30/01/2018 - The first MIDPOINT workshop of the year also included the first edition of MIDPOINT Shorts

MIDPOINT, the international training and networking platform for emerging film professionals, which aims to support the writer, director and producer in the development process, has started its Feature Launch 2018 programme with its first workshop, as part of the Trieste Film Festival's Eastweek from 21-26 January. In addition to the nine projects in this section, Trieste was also the starting point for the first edition of MIDPOINT Shorts, which featured four projects. 

The teams behind nine projects in the Feature Launch section, hailing from 12 countries and listed below, were split into three groups and each assigned a leader who led them through the workshops and case studies. These mentors were German script consultant Anne Gensior, Czech screenwriting and script analysis instructor and former dean of FAMU Pavel Jech, and Macedonian filmmaker Ivo Trajkov.

Meanwhile, Czech actor and filmmaker Pavel Marek led the MIDPOINT Shorts group, consisting of four projects from four countries, listed below. The whole workshop was overseen by MIDPOINT's head of studies, Slovenian producer Danijel Hočevar. 

Guest tutors included Bosnian screenwriter and programmer of the Sarajevo Film Festival Elma Tataragić; Italian director, producer, and professional tutor and pitching moderator Stefano Tealdi; Greek director Thanos Anastopoulos; Oscar-winning Croatian producer Čedomir Kolar; and Slovak-Hungarian filmmaker György Kristóf. In addition, the participants also had the chance to attend some of the panels and lectures that were organised as part of Trieste's industry event When East Meets West, including a session about film marketing by Christina Liapi and Vicky Miha of Asterisk, the consulting branch of the Greek company Heretic.

As this first MIDPOINT workshop of the year was concentrated on script development, creative and financing strategies, and pitching skills, at the second one, which will take place in Belgrade from 27 April-3 May in collaboration with the Film Center Serbia, the participants will continue their work on developing the scripts, but will also focus on marketing and distribution, sales and festival strategies, as well as the legal aspects and financial issues of their projects. They will also further enhance their pitching skills. 

The next step will be the Project Showcase with Industry Experts at Karlovy Vary, where the projects will be presented to industry decision makers, including funders, sales agents, producers and festival programmers.

Finally, at the next Trieste Film Festival in January 2019, the programme will come full circle with Feature Launch Spotlight @ WEMW, where all selected producers will get the chance to partake in a follow-up with their potential artistic and financing partners. 

Here is the list of MIDPOINT Feature Launch projects: 

Balaur – Octav Chelaru (writer/director) 
Producer: Livia Radulescu
Company: deFilm (Romania)

Brazil – Thelyia Petraki
Producer: Kostas Tagalakis 
Company: Top Spot/Heretic (Greece)

Clouds on Leashes – Gunel Eva 
Producer: Maria Ibrahimova 
Company: Cinex (Azerbaijan)

Homeward [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Nariman Aliev (writer/director) 
Producer: Vladimir Yatsenko 
Company: Limelight (Ukraine)

Leave No Traces – Anna Bielak (writer/script consultant), Jan P Matuszynski (director)
Company: Aurum Film (Poland)

Sex, Wire, Rock'n'Roll – Gabor Fabricius
Producer: Patricia D'Intino 
Companies: Focus Fox, Otherside Stories (Hungary)

The Last Balkan Film About the War – Lee Filipovski
Producer: Adi Dizdarević 
Company: Filmbakery Pictures (Serbia)

The Ugly Mandarine – Piaoyu Xie
Producer: Veronika Kuhrova 
Company: Analog Vision (Czech Republic)

Sirin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Claudia Bottino (writer), Senad Šahmanović (director)
Producer: Velisa Popović 
Company: Cut-Up (Montenegro) 

Here is the list of MIDPOINT Shorts projects:

For Alma - Anton Breum (writer/director)
Producer: Maria Moller Kjeldgaard
Company: Manna Film (Denmark) 

Gravel - Zsanett Kertést (writer/producer)
Director: Tamás Benkó
Company: Inforg-M&M Film (Hungary) 

Short Film with a Sheep - Ivana Škrabalo (writer/director)
Producer: Dora Prpić
Company: Dinaridi Film (Croatia) 

There - Zeynep Koprülü (writer/director)
Producer: Utku Zeka
Company: Periferi Film (Turkey)