21/10/2005

Since January 2002, Catherine Buresi is Chief Executive at EAVE– European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs, a professional training programme targeting European producers and related professionals cofinanced by the MEDIA programme. After four enriching years with EAVE, Catherine has now decided to move to new ventures and the recruitment of her successor is on its way. But before moving to new challenges, she tells us about EAVE.

EAVE has just started this year's final workshop. What's your impression on this promotion of European producers?
2005 has been a "well rounded year". Different to other EAVE editions, the participants were more less in the same age group (30-40) and were willing to take all that the programme had to offer. It was a very serious and well balanced promotion. In regards to the projects' themes, 2004 was all about love stories. This year, we have numerous projects related the struggle to find one's identity, something very linked to a trauma that one must overcome or to the social and religious settings in which the main characters live. It's very striking, since the projects come from all around Europe and are witnesses to common problems. So, I would say that the 2005 promotion is a very "engaged" one.

After last year's removal to Luxemburg, what does EAVE's future look like?
I think that it looks good! The partnership with Luxemburg's Audiovisual Support Fund is solid and "reasoned", by this I mean that it is the result of a long cooperation and it will allow to succesfully place EAVE within the 2007 MEDIA framework, doing so with renewed contents and a public partner, whose commitment towards the realm of European audiovisuals has proved everything. We have also created a new EAVE association in Luxemburg in perfect continuity with the Belgian international association, in which the majority of its members are common to both structures as well as the one in Luxemburg. Jani Thiltges (Samsa Film) was elected president, which I think is great. Jani is a 1992 graduate, the group leader since 5 years ago, a person who is very close to the programme and knows it very well.
In deed, I'm very proud of the EAVE programme and I'm specially happy to haveKristina Trapp as programme manager since April 2004. We changed location in the beginning of March and we had to organise the first workshop in a hurry ( within the framework of Luxemburg's EU presidency), thankfully, with all condtions to our own advantage. We were in Santiago de Compostela for the year's last workshop from october 24th to october 31st, organised with the supprort of Galicia's goverment. Over 45 decision makers from all sectors of the film industry in Europe wanted to join in, and like it happened the fisrt time around, most of them were industry partners with whom we had constantly worked for 4 and 5 years. They allow our producers to have a priviledged access to the most interesting production events in Europe. I believe that here you have a good sign about EAVE's future!.

Which are the recent succesful films to come out during the course of or from the productors that wear the EAVE label?
Pleasant Days [+see also:
trailer
film profile] directed by Kornél Mondruczó and produced by EAVE 2004 graduate Viktória Petrányi (Proton Cinema, Hungary – read the Unveiled [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Fremde Haut, Germany) – EAVE 2001 – was selected in competition at the last edition of Karlovy Vary Film Festival.
Monsterthursday (Norway) – EAVE 2003 – was selected at Sundance Film Festival 2005, where it has been picked up for worldwide sales by NonStop Sales
Miss Montigny (Belgium/France/Luxemburg) – EAVE 2003 – was selected for the official competition in Montreal 2005
One More Croissant (Estonia) – EAVE 2004 – has been awarded the MEDIA New Talent Award 2005.
Johnny Was (see the making of) directed by first-timer Mark Hammond has completed principal photography and now moves into postproduction. The thriller feature film set in Brixton has been produced by Belfast-based production company Borderline Productions formed by EAVE 2000 graduates Tom Maguire, Patrick Fitzsymons and Paul Largan after meeting on EAVE.