31/10/2025 - The spotlight will be on new projects by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, Mar Coll, Lina Soualem, Lisa Brühlmann and Bogdan Mirică, among others

Directors Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, selected with their project Love in The Time of Communism (© Sibilla Petrova)

The Les Arcs Film Festival, whose 17th edition will take place from 13 to 20 Decembre, has unveiled the list of 18 European projects in development (from 14 countries) for its Co-Production Village. It should be noted that 391 projects applied this year for a professional event that recently featured, among others, Flow [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gints Zilbalodis
interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile] by Gints Zilbalodis, Vermiglio [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maura Delpero
film profile] by Maura Delpero, Armand [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel
interview: Renate Reinsve
film profile] by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, The Girls We Want [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Prïncia Car
film profile] by Prïncia Car and The Girl in the Snow [+see also:
film review
interview: Louise Hémon
film profile] by Louise Hémon.

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Among the filmmakers behind the 18 projects selected (including 11 first feature films and 11 titles by female directors) competing for the Eurimages Prize (worth €20,000) and the ArteKino International Prize (worth €6,000) are the Bulgarian duo Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov (winners at Karlovy Vary in 2019 with The Father [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: GoCritic! Interview: Kristi…
interview: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Val…
film profile] and at San Sebastián New Directors in 2014 with The Lesson [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Val…
interview: Margita Gosheva
film profile]).

Also featured in the showcase are Spain's Mar Coll (who received a special mention last year at Locarno for Salve Maria [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mar Coll
film profile]), Switzerland's Lisa Brühlmann (who made her debut at San Sebastián New Directors in 2017 with Blue My Mind [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lisa Brühlmann
interview: Luna Wedler
film profile]), French-Algerian Lina Soualem (with what will be her first feature film after the documentaries Their Algeria [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lina Soualem
film profile] and Bye Bye Tiberias [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lina Soualem
film profile], presented respectively at Visions du Réel in 2020 and Giornate degli autori in Venice in 2023) and Romanian Bogdan Mirică (discovered at Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2016 with Dogs [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bogdan Mirica
film profile]). Also noteworthy are three projects from Greece, as this country is being honoured this year by Les Arcs Film Festival.

The Industry Village (which includes the Co-Production Village and brings together more than 550 participants from across Europe each year) will complete its programme in November with the announcement of the participants in the 8th edition of the Talent Village and the schedule of conferences, meetings, workshops and masterclasses. Not to mention the selection for the eagerly awaited Work in Progress, which will be announced in early December.

The list of projects:

Alicante – Lina Soualem (France)
Production: Easy Riders

Confirmation - Maciej Jankowski (Poland)
Production: Rozbrat Films

Dasha - Mar Coll (Spain/Germany)
Production: Fasten Films, Yellow Blackbird

Disqualifié - Dimitris Zouras (Greece)
Production : Neda Film

Elsewhere - Adelina Borets (Ukraine/Poland)
Production: Toy Cinema, Koskino

Friends, Birthdays, Murder, etc. - Lida Vartzioti and Dimitris Tsakaleas (Greece)
Production: Atalante Productions

Hard Copy - Marleen Valien (Germany)
Production: Sommerhaus Filmproduktion

I Will Drink With The Bees - Léa Triboulet (France)
Production: La Belle Affaire Productions

In The Name of Pleasure - Lisa Clarkson (UK)
Production: Story Horse Pictures Ltd

Inner Warrior - Nicolai G.H. Johansen (Denmark)
Production:  Sub Rosa Pictures

Invasion - Jerry Carlsson (Sweden)
Production: Verket Produktion

Love in The Time of Communism - Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov (Bulgaria/Greece)
Production: Abraxas Film, Graal

One Hand Jesus - Bogdan Mirică (Romania)
Production: deFilm

Pantano de aves - Karen Vázquez Guadarrama (Belgium)
Production: Mirage

Riot/Girl - Arman T. Riahi (Austria/France)
Production: Golden Girls Filmproduktion, Les Contes Modernes

Desde que tú te has ido (Since You’ve Been Gone) - María Herrera López (Spain)
Production : Avalon

The Hermit - Nicolas Kolovos (Greece/Sweden)
Production : Homemade Films, Kakadua Filmproduktion

The Tigress - Lisa Brühlmann (Switzerland/UK)
Production : tellfilm GmbH, tempesta film UK

(Translated from French)