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.

Eighteen international producers will join ACE for the sixth edition of the ACE Series Special, taking place in Madrid, Spain this coming November.

The week-long workshop offers producers the opportunity to expand their understanding of the series production landscape and internationalise their network within the industry. Professionals from companies such as Fremantle and Banijay regularly attend as consultants, along with producers and showrunners offering no-holds-barred case studies and discussions.

The ACE Series Special will take place in Madrid thanks to support from Creative Europe MEDIA and the collaboration of ICEX Spain Trade & Investment, as well as on-site support from the Madrid Film Office. The selected 18 participants represent 14 countries and include a number of highly experienced producers venturing into series production for the first time. Each producer will attend the workshop with a series project in the early stages of development which will serve as a vehicle for their learning.

Of the workshop, ACE director Jacobine van der Vloed says “We are delighted to be taking the ACE Series Special to Spain, a country which has been at the forefront of series production in Europe. We’re glad to be able to offer the selected producers a chance to gain further insight into the drama series landscape and to get their projects to where they need to be.”

The workshop will take place from the 4^th till the 9^th of November 2024 and will include an afternoon open to local Spanish producers.

ACE SERIES SPECIAL 6 PRODUCERS

Peter Badač — Slovakia / Czechia — BFILM
“Velvet Fall”
Writers: Zuzana Dzurindova, Peter Nagy
Director: Michal Blaško

Lamia Chraibi — Morocco / France — La Prod/Moon a Deal films
“Noor”
Showrunner: Mohcine Besri
Co-Writers / Co-Directors: Sofia Alaoui, Mohcine Besri

Jean-Laurent Csinidis — France — Films de Force Majeure
“Mater”
Writer: Laurine Estrade

Mairtín de Barra — Ireland — Tailored Films
“The Collective”
Writer: Glenn Montgomery

Clement Duboin — France — Good Fortune Films
“The Tree”
Showrunner: Akihiro Hata
Writer & director: Akihiro Hata

Harry Flöter — Germany — 2Pilots Filmproduction
“Semis Trail”
Showrunner: Julia Klier
Writer: Julia Klier

Aleksi Hyvärinen – Finland — Don Films
“Doctor’s Oath“
Writer: Mikko Myllylahti
Directors: Mikko Myllylahti, Taneli Mustonen

Anda Ionescu – Romania – Tangaj Production
“Angelmaker”
Showrunners: Cristina Groșan, Anda Ionescu
Writer & director: Cristina Groșan

Rajko Jazbec — Switzerland — Catpics
“The Guard”
Writers: Stéphane Mitchell, Bernardo Pellegrini, Christian Johannes Koch
Director: Christian Johannes Koch

Kathryn Kennedy — Ireland — Kennedy Films
“Nest of Heretics”
Writer: John Morton

Sabina Kodra — Albania — Erafilm         
“The Invisible Successor”
Writers: Dorutina Basha, Robert Budina
Director: Robert Budina

Alejandra Mora — Spain — Quatre Films Audiovisuales
“I Love Spain”
Writer: Begoña Soler

Silvia Panakova — Slovakia — Dayhey
“Murders in the Valleys”
Writer: Martin Jaroš
Director: Braňo Mišík

Roman Paul — Germany — Razor Film
“Afterlives”
Writer: Ian Iqbal Rashid
Based on the novel by Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurna

Maja Popović Milojević — Serbia — Sense Production
“Brain Drain”
Showrunner: Matija Dragojevic
Writers: Matija Dragojevic, Ljubica Lukovic

Pavel Strnad — Czechia — Negativ
“The Last Goddess”
Writers: Sára Zeithammerová, Hana Neničková
Director: Damián Vondrášek

Gudrun Edda Thorhannesdottir — Iceland — Snow Drift Films
“Climate”
Writers: Gísli Rafn Ólafsson, Axel Ólafur Thorhannesson

Katya Trichkova — Bulgaria — Contrast Films
“Judgement of Solomon”
Showrunner: Teodora Markova
Writers: Teodora Markova, Nevena Kertova

 

PREVIOUS EDITIONS

Since 2019, when the workshop was devised, over 80 producers have attended the Series Special programme from companies such as Komplizen Film, Lemming Film, Heretic and The Match Factory Productions. Attending consultants have included Christian Vesper (Fremantle), Ed Guiney (Element Pictures), Piv Bernth (Apple Tree Productions), Davide Nardini (Amazon Italy), Alexandre Piel (ARTE), Frank Spotnitz (Big Light Productions), Philipp Kreuzer (maze productions), Reno Antoniades (Lee & Thompson), Mario Gianani (Wildside) and Caroline Benjo (Haut et Court).

 

ACE PRODUCERS

Strengthening independent producers, ACE Producers uses the power of the ACE Network’s collective knowledge to tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities in an everchanging industry.

ACE Producers is Europe’s premier network of successful producers from Europe and beyond. Membership is based on professionalism, mutual trust, collaboration and forward thinking.

Each year, 18 new experienced independent producers are accepted into the ACE Network after completing the ACE Annual Programme of executive education. It consists of three workshops emphasising the key position and unique responsibilities of the producer throughout the whole process of making a film. Producers apply with a film-project in development that is suitable for co-production and aimed at the international market.

With an understanding of the industry’s needs, the ACE Specials are additional workshops focusing on series production, animation production and leadership skills, all for experienced producers, while the ACE Springboard offers emerging producers the chance to benefit from training and mentorship from within the ACE Network.

