02/03/2022 - This year, a total of 16 projects and 12 Development angels will board the training and coaching programme for “committed filmmakers in a changing world”

The sixth edition of Less Is More (LIM), the training and coaching programme for feature-film development steered by Le Groupe Ouest and powered by Creative Europe – MEDIA, has announced its selection for this year, which consists of 17 filmmakers and 12 Development angels. LIM is opening a new chapter, as its core motto has become “for committed filmmakers in a changing world” (see the news), and its artistic director, Antoine Le Bos, explains: “With the dark context we are going through in Europe, we need to fight like hell to generate films that can help us wake up!”

In light of this, the LIM team has been putting together a new quartet of tutors/script consultants, and thus the participants will be working with Tony Grisoni, a screenwriter for Terry Gilliam and Michael Winterbottom, among others; Lucile Hadzihalilovic, the writer-director of Innocence and Evolution [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], and a collaborator of Gaspar Noé’s on most of his films; Vinca Wiedemann, a script advisor and close collaborator with Lars von Trier on Nymphomaniac [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Louise Vesth
film profile] and Melancholia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lars von Trier
film profile], as well as with Thomas Vinterberg on The Hunt [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Thomas Vinterberg
interview: Thomas Vinterberg
film profile]; and, last but not least, Romain Compingt, the screenwriter of Divines [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Houda Benyamina
film profile] and Waiting for Bojangles [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

As for the selection, a handful of filmmakers have had their sophomore works selected, such as Edon Rizvanolli (Unwanted [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Edon Rizvanolli
film profile]); Antoine Russbach, with the second part of his trilogy that kicked off with Those Who Work [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Antoine Russbach
film profile]; Reinis Kalvins (The Shift); and Vincent Maël Cardona, whose debut feature, Magnetic Beats [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vincent Maël Cardona
film profile], received the César Award for Best First Film (see the news) and who is returning to his roots with a story based in rural Brittany. Meanwhile, Christian Volckman (The Room [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christian Volckman
film profile]) is bringing his third feature to LIM.

The debuting filmmakers come from an outstanding background in either short films, theatre, documentary or visual arts: they are Jela Hasler from Switzerland, Fanny Ovesen from Norway and Sweden, Andreea Valean from Romania, Valeria Testagrossa and Giulia Pietrozini from Italy, Meltze Van Collie from Belgium, and Deborah Viegas from Brazil and Portugal. Two filmmakers will represent the Middle East: Nitzan Rozen from Israel and Dahlia Nemlich from Lebanon. In addition, Sandro Souladze is a young and talented Georgian filmmaker. As is often the case when it comes to LIM, there is a strong contingent from Wales and Scotland, with Zillah Bowes and Isaac Knights Washbourn bringing along their first features as well.

The Development angels initiative aims to train a unique batch of European professionals dedicated to helping deliver and nurture strong screenplays for tomorrow’s independent cinema. The 12 Development angels will be coached in their approach to story editing, working side by side with the tutors, as well as receiving dedicated training. Also, in the tragic context of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the LIM team is honoured to welcome Aleksandra Zakharchenko, from Ukraine, as one of this year’s Development angels.

Supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe – MEDIA programme, Less Is More is run by Le Groupe Ouest (France), and was developed with Control N (Romania), the Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds – VAF (Belgium) and the Krakow Festival Office (Poland), in partnership with the Lithuanian Film Centre, the Norwegian Film Institute, the Brittany region, Screen Scotland (UK) and Focal (Switzerland).

Here is the full LIM 2022 selection:

A Miracle Will Happen - Andreea Valean (Romania)
Assa, Like a Fish in a Bowl - Dahlia Nemlich (Lebanon)
The Author - Fanny Ovesen (Norway)
Bethan - Zillah Bowes (UK)
Bog - Reinis Kalvins (Latvia)
The Dancing Plague - Vincent Maël Cardona (France)
Dor - Giulia Pietrozini (screenwriter), Valeria Testagrossa (writer-director) (Italy)
God, Rebuild Me - Isaac Knights-Washbourn (New Zealand/UK)
Herself - Christian Volckman (France)
Identity - Edon Rizvanolli (Kosovo/Netherlands)
Sadhvi - Sandro Souladze (Georgia)
Striker No. 7 - Nitzan Rozen (Israel)
Those Who Fight - Antoine Russbach (Switzerland)
To Put Out One Fire - Jela Hasler (Switzerland)
Torpor - Meltse Van Coillie (Belgium)
Young Woman Seen From Behind - Deborah Viegas (Brazil/Portugal)

Here is the list of LIM 2022 Development angels:

Cecilie Aspenes, film commissioner (Norway)
Andrés Bartos, producer/director (Spain)
Diana Caravia, producer (Romania)
Viktorija Cook, producer, acquisitions consultant and programmer (Lithuania)
Mirna Everhard, producer (Netherlands/Belgium)
Harry Flöter, producer (Germany)
James Heath, producer (UK)
Judith Lichtneckert, producer (Switzerland)
Jules Reinartz, producer (France)
Mira Staleva, festival and market managing director (Bulgaria)
Raymond van der Kaaij, producer (Netherlands)
Aleksandra Zakharchenko, market head of programmes and training (Ukraine/France)