she has to use her ingenuity to survive. It is a Romanian-Latvia co-production between Point Film and Riga-based Air Productions.
The international co-production platform takes place during the Transilvania International Film Festival in Cluj, Romania, and is part of the industry strand Ro Days.
Titles selected include Cristian Pascariu’s A Flower Is Not A Flower about an 11-year-old girl Ana who escapes from a communist Romanian orphanage into the sewers of Bucharest where she has to use her ingenuity to survive. It is a Romanian-Latvia co-production between Point Film and Riga-based Air Productions.
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Prizes worth a combined €270,000 were awarded to 17 projects.
TorinoFilmLab’s co-production market Tfl Meeting Event has awarded prizes worth a combined €270,000 to 17 projects at its 2023 edition, which concluded on Saturday (November 25).
Scroll down for full list of prizes
Thirty projects were pitched over two days at the event in Turin - 20 titles from Tfl’s nine-month scriptwriting programme ScriptLab and another 10 from its FeatureLab strand for films at a more advanced stage.
Four FeatureLab projects were awarded production and co-production awards – worth a combined €180,000 - by a jury that included mk2 Films’ Olivier Barbier and El Gouna programmer Andrew Mohsen.
TorinoFilmLab’s co-production market Tfl Meeting Event has awarded prizes worth a combined €270,000 to 17 projects at its 2023 edition, which concluded on Saturday (November 25).
Scroll down for full list of prizes
Thirty projects were pitched over two days at the event in Turin - 20 titles from Tfl’s nine-month scriptwriting programme ScriptLab and another 10 from its FeatureLab strand for films at a more advanced stage.
Four FeatureLab projects were awarded production and co-production awards – worth a combined €180,000 - by a jury that included mk2 Films’ Olivier Barbier and El Gouna programmer Andrew Mohsen.
- 11/27/2023
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
‘To The North’ premiered in Horizons at Venice 2022 and is now screening in Transilvania.
Romania writer and director Mihai Mincan, whose fiction debut To The North is screening in the Ro Days feature competition at Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) this week, has revealed details for his next two projects.
He will reteam with Bucharest-based producer Radu Stancu of deFilm for Milk Teeth, which he will write and direct, and Atlas of The Universe, for which he has written the script. Paul Negoescu is directing. Stancu has produced a number of Mincan’s shorts and documentaries as well as To The North.
Romania writer and director Mihai Mincan, whose fiction debut To The North is screening in the Ro Days feature competition at Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) this week, has revealed details for his next two projects.
He will reteam with Bucharest-based producer Radu Stancu of deFilm for Milk Teeth, which he will write and direct, and Atlas of The Universe, for which he has written the script. Paul Negoescu is directing. Stancu has produced a number of Mincan’s shorts and documentaries as well as To The North.
- 6/14/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
When “Avatar 2: Way of the Water” surged to the top of the Romanian box office earlier this year to become the highest-grossing film of all time, it marked an auspicious sign for a theatrical business still looking to recover from the doldrums of the coronavirus pandemic.
Yet local industry-watchers were even more encouraged to see a historic first in 2022, with two Romanian films cracking the top 10 at the year-end box office — a striking achievement for an industry that hasn’t historically been known for cranking out crowd-pleasing hits.
Topping the list was “Teambuilding,” a satirical workplace comedy from directors Matei Dima, Alex Coteț and Cosmin Nedelcu, which briefly reigned as the top-grossing film ever in Romania before being knocked from its perch by James Cameron’s blockbuster, which has raked in more than $8.3 million to date.
Meanwhile, first-time filmmaker Cristian Ilișuan’s “Mirciulică,” a comedy about a 30-year-old forced...
Yet local industry-watchers were even more encouraged to see a historic first in 2022, with two Romanian films cracking the top 10 at the year-end box office — a striking achievement for an industry that hasn’t historically been known for cranking out crowd-pleasing hits.
Topping the list was “Teambuilding,” a satirical workplace comedy from directors Matei Dima, Alex Coteț and Cosmin Nedelcu, which briefly reigned as the top-grossing film ever in Romania before being knocked from its perch by James Cameron’s blockbuster, which has raked in more than $8.3 million to date.
Meanwhile, first-time filmmaker Cristian Ilișuan’s “Mirciulică,” a comedy about a 30-year-old forced...
