Dear colleagues,
the participants of the upcoming 9th edition of the industry event European Work in Progress (EWIP) have been selected. 25 film projects were chosen from a record number of more than 270 applications. All participating projects are in the final stages of production and are on their way to shape the future of European cinema.
This year’s selected projects again cover the whole variety of modern cinema, ranging from fiction to animated features and documentary films. The genre-mix varies between classical dramas, comedies and thrillers but also includes horror, neo-western, fantasy as well as biopics. EWIP is also happy to announce a substantial growth in the budget and size of participating productions.
All projects will be presented exclusively to EWIP guests and the international jury in 15-minute pitchings. There will also be direct meetings between film makers and producers, distributors, world sales and other supporters organized by EWIP. EWIP’s focus on successful connections between important colleagues of the international film industry combined with the opportunity to invest and license film projects this early provides a unique time advantage to its participants.
EWIP will take place from 28th to 30th of September 2026. For the second time it takes place in Hamburg in the framework of the FilmFest Hamburg Idustry Days.
This year’s EWIP will be supported by many longstanding partners. EWIP will continue the successful partnership with The Post Republic and K13 Studios. The Post Republic pledged its continued support by providing a voucher for post production, color grading and DCP production and the K13 Studios will renew their longstanding contribution for EWIP with two vouchers for a Dolby Atmos Mix and professional dubbing. Furthermore EWIP will renew its partnership with „Northern Stars – Hamburg Film Partners“, consisting of the audio studio Loft Tonstudios, audio specialist Zeigermann_Audio, post production firm Optical Art and costume rental Zeitkostüm GmbH. Post Production company Cine Complete will be joining EWIP as a new sponsor this year by funding an award.
EWIP is also happy to announce the support of MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein. Film marketing specialist Gruvi and the translation company WayFilm have also again pledged their support to EWIP.
EWIP was able to secure five renowned and versatile film industry experts for its jury: Christian Bräuer, Managing Director of Yorck Kinogruppe, Germany's largest arthouse cinema group; Paolo Bertolin, member of Selection Committee Venice International Film Festival and Artistic Director of Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival; Rebecca De Pas, renowned and experienced film curator for the International Film Festival Rotterdam; Valeska Neu, responsible for Management & Sales for world sales „Films Boutique“; Iñigo Trojaola, Editorial Manager for Spanish PayTV and VOD platform Movistar+.
Supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, EWIP will present up to European feature-length projects. Participating films need to be close to completion or in post production and have at least one producer or co-producer from Europe. Projects are selected for exclusive presentations to international sales agents, distributors, festival curators, and other film professionals.
Projects presented at EWIP have gone on to premiere at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, San Sebastián, Rotterdam, Toronto, and more – often securing key international sales and distribution deals.
Two of last year’s winners of EWIP are now part of the official selection in Cannes this year: ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG by Abinash Bikram Shah, which won „The Post Republic Award“ – a post production support worth 30.000 Euros and I’LL BE GONE IN JUNE by Katharina Rivilis, winner of „Way Film Translation Award“ at EWIP 2025. Both have premiered at „Un Certain Regard“, where ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG won the Jury Prize. Further successful EWIP participants include I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE, directed by Alisa Kolosova, as well as ZEJTUNE by Alex Camilleri (EWIP 2024) both of which celebrated their World Premiere at the Tribeca Festival this June. Most recently, two films from the EWIP 2025 selection have also received awards at the Locarno Film Festival: DOWN BY THE RIVER by Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias, which won the Special Jury Prize in the International Competition, and PARADEISA by Marleen Valien, winner of the Locarno Kids Award la Mobiliare.
For further press information and enquiries please contact the press agency mm filmpresse, Sylvia Müller, Tel. 030 – 41 71 57 22, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tobias Reißmann, Tel. 030 – 41 71 57 23, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Claudia Hegner, Tel. 03741 – 55 03 414, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Kind Regards
Tobias Reißmann & Claudia Hegner
The selected projects:
A HOUSE ON THE WAVES (KHANEI BAR AMVAJ)
Director: Lily Mousavi / Drama, Thriller / 120 Minutes / Iran, France
Production: Gholamreza Mousavi (FILMSAZAN JAVAN)
Coproduction: Florian Môle (LES GRANDS ESPACES)
After years abroad, Raha returns to Iran when her mother, who has Alzheimer’s, is hospitalized and Arezou, the young woman who cared for her, suddenly disappears. As Raha searches for her, she uncovers a decades-old family secret that reveals a cycle of violence against women echoing across generations.
