4 Eurimages films at the International Animation Film Festival of Annecy (4-9 June 2012)

15/05/2012 – The co-production Le Tableau by Laguionie Jean-François (FR-BE) has been selected in competition. The film The Moon Man by Schesch Stephan (DE-FR-IE) has been selected out of competition.

The animations The Suicide Shop by Leconte Patrice (FR-CA-BE) and Ernest et Célestine by Patar Vincent, Aubier Stéphane and Renner Benjamin (FR-LU-BE) will have their preview screenings at the Festival.

Website of the Festival

9 Eurimages Films on their way to Cannes...

11/05/2012 - 9 Eurimages supported films have been selected at the Cannes Film Festival, 5 of which in the Official Competition:
Amour by Michael Haneke (FR, AT, DE);
In the Fog by Sergei Loznitsa (DE, NL, LV);
Beyond the Hills by Cristian Mungiu (FR, BE, RO);
Paradies by Ulrich Seidl (AT, FR, DE) and
The Hunt by Thomas Vinterberg (DK, SE).

The films Aimer à perdre la raison (Our Children) by Joachim Lafosse (BE, LU, CH, FR) and Djeca by Aida Begic (BA, DE, FR, TR) are selected in Un Certain Regard competition.

The co-production Ernest et Célestine by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner (FR, BE, LU) has been selected for the Directors' Fortnight section of the Festival.

Moreover, The Suicide Shop by Patrice Leconte (FR, CA, BE) is in official selection out of competition in the Cannes Junior section.

Cannes Film Festival website

International Istanbul Film Festival: "Just the Wind" wins the FACE Award of the Council of Europe

19/04/2012 -During the closing ceremony of the 31st International Istanbul Film Festival which took place on 14 April, the president of the FACE Jury , and the recipient of last year’s FACE Award with her film “As If I’m Not There”, Mrs Juanita Wilson, presented the 6th Council of Europe Film Award (FACE) to Bence Fliegauf, director of the film  “Just the Wind”

FACE is an award presented each year, during the Istanbul Festival, to a film director who has particularly raised public awareness of human rights issues, thereby promoting greater understanding of their importance. The winner receives a bronze sculpture and a cash prize of 10 000 euros, jointly awarded with Eurimages.

Study on the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production

13/04/2012 - Upon request from the Council of Europe, a study has been carried out on the performance of the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production. Whilst this analysis has demonstrated the success of this Convention which has facilitated co-productions and promoted international co-operation in the field of cinema, it also suggests modifications aimed at adapting this instrument to new technologies which affect cinematographic production. Consult the results of the study (document only available in English).

Cannes: The Producers' Villa

11/04/2012 - The EURIMAGES Fund is granting its sponsorship to the European Producers’ Villa which will open its doors from 16 to 25 May 2012 to welcome European producers on a daily basis and offer them friendly and professional surroundings throughout the Cannes Film Festival.
This structure, full of charm with its terrace and sea view, will also be the ideal place to celebrate any type of event during the Festival. All the film producers and film professionals present at the Cannes Film Festival can book this place from now on by visiting the website www.villadesproducteurs.fr and by consulting the flyer of the Producers’ Villa (link to the flyer in pdf format).

Support Decisions

14/03/2012 -  At its 126th meeting held from 6 to 9 March 2012 in Luxembourg, the Board of Management of the Council of Europe's Eurimages Fund agreed to support 16 feature films for co-production. (Press release)

List of co-productions supported in 2012

Eurimages Board of Management reaffirms its confidence in the Executive Director

14/03/2012 - At its 126th plenary meeting in Luxembourg on 9 March 2012, the Eurimages Board of Management decided unanimously, by acclamation, to recommend that the Council of Europe renew the mandate of its Executive Director Mr Roberto Olla for a third two-year term running from 1 July 2012.

Link to the Press release

2 Eurimages films awarded at the Césars

28/02/2012 – During the 37th Ceremony of the Césars which took place on 24 February, two Eurimages supported films received the following awards:

Best original screenplay
Pierre Schoeller – L’Exercice de l’Etat (FR, BE)

Best supporting actor
Michel Blanc – L’Exercice de l’Etat

Best sound
Olivier Hespel, Julie Brenta and Jean-Pierre Laforce - L'exercice de l'Etat

Best first film
Le cochon de Gaza (FR, BE, DE) (trailer) - Sylvain Estibal

Website of the Académie des Arts et des Techniques du Cinéma.

European cinema triumphs in Berlin

21/02/2012 - The Jury of the 62nd Berlinale has rewarded the three Eurimages-supported co-productions selected in official competition with the Jury Grand Prix for Just the Wind by Benedek Flieghauf (Hungary, Germany, France), the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay for Rasmus Heisterberg and Nikolaj Arcel, the scriptwriters of A Royal Affair based on a novel by Bodil Steensen-Leth. Mikkel Boe Følsgaard was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Actor for his role in the same co-production between Denmark, Sweden, Czech Republic, Ireland and Latvia. Specially acknowledged by the president of the international jury Mike Leigh, Ursula Meier received a special mention in the form of a Silver Bear for L’enfant d’en haut (Switzerland/France). The director said she was very honored by the marginal position that the jury had granted her, a position, she said, that suited her very well.
Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury and the Panorama Audience Award was given to Parada (The Parade), by Srdjan Dragojevic, a Eurimages supported co-production between Serbia, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia.

