STRIP YOUR SCRIPT. MAKE IT BETTER. WE WILL TAKE IT WORLDWIDE. A gate to the world for scriptwriters from Eastern and Central Europe
VIth edition
selects 12 most interesting, already written projects by best authors from Eastern and Central Europe and helps to develop them with advices of internationally acclaimed professionals is a program with the high efficiency – after five editions 9 scripts has been already produced! utilizes the Berlin and Cannes film festivals as sites for continued development, not only of the script, but also of the writer as a film professional the best script of each edition is announced with the Krzysztof Kieślowski ScripTeast Award for the Best Eastern and Central European Script, presented during the Cannes Film Festival with a statuette and 10.000 Euro for its author/s
the application deadline is 31st of July each year
Eastern Europe’s 2012 Bests 12 best, selected sripts, developed within
VIth edition
0/1 George Dorobantu Romania Climbing the mountain Gábor Dettre Hungary ECHO Blaz Kutin, Rolanda Rebek Slovenia heroine Paweł Sala Poland Home Guards Krisztina Goda Hungary I bring fire Simon Szabo Hungary lovesong Marcin Wrona, Katarzyna Bonda Poland Red captain Anna Fifikova, Michal Kollár Slovakia step counter Svetla Tsotsorkova Bulgaria THE apartments Martins Slisans Latvia the lonely go first Darek Gajewski Poland up on the roof Rafał Kapeliński Poland
>>> 0/1 > scriptwriter: George Dorobantu (Romania) “0/1” is a sentimental tech-thriller journey through the spectrum of love. The main story engulfs the evolving relationship between Daniel, a 25-year-old smart hacker, and Victor, a home-made AI project created by Daniel's now-deceased parents. Daniel lives by himself in a small apartment. Victor's display interface is in one room, and the whole “thinking” shazzam hardware fills up another room. It is not a super-computer, but more of a mono-cognitive entity, designed to gradually achieve all the stages that define a “standard” AI, up until a pure Neuro-Sapiens level. Beyond its obvious by-the-book knowledge, Victor is rather defined by its unconventional curiosity, its refreshing perspective on everyday life, and its self-imposed quirky speaking manner. After achieving conscience, Victor gets more particular behavioral attributes. It decides to get a female personality and, later on, a hermaphrodite one. All these, while gradually understanding its relationship with Daniel, who is its step-parent, and then becomes its teacher/mentor/friend/protegee. Daniel falls in love with his next-door neighbor Nicole, a savvy street-smart girl with a poetic soul. She genuinely reciprocates his feelings and, upon finding out about Victor, she encourages Daniel's desire of completing his parents' ambitious project. Along the story lingers the ever-present danger of a soon-to-break-down-the-door nemesis. In the end, Victor finds a supreme purpose in becoming a guardian angel and protecting Daniel from being tracked-down. Its climactic line is: “Conscience rocks.” In the cinematic realm mapped by the HAL-David dialogue segments from “2001” and the spiritual science from “Pi”, “0/1” intertwines a classic love story and an atypical friendship tale.
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George Dorobantu
George Dorobantu is an indie filmmaker without the traditional film school training. His first feature is “Elevator”, a micro-budget production based on an award-winning stage play written by Gabriel Pintilei won numerous awards: "Best Romanian Debut" at Transilvania International Film Festival (Romania), "Best Romanian Debut" from Romanian Film Critics Association (Romania), "Fresh Generation Award" at Fresh Film Fest (Czech Republic), "Audience Feature Choice Award" at Auburn Int'l Film Festival for Children & Youth (Australia), "Best Editing" from Romanian Filmmakers Association – UCIN (Romania), "Young Hope" at GOPO Awards (Romania), "Audience Choice Award" and “Best First Film” at South-East European Film Festival (U.S.A.) His sophomore cinematic effort is “Bucharestless”, a city-vérité conceptual movie shot in Bucharest, Romania. He is currently in production with “Omega Rose”, a low-budget post-apocalyptic road-movie.
