Cannes 2023: what you should know before you go

As I'm writing this, the countdown for Cannes 2023 is on. People are making their plans, hoping to make the connections that will push their project forward. If you are thinking of attending, take a few moments to work out what you want to achieve and how to actually achieve it. 

A few things to remember and a few things to do:

• Remember that the Cannes festival is mostly a trade fair for producers, distributors and financiers. Scriptwriters do attend, but not much is done for them. The exception is the French organisation Maison des Scénaristes (Writers' House) which organises interviews, get-togethers and offers a place to meet. All languages are welcome.
• Set your priorities: do you want to meet producers, find co-producers, meet talent or announce an upcoming movie or career change?
• Are you looking for local contacts or do you want to reach out to other countries? Most European movies are international co-productions. This expands your possibilities.
• Draw up a list of people you want to reach out to. You'll find most of them in the Film Market database and/or Cinando.
• Work that pitch until you can give 3-, 5 and 7 minute versions comfortably. Practice on everyone you know. 
• Start sending those e-mails, and personalise them.
• Check if your country is hosting a pavilion and if you can register there (handy for meetings).
• If you manage to get a meeting, keep it short and punchy - these people are busy and appreciate people that get to the point. 
• Remember that it is extremely unlikely that you will get a firm commitment at Cannes. What you are aiming to achieve is the permission to get back to the producers or directors after Cannes. 
• Fill every free moment by attending interviews, workshops, presentations, etc. It's tempting, but skip actual screenings. They take a lot of time and it's unlikely that you will meet the right people there. Plus, you can catch them at home later anyway.
• Don't give up! If things are going badly, you'll have time to moan later at home. Go check another reception or happy hour on the German pavilion - just don't drink too much.

Further resources: 

• Should I pay to access the Cannes Film Market?
• The Cannes Starter Guide (full e-book)

Screening your short movie in Cannes: what's the deal?

How to screen a short movie in Cannes

There are lots of events for short movies in Cannes. But every year someone decides they want to organise their own screening outside of the Short Film Corner. But before talking about how you might do this, you have to consider why. There is practically no real market for short movies as a separate entity. So the monetary returns are negligible at best. If you want to go through the expense and work of organizing a screening at the busiest market in the world, first be sure you know what outcome you want. The only one I am comfortable with is the goal of getting people interested in you and your next movie project. So make sure you have a great next project up your sleeve.

How to submit your short film to the Cannes Festival - and why

If you have been thinking about entering a short film to the Cannes Festival, the deadline is March 3, 2015. That doesn't leave you much time. So what sort of questions should you be asking? I'll start with the easy one.

What are the criteria for submitting a short film?

German World Premieres at 30th Warsaw fest

14 German films and co-productions will be shown at the 'A' festival in Warsaw this year. AGNIESZKA by Tomasz E. Rudzik (Kordes & Kordes Film Süd, Arri Film & TV - photo) will have its world premiere in the 1-2 Competition for first and second films, and the same goes for WHEN UNDER FIRE - SHOOT BACK! by Marc Wiese (Engstfeld Filmproduktion) in the Documentary Competition. KAFKA'S THE BURROW by Jochen Alexander Freydank (Mephisto Film) will have its European premiere in the Free Spirits Competition for "innovative and rebellious films".

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD 2014

Philomena, by Stephen Frears

The European Film Academy's (EFA) People’s Choice Award enables film fans across Europe to elect their favourite film. Whereas the EFA invites Europe’s greatest film stars, directors, actors and actresses, to attend the annual European Film Awards, the People’s Choice Award sheds a spotlight on the audience's choice of films. 

The voting for this year’s award has started, with a chance to join winners and nominees for the awards ceremony in Riga!

Winners in the past have included films such as Pedro Almodóvar’s VOLVER, Roberto Benigni’s LA VITA E BELLA, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s AMÉLIE, Fatih Akin’s HEAD-ON, and Danny Boyle’s SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. In 2013, the EFA People's Choice Award went to THE GILDED CAGE by Ruben Alves .

Film fans can cast their vote on the official website and possibly win a trip to the 27th European Film Awards on Saturday, 13 December 2014, in Riga, European Capital of Culture 2014.