- 6/13/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The festival runs June 23 - July 1.
Films by Jessica Hausner, Elegance Bratton and Sebastian Silva are among 36 titles selected for the Filmfest München’s three international competition strands, CineMasters, CineVision and CineRebels. The festival runs June 23-July 1.
CineMasters
Hausner’s Club Zero will be joined by another four Cannes competition titles - Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves, Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters, and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster - to screen in Munich’s CineMasters competition for the €50,000 Arri Award which is presented to the producers of the best international film.
The 12-title line-up also includes...
Films by Jessica Hausner, Elegance Bratton and Sebastian Silva are among 36 titles selected for the Filmfest München’s three international competition strands, CineMasters, CineVision and CineRebels. The festival runs June 23-July 1.
CineMasters
Hausner’s Club Zero will be joined by another four Cannes competition titles - Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves, Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters, and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster - to screen in Munich’s CineMasters competition for the €50,000 Arri Award which is presented to the producers of the best international film.
The 12-title line-up also includes...
- 6/13/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
2023 edition has received a record number of applications.
Italy’s TorinoFilmLab (Tfl) has selected 10 projects for the 2023 edition of its FeatureLab training programme, for first or second film projects at an advanced development stage.
The 2023 iteration received a record 172 applications, from which one animation, one documentary and eight fiction projects have been chosen. Seven of the projects are debut feature, with three second films.
Scroll down for the selected projects
Two of the projects have previously participated in Tfl programmes: Irene Moray’s debut Sealskin, a Spanish feature set in a world where women are vanishing; and Francesco Romano’s debut The White House,...
Italy’s TorinoFilmLab (Tfl) has selected 10 projects for the 2023 edition of its FeatureLab training programme, for first or second film projects at an advanced development stage.
The 2023 iteration received a record 172 applications, from which one animation, one documentary and eight fiction projects have been chosen. Seven of the projects are debut feature, with three second films.
Scroll down for the selected projects
Two of the projects have previously participated in Tfl programmes: Irene Moray’s debut Sealskin, a Spanish feature set in a world where women are vanishing; and Francesco Romano’s debut The White House,...
- 5/5/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
In writing the harrowing story of a Romanian stowaway trying to reach America aboard a cargo ship while hiding from merciless Taiwanese officers, Mihai Mincan found inspiration in the overwhelming fear that he once felt in his own dire predicament.
“To the North,” which screens in competition at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, is loosely based on the 1996 Maersk Dubai incident, in which the captain and officers of a Taiwanese container ship murdered three stowaways on two consecutive voyages by throwing them overboard. Crew members saved a fourth stowaway, keeping him hidden until they reached their destination.
It was cinematographer George Chiper-Lillemark (“Immaculate”) who first told Mincan about the incident.
“At first I didn’t know what to do with the story,” the writer-director recalls. “But a few years later it just clicked. I said, okay, I can make this film about what I feel; this is a film about fear:...
“To the North,” which screens in competition at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, is loosely based on the 1996 Maersk Dubai incident, in which the captain and officers of a Taiwanese container ship murdered three stowaways on two consecutive voyages by throwing them overboard. Crew members saved a fourth stowaway, keeping him hidden until they reached their destination.
It was cinematographer George Chiper-Lillemark (“Immaculate”) who first told Mincan about the incident.
“At first I didn’t know what to do with the story,” the writer-director recalls. “But a few years later it just clicked. I said, okay, I can make this film about what I feel; this is a film about fear:...
- 11/14/2022
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Joel (Soliman Cruz) and Dumitri (Niko Beker) in To The North. Mihai Mincan: 'I think the space played a huge role, because it was so claustrophobic and I wanted to convey that feeling' To The North, which screens at Thessaloniki Film Festival this week, sees a Romanian ship stowaway (Niko Beker) become dependent on a Filipino Bosun for his survival (Soliman Cruz) aboard a ship where the Taiwanese captain shows a zero-tolerance approach. Romanian director Mihai Mincan explores the ways that it is not prejudice but fear that increasingly drives the tensions between the two men as tensions mount on the high seas. In the second part of our interview with Mincan, he told us about moving from documentary into fiction, his movie influences and how his own personal history feeds into the theme of fear that drives To The North.
Amber Wilkinson: Your CV is dominated by...