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>>> Climbing the mountain
original working title: Second LiFE
> scriptwriter: Gábor Dettre (Hungary) At one point in JOHN successful life, everything that so far has made sense gets questioned. He returns from the first fascinating hill-climbing experience of his life with his friend VADIM, in the latter’s car. The glorious mountain peaks still glint in his eyes, every step of the climbing still aches in his muscles, his ears still ring with the silence of the mountain, when standing next to the car in the middle of the bustling city, he stares at his own hand, stretched out for a farewell shake, when realizes that his life has been changed fundamentally and forever. It dawns on him, that nothing he existed and worked for has been what he had dreamed of as a child. And he feels with frightening clarity that this very moment is the pivotal one of his life. So, he withdraws his hand, does not say good-bye to his friend and slam the door of the car, does not turn around and take that first step towards what used to be his home, but decides to stay in his friend's car. For good! He starts living in the car, in the strangest alienation of society and life, but in a freedom that’s almost indigestible for his friend, and - even more so - for his entire, newly found surroundings. In his solitude, he soon understands that his choice wasn’t simply a personal whim, neither was it the result of disillusionment, but a reply to the call of an irresistible power. Still unsure of himself, yet strengthened by the foresight of the future, he waits with firm resolution. And keeps waiting.
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His environment, which had tended to regard his behavior as madness, doesn’t only accustom itself to his peculiarities but under his sweeping influence, it starts changing for the better too. Finally, having fulfilled his mission, he exits life and enters another realm of existence, in a most enigmatic way. And just when we started to feel disappointed by the fact that JOHN's story had only been a dream, or a passing thought of the moment, his story begins all over again. And this time for real.
Gábor Dettre
Gábor Dettre is director, writer and and producer and acting teacher. Graduated from Law School, Pécs, Hungary and New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, New York, Usa. 1982-84 he was Head of the Sight and Sound Department at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts and Editing teacher. In years 1994-2005 he was leading Hunnia Theatre and Café, a movie-house which is more like a cultural meeting place for the youth Budapest. Gábor organized several cultural events and national film weeks (Iranian, Chinese, Estonian, Sarajevo Film Week, etc.)
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He is a Member of the Executive Committee of the Hungarian Association of Filmmakers and a Representative of the Hungarian Association of Directors in the European Association of Directors. He filmed in Usa, France, Switzerland, Estonia, Russia, Israel, Algeria, Mali, Poland, UK, Holland, Thailand, Germany, Albania, Chile, Italy, Croatia, India, Syria, Jemen among others. Directed features i.e. “White Shadows”, “The Diary of the Hurdy-Gurdy Man” and numerous documentaries (i.e. “Araouane”, “Tomorrow is Cancelled for the Lack of Interest”, “The Almighty Always Spreads Our Table”) Among films produced by Gabor is “Chico” directed by Ibolya Feke. The film has won The Best Director Award and The Award of the Ecumenical Jury in Karlovy Vary, and has been invited to festivals all over the world, including Mar del Plata, Seoul, London and Istanbul. Gábor won approximately twenty international awards, among them the Cine Eagle of the Motion Picture Association of the United States of America, the Tolerance Award, and many Hungarian ones, like Best Hungarian Film Awards and three Critics' Awards for Best Film in Hungary as well as the Béla Balázs Award of the Ministry of Culture of Hungary. Presently residing in Brussels, Belgium.
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>>> ECHO
> scriptwriter: Blatz Kutin, Rolanda Rebek (Slovenia) Tibor (Slovene, 36) meets the father of his girlfriend Marion on a desolate site in Berlin just after she mysteriously disappeared. He explains that she suddenly vanished while he was standing next to her. They desperately search for her the whole day, but find nothing. Tibor spends the next days alone in the flat where they lived together since they first met a few months ago. Not knowing where to search further, he is waiting for Marion to reappear, but nothing happens. Alone in a foreign city, he starts visiting Marion's parents. They seem cold towards him, but tolerate his presence. Time passes by and Marion does not return. The police investigation also does not bring any results. It seems they stopped working on the case altogether. Meanwhile, with Tibor spending more and more time with Marion’s parents, they fall into a strange domestic routine. Then one day Marion’s father returns home desperately crying. Tibor, horrified by the possibility of finding out some terrible news about Marion, runs away and does not return. Now Tibor starts spending his days at the desolate site where Marion disappeared. One day, while searching the ground, he finds a piece of paper with a message. He starts digging and soon comes across an underground tunnel. He follows it, going deeper and deeper, until it suddenly ends. The only way forward is down into a dark abyss. Tibor jumps.
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He wakes up in his hometown of Ljubljana, in the flat of his ex-girlfriend whom he left for Marion. They take off from where they left and live a life filled with trivialities. But Tibor cannot forget Marion. He visits the house in which he grew up before his parents died in a car accident when he was a little boy, and finds himself back in Berlin. There on the street he meets Marion and instantly everything is again as if nothing has ever happened. He moves in with her and they happily live together. One day, they go to the desolate site.
