03/02/2020 - Beware, as the new edition of the forum promises family horror stories and brand-new takes on the witch genre

Director Sanna Lenken, who will be taking part in the Frontières Finance & Packaging Forum with The Braid

Frontières has announced the selection of 11 genre projects chosen to be presented during the 2020 Financing & Packaging Forum in Karlskrona, Sweden – an event co-organised with the Carl International Film Festival as well as Nordic Factory. The fourth edition of the event, which will also feature an evening devoted to the current trend of “Scandisaster” films and a sizeable delegation of producers without projects, promises to showcase “the most diverse and compelling programme to date”, at the same time marking the first major partnership between Frontières, the Swedish Film Institute and the Norwegian Film Institute, while still continuing the collaboration with the Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

“Since Frontières started in 2012, and expanded into Europe in 2014, we have seen a huge growth in innovative genre talent and successful films – theatrically and on the festival circuit, both in Europe and beyond,” Frontières executive director Lindsay Peters told Cineuropa. “With notable Frontières successes such as Raw [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Julia Ducournau
film profile], Vivarium [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lorcan Finnegan
film profile], Colour out of Space and Extra Ordinary [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], it’s certainly safe to say that genre films are a central and essential part of this industry.” She also broke down some new trends soon to be coming the audience’s way. “This year, we are seeing a notable trend in family horror stories, and a lot of new takes on the witch genre,” added Peters. “We also have a number of really strong comedic and absurdist projects, such as Docking, The Change and She Loved Blossoms More [+see also:
film review
film profile].”

Interestingly, this year’s line-up – featuring projects from Sweden, Denmark, the UK, Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Greece, France and Canada – will see a growing number of female directors, including Sanna Lenken and Jen Handorf, the latter already making her mark as a producer on Alice Lowe’s Prevenge [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and now set to debut as a feature director. There are also some recognisable names, starting with Madrid-born Adrián García Bogliano – recently seen directing Swedish legend Christina Lindberg (read the interview) in Black Circle and now attached to the remake of Carlos Enrique Taboada’s 1968 title Drifter in the Rain.

The Frontières Finance & Packaging Forum is scheduled to start on 27 February and wrap on 29 February.

Here is the full list of projects:

Beyond the Wall – Antonio Steve Tublén (Sweden/Denmark/Ireland)
The Braid – Sanna Lenken (Sweden/Denmark)
Brethren – Terrance Odette (Canada)
The Change – Jen Handorf (UK)
Desert Witch – Sam Marine and Michael Borowiec (USA/Canada)
Docking – Trevor Anderson (Canada)
Dogman – Tamae Garateguy (Argentina/Peru)
Drifter in the Rain – Adrián García Bogliano (Mexico)
Nightsiren [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tereza Nvotová
film profile] – Tereza Nvotova (Slovakia/Czech Republic)
A Prayer for the Dying – Dara Van Dusen (Norway/Canada)
She Loved Blossoms More [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Yannis Veslemes (Greece/France)