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: 2 May 2023

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.
8th – 14th October 2023 in Norway

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, of public and private funding schemes, and of the global marketplace in the digital age.
20th – 25th November 2023 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.
15th – 18th April 2024 in France

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, opinion and practical advice in an informal but confidential environment.  Warts-and-all case-studies, production company showcases, insider-information sessions, and more.
19th – 21st April 2024 in Bordeaux, France

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 make a commitment to attend 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

Please contact info@ace-producers.com to establish your eligibility or to set up a meeting if you have any questions about the programme.

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 33 Annual Programme is supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, the Netherlands Film Fund, Polish Film Institute, Norwegian Film Institute, Oslo Film Commission, ALCA Nouvelle Aquitaine, CNC, Gironde Department, Procirep, German Films, Téléfilm Canada, Roma Lazio Film Commission, Screen Ireland, Focal and Rai Cinema.

Gearing up for the fourth edition, ACE Producers has selected three upcoming producers based in The Netherlands and Overseas Territories to participate in the ACE Mentoring Programme NL 2024. 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 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:

Ewoud Bon, Provider Films – The Netherlands
Mentor: Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė (ACE 33), Just A Moment – Lithuania

Sasha Gertsik, GROM Productions – The Netherlands
Mentor: Helen Ahlsson (ACE 19), Nordic Drama Queens – Sweden

Sam Godfried, Yalla docs – The Netherlands
Mentor: Lisa Marie Russo (ACE 11), Fly Film Company – United Kingdom

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.

After two successful editions, ACE Producers has selected, again, 3 upcoming producers based in the Netherlands and in Overseas Territories to participate in the ACE Mentoring Programme NL 2023. The programme aims to support emerging producers in reaching the next level of experience 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 has been set up in collaboration with the
Netherlands Film Fund.

SELECTED PRODUCERS FOR ACE MENTORING PROGRAMME:

Corine Meijers, Studio Biarritz – the Netherlands
Mentor: Lisa Marie Russo (ACE 11), Fly Film Company Limited – United Kingdom

Sulin S.F. Passial, Pantalla Chica Productions – Curaçao
Mentor: Marija Razgute (ACE 30), M-Films – Lithuania

Tom Van Blommestein, Lemming Film – the Netherlands
Mentor: Helena Danielsson (ACE 13), Viaplay Studios – Sweden

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 here:
https://ace-producers.com/springboard

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

ACE Producers is very pleased to announce that the call for applications for the ACE Leadership Special 2024 is now open.

The ACE Leadership Special is aimed at experienced producers looking to establish sound business foundations for their companies and develop their personal leadership and entrepreneurial skills. The workshop is made possible thanks to support from Creative Europe MEDIA, the Netherlands Film Fund and the Mallorca Film Commission.

Offering them a safe space, the ACE Leadership Special helps producers recognise and harness their capabilities and innate skills, raising their confidence to allow them to provide effective leadership for their production companies and teams.

Open to members of the ACE Network and other experienced, established producers of a similar level, the ACE Leadership Special takes place over two 3-day residential workshops with additional online sessions complementing them.

12 producers will be selected, each with their own experience of running a company and their own unique entrepreneurial capabilities, allowing the small group to benefit not only from the knowledge of the workshop consultants, but from each other’s lived experiences.

APPLICATION DEADLINE
5 March 2024

WORKSHOP DATES
18 – 21 June 2024
17 – 20 September 2024
With other online elements

LOCATIONS
June: Bergen, The Netherlands
September: Mallorca, Spain

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

ACE Producers is pleased to announce the Call for Applications for the second edition of the ACE Leadership Special. This workshop is aimed at experienced producers looking to establish sound business foundations for their companies and develop their personal leadership and entrepreneurial skills. The workshop is made possible thanks to support from Creative Europe MEDIA, the Netherlands Film Fund, Veneto Film Commission and CFAP.

