Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 Catalogue by Lithuanian Shorts

6-7 October, 2017 | Vilnius, Lithuania ORGANIZERS

CO-ORGANIZERS

CONTENTS 2 4 6 15 16

Introduction Schedule Trainers and panelists Panel discussion List of selected projects 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34

36 37 44 45

Broken Souls (EE) Dark Side of The Earth (EE) Peemot and Azazzello and The Road to Eternity (EE) Astapovo (LV) Introduction to Epilogue (LV) The Ritual (LV) Elena (LT) Pumping Period (LT) The Nest (LT)

Awards BPF Alumni Focus Forum team and contacts Map of venues

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vilnius

INTRODUCTION Five years may not seem like a long time, but for many of the alumni of the Baltic Pitching Forum it has been enough time to see films get made, awards won and new projects begun. This period has seen bold new voices nurtured, young talents developed and fresh ideas come to the fore. It has seen alumni films screened at the likes of Venice, Tampere and Annecy. It has seen collaborations strengthened, friendships forged and professional relationships blossom. Not bad for half a decade. For its fifth edition, the Baltic Pitching Forum will invite former alumni to share their experiences and explain how the BPF helped them to get their films out into the world. This will provide an important opportunity not only for all those involved with the Baltic Pitching Forum to take stock of the past few years, but also give new participants an insight into what awaits them in the coming months and years.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vilnius

Amidst all this, the Baltic Pitching Forum will focus on the nine participating projects and will provide their representatives with an opportunity to master the art of pitching and put it into practice in front of the esteemed panel of experts invited for 2017. What kind of excitement will the nine projects in the 2017 Baltic Pitching Forum enjoy over the comings weeks, months and years? We will look forward to finding out as the BPF marches forward. The Baltic Pitching Forum team

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vilnius

9.00–9.30 Registration and morning coffee

11.30–12.30 Panel discussion: The Value of Pitching – the Worth and Importance of Pitching Forums

9.30–9.45 Introduction

12.30–13.30 Lunch break

9.45–10.30 Pitching training, part I: Presenting Yourself and Your Project

13.30–15.00 BPF Alumni Focus

6 OCTOBER Friday Moderator: Laurence Boyce

(Gabriele Brunnenmeyer)

10.30 – 10.45 Coffee break 10.45–11.30 Pitching training, part II: Presenting Yourself and Your Project

15.00–19.30 For participants only: Group work (Gabriele Brunnenmeyer)

20.00 Dinner (Kitchen Restaurant)

(Gabriele Brunnenmeyer)

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

7 OCTOBER Saturday Moderator: Laurence Boyce

09.00–9.30 Registration and morning coffee 9.30–9.45 Welcome word (Eva Brazdžionytė, Creative Europe Desk Lithuania MEDIA office)

9.45–11.00 Pitching session I 11.00–11.15 Coffee break 11.15–12.30 Pitching session II 12.30–13.30 Lunch break

16.00–16.30 Best Pitch nominations 16.30–17.00 Coffee break 17.00–19.00 For participants only: One-to-one meetings with the Panelists 20.00 Farewell dinner (Kitchen Restaurant)

EVENT VENUE: Contemporary Art Centre (CAC), Vokiečių str. 2, LT- 01130 Vilnius, Lithuania. Organizer reserves the right to change the program. More information: www.bpf.lt

13.30–16.00 For participants only: Debriefing & group work (Gabriele Brunnenmeyer)

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Forum trainer GABRIELE BRUNNENMEYER Germany Having worked as a journalist, Gabriele Brunnenmeyer was in charge of the MEDIA Antenna Berlin-Brandenburg, acting as an artistic adviser for the MEDIA training initiative Moonstone International, as well as an artistic director for Connecting Cottbus till the end of 2010. From 2013 till December 2014 she was the head of studies for the MEDIA supported training program Maia Workshops. Since 2005 she is working for the Kuratorium Junger Deutscher Film as a freelance project and script advisor. Since 2013, she has been a conference coordinator for the IDM Film Conference Incontri in Italy. Furthermore, Gabriele is working as consultant for script development, packaging and project presentation for single projects, as well as for First Films First, Berlinale and Sarajevo Talents, Robert Bosch Coproduction Prize, Baltic Pitching Forum, Euro Connection, Sam Spiegel School and others.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vilnius

Forum moderator LAURENCE BOYCE Estonia Laurence Boyce, member of BAFTA, FIPRESCI, the European Film Academy, London Critics’ Circle and the board of the Short Film Conference, has been a film journalist and film programmer for the past eighteen years. He started out at the Leeds International Film Festival in the UK to become an award-winning critic for various outlets, including Sight and Sound and Screen International, – and a programmer, specialising in short film, for various festivals. Currently residing in Tallinn, Estonia, he is the head of programme for the live action section of PÖFF Shorts. Besides that, he works as a programmer of feature films at the A-List film festival Black Nights. Laurence has been contributing to a number of international publications and is the editor of Cineuropa Shorts.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