CROSSINGS (WT) (TRAVERSE (WT))
Director: May Dugast / Comedy / 90 Minutes / Germany
Production: Linus Ladiges (KLINKERFILM PRODUCTION GMBH)
Coproduction: Fréhel Vince (FILMARCHE E.V.)
Between a funeral home and the dance floor, on the outskirts of Berlin, a lonely undertaker, a determined widow, and a rebellious 90-year-old cross paths. The three spirits form an unlikely bond and challenge the conventions surrounding life and death.
DESERTED
Director: Mario Pfeifer-Mutumba / Creative Documentary / 90 Minutes / Germany, Algeria, USA
Production: Julia I. Peters (JIPPIE FILM GMBH), Mario Pfeifer-Mutumba (BLACKBOARDFILMS
GMBH & CO.KG)
Coproduction: El Kheyer Zidani (ZK PRODUCTIONS ALGER), Oliver Thau (PAPERMOONFILMS GMBH)
Over 50 years of exile, over 50 years of hope: the Sahrawi people Najla, Maglaha, and Taleb fight from the desert refugee camps for their occupied homeland — against international indifference and political calculation.
DON’T BE A STRANGER
Director: Robert Thalheim / Neo-Western / 90 Minutes / Germany
Production: Andreas Banz, Matthias Miegel, Robert Thalheim, Jasmin Saunders (KUNDSCHAFTER FILMPRODUKTION GMBH)
Deep in Germany’s Black Forest, a cowboy-fan cattle rancher „Fränk“s struggle of saving his farm takes an unexpected turn when the rugged Texan ranch hand he’s expecting is replaced by a seventeen-year-old skater from New York City. Their unlikely encounter brings two very different visions of life into collision, challenging both men to see each other and themselves anew.
EKA
Director: Suman Sen / Drama / 90 Minutes / India, Australia, France
Production: Maud d’Amade (ZORBA PRODUCTION)
Coproduction: Alan McAlex (SUITABLE PICTURES), Emmanuel Pappas, Manjari Makijany (ASIA PACIFIC PICTURES)
In a decaying Kolkata, a disillusioned middle-aged man, haunted by past guilt and a lifetime of broken promises, reaches his breaking point. His personal rebellion unexpectedly becomes the spark for a worldwide movement.
FOLK PLAY (NARODNA DRAMA)
Director: Mirjana Karanović / Drama / 100 Minutes / Serbia, France, Luxemburg, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro
Production: Snezana van Houwelingen (THIS AND THAT PROD.)
Coproduction: Denis Carot (ELZEVIR FILMS), Ulysse Payet (NOCTUA FILMS), Jani Thiltges (SAMSA FILM), Ida Weiss (BELA FILM D.O.O.), Ankica Jurić Tilić (KINORAMA), Marija Perović (KINO D.O.O)
FOLK PLAY is a contemporary love story about a young woman breaking free from the life chosen for her. In a small town bound by tradition, dutiful Anka is set to marry the man everyone expects her to, until Branka, a flamboyant folk singer from Belgrade, awakens in her a desire for love, freedom and a life of her own.
I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO I WAS
Director: João Paulo Miranda Maria / Drama / 70 Minutes / France, Brazil
Production: Justin Pechberty (LES VALEURS)
Coproduction: Mayra Faour Auad (MYMAMA)
Julio, a filmmaker haunted by his past, speaks to a daughter who no longer answers. His path crosses that of an unsettling double, whose existence opens onto another possible reality and blurs the line between his own memory and someone else's. Through cinema, he is searching less for the truth than for reasons to keep going.
KARMIC KNOT
Director: Signe Baumane / Animated, Black Comedy, Epic Family Drama / 100 Minutes / Latvia, Germany
Production: Dominiks Jarmakovičs (STUDIO LOCOMOTIVE), Fabian Driehorst (FABIAN&FRED)
While her impoverished family builds a secret rose empire in Soviet Latvia, Ragne struggles to find her own voice. When the USSR collapses, the beautiful flowers become the seeds of the family’s downfall.
