Category: General News

NORDIC FOCUS TRAINING DAYS 2019

Taking place from the 5th to the 7th of October in Helsinki and Espoo ACE Producers has selected 19 upcoming producers at relatively early stages in their careers from the Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Estonia to take part in the ACE Nordic Focus Training Days 2019. Two production students from Aalto University will also attend.

Scheduled over two-and-a-half days, the workshop is provided with the help of ACE producers and consultants who have notably strong track-records in international project financing and distribution, and who will share their knowledge and international expertise with the participants.

“The Essentials of Agreement Management, Rights Management and Waterfalls” will include plenary sessions, group meetings, case-studies and interactive workshops. These will offer guidance through the main international agreements and explore topics such as rights clearance, budgeting and recoupment schedules.

The Nordic Focus Training Days are supported by Aalto University, Audiovisual Producers Finland and the Nordisk Film and TV Fond.

Training Days in Helsinki and Espoo 2019 Participants

Eleonore Anselme – Hummelfilm – Norway

Tiina Butter – Butterworks – Finland

Marte Hansen – mahafilm – Norway

Eliza Jones – Grand Slam Film – Sweden

Elin Kamlert – Kamlert Film – Sweden

Andreas Kask – NAFTA – Estonia

Oda Kruse – Kruse Film – Norway

Paria Eskandari – AAMU Film Company – Finland

Ann Lundberg – Anagram Sweden – Sweden

Mette Matthiessen – Freelance – Denmark

Heather Millard – Compass Films – Iceland

Julie Carla Mortensen – Freelance – Denmark

Veronica Natvig – Storm Films – Norway

Marianne Ostrat – Alexandra Film – Estonia

Nicholas Sando – Filmbin – Norway

Malin Söderlund – Unlimited Stories – Sweden

Giulia Triolo – Snowglobe – Denmark

Frida Wallman – Unlimited Stories – Sweden

Markus Waltå – Grand Slam Film – Sweden

CENTRAL EUROPE FOCUS TRAINING DAYS 2019

Taking place from the 28th to the 30th of June at FAMU – Film and TV School of Academy of Performing Arts in Prague – ACE Producers has selected 19 upcoming producers at relatively early stages in their careers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland to take part in the first ACE Training Days.

“The Essentials of Reaching an Audience – From the Development Process to the Release of a Film” will include plenary sessions, group meetings, a case study and an interactive workshop. These will explore packaging projects for funds and partners, VOD business models, rights and windows and finding the right communication strategy.

The Prague Training Days are supported by the Czech Film Fund and the Audiovisual Producers Association (APA).

Training Days in Prague 2019 Participants

Radka Babincová – Bright Sight Pictures – Slovakia

Martin Barták – GoodieBaddie – Czech Republic

Lukasz Bluszcz – Vision House – Poland

Kateřina Buzková – Darq Studio – Czech Republic

Anna Fam – Freelance – Poland

Marta Gmosińska – Lava Films – Poland

Jan Hubáček – Gnomon – Czech Republic

Ludka Kierczak – Kosmonaut – Czech Republic/Poland

Jakub Košťá – Bionaut – Czech Republic

Petr Kratochvíl – Bedna Films – Czech Republic

Steve Reverand – The Lab Studios – Czech Republic

Anna Rózalska – Match&Spark – Poland

Krystof Safer – Bull Film – Czech Republic

Andrea Shaffer – Mindset Pictures – Czech Republic

Hana Šilarová – Frame Films – Czech Republic

Barbora Šonková – Dawson Productions – Czech Republic

Marian Varga – Protos Productions – Slovakia

Aneta Zagórska – Krakow Film Klaster – Poland

Klára Zaloudkovà – Background Films – Czech Republic

ACE 29 CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The call for applications for the ACE 29 Session is now open.

Deadline: 12th June 2019

Every year ACE selects 18 experienced film producers, each with a project in development that is suitable for co-production and aimed at the international
market, to take part in ACE’s annual programme of advanced training and then
join the ACE Network.

