17/12/2024 - Floor Van Der Meulen’s project bags the Eurimages Prize, Rosa Candida the ArteKino International Award and Made in Mud the Talent Village trophy

Director Floor Van Der Meulen and producers Koji Nelissen and Derk-Jan Warrink with their Eurimages award for Happy Days (© Claire Nicol/Les Arcs Film Festival)

The Co-Production Village and Talent Village handed out their prizes within the Industry Village, unspooling within the 16th Les Arcs Film Festival.

Decided upon by a jury composed of Eleni Chandrinou, Emilia Fort (Avalon) and Victor Pothevin (Diaphana), and endowed with 20,000 euros, the Eurimages Co-Production Development Prize destined for one of the 18 projects in development gracing the Co-Production Village, has been awarded to Happy Days, a second fiction feature film project by Dutch director Floor Van Der Meulen (who scooped a Special Mention in Tribeca 2022 thanks to Pink Moon [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Floor van der Meulen
film profile]). Penned by the filmmaker together with Bastiaan Kroeger, the story follows Anne who ignores her burnout to lovingly babysit her grandchildren, pushing herself to extremes in her desire to please others…

Following the special measures adopted by Eurimages in favour of the Ukrainian film industry, the same jury decided to award a Special Prize (endowed with 20,000 euros) to 30 Days of Summer by Anastasiia Solonevych. The story sees military camp translator, Anna, unexpectedly reuniting with her estranged stepsister Valeriia, a soldier who’s in training ahead of being deployed to the front. They only have 30 days of summer in order to reconnect and to feel like the family they’ve never been…

The ArteKino International Prize, meanwhile (endowed with 6,000 euros), decided upon by Rémi Burah, went to Rosa Candida, which is Clara Lemaire Anspach’s first feature film project. The story revolves around Antoine who withdraws to an isolated island after his mother’s death, in order to bring an abandoned monastery garden back to life. One day, a former lover arrives on the island with their baby he’d never known about. Unexpected and life-altering love stories soon ensue…

For their part, the jury behind the Talent Village Prize (Margaux Juvénal, Alexis Langlois and Jérôme Parlange – an award endowed with 5,000 euros) singled out Spanish director Anna Llargues’ project Made in Mud, while Danish filmmaker Selma Sunniva scooped a Special Mention with her project, Silk.

Last but not least, the Producers Network hailing from Cannes’ Marché du Film offered two free passes for its upcoming edition to Icelandic producer Kari Ulfsson (Sensor) - who was attending the Co-Production Village to present Erlendur Sveinsson’s project, Seven Balconies - and to his French colleague Arthur Cohen (Elementary), who was accompanying Sophie Galibert’s project, Grizzly.

The full list of awards is as follows:

Co-Production Village

Eurimages Co-Production Development Prize
Happy Days - Floor Van Der Meulen (the Netherlands)
Production: Derk-Jan Warrink, Koji Nelissen (Keplerfilm)

Eurimages Special Prize for Co-Production Development
30 Days of Summer - Anastasiia Solonevych (Ukraine)
Production: Oleksandra Kostina (Bosonfilm)

ArteKino International Prize
Rosa Candida - Clara Lemaire Anspach (France)
Production: Eliott Khayat (Haut et Court)

Talent Village

Talent Village Prize
Made in Mud - Anna Llargues (Spain)
Production: Sergio Crobas (Astra Pictures)

Special Mention
Silk - Selma Sunniva (Denmark)
Production: Christian Loenhart (Isaac)

(Translated from French)