BALKAN FILM MARKET 2020 | 4th Edition

TIRANA - ALBANIA

12-15 NOVEMBER 2020

France Supports Balkan Film Market

Qendra Kombëtare e Kinematografisë Rr. “Aleksandër Moisiu”, nr.77, 1012, Tiranë, Albania Tel. +355 4 2378 004 info@nationalfilmcenter.gov.al www.nationalfilmcenter.gov.al

FO RE WO RD

Time and time again, during this century, the film industry has faced multiple challenges. Technological revolution, digitalization, the boom of social networks, the democratization of content creation and distribution, as well as the diversification of visual engagements from videogames to virtual reality – all have had a major impact on the film industry.

And yet, nothing prepared the industry and film professionals to appropriately face one of the oldest humanity foes, the strike of a pandemic. Add to that the hard-boiled conspiracy theories paired with an over-heated political climate and the groundwork is laid out for major drama.

As all species do, we too, in such extraordinary circumstances trying to adapt and survive, even if this requires to fundamentally transform our way of life and sacrifice a lot in the process. Frequently in the movies, the pandemic serves as a catalyst that puts everything in a perspective by forcing the characters to set new priorities and goals, regarding what matters the most.

Leaving behind pandemics and even wars, the new opportunities often rise and looking beyond the hardship of the solitary confinement of these days, we take the time to reflect, and better prepare for what’s coming up.

It might take a while to overcome the aftershock, and I believe the marks of this era will stay with us forever. Looking forward many things might be different, but in the end of the day what’s gonna remain unchanged, is our human urge to create, to tell the story of our time and emotionally connect.

ANDAMION MURATAJ Director

BFM PRO GRA M

BFM 2020 | PROGRAMME THURSDAY, November 12 18:00 OFFICIAL OPENING RECEPTION at Hotel Rogner Hosted by the French Embassy in Tirana, A presentation of Balkan Film Market 2020 Attending: representatives of Albania Center of Cinematography, Embassy of France, Balkan Film Market, etc.

Eduart Makri Chairman, Albanian National Center of Cinematography Madam Ambassador Élisabeth Barsacq Rafaela Rica BFM Managing Director Andamion Murataj BFM Director FRIDAY, November 13 Tulla Culture Center 10:00 High Pitch (on-line) Directing the Pitch / Strategies of crafting the pitch.

Most of creatives spend a lot of time and energy on the content of the project, but not enough time and energy on how to present the project to potential funders and partners. Identify the target for your project and tailor a custom-fit pitch for each target.

12.00 Balkan initiatives (on-site) Get to know the network of festivals, workshops and other programs with focus in western Balkan countries. The presentation of programs and funding opportunities available.

16:00 Balkan Films For Balkan Public (on site) Think locally act globally - Local film for regional distribution Starting with the end in mind - developing a production strategy with distribution in mind.

How to better reach the wide Balkan audiences.

Tips to successful development that makes you aware of your potential regional market?

Reception Hosted by Albanian Center of Cinematography Tulla Culture Center SATURDAY, November 14 Tulla Culture Center 10:00 PITCH BALKAN 2020 – (on line) Video Streaming 11:00 Creating in time of pandemic (on line) The raise of “solitary” author projects.

Making use of content libraries, and creatively exploring new tools and methods.

12:30 Adapting is surviving (on line) Gaining new skills for the era of the constrains, with regard to development, promotion and marketing.

16:00 Women - In front and behind the camera (on site) Leading women confronting issues of today and reflecting the era.

Woman authors beyond women theme films.

Reception Hosted by Iceberg Communication Tulla Culture Center

SUNDAY, November 15 Tulla Culture Center 10:00 Good fences make good friends (on site) Keep the distance during the pandemic and beyond. Minding your position and respecting the rules of the set.

11:30 The short punch (on line) Shorts as a bridge to the film world. Regional initiatives about the short content.

16:00 Mobile cinema (on site) Content creating, distributing & consuming via mobile devices.

Reception Hosted by Balkan Film Market Tulla Culture Center

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PIT CH BAL KAN

SHIPBUILDING COUNTRY BOSNIA

Logline A coming-of-age road movie, about a young man, who through reconciliation with his father is able to overcome a failed suicide attempt, and finally come to terms with the loss of his mother.

Summary In a moment of crisis, a young Bosnian student of economics with artistic sensibilities, who has never been able overcome the trauma of the death of his mother, seems to have had enough and is ready to commit suicide. Hospitalized, while recovering from the failed suicide attempt, he embarks on a hard but necessary process of reconciliation and mutual understanding with his father. After a trip at the Zoo of Sarajevo, he finally meets a cheerful girl, Amina, who changes his life forever, compels him to start a new life and part with his past, by coming to terms with the loss of his mother Short Bio of the Director A Sarajevo filmmaker with experiences as a producer, actor, musician, promoter, photographer, and educator. Active in Sarajevo underground art scene, he is a contributor to several international film art organizations. As a young Bosnian director his work not only touches on the legacy of war in Bosnia, but also reflects on personal experiences living in the contemporary local scene of Bosnia versus the globalized world.

Graduated from Sarajevo Business School/Griffitch College Dublin and Academy of Performing Arts Sarajevo, Zulfikar Filandra, over the past few year has completed a series of fiction and experimental works. He is currently developing his fiction feature debut film “Shipbuilding�.

ZULFIKAR FILANDRA DIRECTOR zulfikar.filandra@gmail.com

Director`s Statement “Shipbuilding” will be a coming-of-age and a road movie, and the main tropes that I am working with are: conflict with the father, death of the mother, lots of sex, dissatisfaction, youth, yearning for a higher meaning, travel, movement, sea, flirting with violence, fascination with filmmaking, and in the end – yearning for peace.