Four events make up the core of the training programme:

OCTOBER – CONTENT DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP

Individual meetings analysing the concepts, dramaturgy, target audiences and financing of producers’ projects; Plenary sessions on managing talents and maintaining creative dialogues with writer-directors; Discussions on marketing during the early stages
ofdevelopment and examining new forms and formats for audiovisual storytelling. This workshop includes an intensive three day course in the use of story development tools.
7th – 12th October 2019, Helsinki, Finland

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.
18th – 23th November 2019, Prague, Czech Republic

APRIL – BUSINESS PROSPECTS WORKSHOP

Panel discussions, case-studies and interviews designed to provide film producers with models of sustainable company management and ways to build businesses that have real value: keener application of marketing techniques, direct online distribution, diversified commercial activities – all options are assessed.
30th March – 1st April 2020, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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 and insider information sessions allow producers to keep up to date with the developments in the international film industry.
3rd – 5th April 2020 Location soon 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 make a commitment to attend a selection interview in Amsterdam 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 considering applying, please contact ACE to organise either a meeting during Cannes or a conference call.
Contact: alwilliams@ace-producers.com

Producers will be informed if they have been shortlisted on the basis of their written application before the end of July 2019.

Visit the Workshops section of the ACE website for more information on the programme and application process.

ACE 28 Producers Selected

ACE Producers is pleased to announce the eighteen producers selected to participate in the 28th ACE Session (2018/2019) with their projects in development.

Marco Alessi – Dugong – Italy
“Li muerti” by Massimiliano Verdesca

Francesca Andreoli – tempesta – Italy
“Valley of Thieves” by Caterina Carone

Christophe Audeguis – the cup of tea – France
“Ducks” by Neary Adeline Hay

Daniel Bekerman – Scythia Films – Canada
“The Eden Express” Director TBD

Maria Blicharska – Donten & Lacroix Films – Poland/France
“Comrades” by Olivier Patte and Rafael Lewandowski

Katja Draaijer – Baldr Film – The Netherlands
“Alpha” by Jan-Willem van Ewijk

Sophie Erbs – Cinema Defacto – France
“The Hunt of the Puma” by Marcela Said

Alise Ģelze – Tasse Film – Latvia
“Lovable” by Stanislavs Tokalovs

Dyveke Graver – Oslo Pictures – Norway
“A Prayer for the Dying” by Dara Van Dusen

Milos Lochman – moloko film – Czech Republic
“The Nightsiren” by Tereza Nvotová

Mike MacMillan – Lithium Studios Productions – Canada
“I Will Not Go Quietly” Director TBD.

Jan Macola – Mimesis Film – Czech Republic
“Resurrections” by Petr Vaclav

Alan Maher – Marcie Films – Ireland
“Chronicle in Time” by Andrew Legge

Emily Morgan – Quiddity Films – UK
“White” by Emily Young

Elli Toivoniemi – Tuffi Films – Finland
“Love of Wolves” by Zaida Bergroth

Izabella Tzenkova – Kotva Films – Bulgaria/USA
“Serenity” by Aslihan Unaldi

Alexander Wadouh – Chromosom Films – Germany
“Mission” Director TBD

Michael Wrenn – Invisible Republic – Australia
“These Kingdoms” by Shane Danielsen

These eighteen producers have been selected to attend the three residential ACE workshops with a project in development. Fourteen countries are represented in the selection: Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and the UK.

The selection committee was made up of members of the ACE board, ACE consultants, ACE president Antoine Simkine and director Jacobine van der Vloed. A record number of applications was received this year and the selection was made following interviews in Amsterdam and Toronto.

The eighteen producers will attend four main events that make up the core of the training. The first is the Content Development Workshop held mid-October in Helsinki, Finland in collaboration with the Finnish Film Foundation and Aalto University. It consists of plenary sessions and individual meetings analysing the concepts, dramaturgy and target audiences of producers’ projects. Other sessions provide insight into early development problems such as preparing intention notes, working with talents and maintaining good relationships with writers and directors.

The second workshop is the Financing Strategies Workshop, held mid-November in Prague, Czech Republic, in collaboration with the Czech Film Fund and APA, the Czech Producers Association. The core of the workshop is made up of interactive sessions exploring international financing opportunities and strategies through detailed analysis of producers’ finance plans, with input provided by over 40 high-grade professionals from across the industry. These financing sessions are unique to ACE, creating an 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 is the Business Prospects Workshop held in the Netherlands (in partnership with the Netherlands Film Fund) at the beginning of April. This workshop aims to help the producers discover new business models and strategies in order to expand their knowledge and field of competence regarding marketing, (online) distribution, legal aspects, and overall management of their company and team.