PANELISTS

GUNHILD ENGER Norway Born in 1980, Gunhild Enger works and lives in Oslo, Norway. She graduated from Edinburg College of Art in the UK and The School of Film Directing in Gothenburg, Sweden. Her graduation film, Bargain, was nominated for BAFTA. Since then, Gunhild’s films toured world festivals. She has been nominated for the Amanda award twice (Norwegian Oscars) for Best Short film; her film Premature won Best Film in several festivals. In 2017, she had a retrospective in Glasgow Short Film Festival, screening eleven of her short films. Gunhild’s latest film The Committee premiered in Locarno Film Festival in 2016. She is now working on her first feature film.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

MARCIN ŁUCZAJ Poland Marcin graduated in Film & Media Studies from the University of Lodz and in Cultural Studies from University of Warsaw. Since 2016, he has been working for New Europe Film Sales, a Warsaw-based boutique sales agency, specialised in both features and shorts, as the responsible for feature film acquisitions and short film catalogue. For several years he had been working as short and feature film programmer at Warsaw Film Festival and the cult ŻUBROFFKA Short Film Festival and acted as guest curator for various international film festivals around the world. Marcin also worked as production manager at Koi Studio, a Warsaw-based production company, and for the Ad Arte Foundation, where he managed short film distribution in Polish cinemas (World Shorts, Future Shorts) and international promotion of Polish shorts.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

ANETA OZOREK Poland Aneta Ozorek is a film festival programmer, producer and film education expert. She has 15 years’ industry experience in production of film events, educational workshops, exhibitions and festivals on Polish and European market. She’s a programmer of Cinema in Sneakers Film Festival in Warsaw, head of Short Section at Visegrad Animation Forum in Czech Republic, coordinator of Polish Animators Producers Association, Polish Ambassador of European Animation Award and member of European Children Film Association. Aneta has been a member of jury in many festivals including Berlinale, Odense, Barnefilmfestiwalen. This year she’s responsible for promotion of 70-years of Polish animations at Annecy, Cartoon Forum, MIPCOM, Cinekid and many others.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

JULIE ROUSSON France Julie Rousson holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Project Production. In 2015, she joined Sauve Qui Peut le Court Métrage, the association behind Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, after several years working on punctual missions at the Short Film Market. She is now in charge of industry meetings, relations with administrative institutions, the management of the Shortfilmdepot submissions’ platform and coordinates the European short film co-production forum, Euro Connection, currently in its tenth edition. Julie is also a member of the International Selection Committee.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

WIM VANACKER France After studying Psychology in Belgium, Wim Vanacker moved to Dublin to work as a psychologist in the field of drug addiction. Three years later, he picked up studying again at EICAR, where he made two shorts, Endgame and The Naked leading the Blind. After graduating, he discovered NISI MASA – the European Network of Young Cinema, where he became the head of the script department and the project manager of the MEDIA funded project, European Short Pitch. On the side, he also works as a script consultant, tutor and guest speaker for festivals such as Cannes, Clermont-Ferrand, Encounters and Interfilm. Recently, he founded Sireal Films, a Brussels-based production company, where he produced the VAF funded short film Empire. As a writer/director, he is currently developing his short film [ˈsɪə.ri.əl ].

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

SARI VOLANEN Finland Sari Volanen is a commissioning editor at YLE Finnish Broadcasting Company. She works at the co-production department producing short films and documentaries mainly with Finnish independent filmmakers and producers. She is in charge of the strand of New Cinema on YLE/Teema, which shows quirky and cinematic films regardless of length and genre.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vilnius

STINE WANGLER Germany Stine Wangler has been working at the KurzFilmAgentur Hamburg since 2012 where she is now running the sales department. She is responsible for world sales and acquisitions of short films. Having wrote her thesis about short film on the Internet, Stine has also concentrated on the sales possibilities for short films online. Furthermore, she has been in juries of short film festivals within Europe and is part of the programming team for the National Competition of the Hamburg International Short Film Festival. Besides world sales, The KurzFilmAgentur also operates a theatrical distribution, maintains an extensive video archive, sets up training and education courses and co-organizes film-related projects with national and international partners.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vilnius