LA UNIÓN
Director: Cordelia Alegre / Drama / 90 Minutes / Spain, Colombia
Production: Àngels Masclans (DOS SOLES MEDIA SL), Roger Torras (DESARROLLOS MEDIÁTICOS INTERNACIONALES SL / WKND), Federico Duran (EL SOL ERMITAÑO SAS), Jaime Guerrero (RARA CINE SAS)
Two 19-year-old twin sisters, born in Colombia and raised in Barcelona, travel to their country of birth to spend Christmas with their paternal family. As Cecilia delves into their father’s past and Juliana struggles to understand her own present, their discoveries gradually drive them apart. Only together can they piece together their family’s story.
LEGÍTIMA
Director: Elisa Miller Encinas / Drama, Legal Thriller / 116 Minutes / Mexico, Italy
Production: Nicolás Celis López, Ana Katiria Suárez Castro (PIMIENTA FILMS S.A DE C.V.)
Coproduction: Lorenzo Fiuzzi, Bardo Tarantelli (UMI FILMS SRL)
An unconventional lawyer embarks on a fight against a corrupt and sexist system to free her client, a young woman unjustly imprisoned for defending herself against a brutal sexual assault.
LOST BOYS
Director: Josh Leong, Abel Engedayehu / Drama / 110 Minutes / Ethiopia, USA
Production: Josh Leong, Semagngeta Aychiluhem, Eden Tigabu, Lauren Franco, Violette Trotter, Gideon Bear Hamot (LOST BOYS FILM LLC)
Two weeks before graduating from his orphanage, a 17 year old unadopted Ethiopian boy must choose between his younger brother and the adventurous world of gang life. Inspired by a true story.
MOTHER OF SUGAR (MARE DE SUCRE)
Director: Clàudia Cedó / Drama / 100 Minutes / Spain
Production: Ariadna Dot (DELIRIS FILMS), Rafa Molés (SUICA FILMS), Tono Folguera (LASTOR MEDIA)
María is 35 years old and has a 65% intellectual disability and a lifelong, deeply held desire to become a mother, a dream she has never dared to voice. When those around her question her right to motherhood, Maria decides to reclaim control over her body and future and stop asking for permission.
MUM? (MAMA (WT))
Director: Katharina Sporrer / Drama / 90 Minutes / Germany
Production: Henry Tritschler (LEITWOLF FILMPRODUKTION GMBH)
Driven by a desperate longing for love, a young mother leaves her children to fend for themselves. But when her escape ends in tragedy, she must confront overwhelming guilt, devastating loss, and a painful fight to earn forgiveness—and find her way back.
PANNA SOPHIA / COMENIUS (PANNA SOFIA)
Director: Václav Kadrnka / Drama, Historical / 100 Minutes / Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey, The Netherlands
Production: Simona Kadrnková, Václav Kadrnka (SIRIUS FILMS S.R.O.), Katarína Krnáčová (SILVERART S.R.O.)
Coproduction: Burak Çevik (FOL FILMS), Minco Eggersman (RINA FILM)
Winter 1627. Hunted for his non-Catholic faith, the young pastor hides with his family in the mountains. When he is called to a sick girl who claims to have visions, her images begin to unsettle the world around him and guide him through a time of fear, oppression and spiritual crisis. Based on a true story from the life of Jan Amos Comenius.
RETREAT
Director: Hajni Kis / Drama / 108 Minutes / Hungary, Slovakia
Production: Júlia Berkes (PROTON CINEMA KFT.)
Coproduction: Mátyás Prikler (MPHILMS S.R.O.), György Kárpáti, Balázs Berta (VERTIGO MEDIA LTD.)
A burned-out actor’s career is about to collapse, so he rushes in rage after his wife, who is at a 7-day retreat. He gets stuck in the countryside like a ticking time bomb, which leads to irreversible conflicts within their marriage, the community, and an inevitable confrontation with himself.
SEREBRENNIKOV – EVERY DAY IS AN EMPTY STAGE
Director: Marcus Richardt / Documentary, Biopic, Art&Culture, Politics, Society / 92 Minutes / Germany, Switzerland
Production: Marcus Richardt (FAVO FILM GMBH)
Coproduction: Michela Pini, Guy Fässler (8HORSES GMBH)
SEREBRENNIKOV – EVERY DAY IS AN EMPTY STAGE tells the story of the acclaimed Russian multidisciplinary artist Kirill Serebrennikov and follows him, his team, and his projects as he struggles to find his footing and reinvent himself in exile.