Alongside these workshops the producers will also have the chance to have personalised consultations with script, finance and marketing experts throughout the year. After having completed the three workshops the participants are welcomed into the ACE Network by attending the ACE Annual Reunion, which will take place in Copenhagen in April 2019, thanks to the support of the Danish Film Institute.

The ACE Network has around 220 active members from more than 45 countries. Network members gather for further training and professional events at all major festivals and markets during the year, and regularly co-produce with each other.

ACE NORDIC FOCUS TRAINING DAYS

ACE Producers is pleased to announce the up and coming producers selected for the ACE Nordic Focus Training Days 2018.

Scheduled over two-and-a-half days, the ACE Nordic Focus Training Days will be provided with the help of ACE consultants who have notably strong track-records in international project financing, sales (and online) distribution, and who will share their knowledge and international expertise.

The Training Days are designed to meet the needs of upcoming producers, at relatively early stages in their careers, from Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Estonia. Participation is not be limited to producers with the same high level of experience as is required for the main ACE Producers training programme.

The ACE Nordic Focus Training Days are supported by Aalto University, the Finnish Film Foundation, Audiovisual Producers Finland and the Nordisk Film and TV Fond.

Dates: 13th – 15th of October 2018

Location: Espoo and Helsinki, Finland

ACE Nordic Focus Training Days 2018 Participants

Erik Andersson	Läsk	Sweden
Sveinn Geirsson	Freyja Filmwork	Iceland
Kasper Graversen	Milk & Honey	Denmark
Tõnu Hiielaid	Tallifornia	Estonia
Oskari Huttu	Lucy Loves Drama	Finland
Ami Lindholm	Paperihattu	Finland
Ari Matikainen	Kinocompany	Finland
Kirsi Mattila	Icebreaker Productions	Finland
Heather Millard	Spier Films	Iceland
Tatjana Mühlbayer	Otaku	Estonia
Esther Nissen	Happy Ending Film	Denmark
Andrea Reuter	Helsinki Filmi	Finland/Sweden
Isabella Rodriguez	French Quater Film	Sweden
Johannes Rothaus Nørregaard	Metafilm	Denmark
Siri Hjorton Wagner	[sic] film	Sweden

New President & Board Announcement

ACE Producers is delighted to announce the election of its new president, Antoine Simkine.

Having been elected by the ACE Executive Board, an election which was approved by the members of the ACE Network, Antoine Simkine will serve as president of ACE Producers for the next two years.

Lead producer and managing director of Paris based production company Les Films d’Antoine, Antoine Simkine became a member of ACE in 2008 and joined the ACE Board in 2016. He has over 30 years of experience in the industry, having worked as a first AD and line producer before co-founding the VFX Production company DUBOI. In 2004 he founded Les Films d’Antoine, where he has produced and co-produced feature films which have been presented in Berlin, Sundance, Karlovy Vary and Toronto.

Simkine takes over the role from ACE co-founder Simon Perry, who held the position for over 20 years. Perry will continue to work with ACE as a consultant.

Speaking of his election Antoine Simkine said: “It is not without some apprehension that I have accepted the responsibility and the honour to be president of the ACE Producers’ association for the next two years. I wish to thank my predecessor Simon Perry for the extraordinary work he did to bring ACE to the current level of excellency. I’m eager to start working with our director Jacobine van der Vloed, the ACE team, my fellow colleagues and board members to continue to improve our workshops and extend our network. I hope that together we will carry ACE forward into the new environment of EU film production that is coming towards us at such a fast pace.”

Members of the ACE Network also recently voted to elect the ACE Executive Board. A number of people were re-elected while four new members were welcomed onto the board : Ido Abram, deputy director of the EYE Film Institute, Amsterdam; Sébastien Beffa, partner at Playtime, the Paris-based international sales agency and long-time friend of ACE Producers; Signe Byrge Sørensen, the multi-Oscar nominated producer and owner of Danish production company Final Cut for Real; and winner of the Eurimages co-production award and 2013 Golden Bear Winner, Ada Solomon, of the Romanian production company Hi Film.