PANEL DISCUSSION The Value of Pitching – the worth and importance of pitching forums A part of the participants will have at the BPF their first experience of the possibly daunting pitching world. While the Hollywood cliché of someone selling an idea for millions of dollars still holds true for some, the reality of pitching forums is different. In this group discussion people running pitching forums and those, taking part in them, will explore the value of those forums. We’ll explore how important they are for conceptualising ideas, helping networking and – on the odd occasion – gathering money for projects. Moderator: Laurence Boyce Participants: Julie Rousson (Co-production forum Euro Connection, France), Wim Vanacker (European Sort Pitch, France), Marcin Łuczaj (New Europe Film Sales, Poland), Stine Wangler (KurzFilmAgentur Hamburg, Germany), Sari Volanen (YLE TV, Finland), Gunhild Enger (film director, Norway), Aneta Ozorek (Visegrad Animation Forum, Poland). Time: 6 October, 11:30-12:30 Venue: Contemporary Art Centre (CAC), Vokiečių str. 2, LT–01130 Vilnius, Lithuania.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

SELECTED PROJECTS

Original title

Genre

Director

Producer

Broken Souls

Fiction

Kadri Org

Mirjam Ruut

Dark Side of The Earth

Maa varjatud pool

Fiction

Urmas ‘Nime- Peeter Urbla tu’ Reisberg

Peemot and Azazzello and The Road to Eternity

Peemot ja Azazzello ehk Tee Igavikku

Fiction

Katariina Rebane

Helen Lõhmus

Astapovo

Animation

Egils Mednis

Marta Bite

Introduction to Epilogue

Animation

Indra Sproge

Janis Zarzeckis

The Ritual

Rituāls

Experimental / Fiction

Aivars Madris Sergei Serpuhov

Elena

Puppet animation

Birutė Sodeikaitė

Agnė Adomėnė

Pumping Period

Fiction

Francesc Prat Dutren

Dagnė Puodžiūnaitė

The Nest

Lizdas

Fiction

Miglė Križinauskaitė-Bernotienė

English title

ESTONIA

LATVIA

LITHUANIA

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Broken Souls The Harringtons, registered in the foster care system, decide to take in a little girl, Grace, after a sudden call from the Child Safety Services. The biological mother and her boyfriend were unfit to raise Grace because of drug addiction and mental diseases they suffer from. Grace adapts quickly to become a part of the new family. Yet, the Child Safety Department, driven by the desire to reunite children with their parents, decides to send her live with the biological father, whom she has not seen in years. Director: Kadri Org Producer: Mirjam Ruut Production country: Estonia Genre: Fiction Production company: – Production company profile: – Estimated running time: 25 min. Estimated budget: – Funding in place: –

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Director Kadri Org Kadri is an enthusiastic, hard-working, critical and creative Estonian, whose studies and work experience in the field of Journalism and Communication have guided her to the film industry. Her personal experience motivates her to capture the reality of marginalised groups and show it to the world in her short documentaries. Last year, Kadri visited more than 20 countries in Europe and Asia to film the stories of different social initiatives that are making an effort to solve problems in their local communities. She is working on a short film project Broken Souls with her colleague Mirjam Ruut to problematize the child care systems in the Baltics and abroad.

Producer Mirjam Ruut Mirjam is a 23-year-old from Tartu, Estonia, fascinated by theatre and acting since a young age. This led her to pursue her studies of Drama, Film, Radio and TV Production in England. During her studies, she found her passion for film with its endless ways of telling stories and she decided to focus solely on it so she could become a creative producer to bring beautiful stories onto the screen. Contacts: mirjamruut@gmail.com +372 534 53002

Contacts: kadri.org.001@gmail.com +372 5648 9584

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vilnius

Dark Side of the Earth Maa varjatud pool

A large part of the Earth, the Dark East, becomes unliveable after a climate catastrophe: abandoned buildings, roads, railways and bridges stretch for thousands of square kilometres. Former army pilot, Emir (45) organises trips to the Dark East for the wealthiest of the new world to earn a living. During one of these trips, Emir and the young, enthusiastic Marty (26), discover that the Dark East is not as unliveable as everyone thinks. Director: Urmas ‘Nimetu’ Reisberg Producer: Peeter Urbla Production country: Estonia Genre: Fiction Production company: Exitfilm Estimated running time: 25 min. Estimated budget: 73 000 EUR Funding in place: 5 000 EUR Production company profile: Exitfilm is an Estonian production company founded in 1992, owned by Peeter Urbla (producer and director). Exitfilm is working closely with local funds, film community and especially with young talents. Longterm experience working with European companies gives Exitfilm a good platform for international co-production. It has produced and co-produced over 12 feature films, 42 shorts and documentaries and provided with production services for 11 feature films from Nordic countries, England, Germany, France.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Director Urmas ‘Nimetu’ Reisberg Urmas Nimetu is an Estonian writer, director and cinematographer, who worked on 15 short films; among them the award-winning No Fishing and Snatcher of Old Men. Most of his fiction works take the audience to magic realities, dreams or fairy tales, where illusions are awakened with the elegant use of CGI, stop motion and editing tricks. Contacts: urmas@plankfilm.ee +372 524 4705

