A total of 25 projects were presented at this year’s European Work in Progress, which took place from 28-30 September in Hamburg. Following the announcement of the winners (see the news), we provide a detailed breakdown of some of the award-winning projects.

The Post Republic Award
Folk Play – Mirjana Karanović (Serbia/France/Luxembourg/Croatia/Slovenia/Montenegro)
Producers: Snezana van Houwelingen (This and That Prod), Denis Carot (Elzévir Films), Ulysse Payet (Noctua Films), Jani Thiltges (Samsa Film), Ida Weiss (Bela Film), Ankica Jurić Tilić (Kinorama), Marija Perović (Kino)
Folk Play centres on 22-year-old Anka, who lives in an impoverished rural town, cares for her sick father and runs the family tavern. Having agreed to marry her longtime boyfriend Milan, she meets Branka, a free-spirited singer from Belgrade, at her engagement party and discovers that her father has sold the tavern to Milan’s father. Anka runs away with Branka to Belgrade, where the two fall in love and she experiences a freedom previously unknown to her. Returning home out of guilt, she finds that she no longer belongs there. When Branka comes back, they decide to leave together for good, but Milan shoots her, leaving Anka to drive towards the nearest hospital. Directed by Serbian actress and filmmaker Mirjana Karanović, whose acting credits include When Father Was Away on Business and Grbavica, the film marks her third feature as director following A Good Wife and Mother Mara. Written by Bojan Vuletić, the drama is currently in post-production and is expected to premiere in 2027. The project is seeking international sales and distribution partners, as well as festival and marketing support.

Eka by Suman Sen

K13 Studios Award
Eka – Suman Sen (India/Australia/France)
Producers: Maud d’Amade (Zorba Production), Alan McAlex (Suitable Pictures), Emmanuel Pappas, Manjari Makijany (Asia Pacific Pictures)
Eka follows 56-year-old Biplab, a disillusioned man in Kolkata whose life has been marked by an unfinished apartment, a dead-end career and guilt over having helped police track down his sister’s fiancé 20 years earlier. When his young activist colleague Samir is arrested on terrorism charges, Biplab reaches breaking point and stages a silent protest at the foot of a statue due to be unveiled by the president. After the act is filmed and shared online, thousands join the protest, turning a man accustomed to silence into an unlikely symbol of resistance. Written and directed by Suman Sen, whose short films have screened at festivals including Raindance, Palm Springs and Busan, the filmmaker’s debut feature has now entered the editing stage. The project is seeking sales and distribution partners and festivals as well as post-production financing and marketing support.

Karmic Knot by Signe Baumane

K13 Studios Award
Karmic Knot – Signe Baumane (Latvia/Germany)
Producers: Dominiks Jarmakovičs (Studio Locomotive), Fabian Driehorst (Fabian&Fred)
Karmic Knot is set in Soviet-occupied Latvia in 1971, where a family of four moves into a house they cannot afford, and begins an underground business growing and selling rose cultivars in Russia. As the family accumulates wealth, the collapse of the Soviet Union brings new threats from racketeers and thieves, while the loss of their savings puts their unity under strain. The animated black comedy and family drama is directed and written by Latvian-born, Brooklyn-based filmmaker Signe Baumane, whose animated features include Rocks in My Pockets and My Love Affair With Marriage. The project is seeking gap financing, distribution partners as well as post-production, marketing, PR and festival support.

Spross by Friederike Güssefeld

Loft Tonstudios Award
Spross – Friederike Güssefeld (Germany)
Producer: Anton Kaiser (Schramm Film Koerner Weber Kaiser)
Spross follows 11-year-old Orlando, who falls in love with his new classmate Freya after she moves with her family to an abandoned farm in his rural German village. As Orlando becomes immersed in Freya’s seemingly idyllic, nature-focused world, rumours emerge that her family are part of the völkisch settlers, right-wing nationalist eco-farmers spreading across the area. As tensions grow between the two families and the independent school, Freya is eventually taken out of school, prompting Orlando to fight for her to have a chance of her own. Written and directed by Friederike Güssefeld, whose documentary work includes Out of Place, the film marks her feature-length fiction debut. The project is currently seeking international sales partners, gap financing and further networking opportunities.

La Unión by Cordelia Alegre

Optical Arts Award
La Unión – Cordelia Alegre (Spain/Colombia)
Producers: Àngels Masclans (Dos Soles Media), Roger Torras (Desarrollos Mediáticos Internacionales/WKND), Federico Duran (El Sol Ermitaño), Jaime Guerrero (Rara Cine)
La Unión is set in Barcelona in 1979 and follows 19-year-old twin sisters Cecilia and Juliana, who travel to Colombia after their mother’s death to spend Christmas with their paternal family at the La Unión estate, where they were born but which they barely remember. As Cecilia becomes determined to uncover the secrets surrounding their late father while Juliana is drawn towards life beyond the family property, buried memories begin to surface and threaten their close bond. Only on New Year’s Eve, as the family gathers around a bonfire, do the sisters finally confront their shared grief and what lies ahead. Written and directed by Barcelona-born filmmaker Cordelia Alegre, whose short films include Mestral and El Norte, the drama is her first feature. The project is seeking gap financing, festival support and further networking opportunities.

Mother of Sugar by Clàudia Cedó

Cine Complete Postproduction Award
Mother of Sugar – Clàudia Cedó (Spain)
Producers: Ariadna Dot (Deliris Films), Rafa Molés (Suica Films), Tono Folguera (Lastor Media)
Mother of Sugar follows 35-year-old Maria, a woman with an intellectual disability who has secretly dreamed of becoming a mother since childhood, believing that her 65% disability diagnosis prevents her from having a child. When she reveals her wish during a visit to a clinic for a contraceptive implant, her family and the institution where she lives and works activate a protocol intended to help her “make the right decision”. As Maria gradually realises that the process is designed to make her abandon her wish, she decides to stop waiting for permission. Written and directed by playwright and filmmaker Clàudia Cedó, whose short De sucre premiered internationally at Clermont-Ferrand, the film marks her feature-length directorial debut. The project is seeking international sales and distribution partners as well as festival and networking support.