ACE PRODUCERS EXECUTIVE BOARD

Ido Abram – EYE Film Institute – The Netherlands
Aleksi Bardy – Helsinki Filmi – Finland
Sébastien Beffa – Playtime – France
Signe Byrge Sørensen – Final Cut for Real – Denmark
David Collins – Samson Films – Ireland
Tom Dercourt – Cinéma Defacto – France
Eve Gabereau – Modern Films – United Kingdom
Raimond Goebel – Pandora Film – Germany
Cedomir Kolar – A.S.A.P. Films – France
Jelena Mitrovic – Bas Celik – Serbia
Christof Neracher – Hugo Film – Switzerland
Roman Paul – Razor Film – Germany
Viktória Petrányi – Proton Cinema – Hungary
Dries Phlypo – A Private View – Belgium
Martin Pope – Magiclight Pictures – United Kingdom
Jean-Luc Ormières – Freelance – France
Antoine Simkine – Les Films d’Antoine – France
Ada Solomon – Hi Film – Romania
Karla Stojakova – Axman Productions – Czech Republic
Cecilia Valmarana – Rai Movie – Italy

CENTRAL EUROPE FOCUS TRAINING DAYS 2018

Taking place from the 29th of June to the 1st of July 2018 at FAMU – Film and TV School of Academy of Performing Arts in Prague – ACE Producers has selected 14 upcoming producers at relatively early stages in their careers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland to take part in the first ACE Training Days.

The Prague Training Days are supported by the Czech Film Fund and the Audiovisual Producers Association (APA).

Training Days in Prague 2018 Participants

Wanda Adamik – Wandal Production – Slovakia

Jan Bondar – Gnomon – Czech Republic

Vaclav Kadrnka – Sirius Films – Czech Republic

Bára Kamarytova – Heaven’s Gate – Czech Republic

Krystyna Kantor – Shipsboy – Poland

Pavla Klimešová – Telegram Lab Films – Czech Republic

Katarína Krnácová – Silver Art Film – Slovakia

Denis Kucera – love.FRAME – Czech Republic

Vera Lackova – Media Voice – Slovakia

Jordi Niubó – i/o post s.r.o. – Czech Republic

Martin Raiman – The Lab – Czech Republic

Marta Szarzyńska – Freelance – Poland

Tomas Vach – Slothmachine – Czech Republic

Julie Zackova – The Sofa – Czech Republic

Tereza Zemanová – Bionaut – Czech Republic

ACE 28 CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The call for applications for the ACE 28 Session is now open.

Deadline: 12th June 2018.

Four events make up the core of the training programme:

OCTOBER – CONTENT DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP

NOVEMBER – FINANCING STRATEGIES WORKSHOP

APRIL – BUSINESS PROSPECTS WORKSHOP

APRIL – ACE PRODUCERS ANNUAL REUNION

ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS

APPLY

If you are considering applying, please contact ACE to organise either a meeting during Cannes or a conference call.
Contact: alwilliams@ace-producers.com

Producers will be informed if they have been shortlisted on the basis of their written application before the end of July 2018.

Visit the Workshops section of the ACE website for more information on the programme and application process.

NORDIC FOCUS TRAINING DAYS

Taking place from the 2nd to the 4th of December 2017 in Espoo and Helsinki, Finland – ACE Producers has selected 20 upcoming producers at relatively early stages in their careers from the Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland. to take part in the first ACE Training Days.

Scheduled over two-and-a-half days, the workshop is provided with the help of ACE producers and consultants who have notably strong track-records in international sales and distribution, and who will share their knowledge and international expertise with the participants.

The Nordic Focus Training Days are supported by Aalto University.

Nordic Focus Training Days 2017 Participants

Rikke Tambo Andersen – Bullitt Film

Tone Andersen – KlarFilm

Charlotte De La Gournerie – Sun Creature

Caroline Drab – Pop! Media

Annie Feldsott – Freelance

Jón Hammer – KYK Pictures

Marte Hansen – MaHa Film AS

Emilia Haukka – Aamu Film Company Ltd.

Maria Møller Kjeldgaard – Manna Film

Valdimar Kúld Guðmundsson – Freelance

Niklas Kullström – Hillstream Pictures

Anniina Elisabet Leppänen – Iron Sky Universe

Lorène Lescanne – Sønc

Tuire Lindström – Yle

Micah Magee – Makrorama

Mette Matthiessen – Freelance

Renée Mlodyszewski – Punkt Film

Jasmine Hermann Naghizadeh – Freelance

Mete Sasioglu – Sons of Lumière

Ilona Tolmunen – Made

ACE 27 Producers Selected

ACE Producers is pleased to announce the eighteen producers selected to participate in the 27th ACE Session (2017/2018).