Producer Peeter Urbla Peeter Urbla is a graduate of Tartu University as a History and Linguistics specialist to enrol later in courses of film directing and script-writing at the Moscow Cinema Committee. Since 1992, he has been working for Exitfilm Studio as director, producer and general manager. He has produced and co-produced 13 short films and documentaries and 7 feature films, among them: Mausoleum, The Butterfly Man, The Master-painter and The Blended Colours. Contacts: peeter@exitfilm.ee +372 524 4705

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Peemot and Azazzello and the Road to Eternity Peemot Ja Azazzello Ehk Tee Igavikku

Peemot and Azazzello and the Road to Eternity is a surreal post-apocalyptical comedy about two worlds: material and immaterial. It tells the story of two female criminals, Peemot and Azazzello, who live in a poor industrial city, where everyone is selfishly struggling for survival and crimes committed by women are the norm. Yet, they dream obsessively about a paradise island, where life is wonderful and believe that only money can buy them entrance. Amidst the city stands a mysterious castle, where time, money and position do not matter. The creatures that dwell inside exist in another reality. One day, two of the creatures are cast outside as a punishment, to get back in, they hire Peemot and Azazzello. The task turns out to be more complicated than the women imagined, so they end up working on a plan to avoid getting stuck in eternity. Director: Katariina Rebane Producer: Helen Lõhmus Production country: Estonia Genre: Fiction Production company: Oree films Estimated running time: 22 min. Estimated budget: 45 000 EUR Funding in place: – Production company profile: Oree films is an Estonian production management agency and company established in 2013 by Sten Saluveer, an audiovisual producer and Helen Lõhmus, a production designer and producer. Oree films focuses on international production services, co-production and post-production facilitation between Europe, North America and Asia with offices in Tallinn, Estonia and Tokyo, Japan.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Director Katariina Rebane Before entering the world of film art, Katariina studied Sociology (BA) and Philosophy (MA). After working in the not-for-profit sector and volunteering in Ethiopia, she finished her studies in the Baltic Film and Media School (Estonia) in Script Writing (MA). She worked in student films as a writer, co-writer, script editor, assistant director and production assistant. Peemot and Azazzello is Katariina’s first film as a director. Besides working in the film sector, she covers cultural news and writes reviews for Estonian publications. Contacts: katariina.rebane@gmail.com +372 523 8992

Producer Helen Lõhmus Helen Lõhmus is an Estonian producer, production & interior designer and production manager providing for domestic and international productions in TV and film. She started her TV career in 2004 working on shows like Pride of Estonia and Better than the Neighbour. Later, she worked on international projects, such as Reality Star (Estonia, USA, France), Wine Mansion (Estonia, France), besides music videos and commercials. In 2010, she was the production manager and art director for Russian Walt Disney Company drama After School. Recently Lõhmus was a producer and art director for a Lao-Estonia-France co-production Dearest Sister, a producer for the Estonian-Russian co-production Dream Fish, and co-producer for the Japanese-Latvian-Estonian supernatural comedy Magic Kimono. Contacts: me@helenlohmus.com +372 534 80281

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Astapovo Astapovo is a creative vision of the last days of the great Russian writer and public figure Lev Tolstoy, whose life ended in solitude and disease in the middle of nowhere. Due to his health condition, he was forced to stop his trip and get off the train at Astapovo Station, which became the last stop of his life. A person, whose life is a testimony of man’s genius and popularity, faces the inevitable. Based on Tolstoy’s book A Confession. Director: Egils Mednis Producer: Marta Bite Production country: Latvia Genre: Animation Production company: Camera Obscura Estimated running time: 10 min. Estimated budget: 92 000 EUR Funding in place: 4 600 EUR Production company profile: Camera Obscura is a production company based in Riga, Latvia. It focuses on creative, experimental animation films and documentaries.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Director Egils Mednis Egils is an artist and graphic designer, a graduate of the Latvian Academy of Arts. He happens to love video games, Machinima animation, motion graphics and creating drawing robots. His previous animation, The Ship (10 min) received Jury Award at San Jose Next Generation Machinima Contest and Best of the Festival, Best Direction and Best Independent Film Award at New York Machinima Film Festival in 2008. Contacts: mednioz@gmail.com +371 292 79091

Producer Marta Bite Marta Bite is a producer of documentary and animated films, producer of Latvian National Film Award and film educator for children and youth. Studied at the University of Latvia, Heinrich Heine University in Germany and the European Film College in Denmark. Marta programmed International Riga Film Forum Arsenals and worked as assistant producer at Ego Media production company. Participant of EAVE, ESoDoc, 4 Corners and Ex Oriente Film. Since 2016, she works as an independent producer. Contacts: martabite@yahoo.com +371 294 04443