Sex is the mean of grieving the dead mother for my main character, El. The title Shipbuilding implies a certain process, a certain wholeness, and further – the complexity of the task to be done. Much of the story happens by the sea. El is caught in-between his habits and high unrealised ambitions, hindered by his youth and lack of capacity to articulate emotions. Likewise, El is very much more obsessed with how things seem to be than with how they are, a typical malady of our romantic age.

While writing the script, I was thinking most of first works by Xavier Dolan, Jean-LucGodard, Jia Zhangke and Terrence Malick. Most of all, the structure of the script is directly inspired by the Bob Rafelson film “Five Easy Pieces” (1970). Danis Tanović, Bosnian Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Language Film of 2001was a huge motivation and support while writing “Shipbuilding” – without Tanović, my script would not have happened. At the same time – I see this script as a way of summing up the first 27 years of my life and a sort of farewell to and remix of my past. Also, for me, “Shipbuilding” is both a generation lm and an attempt to inject a new and different sensibility and cinematic style into present Bosnian and regional cinema.

Because of all of this, I feel that the most natural and appropriate way to turn my script into my fiction feature debut is to apply the methods and aesthetics of micro or low budget productions and documentary lm and shoot tight, small, fast and instinctive in the attempt to generate and capture bursts of raw and poetic energy.

ISHAK JALIMAM PRODUCER

3 KILOGRAMS OF HAPPINESS COUNTRY BULGARIA

Logline A 52-year-old woman gets pregrant with her daughter’s baby who can’t conceive against the law and her husband’s will, thus swirling their lives in a tango for four. A true story from Sofia, Bulgaria, 2017.

Summary Parents decide to help their daughter, who can’t conceive - her father sponsors a third invitro fertilization, and her mother gets pregnant with the fetus, despite her husband’s protest and agaisnt the law. Human intervention in this delicate matter swings the world of both families into chaos. Whose child is this and how many mothers the baby has are the easy questions in this puzzle, where love, ethics and law mix in a cocktail of bittersweet tears.

Short Bio of the Director

SOPHIA ZORNITSA DIRECTOR PRODUCER zornitsa.sophia@gmail.com

Zornitsa Sophia is Master of Fine Arts, major in painting, who has presented at 65 exhibitions internationally and, together with the convicts, restored the church and the murals in Sofia Male Prison.

Her debut feature as writer, director and producer is MILA FROM MARS, 2004, with 16 awards, 60 festivals, Bulgarian submission for the Academy Awards and a national box office hit. Following are the documentaries DEATH AND ALL THE WAY BACK, 2005 and MODUS VIVENDI, 2007, and the feature FORECAST, 2009. VOEVODA, 2017, is her third feature film as writer, director and producer and first as actress in the leading role. It premiered at Shanghai IFF and Moscow IFF and is a national box office hit. She has directed 44 episodes in 6 PRIME TIME TV SERIES, the awarded theater play WHEN THE RAIN STOP FALLING and the opera ZAKHARI, THE PAINTER, which opened the season 2019/2020 of National Opera and Ballet in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Her films were selected in over 140 festivals, 40 competitions and received 19 awards, all are distributed nationally, two of them with record admissions and two are distributed internationally. Zornitsa Sophia served as a jury member at Warsaw, Valencia, Plzen film festivals among others and in the Artistic Committee of Bulgarian National Film Center and CEE. She leads workshops and “learning by doing” training on filmmaking in Bulgaria and abroad.

Director`s Statement Surrogacy through in vitro fertilization – IVF, is undoubtedly a hot topic. My focus is in the storm whirled by this “intervention in God’s deeds” and its impact on the human relationships.

I investigate how this choice of free will resonates in all the four characters, constructing a new universe of unwritten laws.

Through dramedy as our genre, I will touch the cotroversial topics - dramatical for the characters and sometimes absurd when the bigger picture applies. I will use an intuitive and subjective storytelling as cinematic narrative and will bring contrast though music and sound.

I see the potential in this story in provoking ethical, emotional even spiritual questions revealing characters who could overcome all obsticles simply though acceptance.

Total Budget 306 573 €

2000: A POST-WAR ODYSSEY COUNTRY KOSOVO

Logline A coming to age story of a young boy in postwar Kosovo, who in order to come to terms with his past, joins a small traveling circus.

Summary Lis, a 10-year old boy, whose father is missing, lives cramped in a small apartment with his family during early post-war Kosovo. The burden put up on him to become a man by society, pushes him to fulfill a suppressed dream and join a small circus crew of 3 French people who are in Kosovo to entertain the children. Through this journey, Lis will learn a lot about himself, and the French people about their naivete and ignorance about a war trauma and the actions it could lead to.

Short Bio of the Director Born in 1990 in Mitrovica, when Zgjim was 8 years old, he and his family had to leave Kosovo, because their house was burned down during the war but after many years of sacrifices and hard work, he could achieve his dream. Holding a BA and MA from the University of Prishtina in Film and TV directing, Zgjim is also a prolific screenwriter. Having written over 150 episodes for TV and tens of short films. Besides filmmaking, Zgjim was a Film and Drama high school teacher at the American School of Kosovo. His debut short “A Month” (2017) and second short Salon (2019), traveled to over 70 film festivals including Cairo IFF, Atlanta FF, Torino FF, Rhode Island IFF, Brussels SFF, Busan ISFF, New Directors / New Films, TIFF, Hollyshorts etc. He won 10 awards at festivals around the world.

ZGJIM TERZIQI DIRECTOR zgjim.t@gmail.com

His first feature film in development “2000: A Post-War Odyssey” was selected as part of Berlinale Script Station 2020, Valletta Film Lab 2019 and won a development fund from the Kosovo Cinematography Center.

He is an alumni of Berlinale Talents 2020 and Sarajevo Talents 2016.