The world of audiovisual production is changing rapidly. In order to survive and thrive in this dynamic environment, solid leadership is more important than ever. This asks for a strong vision, and the ability to operate with ever greater flexibility and agility. The ACE Leadership Special will help company-owning producers discover their own personal vision and gain the tools needed to adapt and flourish when faced with change.

ACE Leadership Special will help producers harness their capabilities and innate skills, raising their confidence to allow them to provide effective leadership for their production companies and teams, and to become “Leaders Through Change”.

Open to members of the ACE Network and other experienced, established producers of a similar level, the ACE Leadership Special will take place over two 3-day residential workshops with additional online sessions complementing them. 12 producers will be selected, each with their own experiences from running a company and their own unique entrepreneurial capabilities, allowing the small group to benefit not only from the knowledge of the workshop consultants, but from each other’s lived experiences.

The ACE Leadership Special will help participants upgrade their capabilities in an all-encompassing approach through three interlinking themes: the human being, the entrepreneur, and the manager. Focusing on this triad of roles, the programme will cover the following topics:

• How to be a more effective leader: Improving personal leadership and management performance by looking at the human being behind the leader
• How to plan and form strategy as an entrepreneur in a changing world: Improving the performance and prospects of the business
• How to get the most from the team you rely upon: Improving the performance of the people involved in the business

DATES
18 – 21 June 2023
17 – 20 September 2023
With other online elements

LOCATION
The first workshop will take place in the region of Veneto, Italy, thanks to the support of the Veneto Film Commission. The second workshop will be in the Netherlands.

ELIGIBILITY

• Should be an owner or partner in an audiovisual production company
• Should have been the delegate producer (i.e. the principal responsible producer) of at least one theatrically-released feature film, documentary or a high-end drama series which has been broadcast or aired online.
• Should be available and able to commit to attend the entire workshop
• Producers from any country are welcome to apply, however, please note that the majority of spaces will be reserved for producers from MEDIA countries.

FEES
€3.500 (€3.250 for ACE Network Members).
The fee covers full board, accommodation and training during the workshops. Travel costs are not included.

SCHOLARSHIP
Based on our support from Creative Europe MEDIA, bursaries are available for producers from low capacity production countries: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine. Decisions to award scholarships are made by the selection committee. The scholarship is never more than 1/3 of the overall fee. We encourage participants to apply for financial support with their national/regional funding bodies first.

DEADLINE
6 March 2023

HOW TO APPLY
Applicants will be asked to submit a biography, company profile and motivation letter (explaining their leadership challenges, the current situation of their company, their long-term thinking and plans for the future) to info@ace-producers.com. Feel free to reach out for further information.

The ACE Mentoring Programme aims to support upcoming producers in managing their careers and developing their international network, by providing them with the opportunity to learn from established mentors actively working within the European film industry.

The goal is to help these emerging producers reach the next level of experience and help them in the development of their international network.

Each year up to 10 producers, based in the EU or a Creative Europe MEDIA Programme country, will be selected for the Mentoring Programme EU. However, there are also three spaces open for producers from non-EU countries. With this, ACE Producers wants to contribute in creating a film industry that is more inclusive and diverse.

After being selected, each producer will be matched to a mentor according to their specific needs. Throughout the year, the producers will have up to 4 meetings with their mentor, online or if possible in person at international festivals and events.

To best benefit from the programme, we ask producers to have a full-length project in development – fiction, animation or documentary.

PROGRAMME DATES
March – December 2022 with a total of 4 meetings held throughout the year.

ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS

• Emerging producers with some experience in production, who are looking to expand their knowledge of international co-production, feature film financing, production, sales, and (online) distribution;
• Producers should have at least one credit on a film or TV series, without necessarily having a full production credit;
• Producers need to have a full-length fiction, animation or documentary project in development;

PARTICIPATION

• Participation fee is 300€ for each participant.
• All travel and accommodation expenses that may arise will not be covered by the organisation.

APPLICATION DEADLINE
18 January 2023 (up to 10 places available)

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

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

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Ayumi Filippone at ayumifilippone@ace-producers.com