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vilnius

Introduction to Epilogue Introduction to Epilogue is a colourful, allegorical animation for children and adults about the journey through different life stages searching for the meaning of life. The main character’s life is transforming from the moment he is born until his death – from stars to stars. He understands that death and birth are essential components of life’s cycle. That life will always last lifetime and it will always end in death. And the end will always be a new beginning. Director: Indra Sproge Producer: Janis Zarzeckis Production country: Latvia Genre: Animation Production company: infinityBOX Estimated running time: 10 min. Estimated budget: 110 000 EUR Funding in place: 87 000 EUR Production company profile: We animate characters with body, mind and heart. Our body, mind and heart. Characters with body, mind and heart.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Director Indra Sproge Indra Sproge is an artist, who became a script writer to make sure that her characters knew what to do. In order to teach beetles and zebras move and act, Indra became a director and an animator. Indra has produces 373 paintings, created 117 sculptures, has written 155 poems, 17 fairy tales and 35897 sms to finally understand that her true passion is to live in animation. So far, Indra has directed 33 minutes of animations (Awesome Beetles Colors, Function of Money and a compilation of 55 animations Teach me, Rhinobear!) and is still reaching out to infinity with her awesome team at the infinityBOX animation studio.

Producer Janis Zarzeckis Janis Zarzeckis is a plastic surgeon married to an artist. In order to take his wife to the sky, he has become a pilot. He believes in her talent so much that he has become a producer for her animations and has flown home with a Crystal from the Annecy International Animation Festival. Contacts: janis@zarzeckis.lv +371 292 22614

Contacts: indra@sproge.lv +371 264 21808

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vilnius

The Ritual Rituāls

For the first time we reveal that behind the greatest Latvian cultural phenomenon, the Song and Dance Festival, hides a secret fertility ritual of national scale. For 140 years, Latvian amateur singers and dancers meet on the open-air stage of the Song Festival not only to sing and dance, but also to indulge in mass procreation, significantly increasing Latvian population and saving the nation from extinction in hard times. The film follows the history and demographical impact of the so-called “naughty concerts” from their inclusion in the festival’s programme in the 1920s to prohibition during Soviet occupation and underground rebirth that aided the restoration of Latvian independence. Generations upon generations of Latvians have been born thanks to the ritual! Director: Aivars Madris Producer: Sergei Serpuhov Production country: Latvia Genre: Experimental/Fiction Production company: Baltic Pine Films Estimated running time: 15 min. Estimated budget: 33 560 EUR Funding in place: 10 000 EUR (5000 EUR cash, own investment; 5000 EUR in-kind, own investment) Production company profile: Established in 2008, Baltic Pine Films is a leader in production services in the Baltic region. Company’s credits include cooperation with Discovery, NBC, ZDF, UK’s C4, BBC, Left Bank Pictures, Yellow Bird (Wallander III), WB. Together with Estonian Allfilm. In 2012, BPF co-produced the award-winning feature In the Crosswinds, screened at Toronto, Warsaw, Thessaloniki & Black Nights IFF. Today the company develops its own content, including a scifi comedy Trajectory, supported by the Latvian state, as well as several short films.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Director Aivars Madris Aivars Madris is a young upcoming filmmaker with a deep interest and knowledge in film genres and their particularities. He also has a great sense of humour. His insightful film reviews for a number of Latvian online magazines have caught the eye of many readers. Aivars is currently an Audiovisual Media Arts student at the RISEBA, University of Business, Arts and Technology. He already has a degree in Philology and is a curator at the Museum of Latvian Literature and Music, where he often works with visual archives. The Ritual attempts to talk about a taboo subject and introduce some Latvian traditions in a humorous way; the idea was one of the Baltic Pine Films short film script competition winners. Contacts: madris87@gmail.com +371 261 56281

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Producer Sergei Serpuhov Sergei Serpuhov is a well-established producer who entered the film industry 16 years ago at a junior level and worked his way up while living in the UK. He has gained hands-on experience working on commercials, music videos, documentaries, TV shows, live broadcasts, TV and feature films. After returning to native Latvia, Sergei started his own company, Baltic Pine Films. As an active member of the Service Producers’ Association of Latvia, he works closely with state institutions to raise Latvia’s profile to attract more co-productions and service projects. In 2015–2016, Sergei participated in MAIA Emerging Producers workshop and EAVE Marketing and Producers workshop. In 2016, BPF launched a short film script competition to discover and support new talent. Contacts: sergei@balticfilms.com +371 267 25658