Director`s Statement Being an introvert child, film wasn’t only escapism for me, but the main source of joy for my infant persona. From my recollection, I was exposed to films as early as the age of 4, when my father bought a VHS recorder. My joy of films turned into an obsession and eventually brought the autodidact in me, as I would end up speaking fluent English and German only from watching films in the respective languages in a matter of couple of years. Of course, as a toddler I wasn’t watching Bresson or Fassbinder, but rather Disney animations and German dubbed Adriano Celentano comedies. 2000:

Total Budget 576 200 €

A Post-War Odyssey is inspired by a childhood experience of mine. After we returned to Kosovo from being war refugees in Turkey, we didn’t have where to go, since our house was burned down during the war. We had to move to a different city.

My parents, grandmother, my brother and I, lived in a one-room apartment provided by my uncle from end of 1999 to 2002.

Even though I was still a child, I could recognize that this period was almost anarchical. Water shortage, electricity restriction, revenge crimes, occupation of private property, smuggling etc.

One day, during my first year there, a trailer interrupted our football game at an improvised playground. It seemed to have appear out of nowhere. We were afraid at first, but then a group of three people came out dancing and juggling. The relief was immediate. Their routine lasted for about 30 minutes and I never saw them again. I kept thinking about them through the years; who they were, where did they go, what did they want, did they get it. This script is my romanization of their story.

VALMIRA HYSENI PRODUCER valmira.hyseni@gmail.com

PLANET 7693 COUNTRY MONTENEGRO

Logline Luka, an imaginative nine year old boy tries to heal the disrupted family relations with the special help of his strange and mysterious friend 7693.

Summary Luka lives with his family in a very interesting neighborhood in the suburbs. The family is quite harmonious and pleasant. During a turbulent period, when the mother suffers a miscarriage in the advanced state of pregnancy, big misunderstandings and conflicts start emerging in the family. The father can’t seem to adapt to the new situation in which his wife, who has always pampered him, no longer cares and blames him for everything she is unhappy about. His sister Sandra is not able to fit in with peers. She becomes rough towards her family and blames them for all of her failures. Left alone, Luka immerges himself in fiction trying to find a solution for all the problems. He meets a girl in an abandoned factory complex, where he often spends his time practicing his “super powers”. She introduces herself as the serial number 7693. The two spontaneously get closer and the girl begins to help Luka develop a plan that could fix the already endangered family relationships.

Short Bio of the Director

GOJKO BERKULJAN DIRECTOR

Born on September 13th 1990 in Cetinje. Graduated from elementary and high school in his hometown. In 2014, Berkuljan graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts - Department for TV and Movie Directing in Cetinje. He is currently working as a director in the National Radio Television.

Berkuljan worked on various short movies and documentaries as well as several advertising campaigns, while in 2017 his first movie “Iskra” was premiered as an independent production of Trust agency from Podgorica and Cinammon films from Belgrade.

The movie was on the repertoire of many regional and international festivals and also the Montenegrin candidate of the 91st Academy Awards in the category Best Foreign Movie in 2018.

Director`s Statement

Total Budget 600 000 €

Considering that I grew up in a family with a special affinity for science fiction, reflected in my father’s passionate collecting of SF journals and books, it was inevitable that at some point I would be “infected” with the same love. In a way I wanted to pay homage to a time that is gone and from which I never intended to separate myself.

We wrote the screenplay hoping that one day it would become an imaginative, fun, emotional and nostalgic cinematic journey through a short but significant period of life when the world is seen through the prism of uncompromising sincerity and compassionate naivety. That time is our childhood.

In order to reach the desired level of sincerity, the story had to be very personal. We went back to our past, so the characters, spaces and situations were created as a collage of our memories that we put into an SF frame through which our main character Luka observes, perceives and interprets the world.

Of course, this story does not idealize, beautify and simplify the concepts of childhood and growing up.

Using surreal and sometimes comical solutions, we try to interpret them critically and analytically, trying to observe them from several viewpoints instead. Although the world of a child often looks naive, it is never simple and one-dimensional, but complex and layered, and a child’s perception is sophisticated, sincere and direct, but sometimes incomprehensible to adults.

MARKO JAĆIMOVIĆ PRODUCER mjacimovic33@gmail.com

EVERYBODY CALLS REDJO COUNTRY NORTH MACEDONIA

Logline Redjo, is the last house worker left in the village. He travels through different families problems and show us different stories filled with love and sadness, life and death, in the end everything fades away, and no one’s calling him anymore.

Summary In the village of Slupkovo there is a huge emigration. Almost all the young people left their homes and moved abroad looking for better life.

The village is left only with old people. There is no one to work for 10 euros a day. Then, a man with name Redjo appears. He works all the things that the villagers need. Redjo, along with his little son Nick and his wife Hira work together. They work all the things that villagers need.

The film tells us 6 different stories from the perspective of Redjo. But one day, Redjo meets the most dangerous man in the village, Miftar. He always makes problems. This time his problems affect Redjo’s life and completely changes it.

Short Bio of the Director Director, writer, producer, DOP Ibër Deari born in Kumanova, Macedonia in 1990. He is a director and writer, known for My City Screams(2015), TOKA(2016), A long way Home(2017). Ibër Deari is award-winning director, his most recent film as director is My City Screams. He has been making films since high school, He has also written and directed a number of short fictional and documentary videos He continued the Film School in the University of Audiovisual Arts “ESRA” in Skopje. He graduated in 2013 with the film “LAST CONFESSION” , and he graduated in the master studies in “ESRA” and hereby was given the title Master of Arts in the Department of Film Direction with the film “TOKA” (Land) and graduation paper defence “TO FILM OR NOT TO FILM”.

IBER DÉARI DIRECTOR ideari@hotmail.com

Director`s Statement Why this movie, and why exactly at this time? Because now is the best and the most current time for the main line problem. Although all the people have escaped to the European countries, and the rest of the world capitals, we have forgotten that we have slowly left this place, in order not to come back ever. Life here is really hard, but in Europe is really sad. The idea for this film stems from the complaints and the hopeless words we hear every day on television, in cafes, at home, and almost everywhere. Most of the people who leave the country are unfortunately the young generation.

