26/07/2018 - Films from Bulgaria, Hungary, Israel, Palestine, Romania and Turkey are joined by a guest project from China, produced by Jia Zhang-ke

The Sarajevo Film Festival's CineLink co-production market has announced the ten projects that will take part in its Work in Progress section, a showcase of the most exciting new works from Southeast Europe and the MENA region.

The eight fiction features and two documentaries will be presented to up to 60 high-profile industry professionals (financiers, sales agents, distributors, broadcasters and festival programmers) with the aim of assisting their completion and enhancing their distribution possibilities.

The selection includes projects that were presented at earlier editions of the co-production market, such as Hilal, Feza and Other Planets by Turkey's Kutluğ Ataman and Cat in the Wall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova
film profile] by Bulgaria's Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova, as well as Africa, the debut feature by Israel's Oren Gerner, whose short Gabriel competed this year at Cannes, and the first Palestinian project at Work in Progress in years, Ibrahim by Lina Alabed.

From Romania, Quod Erat Demonstrandum [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrei Gruzsniczki
interview: Andrei Gruzsniczki
film profile] director Andrei Gruzsniczki is coming along with Zavera [+see also:
trailer
interview: Andrei Gruzsniczki
film profile], and one of the country's most recognisable actors, Dorian Boguță, is bringing his feature-length directorial debut, Legacy [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile].

The guest project from China, The Pig Butcher by director Wang Yi-Tong, is being produced by Jia Zhang-ke through his Fabula Entertainment.

For the full list, scroll down. 

The projects will be competing for three awards: the Post Republic Award (€50,000 in kind), the CineLink Iridium Award (€20,000 in kind) and the Turkish National Radio Television Award (€25,000 in cash). Kim Yutani (Sundance Film Festival), Marco Mueller (Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival), Tolke Palm (The Post Republic), Gabor Greiner (Films Boutique) and a Turkish National Radio Television representative will decide on this year's winners. 

“The recent festival success of projects presented at previous editions of Work in Progress, as well as the rising attendance levels of festival programmers, sales representatives and other industry professionals from every part of the production chain, prove that CineLink continues to play a vital role in disseminating the talent from the SEE region,” says Jovan Marjanović, SFF's head of Industry. “In addition to boosting its production potential, CineLink also serves as a platform for voices that tackle urgent issues in new and challenging ways.” 

Here is the complete CineLink Work in Progess line-up:

Africa - Oren Gerner (Israel) (fiction)
Producer: Itay Akirav
Production company: Film Harbour

Belonging [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Burak Çevik
film profile] - Burak Çevik (Turkey/France) (fiction)
Producer: Selman Nacar
Production company: Fol Film

Cat in the Wall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova
film profile] - Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova (Bulgaria/UK/France) (fiction)
Producers: Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova 
Production companies: Activist38, Glasshead, Ici et Là Productions, Bulgarian National Television 

Hilal, Feza and Other Planets - Kutluğ Ataman (Turkey) (fiction)
Producers: Sercan Tevs, Kutluğ Ataman 
Production company: WITCH 

Ibrahim - Lina Alabed (Palestine/Lebanon/Qatar/Denmark) (documentary)
Producer: Rami El Nihawi
Production companies: SakaDo, Kirstine Barfod Film

Legacy [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Dorian Boguță (Romania) (fiction)
Producer: Oana Giurgiu
Production company: Hai Hui Entertainment

Motherlands [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Gabriel Babsi (Hungary/Romania) (documentary)
Producers: Ágnes Horváth-Szabó, András Pires Muhi
Production companies: ELF Pictures, Domestic Film

The Gospel According to My Father - Dani Rosenberg (Israel) (fiction)
Producers: Stav Meron, Dani Rosenberg
Production company: Pardes Films

Zavera [+see also:
trailer
interview: Andrei Gruzsniczki
film profile] - Andrei Gruzsniczki (Romania) (fiction)
Producer: Alexandru Teodorescu
Production company: Saga Film

Guest project

The Pig Butcher - Wang Yi-Tong (China) (fiction)
Producer: Jia Zhang-ke
Production company: Fabula Entertainment