Elena The puppet animation film Elena is a story about choice and its haunting consequences. A young mother, Elena, loses her son after giving in to the satisfaction of her own needs. Plagued by guilt, she tries to get to terms with the consequences of her choice by physically harming herself. It is a journey of a young woman towards forgiveness and reconciliation. Director: Birutė Sodeikaitė Producer: Agnė Adomėnė Production country: Lithuania Genre: Puppet animation Production company: ART SHOT Estimated running time: 8 min. Estimated budget: 86 000 EUR Funding in place: 1000 EUR Production company profile: Founded in 2012, ART SHOT is an independent production company, focused on developing and producing short artistic animated films. The founder and producer of the company, Agnė Adomėnė aims to produce visually engaging animations with a potential for international co-production and distribution. In 2016, the first completed production, a puppet animation film Nuopuolis (Directed by Urtė Oettinger and Johan Oettinger, Lithuanian-Danish co-production) was awarded by Lithuanian Film Academy as The Best Lithuanian Animation Film of the year.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Director Birutė Sodeikaitė Birutė Sodeikaitė is a puppet animation director, puppet and scenography artist, animator, an alumni of The Arts University Bournemouth, UK. She practiced animation at some of the greatest puppet animation studios in Europe (Aardman, UK, Nukufilm, Estonia, Se-Ma-For, Poland). Her debut film, a short puppet animation Last Stop Is The Moon, a Polish-Lithuanian co-production, was awarded at Krakow Film Festival 2017, in the works-inprogress section with an Animated in Poland award. The film will premiere this autumn. Contacts: birute.sodeikaite@gmail.com +370 625 48468

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Producer Agnė Adomėnė Founder and producer of the production company ART SHOT, Agnė Adomėnė, focuses on developing, producing and co-producing short artistic animated films. In 2016, ART SHOT production Nuopuolis, Eng. Ragnarok (Short puppet animation directed by Urtė Oettinger and Johan Oettinger, Lithuanian-Danish co-production) was awarded by Lithuanian Film Academy as The Best Lithuanian Animation Film of the year. In 2015, she became one of the founders and board members of the Lithuanian Animation Association. Contacts: agne@artshot.lt +370 620 88522

Pumping Period A delicate woman is transported to a Palace surrounded by great beauty, a mixture of Purgatory and Paradise. She enters a room that radiates peace and harmony, where virginal women are lying in beds, giving their menstrual blood through tubes connected to their vaginas. The blood is transported to a contiguous room full of men from The War. The atmosphere is chaotic and hellish. But the blood that is injected into their veins gives them a new opportunity to live. Suddenly, a man awakens from the suffering and leaves the room to meet his rescuer. Followed by other couples, they throw themselves into an infinite water in a magical and sensual dance. The water dyes red while they kiss, as if they were inside the womb of Mother Nature. A new consciousness is born between women and men. The story about the everlasting circle of life. Director: Francesc Prat Dutren Producer: Dagnė Puodžiūnaitė Production country: Lithuania Genre: Fiction Production company: Olegas ir storas Estimated running time: 10 min. Estimated budget: 70 000 EUR Funding in place: 7 500 EUR Production company profile: Olegas ir storas was founded by Oleg Surajev. For the past few years, the company was producing TV shows, mini TV series, videography projects. Currently this production is working on a Lithuanian feature (dir. Saulius Baradinskas, prod. Dagnė Puodžiūnaitė).

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Director Francesc Prat Dutren With a broad experience of working in more than thirty films as first assistant director, his creativity as a director has been improved in the staging of over twenty plays, the direction of second units and of several short films. His work as a producer has been consolidated with the founding of Creandus Films production company and the projects it has taken on. His professional career during the last fifteen years guarantees his craftsmanship, talent and leadership skills. His goal is to create honest and ambitious stories, as well as cinematographic experiences that bring together the desire to thrill and entertain, understanding film as a combination of art and industry.

Producer Dagnė Puodžiūnaitė Dagnė Puodžiūnaitė was born and raised in Vilnius. In 2011, she started to work as a producer, AD, location manager since 2011. Now based in Vilnius, but working on both local and international projects. Contacts: dagne.puodziunaite@gmail.com +370 623 87187

Contacts: frankie@fpdfilms.com +34 680 444 879

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

The Nest Lizdas

After graduating as a biologist, Fausta, a young successful woman gets a job in a remote bird banding station. Hesitating, she accepts the offer and gives up a romantic relationship with her boyfriend and life in a big city for challenge and uncertainty. The new life, new people, pure nature and all the obstacles she faces open her mind up and show her the meaning and joy of life. Director: Miglė Križinauskaitė-Bernotienė Producer: Miglė KrižinauskaitėBernotienė Production country: Lithuania Genre: Fiction Production company: VšĮ Medijų ir edukacijos centras Estimated running time: 15 min. Estimated budget: 50 000 EUR Funding in place: 5000 EUR Production company profile: VšĮ Medijų ir edukacijos centras was founded in 2015 based on an innovative business model. It includes two affiliated, but completely different activities from the point of view of organizing them: film screening and film production. The organization is focused on developing and producing short independent documentaries and fiction films.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Director & Producer Miglė Križinauskaitė-Bernotienė Miglė Križinauskaitė-Bernotienė (1987) is an audiovisual artist and an animation and documentary filmmaker, currently based in Utena (Lithuania). She is also the founder of Cinema house TAURAPILIS, a movie theatre at Utena. Before Now (2016), her debut documentary film, is hitting the festival circuit. Currently, she is developing The Nest, her newest short fiction. Contacts: migle@kinonamai.lt +370 695 07279

