Author: Thijs van der Laak

PRODUCERS SELECTED FOR ACE MENTORING PROGRAMME EU 2025

For the fourth consecutive year, ACE Producers has selected 10 talented up-and-coming producers for the ACE Mentoring Programme EU 2025 from Europe and beyond.

The aim of the programme is to support emerging producers in reaching the next level of their careers and extending their international network by offering them the opportunity to learn from established mentors from within ACE Producers Network actively working within the international film industry.

Each selected producer has been carefully matched to a mentor according to their specific needs. The programme includes (online) meetings throughout the year, with the intent to share the collective knowledge of the ACE Network with a new generation of producers.

The ACE Mentoring Programme is supported by the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme and the Netherlands Film Fund.

SELECTED PRODUCERS FOR ACE MENTORING PROGRAMME EU 2024:

Tapiwa Chipfupa, Amidextrous Pictures – Zimbabwe
Mentor: Ellen Havenith, PRPL – The Netherlands

Patricia D’Intino, Good Kids – Hungary
Mentor: Maria Blicharska, Blick Productions International – Poland/France

Enea Gramo, Art Film – Albania
Mentor: Miia Haavisto, Tekele Productions – Finland

Andrea Italia, Nieminen Film – Italy
Mentor: Anamaria Antoci, Tangaj Production – Romania

Ragna Midtgard, Den siste skilling – Norway
Mentor: Julie Billy, June Films – France

Anna Moragriega Farrés, Pausa Dramàtica Films – Spain
Mentor: Alessandro Amato, dispàrte – Italy

Rūta Petronytė, Smart Casual – Lithuania
Mentor: Sinisa Juričić, Nukleus Film – Croatia

Sergei Serpuhov, Baltic Pine Films – Latvia
Mentor: Maria Drandaki, Homemade Films – Greece

Tero Tamminen, East Film – Finland
Mentor: Judy Tossell, EgoliTossell – Germany

Christelle Younes, Btrswt Pictures – Lebanon
Mentor: Paul Miller, Escape Pictures – Spain

Together with ACE Training Days, the ACE Mentoring Programme is part of ACE Springboard, a combination of programmes focusing on emerging independent producers to strengthen careers at an early stage. ACE Springboard provides participants with the tools needed to be adaptable and innovative in an ever-changing film industry – for a successful new generation of independent producers!

More information on the ACE Springboard Programmes can be found here.
For questions, contact us at ace@ace-producers.com.

SELECTION ANNOUNCED FOR ACE MENTORING PROGRAMME NL 2025

Gearing up for the fifth edition, ACE Producers has selected three upcoming producers based in the Netherlands and Overseas Territories to participate in the ACE Mentoring Programme NL 2025.

The programme aims to support emerging producers in reaching the next level of their careers and developing their international network. The selected participants have been matched to a mentor of the ACE Producers Network according to their specific personal needs. The mentorship includes meetings throughout the year at international festivals and events, and online.

The ACE Mentoring Programme NL has been set up in collaboration with the Netherlands Film Fund.

SELECTED PRODUCERS FOR ACE MENTORING PROGRAMME NL 2025:

Laura Bouwmeester, Labyrint Film – The Netherlands
Mentor: Martin Persson, Anagram Produktion – Sweden

Michel Drenthe, Caribbean Filmcom – Curaçao
Mentor: Lisa-Marie Russo, Fly Film Company – United Kingdom

Nicky Onstenk, IJswater Films – The Netherlands
Mentor: Marica Stocchi, Rosamont – Italy

Together with ACE Training Days, the ACE Mentoring Programme is part of ACE Springboard, a combination of programmes focusing on emerging independent producers to strengthen careers at an early stage. ACE Springboard provides participants with the tools needed to be adaptable and innovative in an ever-changing film industry – for a successful new generation of independent producers.

Please find more information on the ACE Springboard Programmes here, for more information please contact us: ace@ace-producers.com

Call for Applications – ACE Training Days Italy 2025

ACE Producers and IDM Film Commission Südtirol are pleased to announce the Call for Applications for the Training Days Italy 2025.

The ACE Training Days Italy is a tailor-made 1-day workshop for producers from the Triveneto region, themed around How to build a sustainable economic foundation for your business.

