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.

1. Developing and implementing an agile and at the same time sustainable strategy.
2. 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.

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

ACE Producers and the Independent Film Foundation are proud to announce the 14 emerging producers selected for the fourth edition of ACE Training Days Poland, a workshop aimed at strengthening upcoming producers from Central Eastern European countries. Focusing on “The Essentials of Co-Producing: What’s the Deal with Negotiating”, it gives the participants the opportunity to learn from established producers and film professionals and to further develop their international network. The ACE Training Days Poland is supported by th Polish Film Institute.

The 2-day interactive workshop, taking place on 20 and 21 November, will include plenary sessions and case studies, as well as group meetings and round table discussions, provided with the help of ACE consultants and producers who have notably strong track-records in negotiation, international financing, co-production, sales, and distribution, and who will share their knowledge and international expertise.

The Training Days Poland is connected to the ACE 34 Financing Strategies Workshop (18 – 23 November 2024, Warsaw), which is a workshop within the ACE Annual Programme organised for the selected 18 experienced producers from Europe and beyond.

SELECTED PRODUCERS FOR ACE TRAINING DAYS POLAND:

Brigita Beniušytė – M-Films – Lithuania

Gunda Bergmane – Nafta Films – Latvia

Patricia D’Intino – Good Kids – Hungary

Aneta Dobies – House Media Company – Poland

Antra Gaile – Air Productions – Latvia

Anna Gawlita – Kijora Film – Poland

Alžběta Janáčková – Silk Films – Czech Republic

Maria Leźnicka – Haja Films – Poland

Zala Opara – Vertigo Ljubljana – Slovenia

Tomáš Pertold – Perfilm – Czech Republic

Dagmara Piasecka – Green Rat Production – Poland

Adriana Racasan – Point Film – Romania

Dorota Schleiss – ASF Studio – Poland

Łukasz Szklarz – Under Ski Tower – Poland

Together with the ACE Mentoring Programme, the ACE Training Days are part of ACE Springboard, a combination of programmes strengthening emerging independent producers. 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 here, for more information please contact us at ace@ace-producers.com.

The ACE Animation Special, held in Dingle, Ireland, between the 18th and 23rd of March 2025, is supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, the Netherlands Film Fund, Screen Ireland and Animation Ireland, and is organised in close collaboration with Animation Dingle.

The workshop is aimed at experienced producers who want to diversify their activities to include, and/or deepen their knowledge of, developing and producing long form/feature film animation production for an international audience (cinema, broadcast or streaming).

16 to 18 producers will be selected for the workshop, preferably with a long form/feature length animation project at concept stage. 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 one or more sessions on physical line production as well as case studies on completed animation projects. Group sessions, plenary sessions and one to one meetings will together build a workshop where producers learn from each other’s experiences and those of key industry guests.  

APPLICATION DEADLINE
29 November 2024
Up to 18 spaces available

WORKSHOP DATES
18 March – 23 March 2025

LOCATION
Dingle, Ireland

FOR FURTHER DETAILS
More information on eligibility, participation fees and how to apply can be found on the ACE Animation Special page.

13 emerging producers have been selected for the upcoming ACE Training Days NL. Taking place from 8 – 10 October 2024 in Leiden and Amsterdam, the workshop will focus on “The Essentials of International Co-Production”.

The ACE Training Days NL is a tailor-made programme designed for emerging producers from The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg who are at relatively early stages of their careers and looking to expand their networks and learn more about the international context of the audiovisual industry. The workshop welcomes producers working in fiction, animation and documentary, and strives to make the industry more inclusive and diverse.

This interactive workshop will include plenary sessions, case studies, and group meetings provided with the help of ACE consultants and producers who have notably strong track records in marketing and promotion of international co-production projects, and who will share their knowledge and international expertise.

The ACE Training Days NL was set up in collaboration with the Netherlands Film Fund – a key funder of ACE Producers.

PRODUCERS SELECTED FOR ACE TRAINING DAYS NL 2024

Laura Bouwmeester – Labyrint Film – The Netherlands

Flavia Biurrun – Saga Film – Belgium

Rosa Duvekot – Mint2 – The Netherlands

Marten van Warmerdam – Graniet Film – The Netherlands

Fabien Colas – 35M Film – Luxembourg

Virginia Martin – Contando Films – Germany

Julian Haisch – Lemming Film – The Netherlands

Claudio Montesano Casillas – The Waves – The Netherlands

Ruoyao Jane Yao – Vines Films – The Netherlands

Felix Dukker – Murmur Pictures – The Netherlands

Sandra Müller – Marlene Film – Germany

Vincent Edusei – Carousel  Film – Germany

Jasper Wiedhöft – Reynard Films – Germany

Together with the ACE Mentoring Programme, the ACE Training Days, is part of ACE Springboard, a combination of programmes focusing on emerging independent producers to strengthen their 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.

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.