For the second year in a row, Europa Distribution will organise an Open Panel in the scope of the Norwegian International Film Festival, Haugesund, in collaboration with New Nordic Films. The event will take place on 24 August 2017, from 10.00-11.30 at the Scandic Maritim Hotel, and will bring together Europa Distribution members and other industry experts for a discussion entitled "Scandinavian Films for Beginners: The circulation of Nordic films in Europe and beyond." 

The panel will examine the evolution of the audience's taste for Scandinavian productions since the new millennium, pinpointing which factors have created such an interest. Distributors and sales agents from all over Europe will share their experiences and decode which things have changed and what must remain constant in order to remain on the path of success. 

Scandinavian cinema (both films and series) is at the top of its game, but does this mean that releasing a Scandinavian film is easy, whatever the film, whatever the country? Which challenges and opportunities exist for distributors when releasing such productions? What can be taken from examining the trends and developments in the Scandinavian film market? 

The confirmed panelists are Kristýna Haklová (Film Europe, CZ), James King (Curzon-Artificial Eye, UK), Vladimir Kokh (KMBO, FR), Matthias Mücke (Neue Visionen, DE) and Marike Muselaers (Lumière, BE). The panel will be moderated by Wendy Mitchell (Screen International; British Council Film, UK). 

Attending distributors will also participate in the festival activities, including seminars, events and special screenings. 

NOTE FOR THE EDITORS: Europa Distribution is the association of independent film distributors, created in 2006.  With more than 120 leading independent distributors representing 28 countries in Europe and beyond, it serves as the voice of the sector and acts as a network and a think tank.  Since its creation, Europa Distribution has accompanied and reinforced the integration and collaboration process between its members through information, brainstorming and training sessions. The network’s aim is to strengthen the existing ties to improve the curation, promotion and distribution of independent films. 

CONTACT: For more information about the presence of Europa Distribution in Haugesund, contact:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

MIDPOINT TV Launch 2017 concluded today in Sarajevo after 9 months. 7 content-rich TV series projects have gone through the intensive idea-to-market development program. Thanks to a close partnership with HBO Europe, the HBO Europe Award 2017 was handed out to the winning project 'The Midnight Shift' by writers Harry Ayiotis & Frixos Masouras, and writer/director/producer Andreas Kyriacou. The C21 Media Award went to producer Vasilis Chrysanthopoulos, offering a one year subscription.

POWR Baltic Stories Exchange pitching workshop and platform admits full-length fiction film script ideas by Baltic and Nordic writers via their respective MEDIA Desks. Applications from BE Focus Region, Flanders, are also welcome!

For more information, please visit our website.

Script Pool Tallinn accepts projects of a full-length fiction film (theatrical or TV), TV series, web series, new platforms (VR / AR / other). The best film or series script is awarded with 5000 Euros and script doctor support by Telepool, and the best transmedia / multiplatform / interactve project invited to pitch at Storytek spring 2018 incubator session.
For additional information please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Baltic Event Co-Production Market, presenting the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award in the amount of 20 000 Euros, is open to full-length fiction film projects designed to be co-produced within or with Baltics, Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, and the 2017 Focus Region Flanders, Belgium.

This year, projects with transmedia / multiplatform / interactive potential are especially welcome.

Deadline: 1 September, 2017
For additional information please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit our website.

Submissions are now open for the Storytek accelerator, the first mentor-driven accelerator fully focusing on audiovisual sector, where deep knowledge of the global film and creative industry mixes with top notch technology competence. Estonia, already a world leader in technology innovation with pioneering e-residency and e-governance solutions and home to the renowned Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) is a natural fit for fostering the ecosystem of next generation creatives.

Storytek is designed for companies with cutting edge creative-tech prototypes which are poised to scale. It’s a 10 week intensive, tailor-made bootcamp in Tallinn. Participating companies will graduate with in-depth assessment of their project, custom tools, and a strategic road map with a global network of mentors will sharing their expertise with them. A custom track will be designed for the needs of each business. PÖFF will refer forward thinking creative talent come in and actively work with the Storytek companies to give feedback from the storyteller community - maybe to generate some new companies of their own.

