16/02/2011

The committee at the second session of the Francophone Film Development Fund announced its results on Monday in Berlin. The Fund, set up in May 2009 at Cannes, aims to contribute to the development of transatlantic co-production projects, in order to strengthen partnerships between Francophone Canadian producers and Francophone European producers.

The fund is an initiative of Téléfilm Canada, SODEC, the Belgian French Community Film and Audiovisual Centre, France’s National Film and Moving Image Centre and Film Fund Luxembourg, with backing from the Swiss Federal Office for Culture. It joins a series of initiatives created over the last ten years by the partners, including the Grand Nord screenwriting workshop, the Namur Forum Expertise Workshop and the Paris Co-production Meetings organised during the “Cinéma du Québec” event.

Three projects have been chosen by the selection committee. They will receive a grant covering 50% of their development costs (script doctoring, casting, location research, etc.), up to a maximum amount of €40,000.

This year’s three successful candidates are majority European projects. The committee selected two well-known and unusual directors, and a debut feature.

Les Films d’Ici presented Claire Simon’s ensemble film Gare du Nord (in the same vein as God’s Offices [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), produced in collaboration with Canadian company Les Productions Thalie.

Another well-known director, Philippe Faucon (The Betrayal [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) unveiled his project Amin, produced through his company Istiqlal. This drama about immigration in France is co-produced by Canada’s Possibles Medias.

Finally, Belgian company Panache Productions presented its debut feature, after working in the co-production field (Little White Lies [+see also:
trailer
film profile]). False Flag tackles an episode of 20th-century history little-explored in film, the Battle of the Ardennes. Scripted by Emmanuelle Pirotte and Sylvestre Sbille, the film is co-produced by Canada’s Caramel Films.

(Translated from French)