SOCIAL ANIMAL
Director: Sina Ataeian Dena / Drama, Dark Comedy, Fantasy, Science Fiction / 92 Minutes / Germany
Production: Sara Fazilat (THIRD CULTURE KIDS), Sina Ataeian Dena (PLAN A)
How someone is conditioned to mistake obedience for love? And how they slowly decondition themselves.
SPROSS
Director: Friederike Güssefeld / Drama / 100 Minutes / Germany
Production: Anton Kaiser (SCHRAMM FILM KOERNER WEBER KAISER)
11-year-old Orlando falls in love with his new classmate, Freya. The two roam through nature and their village, and everything could go on like this forever. But Freya comes from a family of völkisch settlers, and eventually, the adult world threatens to collapse over the children's heads.
SURAIYA
Director: Robiul Alam Robi / Drama, Psychological, Romance / 110 Minutes / Bangladesh, Germany
Production: Fazle Hasan Shishir (RATHERHOOD INITIATIVES LTD.)
Coproduction: Nicole Gerhards (NIKO FILM), Shibabrata Barman, Robiul Alam Robi, Faridur Reza Sagar, Raihan Rafi, Moumita Hussain
In Dhaka, a fugitive young man and a heartbroken woman fall in love while learning Turkish, only to discover the language is fake, leaving them bound together yet destined to be separated.
TAHMINA
Director: Aboozar Amini / Body Horrror, Drama / 100 Minutes / The Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Poland
Production: Jia Zhao (SILK ROAD FILM SALON)
Coproduction: Waltraud Ehrhardt, Peter Obrist (GOOD KARMA FICTION FILMS GMBH), Aonan Yang, Andreas Mendritzki (GREENGROUND PRODUCTIONS), Idza Igel (HARINE FILMS)
Tahmina – a Hindu Kush goddess in the guise of a crime scene cleaner of suicide bombings – brings the scattered body parts back together so that the souls of the dead can find their eternal rest. But when Tahmina tries to bring her dead son back to life, things start to go wrong.
THE DANCER OF BERLIN
Director: Zsolt Bács / Drama / 110 Minutes / Germany, Bulgaria
Production: Helge Sasse (TEMPEST FILM PRODUKTION UND VERLEIH GMBH)
Coproduction: Gabriel Georgiev (SAMBA PICTURES GMBH)
THE DANCER OF BERLIN tells the extraordinary trials of a champion Sinti boxer and his great love to his little daughter within the confines of a concentration camp.
THE NEXT TESTAMENT (EL FUTURO TESTAMENTO)
Director: Velasco Broca / Fantasy, Dark Comedy, Suspense, Auteur Cinema / 100 Minutes / Spain, Estonia
Production: Cormac Regan (LANZADERA FILMS SL)
Coproduction: Iban del Campo (LIMBUS FILMAK), Aram Garriga (VISUALSUSPECTS), Sergio Adriá (ESPURNA FILMS), Katrin Kissa (HOMELESS BOB PRODUCTION OÜ)
The chorus of a hit song mysteriously disappears from the master recording and from all copies of the album sold. Its composer and performer must travel back in time to recover it.
UZBEK FOR BEGINNERS (BOSHLANG‘ICH O‘ZBEKCHA)
Director: Michael Borodin / Coming of Age / 90 Minutes / Uzbekistan, Germany, France
Production: Julia Shaginurova (EINBAHNSTRASSE PRODUCTIONS)
Coproduction: Bekzod Abduvaliev (ABSTRACT VISUALS), Emmanuelle Faucilhon (LES FILMS DU SILLON), Michael Borodin
The story of the first generation to grow up in post-dictatorship Uzbekistan, a journey of self-discovery, coming of age and the attempt to hold on to a fleeting moment of youth.
WE ARE KIBOKO
Director: Wakio Mzenge / Science Fiction, Thriller / 90 Minutes / Kenya
Production: Timothy Agevi, Kennedy Kyalo (IVONRY PRODUCTION)
A dream coded in trust, a movement tested by betrayal.
WITCH (ZHALMAYUZ)
Director: Adilkhan Yerzhanov / Post Horror / 110 Minutes / Kazakhstan, France
Production: Aigerim Abaykhanqyzy, Olga Khlasheva (SIRIUS PRODUCTION)
Coproduction: Gullaume de Seille (ARIZONA FILMS)
A crime against women has been committed in a rural village. Imam Abbas wants to protect them. However, according to Sharia, women cannot act as witnesses. Imam will have to go against the law.