Berlinale website

Eurimages Co-production Development Award at Rotterdam's Cinemart

02/02/2012 - At the close of the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s co-production market CineMart which finished last night, the Jury decided to award the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award worth €30 000 to the project Humidity by Nikola Ljuca (Serbia), a co-production of Dart Film (Serbia) and Zischlermann Filmproduktion GbR (Germany). (read the article... )

Eurimages mooting idea of associate membership of the likes of South Africa, Argentina

13/12/2011 - The Council of Europe’s European Cinema Support Fund Eurimages is exploring the possibility of extending membership to countries as far afield as South Africa and Argentina. (interview with the President of the Fund, Mr Jobst Plog)

5 European Film Awards for Eurimages supported films

05/12/2011 - The European Film 2011 Award went to the film Melancholia by Lars von trier (a co-production between Denmark, France, Sweden and Germany supported by Eurimages) Saturday night in Berlin, during the ceremony of the European Film Awards. This film also received the Carlo di Palma European Cinematographer Award 2011 (Manuel Alberto Claro) as well as the European Production Designer Award 2011 (Jette Lehmann). The Dardenne brothers (photo) were awarded the prize of European Screenwriter 2011 for their film Le gamin au vélo, a co-production between Belgium, France and Italy supported by Eurimages. Finally, the European Discovery Award 2011 went to the film Adem (Oxygen) by Hans Van Nuffel, a co-production between Belgium and the Netherlands also supported by the Eurimages Fund. The European Co-Production Award 2011- Prix Eurimages was awarded to Mariela Besuievsky, partner of Tornasol Films, and the producer and executive producer of more than 40 movies. (Press release)

European Film Awards website

11th Seville European Film Festival - Eurimages Prize

18/11/2011 - The Eurimages Prize (Premio Eurimages) worth 20,000 euros for the distribution of the film in Spain, was awarded to the film Shun Li and the Poet by Andrea Segre (Italy, France) during the closing ceremony of the festival which took place on Friday 11 November in the presence of the Deputy Executive Director of Eurimages, Isabel Castro.

Festival website

The award winners of the 12th edition of "Etoiles et Toiles" of European Cinema

 08/11/2011 - During the closing ceremony of the “Etoiles et Toiles” of European Cinema event which ended on 29 October 2011, the Jury comprised of 7 Permanent Representatives of the Council of Europe, chaired by Mrs Eleanor Fuller, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the Council of Europe revealed the award winners:

The special Odyssée cinema/Council of Europe prize for artistic creation was awarded to the film “This Must Be the Place” by Paolo Sorrentino, a co-production between Italy, France and Ireland;

The Odyssée cinema/Council of Europe Human Rights prize was awarded to the film “Cirkus Columbia” by Danis Tanovic, a co-production between France,  Bosnia-Herzegovina, United Kingdom, Slovenia, Germany and Belgium)

Eurimages Co-production Development Prize

06/11/2011 – The Eurimages Co-production Development Prize was awarded at the closing ceremony of the "New Cinema Network" event on 30 October 2011 to the Palestinian Director Mohanad Yaqubi for his project “Off Frame”. The Prize was awarded by the President of the Eurimages Board of Management, Mr Jobst Plog.

Moreover, the film BabyCall (NO/DE/SE) by Pal Sletaune, supported by Eurimages and selected in the official competition of the Rome Film Festival which came to an end on 4 November 2011, was awarded the Marc' Aurelio Jury Award for Best Actress - Noomi Rapace (Festival website).

Georgia joins Eurimages

27/10/2011 – The Partial Agreement of the Council of Europe Eurimages is pleased to welcome a new member state, Georgia, as of 18 October 2011.

Co-production projects involving a co-producer from Georgia can therefore be submitted to Eurimages for examination at forthcoming meetings.

As Georgia does not have access to the support mechanisms of the EU’s MEDIA Programme, distributors from Georgia can apply for support from Eurimages. Exhibitors from Georgia will also be eligible for Eurimages programmes of support for theatres (exhibition and digital equipment).

Jobst Plog re-elected as President of Eurimages

25/10/2011 – During its 124th meeting in Dublin (Ireland) on 18-20 October 2011, the Eurimages Board of Management decided to renew the mandate of its President Mr Jobst Plog for a second two-year term until 19 November 2013.

 “I would like to thank the Board of Management for its renewed support. I will now continue to work, as I already have been doing over the past two years since I took up this post, in close collaboration and in total synergy with the Board of Management and the Eurimages Secretariat.” he said.