The question is where does this category of people go? For a better life or a harder life? They may be doing well in the economic part, but the emotional part is slowly endangering. Our place was left without young people, where there is no youth, no prospect, no life. Many companies complain that there are no employees, many families complain that they have no life, many adults complain that their children are left without a job. All those people who already know how is life like living in European countries already know that it is not easy, they know how it feels. Somewhere between this sad stories comes out the character of Redjio, which I can say is inspired from a real person’s life. A poor man who does not generally get into politics to leave the country for a better life. He loves living a happy and careless life in Balkans and with his family. He takes advantage of the situation when somebody is looking for a one day worker. He is always available and accepts the work. He goes from house to house to work. He is very nice, loving, and lives only for the family, and for their happiness. Their only wish as a family is to save some money and go on vacation to the sea for the first time in their lives. To achieve this dream, they strive to work hard. This film is essentially a critique of society and policies that the country gives as a wrong message to the younger generations. As difficult as it is, we still have to fight to survive in our homes.

But what happens when the crooked people stay on your way? Can you keep on struggling not to leave, or that becomes impossible? Does anyone knows the right answers? That is why this film should be filmed and try to find right solutions. This movie is more like a comedy / drama because you can easily criticize a society by smiling rather than telling them how wrong they are. Besides humor Charlie Chaplin has managed to criticize the worst habits of society. I personally believe a lot in the script and realization of this film.

Total Budget 600 000 â‚Ź Funding Body Macedonian Film Agency Kosovo Cinatography Center RTK Albanian Film Commission Manufactura Production

SASHO PAVLOVSKI PRODUCER sasho.pavlovski@gmail.com

MAN V.S FLOCK COUNTRY NORTH MACEDONIA

Logline An old village shooter who wants to save his grain from the crow that eat it, accidentally shoots a young para-chuter, who turns the old rural ‘savage’ into a social media attraction, so the old man is forced to face an old conflict with his only, daughter – the fierce animal activist.

Summary While, revenging his son’s death, the best rifle-shooter in a forgotten North Macedonian village, fills his lonely days by shooting at the crows damaging his crops. Until one lucky day, straight from the sky falls a young lad on a parachute. The young man – a foreign blogger in pursue of adventures, soon realizes the old man’s scarecrows made of dead birds have become an instant online attraction. The postings of viral videos of the scarecrows end up triggering a mission of an animal activists group led by a young girl, who takes it upon her the searching mission to bring to justice the “crow killer”. Little did she know that the man she is after, is her own father, who she has not seen in years.

Facing her father and the demons of her past, she also learns that the old man has assigned the house and the land to his newly found “son”.

Infuriated by anger and jealousy, the fierce animal activist strives to prove to her father that they still have the same blood, and on a burst of rage ends up killing a bird in flight. Now on, everything goes downhill and they have to overcome a lot of troubles. But, once father and daughter are back together, they put their past behind and seem ready to start on a clean slate.

Short Bio of the Director

TAMARA KOTEVSKA DIRECTOR kotevska.tamara@gmail.com

Tamara Kotevska is a young North Macedonian director who together with Ljubomir Stefanov, directed the documentary film “Honeyland” (2019) that received two Oscar nominations, as well numerous awards at Sundance and other major film festivals. Kotevska and Stefanov previously worked together on another documentary “Lake of Apples” She graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts at the Sts. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, with a major in documentary production.

Through her work often, Tamara often explores new forms of filmmaking, combining fiction, animation and documentaries. She aims to create unforgettable stories, strong characters and perceptionchanging messages. Her feature film in development “MAN v.s. FLOCK” explores the conflict between the traditional and the progressive world.

Director`s Statement “Man v.s. flock” began with a couple of photos taken 5 years ago, while I was on a research for a documentary film in a village in Central Macedonia. There was a wheat field with the breath taking old fashioned “pagan” scarecrows made of dead birds, decorated with diverse metal objects. I wanted to find out who makes those, but the old man who was killing the birds run away, hiding from the camera, because he was afraid that animal activists will come after him. However, I managed to take a couple of photos after all. The photos of the scarecrows waited for a long time before becoming part of the screenplay I’m working on today. As a film director with experience mostly in documentaries with strong social or environmental subjects, I want to create stories with strong characters, strong plot twists and strong message. The pagan scarecrows I took photos of and the old man who was hiding from my modern camera reminded me of the age old battle between tradition and progress. I was thinking: “too bad I can’t make a documentary about this man and this pagan tradition, but on the other hand, I can always imagine how would this story develop if it was a fiction story. What if the old shooter was discovered by a young social media influencer and was made an online attraction?”

This is how the story “man v.s. flock’ began and developed in what it is today.

ANGELA NESTOROVSKA PRODUCER angelata@gmail.com

EMERGENCY EXIT COUNTRY ROMANIA

Logline A whole country was hoping to see the last day of Ceausescu s regime but no one knew when that day was to come.

Summary Elena is a promising actress in a big theater, called to replace a TV actress who fled the country in the middle of filming a propaganda show.

Thinking he has a real career ahead of him, he accepts the proposal, not realizing that he has to compromise his beliefs and identity and recite patriotic poetry. Being now part of a failing system, of course, she also falls with it. Tibi and Vlad, exasperated by the system, try to escape the hermetically sealed country by crossing the Danube. Just when they thought they had finally reached a safe land in Serbia, they realize they are stranded on an island, in the middle of the river, without a boat. They get stuck, oblivious to the fact that they are now free. (Deputy-engineer) deputy engineer Dorin Popa is asked to become an informant of the Securitate. After his refusal to do so, someone frames him, making him pass as a traitor to the system. Now he is forced to comply or he will rot in prison. However, he has the courage (or the stupidity) to postpone his answer for the officer who recruits him. Under pressure, sign just when the system crashes.