Founded in 1993, ACE Producers is proud to count more than 280 active producers from more than 52 countries to the ACE Network. ACE producers regularly unite to update their knowledge, share information and initiate collaboration in a safe space at reunions and professional events at all major festivals and markets during the year.

ACE Producers and Independent  Film Foundation are pleased to announce the Call for Applications for the Training Days Poland 2024 which has been set up thanks to the support of the Polish Film Institute.

The ACE Training Days Poland is a tailor-made 2-day programme designed for emerging producers at relatively early stages in their careers, who are looking to expand their network and learn more about the international context of the audiovisual industry. The hands-on workshop welcomes producers working in fiction, animation, and documentary, and strives to make the industry more inclusive, diverse, and collaborative.

A total of 12 producers (6 Polish and 6 total from neighbouring countries) will be selected to join the workshop in Warsaw. As ACE aims to encourage international collaboration, the call is open to emerging producers from Poland, as well as Albania, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia, Montenegro, North-Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.

The Training Days Poland will be themed around “The Essentials of Co-Producing: What’s the Deal with Negotiating”. The 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 international financing, co-production, negotiation, sales, and distribution, and who will share their knowledge and international expertise.

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

WORKSHOP DATES
20 & 21 November 2024 (the workshop starts at 09:30 in the morning, therefore international participants should arrive on the 19^th and depart the 21^st after 18:00).

LOCATION
Warsaw, Poland

ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS

• Emerging producers with an interest in the international market and co-production (this workshop will not focus on line production).
• Producers should have at least one credit on a short film.
• Producers will best benefit from the workshop when already working on a  feature-length project in development.
• Producers would need to be committed to attend the entire workshop.
• Producers who were selected for previous editions of the Training Days are eligible to re-apply.

FEES

• Participation is free of charge, but we do ask full commitment.
• ACE Producers will cover the subsistence during the workshop.
• All travel & accommodation expenses that arise will NOT be covered by the organisation. The producers can apply to their local/national fund to support these expenses.

APPLICATION DEADLINE
11 September 2024 at 23:39 CEST
Up to 12 places available

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your application HERE
In the applications, you need to attach the following documents, in English and all merged into 1 PDF file:

• One-page motivational letter
• Company profile
• Producer’s biography & filmography
• List of current projects in development (with information and status on each project)

You have also to attach the declaration of participating, which you can find HERE

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Violetta Kamińska: violetta@nff.org.pl
Thijs van der Laak: thijsvanderlaak@ace-producers.com

ACE Producers is pleased to announce the call for applications for the Training Days NL 2024, taking place from 8 to 10 October in Leiden and Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The ACE Training Days NL is a tailor-made programme designed for emerging producers at relatively early stages in their careers, who are looking to expand their network 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.

For this workshop, a total of 12 producers (6 Dutch and 6 from neighbouring countries) will be selected to join the workshop. As ACE aims to encourage international collaboration, the call is open to emerging producers from The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten.

Scheduled over three days, the Training Days NL will be themed around “The Essentials of International Co-Production”. This interactive workshop will include plenary sessions and case studies, as well as 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 has been set up in collaboration with the
Netherlands Film Fund.

WORKSHOP DATES
8 – 10 October 2024

LOCATION
Leiden, the Netherlands

ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS

• Emerging producers at a relatively early stage in their careers, with an interest in international co-production (this workshop will not focus on line-production);
• Producers should have at least one credit on a short film;
• Producers will best benefit from the workshop when already working on a feature-length project in development;
• Producers would need to be committed to attend the entire workshop.

FEES

Send the following documents (in English and combined into one PDF) to
ace@ace-producers.com:

ACE Producers has selected 12 acclaimed film and television producers from 10 different territories for the third edition of the ACE Leadership Special.

Following two successful editions, the workshop aims to help producers sustain solid business foundations, improve performance and prospects for their teams and their companies and further develop their personal leadership and entrepreneurial skills to flourish when faced with change. The workshop format will allow the small group to benefit not only from the knowledge of the workshop consultants but also from each other’s lived experiences.

ACE director Jacobine van der Vloed said of the selection “The quality of applications that we received this year goes to show how in demand this type of training is for producers. We look forward to once again creating a safe space for the participants where they can grow and thrive”.

The programme is supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, the Netherlands Film Fund, and the Mallorca Film Commission. It will take place in Bergen (The Netherlands) in June and in Mallorca (Spain) in September 2024 along with online elements over the summer.

Among the Consultants are Jeroen Achterberg, Jo Bishop (The Coaching Cabin) and Mark van der Grift (True Brands).

SELECTED PRODUCERS

Amra Baksic Camo – Bosnia & Herzegovina – SCAA/pro.ba

Pavel Berčík – Czech Republic – Evolution Films

Agustina Chiarino – Uruguay – Bocacha Films

Sylvain Corbeil – Canada – Metafilms

Benjamin Domenech – Argentina – Rei Pictures

Galilé Marion-Gauvin – Canada – Productions l’unité centrale

Hanneke Niens – The Netherlands – KeyFilm

Floor Onrust – The Netherlands – Family Affair Films

Evelin Penttilä – Estonia – Stellar Film

Katrin Pors – Denmark – Snowglobe

Jussi Rantamäki – Finland – Aamu Film Company

Nima Yousefi – Sweden – HOBAB

 

Please find more information here.

For further details please contact:
alwilliams@ace-producers.com