The world is changing fast and the world of film and television is no different.
Just when you think you have everything under control, something changes. Ever-evolving technology, changing legislation, climate change, turbulent politics and so on. This has a huge impact on film production companies and the people who work for them, requiring a great deal of flexibility, adaptability and above all, the right strategy supported by accurate leadership.

In this workshop we will focus on two main pillars of building a sustainable business in this VUCA* times.

Developing and implementing an agile and at the same time sustainable strategy.
Effective leadership in in VUCA* world.

*VUCA stands for:

Volatility: The nature and dynamics of change, and the speed at which things evolve.
Uncertainty: The lack of predictability and the inability to foresee future events.
Complexity: The multitude of interconnected and interdependent variables that can complicate decision-making and problem-solving.
Ambiguity: The lack of clarity about the meaning of an event or situation, making it hard to interpret and act decisively.

Details:
Dates: 1 April, 2025 from 9:30 to 16:00
Location: Bolzano, Italy
Language: English
Application deadline: 5 March, 2025
Maximum number of participants: 12
Target group of the workshop: The workshop is aimed at producers residing in Triveneto (Trentino-South Tyrol, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia).

Application:
Interested producers can apply by sending the following documents

CV with filmography
Brief letter of motivation
Profile of the production company
Proof of residence in one of the regions of Triveneto
The application documents must be submitted to Typeform by March 5, 2025 at the latest.

More information and the application form can be found in Italian and German on the website of IDM Film Commission Südtirol.

Oscar Nominations 2025

Best Picture
THE BRUTALIST by Brady Corbet
Co-produced by Viktória Petrányi (ACE Hungary)

Best Director
THE BRUTALIST by Brady Corbet
Co-produced by Viktória Petrányi (ACE Hungary)

Best Actor
Sebastian Stan for
THE APPRENTICE by Ali Abbasi
Produced by Daniel Bekerman (ACE Canada)

Adrien Brody for
THE BRUTALIST by Brady Corbet
Co-produced by Viktória Petrányi (ACE Hungary)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Jeremy Strong for
THE APPRENTICE by Ali Abbasi
Produced by Daniel Bekerman (ACE Canada)

Guy Pearce for
THE BRUTALIST by Brady Corbet
Co-produced by Viktória Petrányi (ACE Hungary)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Felicity Jones for
THE BRUTALIST by Brady Corbet
Co-produced by Viktória Petrányi (ACE Hungary)

Best Original Screenplay
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold for
THE BRUTALIST by Brady Corbet
Co-produced by Viktória Petrányi (ACE Hungary)

Documentary Film
SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT by Johan Grimonprez
Co-produced by Frank Hoeve (ACE The Netherlands) and Katja Draaijer (ACE The Netherlands)

International Feature Film
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE by Magnus von Horn
Produced by Mariusz Włodarski (ACE Poland)
Co-produced by Madeleine Ekman (ACE Sweden)

Best Original Score
Daniel Blumberg for
THE BRUTALIST by Brady Corbet
Co-produced by Viktória Petrányi (ACE Hungary)

Cinematography
Lol Crawley for
THE BRUTALIST by Brady Corbet
Co-produced by Viktória Petrányi (ACE Hungary)

Ed Lachman for
MARIA by Pablo Larraín
Produced by Jonas Dornbach (ACE Germany) and Janine Jackowski (ACE Germany)
Co-produced by Giorgos Karnavas (ACE Greece) and Ildiko Kemeny (ACE Hungary)

Best Production Design
Judy Becker / Patricia Cuccia for
THE BRUTALIST by Brady Corbet
Co-produced by Viktória Petrányi (ACE Hungary)

Best Film Editing
Dávid Jancsó for
THE BRUTALIST by Brady Corbet
Co-produced by Viktória Petrányi (ACE Hungary)

Live Action Short Film
I’M NOT A ROBOT by Victoria Warmerdam
Produced by Trent (ACE The Netherlands)

THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT by Nebojsa Slijepcevic
Co-produced by Katya Trichkova (ACE Bulgaria)

Animated Short Film
WANDER TO WONDER by Nina Gantz
Produced by Stienette Bosklopper (ACE The Netherlands)

*winners marked in bold

PRODUCERS SELECTED FOR ACE ANIMATION SPECIAL 2025

ACE Producers has selected 17 experienced independent producers for the 6^th edition of the ACE Animation Special. The intensive workshop is designed to provide extensive knowledge of how to diversify business with developing and producing long form, feature film and series animation productions for an international audience including cinema, broadcast and streaming. Supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, Screen Ireland, the Netherlands Film Fund and Animation Ireland, the ACE Animation Special will take place from the 18^th to the 23^rd March 2025 in Dingle, Ireland, in collaboration with the Animation Dingle festival.