Short Bio of the Director

BOGDAN MUREŞANU DIRECTOR bogdan@kinotopia.ro

Born on August 10, 1974 in Bucharest, Bogdan Mureşanu studied at the prestigious “Sfântul Sava” National College. Next, he studied Political Science, in English, at the University of Bucharest, and he majored in History of International Relations. Later he worked as a journalist, but especially as a copywriter in advertising agencies. He shifted from literature and advertising to screenwriting when he won the HBO TIFF Scriptwriting Competition for the short script THE HUMAN TORCH. Bogdan Muresanu is a writer and director, known for The Christmas Gift (2018), Tuns ras si frezat (2013) and Spid (2016). Having won more then 50 awards at festivals and galas all around the world in 2018 and 2019, including Clermont-Ferrand and, at the beginning of December, at the European Film Academy Awards Ceremony, Bogdan Mureşanu‘s The Christmas Gift became the most successful Romanian short film in history. On December 17, it was announced among the ten short films selected for the Oscar race. He wrote scripts for two international feature films and one animation that are now in production. In 2016, he just finished his second short film SPID.

Director`s Statement This is a film composed of a few intertwined stories whose characters are completely unaware that their present ordeals will come to an end the very next day. It is a black humor comedy but filmed and acted in a very realistic manner since Communism provided enough moments of absurdity. The stories (The Christmas Gift is one of them though here it is longer, of course) share a common feeling of useless desperation in a moment when the so much hated regime had reached the climax of its nonsense.

The characters are also from various walks of life so that we can have an extended vision of those last hours of Ceausescu’s hideous reign. They all take place from the morning of 20th of December to the next day when the dictatorship began to crumble.

DAN BURLAC PRODUCER danburlac@gmail.com

FROST COUNTRY SERBIA

Logline A police detective Miryana goes to investigate the disappearance of a girl in a small dying town in eastern Serbia - region famous for black magic and strong pagan heritage. Confronting the locals during her investigation, Miryana succumbs to the influence of pagan milieu and her investigation becomes an obsession to discover a much bigger secret.

Summary Few weeks after her father’s funeral, MIRJANA, a Belgrade police detective goes the small town Topolice and investigate the disappearance of ADELA SIMIĆ, who was writing and making videos on the witchcraft and magic. Mirjana stays in the same, old, brutalist architecture-style hotel as Adela; their rooms are in the same hallway. Initially rejecting the claims of the locals that Adela was a wannabe witch, Mirjana suspects that locals did something bad to Adela. Even when, Mirjana finds evidence of witchcraft in her room, not believing in black magic, she still suspects that the locals are playing tricks on her.

Slowly, Mirjana starts to feel like Adela, isolated and attacked by villagers.

She calls her police office for help and as the situation escalates further…

Until one day, Mirjana finds a hidden book of Wallachian myths, in Adela’s room. Soon she realizes that what’s happening is beyond her power of understanding. And still, Mirjana decides to stay on the mission and find out what is behind all “the supernatural” occurrences, heading for the dragon’s belly and finally coming to terms with the legend of the dragon.

Short Bio of the Director

PAVLE VUCKOVIĆ DIRECTOR office@plan9.rs

Pavle Vučković is born in 1982. in Belgrade, Serbia. Finished Faculty of Drama Arts in Belgrade, Film and TV Directing department. Twice awarded at the Cinefondation competition of Cannes Film Festival for short films Run Rabbit Run (2003.) and Minus (2007.). Run rabbit run was shown in various festivals such as Pusan Film Festival, Cottbus Film Festival, Mar del Plata, Kiev, Milano... Film is in the collection of Museum of Modern Art New York and was shown in Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and in London Tate Modern. Apart short films, he is making and directing music videos, commercials and TV series. His first film Panama was premiered in Cannes Film Festival 2015 Official Selection-Special Screenings section. Panama was sold around the world: Germany, UK, South Korea, Japan, Ukraine…

Director`s Statement

Total Budget 606 532 €

Frost is inspired by a Balkan myth about a dragon that takes human shape and finds a lover among humans. The myth ends with the slaying of the dragon. I perceived this killing as a metaphorical death of a mystical and spiritual part of human life. The reason why this subject and idea interest me is the possibility to use the genre of detective and fantasy film to tell a story about a psychological search for spiritual, to depict a quest into the suppressed parts of consciousness and deep mythological past. Such a detective investigation that examines our laws of logic, our contemporary outlook, our relationship with nature, religion, supernatural and finally, our connection with ourselves is something I find very relevant and interesting.

Frost is also a female version of a dragon-slayer story, but in frost, the dragon is a symbol of nature, freedom and inner strength. Miryana, a woman who took over the male role of a “hero”, is given a choice to kill the dragon/nature (within herself) or not.

STEFAN MLADENOVIĆ PRODUCER mladenovic.stefan@gmail.com

SHADOWS OF MEDITERANEAN COUNTRY SERBIA

Logline Peculiar administration on unknown Mediterranean Island turns the street artist efforts to return home into a Kafkian process of collecting documents thus revealing deep secrets of his life.

Summary In a Mediterranean island, a traveling street performer, feels nostalgic for his home, but leaving the Island gets complicated. The tiresome effort of collecting the paperwork necessary for departure go beyond the administrative frame and look into the most intimate parts of Lazar’s life, entrapping him in Kafkian reality. The exhausting process of collecting documents turns into a reconsideration of the meaning of life and deep secrets hidden from oneself. Worn-out, Lazar makes it to the very end of the administrative process only to learn that the administration has archived his whole life and he gets an opportunity to see the complete archive of his own life.

At the end of the story, we find out that the story takes place on the other side of life: Lazar died on his journey and the posthumous collection of documentation serves his spiritual realization and final self-awareness that will enable him to leave the Island and to spiritually meet with his father.