Amber Wilkinson: Your CV is dominated by...
- 11/5/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The awards aim to promote European films to Arab audiences.
Jerzy Skolimowski’s Eo and Mikko Myllylahti’s The Woodcutter Story are among the nominees for the 4th Arab Critics’ Awards for European Film.
The 23-strong list, which will be shortlisted to three and an eventual winner, includes 11 entries for best international feature at the Oscars.
Alongside Eo, which follows a donkey travelling from the Polish circus to an Italian slaughterhouse, other Oscar hopefuls on the list include Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson’s Beautiful Beings from Iceland and Juraj Lerotic’s Locarno winner Safe Place from Croatia.
A joint venture between...
Jerzy Skolimowski’s Eo and Mikko Myllylahti’s The Woodcutter Story are among the nominees for the 4th Arab Critics’ Awards for European Film.
The 23-strong list, which will be shortlisted to three and an eventual winner, includes 11 entries for best international feature at the Oscars.
Alongside Eo, which follows a donkey travelling from the Polish circus to an Italian slaughterhouse, other Oscar hopefuls on the list include Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson’s Beautiful Beings from Iceland and Juraj Lerotic’s Locarno winner Safe Place from Croatia.
A joint venture between...
- 11/2/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
To The North director Mihai Mincan on the noise of the ship: 'It felt melodic, it felt really industrial, it felt threatening' Most of the action in To The North takes place on a ship outside of regular jurisdictions and Romanian director Mihai Mincan also sets sail into grey areas of morality in his tale of a stowaway who becomes dependent on a Filipino crewman for safe crossing. Romanian Dumitri (Niko Beker) sneaks aboard the ship bound for America with his friend (Dimitar Vasilev) but it soon becomes clear that the Taiwanese captain takes a brutal approach to stowaways. When Dumitri crosses the path of bosun Joel (Soliman Cruz), the older man offers to help him but tension mounts as the fears of both men begin to rise. The film premiered in the Orizzonti competition in Venice and we caught up with Mincan ahead of its screenings at Thessaloniki Film Festival.
- 10/29/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Tension throbs like a ship's engine beneath Mihai Mincan's fiction feature debut. Moral values are also all at sea in his tale of a stowaway aboard a container ship heading from Spain to Canada. The mood is more of that of a western than a chamber piece, after Romanian Dumitri (Niko Beker) and his Bulgarian friend Georgi (Dimitar Vasilev) sneak aboard the vessel, which they believe is bound for America, their hope of a new life almost heartbreakingly simple.
Georgi, whose American Dream is to become a cowboy, is first to break cover, approaching one of the Filipino crew with a sweet smile and the word "amigo". The troubled look he receives from bosun Joel (Soliman Cruz) immediately creates tension and, though he is initially given food and water, the hierarchy on the ship soon becomes apparent, with a Taiwanese captain and his officer crew much less welcoming to their unexpected guest.
Georgi, whose American Dream is to become a cowboy, is first to break cover, approaching one of the Filipino crew with a sweet smile and the word "amigo". The troubled look he receives from bosun Joel (Soliman Cruz) immediately creates tension and, though he is initially given food and water, the hierarchy on the ship soon becomes apparent, with a Taiwanese captain and his officer crew much less welcoming to their unexpected guest.
- 9/8/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Best Friend Forever has unveiled the trailer for “To The North,” Romanian Mihai Mincan’s feature debut which is world premiering in the Horizons section at Venice.
Inspired by true events, the edgy thriller follows Joel, a religious Filipino sailor who finds a Romanian stowaway, Dumitru, hidden between some containers during his shift on a transatlantic ship. Joel decides to hide him and subsequently starts feeling tormented by his crew, friends and even God.
“To The North” stars Soliman Cruz, Niko Becker, Bart Guingona and Olivier Ho Hio Hen (“Stillwater”). The topnotch crew includes cinematographer George Chiper-Lillemark (“Immaculate”), sound designer Nicolas Becker (“Sound Of Metal”) and sound mixer Cyril Holtz (“The Sister Brothers”).
“To The North” is produced by Radu Stancu at De Film Production, and co-produced by Remora Films, Studio Bauhaus, Screening Emotions and Background Films.
Best Friend Forever 2022 line-up also includes Oscar-nominated director Alê Abreu’s a”Perlimps...