Producers will attend with animated features and series projects in early development. Focusing primarily on the creative and financial aspects of feature and longform animation production, the ACE Animation Special will offer sessions on animatic story development, international production workflows, the creative dynamics of animation production, financing strategies and international distribution. The workshop will also include sessions on physical line production as well as case studies on completed animation projects.

SELECTED ACE ANIMATION SPECIAL PRODUCERS:

Anne-Flore Aussant – Studio Marguya – Ireland

Jure Bušić – Jaka Produkcija – Croatia

Daniel Dow – DPPLR – The Netherlands

Barney Goodland – Magic Light Pictures – United Kingdom

Kjersti Greger – Klipp og Lim – Norway

Anne-Laure Guégan – Need Productions – Belgium

Anika Homolová – Krutart – Czech Republic

Robert Jaszczurowski – GS Animation / Grupa Smacznego – Poland

Maria Motovska – Maurfilm s.r.o. – Czech Republic

Anna Mroczek – Likaon/WJTeam – Poland

Marianne Ostrat – Alexandra Film – Estonia

Svitlana Soloviova – SvitloforFilm – Ukraine

Alba Sotorra – Alba Sotorra S.L. – Spain

Marica Stocchi – Rosamont – Italy

Samantha Taylor – Film & Music Entertainment Ltd. – United Kingdom

Federico Turani – IBRIDO Studio – Italy

Dagne Vildziunaite – Just A Moment – Lithuania

For more information please contact:
specials@ace-producers.com

Films by ACE producers at Berlinale 2025

Competition

THE SAFE HOUSE by Lionel Baier
Co-produced by Yaël Fogiel (ACE France)

HOT MILK by Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Produced by Giorgos Karnavas (ACE Greece)

MOTHER’S BABY by Johanna Moder
Produced by Oliver Neumann (ACE Austria)
Co-produced by Viola Fügen (ACE Germany)

THE BLUE TRAIL by Gabriel Mascaro
Co-produced by Marleen Slot (ACE The Netherlands)

REFLECTION IN A DEAD DIAMOND by Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani
Co-produced by Gilles Chanial (ACE Luxembourg) and Bart van Langendonck (ACE Belgium)

THE ICE TOWER by Lucile Hadžihalilović
Co-produced by Ingmar Trost (ACE Germany)

YUNAN by Ameer Fakher Eldin
Produced by Dorothe Beinemeier (ACE Germany)

Perspectives

HOW TO BE NORMAL AND THE ODDNESS OF THE OTHER WORLD by Florian Pochlatko
Produced by Arash T. Riahi (ACE Austria)

LITTLE TROUBLE GIRLS by Urška Đukić
Co-produced by Miha Cernec (ACE Slovenia), Dragana Jovovic (ACE Serbia) and Julie Paratian (ACE France)

PUNCHING THE WORLD by Constanze Klaue
Produced by Alexander Wadouh (ACE Germany)

Berlinale Special Gala

LATE SHIFT by Petra Volpe
Produced by Reto Schärli (ACE Switzerland)

KÖLN 75 by Ido Fluk
Co-produced by Erik Glijnis (ACE The Netherlands), Leontine Petit (ACE The Netherlands), Dries Phlypo (ACE Belgium)

Berlinale Special

NO BEAST. SO FIERCE by Burhan Qurbani
Produced by Fabian Maubach (ACE Germany)

Panorama

BEGINNINGS by Jeanette Nordahl
Produced by Eva Jakobsen (ACE Denmark)
Co-produced by Erik Glijnis (ACE The Netherlands), Leontine Petit (ACE The Netherlands) and Dries Phlypo (ACE Belgium)

DELICIOUS by Nele Mueller-Stöfen
Produced by Jonas Dornbach (ACE Germany) and Janine Jackowski (ACE Germany)

THE UGLY STEPSISTER by Emilie Blichfeldt
Co-produced by Ada Solomon (ACE Romania) and Mariusz Włodarski (ACE Poland)