The outcome of Lazar’s long trip remains uncertain: will he be able to return to the spiritual home? Who are unusual Clerks and what do they actually do for Lazar?

Short Bio of the Director

IVAN JOVIC DIRECTOR ivanjovic71@gmail.com

Ivan Jovic was born in 1971. He graduated at Teacher Education Faculty, University of Belgrade and finished his MA studies at Faculty for Special Education. He also finished film school at Centre for Visual Communications Kvadrat in Belgrade. He is owner and producer of Terirem production.

After five years of work on archival-film project “Legacy” he made a documentary film of the same title, about civilian suffering during the World War II on territory of Independent State of Croatia in 1941-1945. It is a unique cinematic monument, made exclusively of the recorded testimony of 94 survivors (selected from 450 hours of material) and their stories.

Ivan Jovic was a co-screenwriter of the documentary film “I dream and what’s happening to me”, which deals with the problems of children who grow up in enclaves on Kosovo. He was also screenwriter of a documentary series TV Vojvodina recorded about The Fund for the Future or the program for professional development of children without parental care.

In 2019 Ivan directed theater play Curie and Claudel, made in coproduction with Serbian theater Puls Teatar.

Director`s Statement This film deconstructs the escapist idea of „sunny Mediterranean”; it deals with the state of mind inherent in every human being – that feeling that our true, full life is somewhere else and that there is a need to escape from the given area of life. The hero is stuck in the otherworldly conflict with unusual insular administration and is wandering the narrow streets with sharp and omnipresent shadows. Locations gamut color will be transferred to the costume and set design with the dominance of white, deep blue, sand and black volcanic soil. Lazar is either white street sculpture or a man with the black box in his hands.

He meets clerks dressed in immobile fabric, surrounded by the black boxes. Architecture, deep blue sea, main character immobility as street sculpture, stylization of the clerks, omnipresence of identical black boxes, the monotony of the landscape - point to a quality of visual clarity, minimalism, and sterility. Music accompanies specified minimalism of the images.

Secured Budget 320.000 € Total Budget 681.700 € Funding Body 30.000 € from Media programme; 7.000 € from SEE Cinema Network; 16.000 € from Film Center Serbia for development, 267.000 € from Film Center Serbia for production To apply: Greek Film Center, Bulgarian National film Center as minority co-production with In negotiation: with Greek producer Effiel Skrobola from View Master film and Pharos Film Company srl from Italy.

ANDRIJANA SOFRANIC SUCUR PRODUCER andrijana.sofranic@gmail.com terirem777@gmail.com

Supporting the Balkan Film Market: a key element of the French audiovisual cooperation in Albania and the Western Balkans French cooperation is committed to developing audiovisual and creative industries in Albania and in the Western Balkans, in close link with other European initiatives.

In this regard, the French embassy has engaged itself by supporting the Balkan Film Market since its creation in 2016. It also offers, every year, a scholarship allowing Albanian young talents to study at the prestigious Femis cinema school in Paris.

It helps the Albanian Film Archive (AQSHF) endeavour of preserving audiovisual inheritage.

The partnership between the Albanian and French Film Centers (CNC and QKK) can also be highlighted.

Besides, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Canal France International (CFI), the French operator for audiovisual cooperation, have launched a regional program that includes support to audiovisual creation.

Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Activities and Tourism

MiBACT

Since 1974, Direzione Generale Cinema – MiBACT DirectorateGeneral Cinema (DG Cinema) is one of the 11 Directorate-Generals of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities (MiBACT), DG Cinema.

MiBACT supports the creation, production, distribution and circulation of film and audiovisual works, supports the opening and modernisation of cinemas and the adaptation of technical industries to technological developments, and helps to establish Italy’s position in relations with the institutions of the European Union and other international institutions.

It also promotes Italy’s image (including for the purposes of tourism) through film and audiovisual works, supports professional training and moving image education, and studies and analyses the film and audiovisual sector.

The main legislative tool the State uses to intervene in the sector is Law No. 220 of 14 November 2016 which governs financial support for the sector and all the administrative functions for granting acknowledgments and administrative procedures.

As well as managing the funds provided for by the Law, DG Cinema – MiBACT represents Italy before EU, the Council of Europe, other international bodies and international funds that issue supranational support to the sector (Eurimages, Ibermedia, Creative Europe – the MEDIA subprogramme).

DG Cinema – MiBACT also manages bilateral funds with similar institutions

in other countries to support the development of international coproductions.

DG Cinema – MiBACT supports Istituto Luce-Cinecittà S.r.l., the Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia, the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, the Museo nazionale del Cinema Fondazione Maria Adriana Prolo-Archivi di fotografia, cinema ed immagine, and the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna.

DG Cinema – MiBACT hosts the Film Commissions’ coordination body and, in partnership with DG Tourism and the Film Commissions themselves, oversees the portal on locations and on national and regional production incentives https://www.italyformovies.it/

Contact info: Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo Direzione Generale Cinema Address: Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, 9A 00185 Rome, Italy Telephone: +39 06 67233400 Email: dg-c@beniculturali.it Website: www.cinema.beniculturali.it

Anica, Associazione Nazionale Industrie Cinematografiche Audiovisive e Multimediali Italian Film And Audiovisual Multimedia Industries Association Founded in 1944, ANICA (National Association of Film and Audiovisual Industry) is the association which represents Italian film and audiovisual multimedia industries when dealing with political and union institutions; while also establishing relations with all the key players in the promotion of films and communication products in Italy and abroad. ANICA is member of Confindustria (the Italian Industry Confederation), actively representing the film industry.

The association is divided into three sections: producers, distributors and technical enterprises (printing and development, film studios and soundsets, equipment rental, editing, audio and video post-production, dubbing and transport).

