Twenty Rising European Producers Chosen for Producers on the Move Program in Cannes

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The event, Producers on the Move, is a networking opportunity for 20 rising European film producers during the Cannes Film Festival. EbMaster is its main media partner.)

Here are the participants in this event: Blerina Hankollari from Albania, Andi G. Hess from Austria, Géraldine Sprimont from Belgium, Magdelena Ilieva from Bulgaria, Tamara Babun Zovko from Croatia, Daniel Mühlendorph from Denmark, Lionel Massol from France, Fred Burle from Germany, Claudia Sümeghy from Hungary, Deirdre Levins from Ireland, Francesca Andreoli from Italy, Kristele Pudane from Latvia, Klementina Remeikaitė from Lithuania, Vincent Quénault from Luxembourg, Bojana Radulović from Montenegro, Janne Hjeltnes from Norway, Agnieszka Wasiak from Poland, Carla Fotea from Romania, Eliza Jones from Sweden, and Thomas Reichlin from Switzerland.

As a cinephile preparing for the global movie scene, I’m eagerly anticipating my participation in collaborative sessions that encourage international co-productions, facilitate knowledge sharing, and foster new professional connections. The pre-festival online events, ongoing until April 30, feature one-on-one speed meetings, roundtable discussions, and pitching opportunities to help us hit the ground running. Once we meet in person at Cannes from May 16 to 20, we’ll dive into an on-site program brimming with case studies, social events, and promotional campaigns, ensuring a memorable experience for all involved.

The 20 production companies these individuals represent offer an extensive variety of storytelling styles and categories. These include dramatic and comedic pieces, documentaries, serials, and animated films. They span across a number of genres such as horror, fantasy, action, science fiction, coming-of-age stories, and thrillers.

Three of the chosen film producers will be showcasing their films that have been selected for this year’s Cannes festival: Fred Burle, from One Two Films (Germany), co-produced Kléber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent,” a Brazilian entry competing in the main competition, Géraldine Sprimont, of Need Productions (Belgium), is involved with Déni Oumar Pitsaev’s documentary “Imago,” part of the Critics’ Week competition section, and Lionel Massol, from Films Grand Huits (France), is an associate producer for Dorian Jesper’s short film “Loynes,” selected for Directors’ Fortnight.

Six members from this year’s group of film producers contributed to the creation of their respective films submitted for the International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards. Kristele Pudane, from Sunday Rebel Films in Latvia, produced the Latvian submission “The Pit” directed by Dace Pūce for the 2022 Oscars. Blerina Hankollari, representing Artalb Film Production in Albania, was involved in producing Gentian Koçi’s film “A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On,” which is set to be released in 2023. Francesca Andreoli, working with Cinedora from Italy, helped create the Italian entry “Vermiligo” by Maura Delpero, scheduled for release in 2025. Agnieszka Wasiak, of Lava Films in Poland, served as a co-producer for Denmark’s shortlisted Academy Award entry for this year, “The Girl with the Needle,” directed by Magnus von Horn. Additionally, Klementina Remeikaitė from Lithuania’s Afterschool Production was the producer of the Lithuanian entries “Pilgrims” (2022) and “Drowning Dry” (2024), both helmed by Laurynas Bareiša. Lastly, Thomas Reichlin, from Alva Film in Switzerland, took part in producing the 2024 Swiss Oscar entry “Reinas” directed by Klaudia Reynicke and also served as a co-producer for the Kosovo entry “Hive” in 2022.

Additionally, notable film producers have garnered recognition for their critically acclaimed and award-winning films. For instance, Eliza Jones from Sweden, known for Grand Slam Film, received praise for her work on “Pleasure” directed by Ninja Thyberg. Similarly, Tamara Babun Zovko from Croatia (Wolfgang&Dolly) was celebrated for producing the IDFA award-winning best feature length documentary, “The Other Side of Everything,” directed by Mila Turajlić. Furthermore, Vincent Quénault from Luxembourg (Red Lion) has made consecutive appearances in the Berlinale competition with his co-productions: “Black Tea” by Abderrahmane Sissako (2024) and “The Safe House” by Lionel Baier (2025).

Claudia Sümeghy from Hungary (JUNO11) and Carla Fotea from Romania (microFILM) are similarly focusing on the creation of films intended for younger viewers: Sümeghy oversaw the production of Nóra Lakos’ “Unintentionally Wrote a Book,” while Fotea contributed to Ana-Maria Comănescu’s initial full-length film, titled “Horia.

In terms of first-time productions, Danish filmmaker Daniel Mühlendorph from Hyæne Film claims the credit for Lisa Jespersen’s comedy-drama “Persona Non Grata” (2021). Meanwhile, other producers in their group like Andi G. Hess from Schubert in Austria are sticking with proven talent, such as Sandra Wollner. They have collaborated on her documentary “The Impossible Picture” (2016) and her recent fiction film “The Trouble With Being Born” (2021). Similarly, Norwegian producer Janne Hjeltnes from Empathitude Pictures continues to work with director Halkawt Mustafa of Hene Films on the upcoming film “Hiding Saddam Hussein” (2023).

Under the “Eternity Package” (2024), Magdelena Ilieva from Bulgaria (Little Wing Productions) not only directs her own films but also produces them. Meanwhile, various female producers and their companies are concentrating on narratives that originate from a female viewpoint and are brought to life by female or LGBTQ+ filmmakers. For instance, Irish Deirdre Levins (Fantastic Films) contributed to the production of You Are Not My Mother, while Bojana Radulović (Code Blue Production) will oversee Eleonora Veninova’s upcoming project titled “Fires.

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2025-04-29 10:47