DREAMERS by Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor
Produced by Emily Morgan (ACE United Kingdom)

PAUL by Denis Côté
Produced by Hany Ouichou (ACE Canada)

Generations

OUR WILDEST DAYS by Vasilis Kekatos
Co-produced by Jamila Wenske (ACE Germany)

PATERNAL LEAVE by Alissa Jung
Produced by Viola Fügen (ACE Germany)
Executive produced by Mario Gianani (ACE Italy)

SANDBAG DAM by Cejen Cernic
Produced by Ankica Juric Tilic (ACE Croatia)

Forum

SCARS OF A PUTSCH by Nathalie Borgers
Co-produced by Olivier Dubois (ACE Belgium)

ACE 35 CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Every year, ACE Producers accepts 18 experienced film producers into the renowned ACE Network after completing ACE’s Annual Programme of executive education. Interested producers are asked to submit a feature film project in development that is suitable for co-production and aimed at the international market along with their application.

Application deadline: 30 April 2025

Four events make up the core of the training programme, held in four different locations.

OCTOBER – CONTENT DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
Through pitching practice training and sessions on leadership and core values, the producers learn more about themselves and each other, their own businesses and the types of projects they produce. Group sessions and walk & talk discussions provide insight into early development problems such as preparing intention notes, working with talents and maintaining good relationships with writers and directors. During group sessions led by consultants, producers are encouraged to offer each other script advice and analyse financing plans and marketing materials. Participants also benefit from individual consultancy meetings analysing the concepts, dramaturgy, financing plan, and target audiences of their projects.
12 – 18 October 2025 in Leiden, The Netherlands

NOVEMBER – FINANCING STRATEGIES WORKSHOP
Interactive sessions exploring international financing opportunities and strategies through detailed analysis of producers’ finance plans, with input provided by high-grade professionals from across the industry. A uniquely open exchange of experience and ideas which sheds light on the evolution of co-production practices, public and private funding schemes, and the global marketplace in the digital age.
23 – 29 November 2025 (dates tbc) in Warsaw, Poland

APRIL – BUSINESS PROSPECTS WORKSHOP
Sessions on business growth, designed to provide producers 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.
12 – 16 April 2026 (dates tbc), location to be announced.

APRIL – ACE PRODUCERS ANNUAL REUNION
Held in a different country every year over a long springtime weekend, and open to all members of the ACE Network, this event is an occasion for experienced producers to share news, knowledge, opinions and practical advice in an informal but confidential environment. Warts-and-all case studies, production company showcases, insider-information sessions, and more.
17 – 19 April 2026 (dates tbc), location to be announced.

ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS

Be an owner, partner or associate of an independent production company;
Have been the delegate producer (i.e. the principal responsible producer) of at least one theatrically-released feature film;
Have a fiction feature film project in development which is designed to attract international finance and distribution – ideally in the form of a first draft screenplay or long treatment;
Be available and commit to attending a selection interview during the first week of September, the Content Development Workshop (October), the Financing Strategies Workshop (November), the Business Prospects Workshop and the Annual Reunion (both in April).

APPLY
If you are interested in applying, please contact ace@ace-producers.com or complete this pre-registration form to establish your eligibility and organise a meeting with the ACE team. For any questions, please contact us at ace@ace-producers.com.

Applications will primarily be evaluated on the producers’ track record and motivation, followed by the strength of the project and its co-production and collaborative potential.

Visit the workshop section of the ACE Producers website for more information on the Annual Programme and application process.

PARTNERS
The ACE 35 Annual Programme is supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, Netherlands Film Fund, Polish Film Institute, Procirep, German Films, Téléfilm Canada, Screen Ireland, Roma Lazio Film Commission, Focal and APA – Audiovisual Producers Association.