Anneli Ahven – Estonia – Kopli Kinokompanii
“Beatrice” by Ain Mäeots

Anamaria Antoci – Romania – 4 Proof Film
“Max and the Virgin Mary” by Adrian Sitaru

Signe Byrge Sørensen – Denmark – Final Cut for Real
“The End” by Joshua Oppenheimer

Sylvain Corbeil – Canada – Metafilms
“La Dissociation” by Albéric Aurtenèche

Gary Cranner – Norway – Chezville
“The Ski Jumper who didn’t want to Land” by Hans Petter Moland

Colin Day – United Kingdom – Rickshaw Entertainment
“Middle-8” by Marielle Gautier

Galilé Marion-Gauvin – Canada – Productions l’Unité Centrale
“Listen Well, O Fence of Reed” by Dominique Chila & Samer Najari

Koji Nelissen – The Netherlands – Kepler Film
“Woods” by Diederick Koopal

Iris Otten – The Netherlands – Pupkin Film
“Dreamscape” by Anna van der Heide

Jussi Rantamäki – Finland – Aamu Film Company
“The Woodcutter Story” by Mikko Myllylahti

Arash T. Riahi – Austria – Golden Girls Filmproduktion
“Micromeo” by Virgil Widrich

Igor Savychenko – Ukraine – Directory Films
“Die Young” Dir. TBD

Laurette Schillings – The Netherlands – Topkapi Films
“Onedaymyprincewill.com” Dir. TBD

Pierpaolo Verga – Italy – O’ Groove
“The Vice of Hope” by Edoardo De Angelis

John Wallace – Ireland – Black Sheep Productions
“The Navigator” by Dathaí Keane

Jakob Weydemann – Germany – Weydemann Bros.
“Fresh” by Damian John Harper

Mariusz Wlodarski – Poland – Lava Films
“Sweat” by Magnus von Horn

Ondrej Zima – Czech Republic – Evolution Films
“Grand Prix” by Jan Prušinovský

Sixteen producers have been selected from fourteen different Creative Europe participating countries, and for the first time this year, thanks to a partnership with Téléfilm Canada, two producers from Canada will be attending the workshops alongside their European colleagues. All eighteen producers will attend the workshops with a project in development.

The sixteen EU producers come from all corners of Europe, with Scandinavia and Eastern Europe particularly well represented. ACE is also pleased to welcome a Ukrainian producer to the Network for the first time.

The selection committee was made up of members of the ACE board, ACE consultants, President Simon Perry and Director & Head of Studies Jacobine van der Vloed. The committee said: “The quality of the producers and projects who applied for this year’s session was very high, making the selection particularly difficult. We are very happy to have selected a wide variety of producers from different production backgrounds, and are pleased with the number of them who have impressive collaborative connections with their directors.”

Four events make up the core of the training. The first workshop, dedicated to Content Development will take place mid-October in Helsinki, thanks to the support of Aalto University. The Content Development Workshop includes plenary sessions and individual meetings, analysing the concepts, dramaturgy and target audiences of producers’ projects.

In November the second workshop, which offers the producers advice on possible Financing Strategies for their projects, takes place in Prague, with the support of the Czech Film Fund and the Czech Audiovisual Producers Association. This week-long workshop is made up 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 will look at the producers’ Business Prospects, providing them with models of sustainable company management and ways to build businesses that have real value. The sessions will offer them insight into keener application of marketing techniques, direct online distribution and diversified commercial activities. This workshop takes place in Amsterdam with the kind support of the Netherlands Film Fund and is immediately followed by the ACE Annual Reunion, were the new producers will be officially welcomed into the ACE Network.

Alongside these workshops the producers will also have the chance to have personalised consultations with script, finance and marketing experts throughout the year.

ACE Producers is an exclusive network of experienced independent film producers from Europe and beyond, with around 200 members from more than 45 countries.

Established in Paris in 1993, the association moved to The Netherlands in 2017 and will be celebrating its 25^th anniversary next year.

ACE Producers is supported by Creative Europe, The Netherlands Film Fund, The Czech Film Fund, Aalto University, The Czech Audiovisual Producers’ Association, Procirep, Film i Väst, German Films, The Irish Film Board, Focal, Rai Cinema and Téléfilm Canada.