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

AWARDS The international 7-member panel awards two Best Short Film Projects with: Participant rights at the European Short Film Co-production Forum EURO CONNECTION as part of the 40th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in February 2018. The award also covers up to 400 EUR of travel expenses to Clermont-Ferrand.

Participant rights at European Short Pitch by NISI MASA in January and March, 2018. The award also covers the participation fee of 400 EUR.

Lithuanian Producers MEDIA Award The fifth edition of the Baltic Pitching Forum will be observed by experienced Lithuanian producers interested in spotting new regional talents. This group will select the best project and award it with a 500 EUR cash prize! What a chance! Who are these producers? Come and meet them on Saturday morning, before the official pitching starts and get to know the ones you might be working with in the future. This initiative is co-organised with the Creative Europe Desk Lithuania MEDIA office under the Lithuanian Film Centre.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vilnius

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Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vilnius

Ice Jää Alumni of the second Baltic Pitching Forum 2014

This is a story about a father and a son who are set on the enchanting ice road across the frozen sea. Harri is a lieutenant colonel in the Estonian army. Divorced, he only meets his 10-year old son during the school holidays. Harri decides to make up for the lost time by going to an adventurous father-son winter trip to an island. Missing the last ferry, Harri decides to take a local ice road over the frozen sea. On the vast snowy desert past memories collide with the present. Director: Anna Hints Producer: Eero Talvistu, Emilie Dubois, Oliver Berlemont, Raoul Nadalet Production country: Estonia, France, Luxembourg Genre: Fiction Production company: Exitfilm (EE), Origine Films (FR), Antevita Films (LU) Running time: 15 min. Total budget: 111 411 EUR Production company profile: Exitfilm is an Estonia based production company founded in 1992, owned by Peeter Urbla (producer / director). Member of the Estonian Film Producers Association. Exitfilm is working closely with local funds, film community and especially with young talents. Long-term experience working with European companies makes Exitfilm a good platform for international co-production. Premiere: World premiere - 2017-08, Budapest International Short Film Festival BuSho (Hungary). National premiere is still open. Festivals and awards: Budapest ISFF 2017 (Hungary), Shorts Mexico ISFF 2017 (Mexico), Helsinki IFF 2017 (Finland), Armagnac ISFF 2017 (France), Schlingel IFF 2017 (Germany), Paris Courts Devant ISFF 2017 (France), Premier Court Métrage ISFF 2017 (France), CinEast IFF 2017 (Luxembourg). Nisi Masa European Short Pitch award in 2015 (Luxembourg).

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Director Anna Hints Anna Hints is an Estonian film director, screenwriter and folk singer. She has studied literature and folklore in Tartu University and graduated from the Tartu Art College in photography and from the Baltic Film and Media School in film directing. She has been active in contemporary art scene. Her student film Free World has brought her Kaljo Kiisa named Young Filmmaker Award and Grand Prix in national short film section of Black Nights Film Festival. Currently she is developing her debut feature fiction and feature documentary films.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Producer Eero Talvistu Eero is an EAVE Producers Workshop 2015 alumnus, member of Estonian Filmmakers’ Union, and member of Estonian National Producers’ Association. He has produced or co-produced three feature documentaries, one short documentary, one feature fiction and several short fictions. His last doc production, Rough Stage, was premiered at IDFA and participated at the First Appearance Competition selection. Two of his documentaries were awarded by Estonian Cultural Endowment Fund two years in a row.

Castratus the Boar Kastrats Kuilis Alumni of the first Baltic Pitching Forum 2013