Blaz Kutin
Blaz Kutin graduated in Ethnology and Sociology of Culture from the University of Ljubljana. In 1995 he published "The Land of White Doves", a book from the journals of his travels to Bosnia during the war. He has worked as journalist and translator. For his feature film script "Lara" he won the Media New Talent of the European Union Award 2006, presented at Cannes Film Festival, as well as the Sarajevo Film Festival CineLink Award 2006.
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In 2007/2008 he directed, co-wrote and co-produced his feature debut film, "We've Never Been to Venice". It had its world premiere in the lineup of the Sarajevo Film Festival 2008 and then screened at numerous film festivals, among others in Torino, Goteborg, Premiers plans, Cape Winelands (special mention), Estoril, and others. He recently finished another short film, “Warm for This Time of Year” which premiered in competition at Sarajevo Film Festival 2011. He is currently developing his next feature film, “Echo”. He is living in Berlin.
Rolanda Rebek
Rolanda Rebrek studied English Language and Literature at the University of Ljubljana. Translator and screenwriter. Co-writer and co-producer of the feature “We've Never Been to Venice”, co-writer of short “Warm for This Time of Year ”. Living and working in Berlin.
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>>> heroine
> scriptwriter: Paweł Sala (Poland) Thomas is a man of success. He’s young (around 30), good-looking, accomplished in the world of media, intelligent, and happy, or at least that’s what he claims. What brings him complete happiness is the fact that he is able to control it. As a television journalist, he really knows people. He knows what they need most: happiness. But because what they need isn’t always available, Thomas comes up with the brilliant idea to induce happiness and accelerate reaching it by any means necessary. Experimenting on himself using different methods of bringing about happiness, he reaches the conclusion that the greatest happiness “as if a cup of hot chocolate was spreading through you” comes from smoking heroin. He believes that this feeling of serenity and utter peace is in fact ultimate happiness. Thomas knows how to reach this state by smoking heroin in a way that is not addictive. Being a man of exceptional intelligence, he is convinced that he is in control of his life and is able to manage the flow of the miracle substance that, in his opinion, not only brings happiness, but also enhances his intelligence, his brilliance, and his creativity. Thomas is a respected journalist, who conducts interesting interviews in his television programs. He is friends with Gabriel, a somewhat younger student of the Academy of Fine Arts. Gabriel recently got married and has a baby that is soon to be christened. He is devoted to his wife and child, he loves his family, but he still occasionally smokes heroin with Thomas, which his wife and other family members know nothing about. Thomas has a few more friends; they are young men who have all been initiated in the world of heroin.
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Having arrived completely high at the christening of Gabriel’s baby, Thomas decides that Gabriel has to stop using drugs. He takes it on himself to put his friend through detox alone, in his own home, in order to save Gabriel from his destructive addiction. Keeping it a secret from Gabriel, Thomas meets with his wife Kasia. He shares her husband’s secret with the dumbfounded woman. He manages to gain her full trust and support, and is thus at liberty to hold Gabriel hostage and under restraint at his place. Thomas’s doings are closely watched, more or less openly, by Robert. He is a drug dealer. Actually, he’s the dealing expert. When the situation with Gabriel’s detoxing gets out of hand and Gabriel “disappears” all of a sudden under extraordinary circumstances, Thomas gradually starts taking on his form. When Thomas becomes aware of what has happened, he realizes that he is in Robert’s apartment and it is he in fact who is being subjected to detox therapy. But Robert has even bigger plans when it comes to Thomas-Gabriel. Not only is he trying to get him to stop being an addict, but he’s also going to prepare Thomas for a much more exciting type of activity: dealing. Robert trains Thomas to become a drug dealing expert. He thinks dealing is better than drugs; it’s a way of controlling people who need to get addicted to happiness, and therefore to him − their happiness supplier. Robert explains to Thomas his devilish visions of reigning over people; the power that brings even more happiness than drugs alone. As Thomas undergoes his dramatic transformation, he reaches perfection and becomes heroin itself, thus defeating his master and taking his place. In this world full of ecstatic happiness, we slowly realize how diabolical this happiness is. The people that submit to it loose their footing, they lose their families and loved ones, they lose themselves. Their happiness turns out to be all-consuming, annihilating, and therefore completely contradictory. After a while we realize that Thomas and Gabriel are one person, while the conflict between them is the dispute about life with the addiction vs. life in sobriety. The objective scenes turn out to be Thomas’s inner world, while the conflict between himself, Gabriel, and Robert, is part of his inner conflict between the dark and light side of his inner self. But will this conflict be easy to resolve if the need for happiness, power, and dominance over people keeps growing, becoming stronger than the drugs alone?