Committed mentors include producer, sales & IP executive Michael Favelle (Odin’s Eye Entertainment), multi-platform producer John Heinsen (Bunnygraph Entrainment), digital business development executive Laura Anne Edwards (TED Resident, Google Labs, NASA), media innovation expert and investor Guido Van Nispen (Raad Von Kultuur),  digital comic book publisher Soyoung Jung (Netcomics), acclaimed branding and design mentor Julius Talvik and others. The legal partner for Storytek is Price Waterhouse Coopers Baltics providing legal and IP training and advisory for the participating teams.

Quote “Storytek is offering uniquely hands-on collaboration between tech and creative communities. We want participating tech companies to leave with practical tools for growing and running their business globally and with real deliverables, and we want the creative community to fully embrace the opportunities technology offers them to scale their audiences,” said Sten Saluveer, Storytek CEO.

Storytek is made possible by Enterprise Estonia and the Black Nights Film Festival, private investment and by a wide range of generous sponsors.

Deadline to apply, 31 August. The programme starts on 25th of September.

INFORMATION

Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.storytek.eu

Black Nights Film Festival's press contact:
Hannes Aava, head of press and communication
phone: +37255529211
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

BIAFF festival continues cooperation with European Film Academy (EFA) which was started in 2011 and during BIAFF festival in September 2017 will be presented EFA’s short films program - SHORT MATTERS!

SHORT MATTERS!  is the European Film Academy’s short film tour which brings the short films nominated for the European Film Awards to a series of film festivals across Europe and beyond to give as many audiences as possible the opportunity to watch this panorama of young contemporary European filmmaking.

The screenings  of best European short film from 2017  can now be seen in Batumi (Georgia)   at Batumi International Art-House film Festival (BIAFF)  which will be held during 17-24 September, 2017

SHORT MATTERS! Program at BIAFF 2017 consists of following short films:

1. THE WALL, Samuel Lampaert, Belgium 2015,  8 min.
2. EDMOND, Nina Gantz, UK 2015, 10 min.
3. THE GOODBYE, Clara Roquet, Spain 2015, 15 min.
4. 90 DEGREES NORTH, Detsky Graffam, Germany 2015, 21 min.
5. WE ALL LOVE THE SEA SHORE, Keina Espiñeira, Spain 2016, 18 min
6. IN THE DISTANCE, Germany 2015, 7 min.
7. A MAN RETURNED, Mahdi Fleifel, UK/Lebanon/Denmark/the Netherlands 2015, 30 min.
8. SMALL TALK, Even Hafnor & Lisa Brooke Hansen, Norway 2015, 21 min.
9. I AM NOT FROM HERE, Maite Alberdi & Giedrė Zickytė, Chile/Denmark/Lithuania 2015, 26 min.
10. HOME, Daniel Mulloy, Kosovo/UK 2016, 20 min.
11. THE FULLNESS OF TIME, Manon Coubia, Belgium/France 2016, 14 min.
12. LIMBO, Konstantina Kotzamani, France/Greece 2016, 30 min.
13. AMALIMBO, Juan Pablo Libossart, Sweden/Estonia 201615 min.
14. 9 DAYS – FROM MY WINDOW IN ALEPPO, Thomas Vroege, Floor van der Meulen & Issa Touma, Netherlands/Syria 2015, 13 min.
15. SHOOTING STAR, Lyubo Yonchev, Bulgaria/Italy 2015, fiction, 28 min.

Festival Sponsors – Ministry of Culture of Georgia,  Georgian National Film Center, Ministry of Cultura of Ajara AR,    Hotel Wyndham Batumi

Festival Supporters – British Council, Goethe Institute Georgia, Cinema APOLLO, Hotel Rcheuli, Hotel Batumi Plaza, Tourism Department of Ajara AR,   HQ propaganda,  Tour Company “Wonderland”

Festival Media Partners – Radio Fortuna/Fortuna+, Adjara TV, Publicity Group, www.newswire.ge, Film New Europe, Newspaper BATUMELEBI 

Contact information:  
Tel: 599-482181,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.biaff.org
www.facebook.com/biaffbatumi
www.biaffbatumi.wordpress.com

These grants were announced by the National Film Center of Latvia on 14 August 2017.