Inspired by true events, the edgy thriller follows Joel, a religious Filipino sailor who finds a Romanian stowaway, Dumitru, hidden between some containers during his shift on a transatlantic ship. Joel decides to hide him and subsequently starts feeling tormented by his crew, friends and even God.
“To The North” stars Soliman Cruz, Niko Becker, Bart Guingona and Olivier Ho Hio Hen (“Stillwater”). The topnotch crew includes cinematographer George Chiper-Lillemark (“Immaculate”), sound designer Nicolas Becker (“Sound Of Metal”) and sound mixer Cyril Holtz (“The Sister Brothers”).
“To The North” is produced by Radu Stancu at De Film Production, and co-produced by Remora Films, Studio Bauhaus, Screening Emotions and Background Films.
Best Friend Forever 2022 line-up also includes Oscar-nominated director Alê Abreu’s a”Perlimps...
- 9/4/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
White NoiseCOMPETITIONWhite Noise (Noah Baumbach)Il Signore Delle Formiche (Gianni Amelio)The Whale (Darren Aronofsky)L’Immensita (Emanuele Crialese)Saint Omer (Alice Diop)Blonde (Andrew Dominik)Tár (Todd Field)Love Life (Koji Fukada)Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths (Alejandro G. Inarritu)Athena (Romain Gavras)Bones & All (Luca Guadagnino)The Eternal Daughter (Joanna Hogg)Beyond The Wall (Vahid Jalilvand)The Banshees Of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)Argentina, 1985 (Santiago Mitre)Chiara (Susanna Nicchiarelli)Monica (Andrea Pallaoro)No Bears (Jafar Panahi)All The Beauty And The Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)A Couple (Frederick Wiseman)The Son (Florian Zeller)Our Ties (Roschdy Zem)Other People’s Children (Rebecca Zlotowski)Out Of COMPETITIONFictionThe Hanging Sun (Francesco Carrozzini)When The Waves Are Gone (Lav Diaz)Living (Oliver Hermanus)Dead For A Dollar (Walter Hill)Call Of God (Kim Ki-duk)Dreamin’ Wild (Bill Pohlad)Master Gardener (Paul Schrader)Siccità (Paolo Virzi)Pearl (Ti West)Don’t Worry Darling...
- 7/28/2022
- MUBI
Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever has acquired international sales rights to Mihai Mincan’s drama thriller “To The North” which will world premiere at Venice in the Horizons section.
Inspired by true events, the film follows Joel, a religious Filipino sailor, who finds a Romanian stowaway, Dumitru, hidden between some containers during his shift on a transatlantic ship. Joel decides to hide him and subsequently starts feeling tormented by his crew, friends and even God.
“To The North” stars Soliman Cruz, Niko Becker, Bart Guingona and Olivier Ho Hio Hen (“Stillwater”). The topnotch crew includes cinematographer George Chiper-Lillemark (“Immaculate”), sound designer Nicolas Becker (“Sound Of Metal”) and sound mixer Cyril Holtz (“The Sister Brothers”).
“To The North” is produced by De Film Production (“Alis”), Remora Films, Studio Bauhaus, Screening Emotions and Background Films.
“We can’t be prouder to represent the film. It is surprisingly masterful for a debut, an immersive cinematographic experience,...
Inspired by true events, the film follows Joel, a religious Filipino sailor, who finds a Romanian stowaway, Dumitru, hidden between some containers during his shift on a transatlantic ship. Joel decides to hide him and subsequently starts feeling tormented by his crew, friends and even God.
“To The North” stars Soliman Cruz, Niko Becker, Bart Guingona and Olivier Ho Hio Hen (“Stillwater”). The topnotch crew includes cinematographer George Chiper-Lillemark (“Immaculate”), sound designer Nicolas Becker (“Sound Of Metal”) and sound mixer Cyril Holtz (“The Sister Brothers”).
“To The North” is produced by De Film Production (“Alis”), Remora Films, Studio Bauhaus, Screening Emotions and Background Films.
