The first edition of the Frontières Finance and Packaging Forum, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, came to a successful conclusion after three days of meetings, strategy sessions and networking from 16-18 February in Amsterdam. This collaborative initiative between the Fantasia International Film Festival and the Film Market - Cannes Film Festival, and hosted in Amsterdam with the support of the Netherlands Film Fund, served as an invitational incubator for genre film projects in the late stages of financing.

Twelve genre projects from across Europe and North America in the final stages of financing participated in the Amsterdam-based Forum. Project helmers included producers Julie Baines’ Detour [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film], Katie Holly’s Love & Friendship [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], Sophia Lin’s Compliance, Take Shelter, Magnus Paulsson’ Shelley [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], and Casey Walker’s The Void. Twenty-five industry leaders from across Europe and North America specialising in finance, packaging and distribution were invited to meet with the projects via group strategy sessions, one-to-one meetings, and a proof-of-concept development lab.

Represented organisations included experts from Creativity Capital, Epic Pictures, IFC Films, Magnolia Pictures, Motion Picture Capital, MPI Media Group, Soda Pictures, Universal Pictures International, and XYZ Films.

The Forum also featured a case study of past Frontières project Raw [+leggi anche:
recensione
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intervista: Julia Ducournau
scheda film], directed by Julia Ducournau, with producers Jean Des Forêts, from Petit Film, and Jean Yves Roubin, from Frakas Productions, who met at the 2014 edition of the Frontières market in Brussels, followed by a Dutch Avant-Premiere screening of the film Raw at the EYE Institute.

The next steps for Frontières will take place from 20-21 May in Cannes, at the Film Market, where the 12 Forum projects will unveil their completed proofs of concept to the international market. Other Frontières Platform events in Cannes include Frontières Goes to Cannes, a screening of footage from four work-in-progress films, and participation in the Fantastic Fanatics Mixer.