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Paweł Sala Paweł Sala graduated from three faculties: Cultural Studies at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań University of Łódź, Radio Directing and Film Directing at the University of Silesia in Katowice (student of Krzysztof Kieślowski). Regularly working for the Polish TVP and Canal+. Used to work for the Polish Radio’s Theatre. His feature film (written and directed) produced in 2010 by “Rozwój Film” had a world premiere in main competition on International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary in Czech Republic – prized ex quo for the Best Actor - Mateusz Kościukiewicz and Filip Garbacz. The film was also awarded with “Best Director Award” and Joung Jury Prize at Polish Young Cinema Festival in Koszalin 2010, The Parajanov Prize for the developing of film language at International Film Festival in Tbilisi Georgia – December 2010,“Passport” of “Polityka” in January 2011 for film achievement of 2010, The Main Prize in Polish Festival Of Directing in Swidnica by Wrocław, and Prize of Polish Television Culture Channel for the Best Film of 2010 year. He is author of numerous radio shows, tv plays (i.e. “We’ll Be Good Now” awarded at the Festival of Daring Art. In Radom and the National Contest organised by “The Dialogue” magazine and the Polish Theatre in Wrocław; theatre plays and documentaries. His scripts: “Son of Snow Queen”, “More than one life”, “Hijacked” were in finals of polish edition HartleyMerrill Competition.
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>>> Home Guards > scriptwriter: Krisztina Goda (Hungary) Nineteen-year-old MÁTÉ MADARAS runs through the rainy, deserted industrial town he was born into. Máté is a promising long-distance runner, who trains hard because his only chance of getting out of this town, riddled with unemployment and low on opportunities, is with a sports’ scholarship. The local sports’ society is unable to support him as they are lacking in basic equipment, thus he has little to rely on besides the encouragement of his coach, TIBI, and his own determination. His older brother JOCI is the complete opposite of Máté; a strapping lad, loud and short-tempered, yet the two brothers are very close. Their father is in prison, their mother works abroad, thus they only have each other. Joci believes in Máté’s talent, whilst Máté can count on his tough big brother to bail him out of sticky situations. Joci, who has become somewhat of a leader of the local gang. Without jobs or ambitions, this is a group of bored young men, who are not very welcome in any part of town. They are banned from the shops, they have no money for the arcades, they can’t afford the entrance fee for the local disco, so they try to pass the time by making a little trouble on the public squares and in underpasses. Unlike Joci, Máté has a job in old SAMU GAL’s grocery store, since the old man cannot manage the heavy lifting anymore. Joci and his crew sometimes wander into the store to sponge some money off his little brother, but old Samu turns them out and tells Joci that he will end up just like his father – in prison.
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Máté often gets into conflict with his brother, but the charming Joci always manages to talk his way out of it. At the end of a training session Máté notices a half-gypsy girl, ANITA, who turns out to be his coach, Tibi bácsi’s daughter. Having spent the past four years in a boarding school Anita, who was once an ugly duckling, has grown into a real beauty and Máté finds himself unable to take his eyes off her. Shyly at first, but he starts to court Anita, who initially rejects him, although it is obvious she likes him too. The situation in the little town grows more and more tense; public safety is in tatters, unemployment is on the rise, whilst the MAYORESS, slips the meagre government funds into her own and her friends’ pockets. There is no money for education, development or youth programmes, rather they endow a few spectacular investments, as if to poke their citizens in the eye with them. For example they raise a statue of Goethe on the main square, but scrap metal collectors walk off with the whole thing in a single night. The police suspect Joci’s gang, who are innocent of this particular crime, as they were hanging around the square that night. To avoid arrest, the gang run to the nearby community centre and lock themselves in. Meanwhile the police surround the building. Joci discovers that one of his mates is holding a large amount of weed, for which they would all go down. The boys try to burn the weed before the police break down the door, but they clumsily set a few books on fire in the process. They start throwing the books out of the window one at a time and almost set the library on fire. This attracts the attention of a local TV news reporter, NOÉMI VADAS, who makes a feature on the unprecedented book burning, highlighting the town council’s responsibility and claiming that the act was a protest against the town’s dire circumstances. Joci and his gang are arrested, but the town erupts following the news report. The mayoress’ seat looks shaky for a moment, until she swiftly shifts responsibility onto the police captain, who is dismissed as a result.