Academy Awards Shortlist 2025

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

ARMAND by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel
Produced by Andrea Berentsen Ottmar (ACE Norway)
Co-produced by Derk-Jan Warrink and Koji Nelissen (ACE The Netherlands)
Executive Produced by Dyveke Graver (ACE Norway)

SANTOSH by Sandhya Suri
Co-produced by Roman Paul (ACE Germany), Carole Scotta (ACE France)

THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE by Magnus von Horn
Produced by Mariusz Włodarski (ACE Poland)
Co-produced by Madeleine Ekman (ACE Sweden)

UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE by Matthew Rankin
Produced by Sylvain Corbeil (ACE Canada)

VERMIGLIO by Maura Delpero
Produced by Francesca Andreoli (ACE Italy)
Co-produced by Jacques-Henri Bronckart (ACE Belgium)

WAVES by Jiří Mádl
Produced by Monika Kristlová (ACE Czech Republic)

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT by Johan Grimonprez
Co-produced by Frank Hoeve (ACE The Netherlands) and Katja Draaijer (ACE The Netherlands)

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

THE APPRENTICE by Ali Abbasi
Produced by Daniel Bekerman (ACE Canada)

MARIA by Pablo Larraín
Produced by Jonas Dornbach (ACE Germany) and Janine Jackowski (ACE Germany)
Co-produced by Giorgos Karnavas (ACE Greece) and Ildiko Kemeny (ACE Hungary)

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

WANDER TO WONDER by Nina Gantz
Produced by Stienette Bosklopper (ACE The Netherlands)

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

I’M NOT A ROBOT by Victoria Warmerdam
Produced by Trent (ACE The Netherlands)

THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT by Nebojsa Slijepcevic
Co-produced by Katya Trichkova (ACE Bulgaria)

Rotterdam titles by ACE Members

TIGER COMPETITION

IM HAUS MEINER ELTERN by Tim Ellrich
Produced by Jan Krüger (ACE Germany)

PERLA by Alexandra Makarová
Produced by Arash T. Riahi (ACE Austria)

WIND, TALK TO ME by Stefan Djordjevic
Produced by Dragana Jovovic (ACE Serbia)
Co-produced by Miha Cernec (ACE Slovenia)

BIG SCREEN COMPETITION

IDYLLIC by Aaron Rookus
Produced by Layla Meijman (ACE The Netherlands)

ORENDA by Pirjo Honkasalo
Produced by Misha Jaari (ACE Finland)
Co-produced by Erik Hemmendorf (ACE Sweden)

OUR FATHER – THE LAST DAYS OF A DICTATOR by José Filipe Costa
Produced by Filipa Reis (ACE Portugal)

LIMELIGHT

ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT by Payal Kapadia
Co-produced by Frank Hoeve (ACE The Netherlands)
and Gilles Chanial (ACE Luxemburg)

APLHA. by Jan-Willem van Ewijk
Produced by Frank Hoeve (ACE The Netherlands)
Co-produced by Miha Cernec (ACE Slovenia)

MALDOROR by Fabrice Du Welz
Jean-Yves Roubin (ACE Belgium)

MARIA by Pablo Larraín
Produced by Jonas Dornbach (ACE Germany) and Janine Jackowski (ACE Germany)
Co-produced by Giorgos Karnavas (ACE Greece) and Ildiko Kemeny (ACE Hungary)

HARBOUR

THANK YOU SATAN by Hicham Lasri
Produced by Lamia Chraïbi (ACE France)

RTM

THREE DAYS OF FISH by Peter Hoogendoorn
Produced by Stienette Bosklopper (ACE The Netherlands)
Co-produced by Dries Phlypo (ACE Belgium)

ACE Producers’ Films in Sundance 2025

WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION

BRIDES by Suhayla El-Bushra
Produced by Nicky Bentham (ACE United Kingdom) and Marica Stocchi (ACE Italy)
Developed during the ACE 31 Annual Programme

SUKKWAN ISLAND by Vladimir de Fontenay
Produced by Carole Scotta (ACE France)
Co-produced by Jacques-Henri Bronckart (ACE Belgium)

THE THINGS YOU KILL by Alireza Khatam
Produced by Cyriac Auriol (ACE France) and Mariusz Włodarski (ACE Poland)

WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

ENDLESS COOKIE by Seth Scriver & Peter Scriver
Produced by Daniel Bekerman (ACE Canada)

PREMIERES

ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU by Cherien Dabis
Produced by Thanassis Karathanos (ACE Germany) and Janine Teerling (ACE Cyprus)

JIMPA by Sophie Hyde
Co-produced by Marleen Slot (ACE The Netherlands)

THE WEDDING BANQUET by Andrew Ahn
Executive produced by Daniel Bekerman (ACE Canada)

MIDNIGHT

THE UGLY STEPSISTER by Emilie Blichfeldt
Co-produced by Ada Solomon (ACE Romania) and Mariusz Włodarski (ACE Poland)