Castratus the Boar is an impressionistic story about a small town resident, Valter, whose secret prevents him from integrating in a local community. His days are about breeding pigs and singing in the church choir but that does not reduce his loneliness. When he finally tries to establish closer contact with a fellow girl, Aija, his perception of masculinity takes a weird turn. Director: Lauris Abele, Raitis Abele Producer: Dace Siatkovska, Thom Palmen Production country: Latvia Genre: Fiction Production company: Tritone studio Running time: 30 min. Total budget: 2700 EUR Production company profile: Tritone Studio is a full service film production and in-house postproduction company based in Riga, Latvia. Since 2009, it produces animations, TV commercials, feature films, short films, music videos and various multimedia projects. Now Tritone studio is in production of a feature historical docudrama about Baltic tribes in the 13th century Baltic Tribes / Last Pagans of Europe. Premiere: International premiere – 2014, Open Film Festival Kinoshock (Russia). National premiere – 2015, Cinema Splendid Palace (Latvia) Awards: Grand Prix at Tampere IFF 2015 (Finland), Jury prize at Prague ISFF 2015 (Czech Republic), Best Baltic Fiction award at Rīga IFF 2Annas (Latvia), Jury prize at Kinoshock IFF 2014 (Russia). Shortlisted as a national short for Oscars 2015. Other festivals: Berlin ISFF 2015 (Germany), Minimalen ISFF 2016 (Norway), Leuven ISFF 2015 (Belgium), Karlovy Vary IFF (Czech Republic), Cork IFF 2015 (UK), Rīga IFF (Latvia), Tenerife ISFF 2015 (Spain), Sleepwalkers ISFF 2014 (Estonia), Antarctic ISFF 2014-2015, Valladolid IFF 2015 (Spain), Spektrs IFF (Latvia).

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Directors Lauris Abele and Raitis Abele Brothers Lauris and Raitis Abele, currently residing in Riga, Latvia, found their interest in filmmaking by making their own DIY projects with HI8 cameras. Later, they worked for TV, making shows about extreme board sports. They have made several music videos for local bands, short films and commercials. Lauris has got a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and a Master’s degree in Film Directing at the Latvian Academy of Culture whilst Raitis studied at the New York Film Academy and got a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the Latvian University. Both are the masterminds behind the psychedelic oriented music bands Soundarcade and Das Sonntags Legion. They mostly work with their third brother Marcis Abele, who is a DOP. Their art focuses on existential problems of today and relies on strong visual elements.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

By the Pool Winner of the third Baltic Pitching Forum 2015

A group of teenagers rent a house with a sauna to throw a party. Initially, nothing seems to be unusual about the party: the teenagers drink, dance, vomit, smoke, relentlessly talk about their relationships and then leave in the early hours of the morning. When the house keepers come in to clean the place, they find Indre who is trying to find the button of her ripped up trousers in the sauna. Director: Laurynas Bareiša Producer: Klementina Remeikaitė Production country: Lithuania Genre: Fiction Production company: Afterschool Running time: 16 min. Total budget: 20 000 EUR Production company profile: As the name suggests, Afterschool was formed by a group of film school graduates: directors Marija Kavtaradzė, Laurynas Bareiša and producer Klementina Remeikaitė. Together they created a number of short films, which were screened in international festivals and nominated for national awards. Premiere: World premiere – 2017-09-07, Venice Film Festival (Italy) Festivals and awards: Venice IFF (Italy), alumni of European Short Pitch 2016.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Director Laurynas Bareiša Laurynas Bareiša (b. 1988/02/26 in Kaunas, Lithuania) holds a bachelor’s degree in both Applied Mathematics from Vilnius University and in Cinematography from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. In 2016, he completed his Master’s degree in Film Directing. His first short film Dembava was in one of the Top 5 lists of Cineuropa 2014, while his second short film, The Camel, had a world premiere in San Sebastian Film Festival 2016 and was screened in Trieste Film Festival, and other short films festivals. By The Pool is his third short film.

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

Producer Klementina Remeikaitė Klementina Remeikaitė (b.1988/12/20 in Vilnius, Lithuania) studied Film Production in the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and took a part in MAIA workshops for emerging European producers in 2015. She produced six short films, which were screened in San Sebastian Film Festival, Trieste Film Festival, Asiana Shorts Film Festival, Go Shorts Film Festival, and others; the films received national film awards. Now Klementina and Laurynas are in pre-production of their forth short film.

FORUM TEAM & CONTACTS Marija Razgutė (LT) LITHUANIAN SHORTS Lithuanian Short Film Agency marija@filmshorts.lt +370 601 07802

Laima Graždanoviča (LV) 2ANNAS Riga International Film Festival laima@2annas.lv +371 297 35366

Rimantė Daugėlaitė-Cegelskienė (LT) LITHUANIAN SHORTS Lithuanian Short Film Agency info@filmshorts.lt +370 673 16548

Peter Murdmaa (EE) SHORTEST Estonian Short Film Center peter@shortest.eu +372 516 9259

Gabrielė Cegialytė (LT) LITHUANIAN SHORTS Lithuanian Short Film Agency office@filmshorts.lt +370 628 35040

Laurence Boyce (EE) PÖFF Shorts Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) laurence.boyce@gmail.com +372 569 87199

Anna Zača (LV) SHORT RIGA Riga International Film Festival anna@rigaiff.lv +371 259 26065

Siiri Häidma (EE) PÖFF Shorts Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) siiri.haidma@poff.ee +372 55 596 346

Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

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Baltic Pitching Forum 2017 — Vilnius

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