14/11/2023 - Under the spotlight will be projects by Michael Caton-Jones, Ena Sendijarević, Michal Blaško, Anders Emblem, Irma Pužauskaitė, Teppo Airaksinen and Jacques Lœuille among others

After unveiling the programme (read the article) of its 15th edition (16 - 23 December), Les Arcs Film Festival has revealed a big part of its Industry Village (which brings together every year more than 550 participants from all over Europe) with the list of 18 European projects in development (coming from 15 countries) of the Co-Production Village, which will take place from 16 to 19 December. 269 projects were submitted this year.

Standing out among the filmmakers bringing the 18 selected projects (including ten debut and five sophomore features, with nine projects carried by female directors) and vying for the ArteKino International award (worth € 6000) are famous Scottish director Michael Caton-Jones (known for Scandal, Memphis Belle, This Boy’s Life, Rob Roy, Le Jackal, Shooting Dogs [+see also:
trailer
film profile] as well as Our Ladies [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], among other titles), the Bosnian filmmaker based in Amsterdam Ena Sendijarević (winner of the 2019 Special Jury Prize in Rotterdam with Take Me Somewhere Nice [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ena Sendijarević
film profile] and awarded with a Leopard for Best Performance last year in Locarno with Sweet Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ena Sendijarević
film profile]) and Slovakia’s Michal Blaško (revealed in Venice Orizzonti and in Toronto this year with his debut feature Victim [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michal Blaško
film profile]).

Also present are Norway’s Anders Emblem (noticed last year in Rotterdam with A Human Position [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anders Emblem
film profile]), Finland’s Teppo Airaksinen (appreciated with The Ragged Life of Juice Leskinen [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), Lithuania’s Irma Pužauskaitė (appreciated in The 9th Step [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Irma Pužauskaitė
film profile]) and French documentary filmmaker Jacques Lœuille (revealed with Birds in America [+see also:
trailer
film profile]).

For the record, the Industry Village (which includes the Co-Production Village) revealed in early November the participants od the 6th edition of the Talent Village (read the news) which will have Swedish director Ruben Östlund as a tutor and ambassador.

Finally, the selection of the always highly anticipated Work in Progress will be revealed around 7 December.

The list of projects:

Co-Production Village

A Friend - Teppo Airaksinen (Finland)
Production: Tack Films

Also a Life - Anders Emblem (Norway)
Production: Stær

Angels - Emma Westenberg (the Netherlands)
Production: Halal

Basarda - Salvador Sunyer (Spain)
Production: Avalon

Bells of Kabul - Chabname Zariab (France)
Production: Alta Rocca

Cowgirl - Michal Blaško (Slovakia/Czech Republic)
Production: nutprodukcia, nutprodukce

Don’t Let Us Drown - Emiel Sandkte (the Netherlands)
Production: Room For Film

Hold Me Closer - Irma Pužauskaitė (Lithuania)
Production: Smart Casual

I Matter - Alina Serban (Romania)
Production: microFILM

I Won’t Die For Love - Marta Matute (Spain)
Production: Solita Films, Elastica Films

Kingdom of the Blind - François Robic (France)
Production: Moderato

One Can’t Invent An Ocean - Ingrid Chikhaoui (France)
Production: Les Films Norfolk

Shitballs - Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir (Iceland)
Production: Compass Films

Sub - Peter Modestij (Sweden/Denmark)
Production: Hobab, Motor

The Big Sheep - Michael Caton-Jones (United Kingdom)
Production: Braintrust

The Odissey of the Deep - Jacques Lœuille (France)
Production: Météores Films

The Possessed - Ena Sendijarević (the Netherlands)
Production: Aventura

To See a Woman - Manuela Bastian (Switzerland/Austria)
Production: Tellfilm, KGP

(Translated from French)