ANEM (the National Association of Theatre Owners), Cartoon Italia (Association of Animation Producers), and UNEFA (Union of Film and Audiovisual Exporters) are all adherents of ANICA. As the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ representative in Italy, ANICA selects Italy’s Oscar candidate for Best Foreign Film. It is also a founding partner of the “David di Donatello” Award, as well as, being a part of AGICOA (the Association for the International Collective Management of Audiovisual Works).

Furthermore, ANICA is a permanent member of FAPAV (the Italian Audiovisual and Multimedia Protection Federation). It has enhanced offices, offering services required to meet the needs of its members, that deal with the changing economic and technological environment: tax benefits for those who invest in the production and distribution of Italian cinema, access to credit, relations with regional and local institutions, studies, quantitative analysis and context information related to specific instruments for the audiovisual sector. In terms of International promotion, ANICA, in collaboration with the public institutions in charge, is consolidating itself in seasoned markets and opening new opportunities for the internationalization of audiovisual companies, and particularly, of Italian audiovisual products.

With this goal in mind, ANICA – in conjunction with the APT (Association of Television Producers), with the support of the Ministry for Economic Development, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Italian Trade Agency (ICE) and Regione Lazio – has developed MIA, the International Audio-Visual Market, which takes place in autumn in Rome.

UNIONE EUROPEA

REGIONE PUGLIA

T

BAL KAN FILM CEN TER FOC US MON TEN EG

RO

The Film Centre of Montenegro has been in existence for over a year, which may sound somewhat unbelievable.

Among many positive outcomes, the most important is the promotion of Montenegro as a ready and committed partner on the regional and European scene. In the previous period, which, in terms of rhythm and challenges on the road, reminds us of John Ford’s “Stagecoach�, we managed to form a team, set up a new film fund, organize support for film production at different stages and types, cooperate with regional and European institutions and participate in various initiatives and projects.

We are proud that we succeed in supporting and cooperating, in different ways, with our neighboring countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia, and slowly, I hope, expand the framework of co-production cooperation. Soon, Montenegro becomes a member of Eurimages, and thus rounds up the international network framework.

The future of the cinema of the region is, above all, in cooperation at all levels and in different models, which stands as the most important goal in front of us. As the best examples from Europe prove time and again, the limited capacity production countries, among which Montenegro is a specific micro-cinema, increase their professional capacities, create more attractive contents and realize the interested market only through comprehensive collaboration and exchange. In the following period, we must further explore models of possible cooperation and learn through the exchange of experience.

The Balkan Film Market is, in this sense, a great place to meet and launch new initiatives.

Sehad Cekic Director Film Center of Montenegro

FILM PRO DUC TION

ALB

ANIA

COM PAN I ES N

90 Production Bujar Alimani 0697252161 alimanifilm@hotmail.com

Big Screen Production Gerian Kuka 0692021870 gerian.kuka@aed.al

A. A. Aida Kasemi 0682048417 aidakasemi@yahoo.com

BLACK BOX Tan Kazazi 0676094339 tan_kazazi@hotmail.com

A.B FILM Adele Budina 0693531988 adelebudina@gmail.com

Black Stubborn Sheep Saimir Gongo 0683830248 saimir77@yahoo.com

A.R Production Ajola Daja 0695203319 ajoladaja.ad@gmail.com

Bota Shqiptare Genti Gjonaj 0682065280 gentgjonaj@yahoo.com

Action Production Gerta Qurku 0692039544 gertaqurku@yahoo.com

Bunker Film + Eno Milkani 0682080356 enomilkani@gmail.com

ALBASKY FILM Paskal Semini 0684626416 paskalsemini@gmail.com

CINEMANIA Jaklid Gace 0685098650 contact@cinemania-al.com

Albimazh (albimages) Studio Kreshnik Hashorva 0692031531 albimagestudio@yahoo.com

