The 17^th edition of the Berlinale Co-Production Market (22-26 February) has handed out its three awards after an extensive series of more than 1,500 individual meetings involving almost 600 participants. This year’s selection brought together 36 new feature-film projects (see the news).

Turkish director Onur Saylak received the prestigious Eurimages Co-production Development Award for his project There Are Two Kinds of People in This World, which follows the president’s visit to a coalmine during Ramadan to attend a dinner with the miners. When the mine collapses, trapping him, some miners and a journalist, tensions begin to rise, as some of the survivors either worship or hate the president. Written by Hakan Günday, the project was presented at the Co-Production Market by Turkish producer Nadir Öperli for Liman Film, and received the award, valued at €20,000, for its further development. This is Saylak’s sophomore feature, after the 2017 Karlovy Vary-premiered drama More [+lire aussi :
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Furthermore, the jury, comprising Czech Film Fund representative Elena Kotová, Greek producer Giorgos Karnavas and French world sales representative Marie-Pierre Vallé, gave a Special Mention to the artificial intelligence-themed project Electric Child by Swiss writer-director and co-producer Simon Jaquemet, staged by Michela Pini (of 8horses) and Aurelius Eisenreich.

The ArteKino International Prize, valued at €6,000, went to The Melting by Belgian director Veerle Baetens, which follows a young woman who returns to her hometown to deal with her past. Co-penned by the director and Maarten Loix, and an adaptation of Lize Spit’s novel Het Smelt, the project is being produced by Bart Van Langendonck and Sarah Marks for Savage Film.

As for the Talent Project Market, the VFF (Film and Television Producers’ Rights Association) from Munich presented its VFF Talent Highlight Award, to the tune of €10,000, to the project The Last Paradise on Earth by writer-director Sakaris Stórá, from the Faroe Islands. On a remote island, a young man is struggling to prevent his family from falling apart, while the local fish factory is closing and his best friend is about to leave in search of a better future. The project was presented by its producer, Jón Hammer, for KYK Pictures and Adomeit Film ApS. Finally, producers Deepak Rauniyar from Nepal and Diana Almeida from Brazil pitched their projects to the participants in the Berlinale Co-Production Market, and each received a nomination prize of €1,000.

Here is the full list of winners at the 17^th Berlinale Co-Production Market:

Eurimages Co-production Development Award
There Are Two Kinds of People in This World - Onur Saylak
Producers: Liman Film, b.i.t Arts (Turkey)

Special Mention
Electric Child - Simon Jaquemet
Producer: 8horses (Switzerland)

ArteKino International Prize
The Melting - Veerle Baetens
Producer: Savage Film (Belgium)

VFF Talent Highlight Award
The Last Paradise on Earth - Sakaris Stórá
Producers: KYK Pictures (Faroe Islands), Adomeit Film ApS (Denmark)