20/02/2018 - BERLIN 2018: Israeli writer-director Hagar Ben-Asher received the prestigious Eurimages and ARTE accolades for her sophomore film project

Front row (l-r): Marek Rozenbaum, Beata Rzeźniczek, Klaudia Smieja, Catherine Trautmann, Hagar Ben-Asher and Doreen Boonekamp; back row (l-r): Martina Bleis, Roberto Olla, Francine Raveney and Csaba Bereczki (© Lydia Hesse/EFM 2018)

The 15^th edition of the Berlinale Co-Production Market has handed out its three awards after an extensive series of 1,300 meetings for its 36 selected projects (see the news). Cramming in one extra day this year, unspooling from 17-21 February, the market featured a special focus on narrative cinema.

Israeli writer-director Hagar Ben-Asher received the prestigious Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, valued at €20,000, for her project The War Has Ended, produced by Viola Fügen, Michael Weber (Match Factory Productions, Germany), Klaudia Smieja, Beata Rzeźniczek (Madants, Poland), and Marek Rozenbaum (Transfax Film Productions, Israel). The story follows ten-year-old Lily, who is alone in post-war Poland and has been betrayed by her childhood. She is convinced by Joseph, a puppeteer, to follow him in his touring theatre. Lily hopes to have a brighter future with him, but she will come to understand that Joseph has different intentions. The War Has Ended in fact left with an impressive stash, as the project also received the €6,000 ARTE International Prize.

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It’s worth noting that the first time that the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award was given out at the Berlinale Co-Production Market was in 2015, and the winning project that year was 3 Days in Quiberon [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emily Atef
film profile], directed by Emily Atef, which is now taking part in the Berlinale’s Official Competition this year.

As for the Talent Project Market, the VFF (Film and Television Producers’ Rights Association) from Munich bestowed its VFF Talent Highlight Award, accompanied by €10,000, upon the Chinese project Tropical Memories by Shipei Wen, which was presented at the Berlinale Co-Production Market by its producer, Jing Wang. Finally, producers Maya Fischer from Israel and Charlotte de La Gournerie from Denmark pitched their projects to the participants in the Berlinale Co-Production Market, and each received a nomination prize of €1,000.

Here is the full list of winners at the 15^th Berlinale Co-Production Market:

Eurimages Co-Production Development Award
The War Has Ended – Hagar Ben-Asher (Germany/Poland/Israel)

ARTE International Prize
The War Has Ended – Hagar Ben-Asher

VFF Talent Highlight Award 
Tropical Memories – Shipei Wen (China)