CREATIVE BOX Ermir Destani 0692277994 ermir.destani@gmail.com

Anima Pictures Amantia Peza 0696086005 amantia.peza@anima.al

D’ART+ Gledis Bica 0676013103 gledisbica@gmail.com

Ardit Sadiku Films Ardit Sadiku 0685743312 ardisad@gmail.com

Eclipse SA Film Production Spartak Pecani 0692081784 takpecani@yahoo.com

ART FILM Emir Gramo 0684016821 turkeshiemira@gmail.com

Edit 4 Vjolana Murataj 0676356969 violanamurataj@gmail.com

ARTALB Film Production Gentian Koçi 0692321352 artalbfilm@gmail.com

EJF Production Jonid Jorgji 0694063304 jjorgji@gmail.com

B&G Film Production Besnik Bisha 0692059993 besnikbisha@yahoo.com

ELEMENT STUDIOS Regis Canaimeri 0692318142 elementstudios.al@gmail.com

Emblem Eliodor Markja 0682000678 emarkja@emblem.al

KAVALO STUDIO Endri Dani 0693014189 endri_dani@hotmail.com

Era Film Sabina Kodra 0692055550 sabinakodra@gmail.com

Kinostudio DarDan Ina Zoto 0696090690 info@dardan.al

Erë Film Mihal Rama 0682169171 erefilm@hotmail.com

KKOCI Productions Fatmir Koci 0698805026 kocifatmir6@gmail.com

EuroFilm Vladimir Prifti 0674155207 ladprifti@gmail.com

KONCENTRAT Ervin Çoba 0695243841 koncentratmcs@gmail.com

Filterfilm Parid Andoni 0692030309 paridjanis@yahoo.com

Kube Studios Erfort Kuke 0672050031 ekuke@kubestudios.com

Fotokozmos Dhori Jano 0675566806 fotokozmos@albaniaonline.com

Lissus Media Andamion Murataj 0697447031 lissusmedia@gmail.com

Gentius Film Genti Kame 0694030120 contact@gentikame.com

Makers Production Mateus Çingi 0694333345 mateocingu31@gmail.com

Grishaj Film Production Adi Grishaj 0675507633 adigrishaj@gmail.com

Maku Artan Maku 0672021634 maku.production@yahoo.com

Gulf Production Omid Karimi 0696002000 www.gulfproalbania.com

Media Vizion Genc Dulaku 0692026371 gdulaku@icc-al.org

Hija Film Irdit Kaso 0696740567 irdit.kaso1@gmail.com

MEDIAVISION Namik AJAZI 04 2415996 niko_ajazi@yahoo.com

Idea Ilir Harxhi 0672000099 harxhiilir@yahoo.com

Mov(i)e On Artan Malaj 0692184338 artanmalaj@gmail.com

Kaçak Anila Balla 0697537338 anilaballa@live.com

ULTI MEDIA STUDIO NOSITI Edmond Topi 0692036190 infonositi@gmail.com

O2 Movie Production Erion Bubullima 0672326002 erionbubullima@gmail.com

Silver Dream Productions Artur Gorishti 0674646099 silverdreamproduction@gmail.com

ON FILM PRODUCTION Dritan Huqi 0692056175 tanhuqi@gamil.com

SKA-NDAL Elida RASHA 0692238956 rashaelida@yahoo.it

ORA FILM Kujtim Çashku 0692057119 kujtim@afmm.edu.al

SOFILMS Lorina Pepo 0685050445 lori.pepo@gmail.com

Papadhimitri Film Production Dionis PAPADHIMITRI 0672060422 papadhimitrifilmproduction@gmail.com

TEO FILM Atina Laco 0697574968 teofilm.contact@gmail.com

PARTIZANI PRODUCTION Herta Basha 0696568971 partizaniproduction@gmail.com

Tirana Film Institute Agron Domi 0672088771 gondomi@yahoo.com

Pika Pro Albert Malltezi 0692086666 amalltezi@pikaproduction.com

Tunnelfilm Florenc Papas 0699337607 tunnelfilm@gmail.com

Pro Motion Studio Valbona Xhelili 0689010854 xhelilivalbona@yahoo.com

VIDEOLINE Endrit Delisula 0692269858 edelisula@gmail.com

Production Cinemania Steljo Gace 0675629285 cinek_roshi@yahoo.com

YLLIRI Films Astrit Hykaj 069427045 shekulliiri@yahoo.com

PROJEKT-SXHJ Elida Maku 0672070957 elida_pajovi@yahoo.com

Zig-Zag Film Mevlan Shanaj 0686047877 mevlanshanaj@gmail.com

R&T ADVERTISING Adrian Ruci 0692032073 aruci@rtadvertising-al.com S K FILM Saimir Kumbaro 0692092001 saimirkumbaro@gmail.com SHOWS AND PUBLICITY PRODUCTION Marco Truppa 0693070200 saimir77@yahoo.com

BFM www.balkanfilmmarket.com

FILM FES T IVAL S IN ALB ANI

Contact Njësia 5, Pall.1 Maji Shk.18/54, 01101 Tirana-ALBANIA +355672088771 info@tiranafilmfest.com www.tiranafilmfest.com

Contact +355 (0) 682147062 www.anifestrozafa.al artanmaku@anifestrozafa.al arturdauti@anifestrozafa.org

Contact +355682070701 enomilkani@gmail.com www. filmfreeway.com

Contact Email: info@deafilmfest.al infonositi@gmail.com Tel: +355 69 20 36 90 facebook: deafilmfestival

Contact Rruga Aleksandër Moisiu nr.78, Kinostudio Tirana, Albania +35542365188 info@ihrffa.net www.ihrffa.net

Contact Korça, Albania info@koshfest.com www.koshfest.com

AUD IO V SUA I L S RVI E CES

IN ALBANIA

Contact +355 68 20 48 417 aidakasemi@yahoo.com office@aafilmfilmcompany.com www.aafilmfilmcompany.com

Contact Autostrada Tr-Dr, Km 7 Tirana, Albania +355 696090690

Contact Str Myslym Shyri, P. 55/1 Shk1 Ap 3 Tirana, Albania +355672060422 www.papadhimitriproduction.com

Contact Rr. Mihal Duri No. 123/3 Zip. 1000, Tirana, Albania + 355 67 20 21 649 www.kubestudios.com contact@kubestudios.com

Contact Tel:+355 69 20 22903 Mail: Info@provideo.al spironino@provideo.al www.provideoalbania.com

info@dardan.al www.dardan.al

OTH E CINE R M TOG A RA PHIC INST I T TION U

Contact Rr .AleksandĂŤr Moisiu, No.76/1, Tirana, Albania info@aqshf.gov.al www.aqshf.gov.al

Contact Addr: Rr. Abdyl Frasheri, P. Pegaso, Shk.1, Ap.35, Tirana, Albania +355 672088771 albaniafilmcommission.com

Contact thealbaniancinemaproject.org Facebook The Albanian Cinema Project

OUR AIM IS TO ACCOMPANY OUR CLIENTS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS

nilorfilm@icloud.com

ANDAMION MURATAJ

RAFAELA RICA

ILIR BUTKA

BFM DIRECTOR

BFM MANAGING

BFM INTERNATIONAL

andamion.murataj@balkanfilmmarket.com

DIRECTOR

RELATIONS

rafaela.rica@balkanfilmmarket.com

ilir.butka@balkanfilmmarket.com

MAJLINDA TAFA

SUELA TUCI

KEJSI KURANI

BFM COORDINATOR

BFM PROJECT MANAGER

BFM HOSPITALITY

BFM TEAM

majlinda.tafa@balkanfilmmarket.com

hospitality@balkanfilmmarket.com

FRENSIS LLOJI

EDVIN QEFALIA

BFM DIGITAL MARKETING

BFM DESIGNER

SPECIALIST

This catalog and other promotional materials for BFM 2020 were made possible thanks to the contribution of the following institutions, to which we are deeply grateful:

ALBANIAN CENTER OF AUDIO VISUAL & CINEMATOGRAPHY