“We can’t be prouder to represent the film. It is surprisingly masterful for a debut, an immersive cinematographic experience,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
With opening night locked in––Noah Baumbach’s highly-anticipated Don DeLillo adaptation White Noise––Venice Film Festival has unveiled the rest of their lineup. Amongst the slate is Todd Field’s TÁR, Andrew Dominik’s Blonde, Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin, Paul Schrader’s Master Gardener, Jafar Panahi’s No Bears, Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All, Joanna Hogg’s The Eternal Daughter, Frederick Wiseman’s A Couple, Laura Poitras’ All The Beauty And The Bloodshed, Walter Hill’s Dead for a Dollar, and more.
Check out the lineup below, with a hat tip to Deadline.
Venezia 79 Competiton
Il Signore Delle Formiche, dir: Gianni Amelio
The Whale, dir: Darren Aronofsky
L’Imensita, dir: Emanuel Crialese
Saint Omer, dir: Alice Diop
Blonde, dir: Andrew Dominik
TÁR, dir: Todd Field
Love Life, dir: Koji Fukada
Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths, dir: Alejandro G. Inarritu
Athena,...
Check out the lineup below, with a hat tip to Deadline.
Venezia 79 Competiton
Il Signore Delle Formiche, dir: Gianni Amelio
The Whale, dir: Darren Aronofsky
L’Imensita, dir: Emanuel Crialese
Saint Omer, dir: Alice Diop
Blonde, dir: Andrew Dominik
TÁR, dir: Todd Field
Love Life, dir: Koji Fukada
Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths, dir: Alejandro G. Inarritu
Athena,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Includes films by Alejandro G. Inarritu, Joanna Hogg, Olivia Wilde, Darren Aronofsky, Andrew Dominik, Luca Guadagnino and Florian Zeller.
The line-up of the 79th Venice Film Festival (August 31-September 10) has been announced by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera.
Scroll down for full line-up
The heavyweight competition line-up includes films by Alejandro G. Inarritu, Joanna Hogg, Susanna Nicchiarelli, Darren Aronofsky, Andrew Dominik, Luca Guadagnino, Martin McDonagh and Florian Zeller. As with last year, five female directors were selected in the main competition. Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling is playing out of competition.
As previously announced, Noah Baumbach...
The line-up of the 79th Venice Film Festival (August 31-September 10) has been announced by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera.
Scroll down for full line-up
The heavyweight competition line-up includes films by Alejandro G. Inarritu, Joanna Hogg, Susanna Nicchiarelli, Darren Aronofsky, Andrew Dominik, Luca Guadagnino, Martin McDonagh and Florian Zeller. As with last year, five female directors were selected in the main competition. Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling is playing out of competition.
As previously announced, Noah Baumbach...
- 7/26/2022
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
The line-up will be unveiled this morning at around 11:00 Cest (10:00 BST).
The line-up for the 79th Venice International Film Festival (August 31-September 10) will be unveiled this morning at around 11:00 Cest (10:00 BST) by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera.
Scroll down for line-up
The press conference will be live-streamed below, and this page will be updated with the films as they are announced.
As previously announced, Noah Baumbach’s White Noise will open the festival in competition.
Julianne Moore will preside over the competition jury that also includes Audrey Diwan, Leonardo Di Costanzo, Mariano Cohn,...
The line-up for the 79th Venice International Film Festival (August 31-September 10) will be unveiled this morning at around 11:00 Cest (10:00 BST) by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera.
Scroll down for line-up
The press conference will be live-streamed below, and this page will be updated with the films as they are announced.
As previously announced, Noah Baumbach’s White Noise will open the festival in competition.
Julianne Moore will preside over the competition jury that also includes Audrey Diwan, Leonardo Di Costanzo, Mariano Cohn,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
The movie will tell the story of a Romanian stowaway on a transatlantic ship. Known so far for his documentary features, Romanian director Mihai Mincan is currently in pre-production with his fiction debut, To the North (working title). The project, one of Romania’s biggest co-production efforts to date, is being staged by deFilm, with Radu Stancu serving as producer, and is co-produced by StudioBauhaus (Greece), Remora Films (France), Screening Emotions (Bulgaria) and Background Films (Czech Republic). As the budget is still a work in progress, the order of the co-production countries may change before the film’s April and May shoot. The screenplay, written by Mincan, centres on a religious Filipino sailor working on a transatlantic ship, who happens upon Dumitru, a young Romanian stowaway. Moved by the fact that the frightened Dumitru is clutching a Bible, the sailor starts playing a...
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