Nominated films

BEAUTY AND THE BEASTLA BELLE ET LA BÊTE

DIRECTED BY: Christophe Gans
WRITTEN BY : Christophe Gans & Sandra Vo-Anh
MAIN CAST: Vincent Cassel, Lea Seydoux, André Dussolier

IDA
DIRECTED BY: Pawel Pawlikowski
WRITTEN BY: Pawel Pawlikowski & Rebecca Linkiewicz
MAIN CAST: Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik, Jerzy Trela 

NYMPHOMANIAC
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Lars von Trier
MAIN CAST: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Stacy Martin, Shia LaBeouf

PHILOMENA (photo)
DIRECTED BY: Stephen Frears
WRITTEN BY: Steve Coogan & Jeff Pope
MAIN CAST: Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clark

THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT OF THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED HUNDRAÅRINGEN SOM KLEV UT GENOM FÖNSTRET OCH FÖRSVANN

DIRECTED BY: Felix Herngren
WRITTEN BY: Felix Herngren (screenplay), Hans Ingemansson (screenplay), Jonas Jonasson (novel)
MAIN CAST: Robert Gustafsson, Mia Skäringer, Alan Ford

TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT DEUX JOURS, UNE NUIT

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
MAIN CAST: Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione

The winner of the EFA People’s Choice Award 2014 will be announced on stage during the European Film Awards Ceremony on 13 December in Riga.

2 scriptwriting events in Berlin

Quick news about two scriptwritng events in Berlin over the next few days: 

 
The "Short form" seminar with Thomas Frick places the emphasis on short films and commercials. In an information event , you will learn about our Full-time programs from August 2014.

The workshop will deal mostly with the basics of the screenwriting craft and the dramaturgy of short narrative structures such as commercials and short films. Parallel to the mediation of the theoretical foundations, each participant will develop his or her own, reference-enabled script in practical writing and film exercise.

New: The short form
Instructor: Thomas Frick
27-29/06/14 - Friday from 19: 00 to 21:30 - Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm - Sunday from 10.00 to 16.00
Price €249
Berlin


INVITATION TO THE EVENT INFO!
Training for authors of film & TV
The dramaturge and lecturer training
Writing for daily SOAPs & telenovelas

 If you are interested in participating in a full-time film / TV Academy programmes of the master school from August 2014, an information event is being held on Monday, the 30/06/14 at 6 pm in the seminar room master school film / TV Academy, Zossener str 41, 10961 Berlin: 

 
You can get to know the organisers personally during a question session.

The full-time programmes are based on three pillars:
1. the comprehensive mediation of the dramaturgical know-how teachers experienced over 10 years of practice
2. own material development of participants with individual advice by the instructors
3. a strong and honest market reference by working with production companies, additional industry guests, the pitching the finished script.

To participate in the information event, send a message to info@film-tv-autor.de .

Formore information about script training in Berlin, visit Master Schül Drehbuch. 

Iram Haq's "I'm Yours" wins Brussels Film fest screenplay award

 The 10-day Brussels Film festival wrapped on Saturday, with a gala screening of Hossein Amini's "The Two Faces of January". The evening was also given over to handing out awards to the films in competition. The Brussels Film Festival focuses entirely on European cinema, with films coming from places as far apart as Greece and Iceland.

The winner of the 2014 screenplay award went to "I am Yours" (Jeg er din), written and directed by Norwegian actress Iram Haq, the tale of a 27 year-old single mother's search for love in Norway. This is Haq's first film as a director, although she has been working as an actress for several year. "I am Yours" was Norway's candidate for the foreign-language Oscar this year.

The full list of winners.

► OF HORSES AND MEN (Iceland) won The GOLDEN IRIS AWARD.
► THE WHITE IRIS AWARD goes to THE REUNION (Sweden)
► JURY AWARD : ACES (Spain)
CONGRATULATIONS to Benedikt Erlingsson, Anna Odell & Alfonso Zarauza !
And also:
► FEDEX CINEPHILE AWARD: THE REUNION by ANNA ODELL
► CINEUROPA AWARD : VIS-A-VIS by NEVIO MARASOVIC
► BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD : I’M YOURS by IRAM HAQ
► AUDIENCE AWARD : THE DOUBLE by RICHARD AYOADE
► PRIME AWARD : FAREWELL TO THE MOON by DICK TUINDER
► BETV AWARD : THE DARK VALLEY by ANDREAS PROCHASKA
► RTBF AWARD : THE REUNION by ANNA ODELL

It is worth noting the three prizes that went to Anna Odell's "The Reunion".

On a personal note, other films worth watching were "Jack Strong" by Wladyslaw Pasikowski (an effective and emotional thriller based on the true story of a Polish general that worked as an agent for the CIA) and "La chambre bleue" by Mathieu Amalric.