Another Palme d'Or for Michael Haneke... and Eurimages!

29/5/2012 – Eurimages-supported films were showered with awards on Sunday evening at the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival, with prizes going to four films selected in the official competition:

Palme d’Or for Amour (“Love”) by Michael Haneke (FR, AT, DE);
Best Actress award (Cristina Flutur & Cosmina Stratan) and Best Screenplay award for Beyond the hills by Cristian Mungiu (RO, FR, BE);
Best Actor award (Mads Mikkelsen) and the Ecumenical Jury Prize for Jagten (“The Hunt”) by Thomas Vinterberg (DK, SE); and
FIPRESCI Prize for In the Fog by Sergei Loznitsa (DE, NL, LV).

The two Eurimages-supported films in the Un Certain Regard competition were also successful, winning the Best Actress award (Emilie Dequenne) for the co-production  A perdre la raison (“Our children”) by Joachim Lafosse (BE, LU, CH, FR), and a Special Distinction of the Jury for Djeca (“Children of Sarajevo”) by Aida Begic (BA, DE, FR, TR).

The President of the Eurimages Board of Management, the Executive Director and the entire Secretariat are delighted with this success, which strengthens the Eurimages Fund’s efforts in promoting European cinema through cultural diversity in the field of co-productions.
The full prize list can be consulted at the Cannes Film Festival website.

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

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).

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).