ACE 34 Producers Selected

Nicholas Alavanos – Filmiki Productions – Greece
“Yuri” directed by John Gripeos

Anna Maria Aslanoğlu – istos film – Turkey
“100 Thousand Turkish Lira” directed by Nazli Elif Durlu

Andrea Berentsen Ottmar – Eye Eye Pictures – Norway
“Slave” directed by Stefan Faldbakken

Julie Billy – June Films – France
“Expectation” directed by Clémence Poesy

Miljenka Čogelja – Pipser – Croatia
“Suspicious Area” directed by Filip Peruzović

Tania El Khoury – Les films de l’Altaï – France
“Tide” directed by Hussen Ibraheem

Carla Fotea – microFILM – Romania
“The Price of Gold” directed by Eugen Jebeleanu

Verena Gräfe-Höft – Junafilm GmbH – Germany
“The Uninvited Guest” (WT) directed by Julia Drache

Olivier Guerpillon – Fox in the Snow Films AB – Sweden
“CAR:Y” director tbc

Janne Hjeltnes – The Global Ensemble Drama – Norway
“First Aid for Killers” (WT) directed by Bobbie Peers

Kamilla Hodøl – Elation Pictures Ltd – United Kingdom
“Weightlessness” directed by Simon Cartwright

Fanny-Laure Malo – La Boîte à Fanny – Canada
“Suzanne Falling” directed by Philippe Grenier

Layla Meijman – Studio Ruba – The Netherlands
“What’s Wrong With Sylvester” directed by Zara Dwinger

Heather Millard – Compass Films – Iceland
“Shitballs” directed by Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir

Marek Novák – Xova Film – Czech Republic
“Dead Mountain” directed by Cristina Groșan

Jani Pösö – It’s Alive Films – Finland
“Memory Lane” directed by Teemu Nikki

Vanya Rainova – Portokal – Bulgaria
“MXIV” directed by Yordan Petkov

Alba Sotorra – AlbaSotorra SL – Spain
“To Live in a Shout” directed by Diana Toucedo

ACE Producers has selected 18 experienced independent producers to participate in the 34^th edition of its ACE Annual Programme. The selected producers from 16 different territories will attend three workshops throughout 2024 and 2025, moving the projects with which they applied forward. After completing the programme, these producers will join the established ACE Network.

The selection committee consisted of members of the ACE Board and Network, ACE president Marleen Slot and director and head of studies Jacobine van der Vloed.

“We are excited about this new group of producers, from sixteen different countries and from very different backgrounds, joining the ACE Network. With each of these experienced independent producers and their individual expertise and know-how, the ACE Network will grow stronger, providing a solid basis for successful European co-productions.”, Jacobine van der Vloed commented.

Four events make up the core of the training. The first workshop takes place in Leiden, The Netherlands in early October, with the support of the Netherlands Film Fund. This workshop is dedicated to content development and includes group sessions and individual meetings, analysing the concepts, dramaturgy, and target audiences of producers’ projects.

In November, the second workshop, offering the producers advice on possible financing strategies for their projects, will take place in Warsaw, Poland, with the support of the Polish Film Institute and in collaboration with Independent Film Foundation. The week-long workshop consists of interactive sessions exploring international financing opportunities and strategies through detailed analysis of the producers’ finance plans, with input provided by high-grade professionals from across the industry. The sessions offer a uniquely open exchange of experience and ideas which sheds light on the evolution of co-production practices, of public and private funding schemes, and of the global marketplace in the digital age.

The third workshop looks at the producers’ business strategies, providing them with models of sustainable company management and ways to build businesses that have real value. Group sessions and panel discussions guide the producers through keener applications of marketing techniques and diversified commercial activities. The Business Prospects Workshop will take place in Süd-Tirol with the support of IDM Süd-Tirol, and is immediately followed by the ACE Annual Reunion, where the new producers will be officially welcomed into the ACE Network.

The Annual Reunion 2025 will be held in Zagreb, Croatia with the support of the HAVC – Croation Audiovisual Centre.

The ACE Annual Programme is supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, Netherlands Film Fund, Polish Film Institute, Procirep, Screen Ireland, German Films, Téléfilm Canada, Roma Lazio Film Commission, HAVC – Croatian Audiovisual Centre, IDM Südtirol, Focal and APA Czech Republic – Audiovisual Producers Association.