Mannheim-Heidelberg in full swing
The 56th edition of the International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg, currently ongoing in the twin cities on the German Rhine, also presents another edition of their successful co-production market the Mannheim meetings. For its 2007 vintage, a total of 54 projects were presented, chosen from 165 submissions. The Meetings will continue through Thursday and the festival itself through Sunday.
The festival kicked off in earnest last Friday with the international premiere of Erik de Bruyn’s Nadine, a tale of a thwarted mother wish and its dire consequences. The title character is played by three actresses: Dutch Shooting Star Halina Reijn, veteran Monic Hendrickx and newcomer Sanneke Bos.
The festival presents some thirty titles in total, with a focus on young authors for its competitive and International Discovery programmes. Special sections are dedicated this year to Ingmar Bergman, German TV drama, China and children’s films.
In parallel with the festival, which attracts around 60,000 visitors each year, around 200 accredited participants are part of the Mannheim Meetings, including producers, distributors and sales agents. The various projects presented have budgets ranging from €100,000 to €10m, with the 56 projects together representing over €100m.
Most projects come from Western Europe, with Eastern Europe and Latin America each presenting around ten projects and Canada and the African continent less than projects five each.
High profile projects include new works from writer-director Agnieszka Holland, who presents a drama about Polish spy Krystyna Skarbek; German veteran Klaus Lemke, who presents a love story set in two cities, and Siba Shakib, who is working on the film adaptation of her bestselling novel Samir and Samira.
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