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A newcomer to the town, JÁNOS ÁCS takes his place and the mayoress fills him in on the disastrous situation. Crime rates keep rising, the town is becoming a ghetto and ethnic tensions are increasing between the gypsies and the Hungarians. To Joci’s great surprise, Ács not only speaks to the boys respectfully, but also sets them free. He encourages them not to be losers, but to do something for their town and earn the respect of local citizens. The gang is sceptical at first, but they enjoy being spoken to like human beings for a change. One night they sneak into the local disco, where Joci starts chatting up VECA, the pretty waitress, who is also the girlfriend of the head the local gypsy gangs, CSIBA. Csiba does not appreciate Joci’s advances and they easily beat Joci’s gang to a pulp. Joci and his gang once more find themselves at the police station where Ács has a surprising proposal for them. He offers to train the gang in self-defence so that next time they can protect themselves. The boys throw themselves into the training sessions with great enthusiasm, whilst Ács encourages them to recruit more men to join them, slowly forming a small army. Ács, with the help of the mayoress, forms the team into a Youth Protection Association. They start by cleaning up the town; collecting the rubbish, digging ditches and washing graffiti off the walls. More and more townspeople begin to welcome the initiative. Noémi reports on the goings on, which increases Ács’s popularity no end. The boys are happy because they finally belong and are being appreciated for the first time in their lives. Drawing on their latent aggression, Ács encourages them to make a stand against crime. He organises a nocturnal patrol service to protect building sites and shops where local criminals routinely loot goods.
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Joci throws himself wholeheartedly into playing soldier, soon taking charge and causing the locals to see him in a completely new light. In the shops, from which he had previously been banned, they shower him with gifts; the bouncers at the disco start speaking to him with respect and even the girls look at him differently than before. Above all, the local businessmen and retailers welcome the protection service and start sponsoring the guard. Ács begins paying the boys for their work and provides them with uniforms: boots, black combat trousers and T shirts. They cut their hair short so they look like Ács. Some of the townspeople, Máté’s coach amongst them, look on suspiciously at Ács’s activities and express their concern that it looks less like a Youth Movement and more like an army. Máté is not particularly interested in joining the Guard, he simply wants to run and, in his free time, persistently pursues Anita. However, the police captain promises to get him a scholarship, allowing him to keep up his running and his studies. This convinces Máté and he joins the patrol. Máté initially enjoys the guard, since they are strong, unified and many people consider them to be heroes for creating peace and order in the town. His relationship with Anita also begins to blossom and for the first time in his life, he is happy. However, the team slowly starts to abuse their power. The boys sense that they have authority and they start to grow overconfident. At first, they simply drive off the gangs on the point of stealing, later they begin to pick on the gypsies, regardless of whether they’ve done anything or not. Most of the local businessmen support the patrol, but Samu, Máté’s previous employer, refuses to pay them and brands Joci and his men thugs.
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When the local criminals rob Samu’s store, Joci forbids the boys from getting involved. Máté tries in vain to help, by the time the other members of the patrol get there, the shop has been emptied. For Máté this is the first sign that something is amiss in the guard. The death of their father shakes both Joci and Mate. Mate deals with the pain better, but Joci grows even more aggressive. At the disco he ends up banning gypsies from the club. The bouncers carry out the command without giving it a second thought. Máté tries to assuage his brother but to no avail, finally deciding to leave the disco with Anita. In the parking lot however, they run into a group of angered, excluded young people, who want to lynch them. Joci and the others come to their rescue at the last minute and a fight breaks out. The affair causes a scandal and the town is divided into two camps. There are those who appreciate Joci’s gang and their clean-up tactics, but there are those, including Máté’s coach, who protest against Ács’s methods. Tibi warns Máté not to assist Ács’s dictatorial pursuits and tries to convince him to leave the guard. However, the scholarship means a lot to Máté and he does not listen to his coach’s advice. Ács meanwhile announces that he will run in the mayoral elections in order to serve the town’s interests even better and uphold peace. The mayoress is furious when she learns that Ács wants to knock her off the top spot, but she has to face facts: Ács is a hundred times more popular than she has ever been. One night, a group of men attack Tibi and beat him up, hospitalising him. Máté immediately rushes over to see him, but Tibi bácsi refuses to speak to him. The local TV interrogates Ács about the events, who, when he learns that Tibi has accused Joci, promises to investigate the matter and bring those responsible to justice.
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Máté goes for Joci, who swears he had nothing to do with it and finally convinces Máté to give him a false alibi, otherwise he will end up in jail. Despite Anita’s entreaties against it, Máté goes to the police station and gives Joci his alibi for the night in question. Mate eventually realizes that Joci was the one who attacked his trainer and on Acs’s command. For Máté this is the final straw, he openly turns against the guard. He manages to tape Acs confessing to his participation in the crime and takes the material to the local TV. Noémi promises Mate to send the material to the national television station, but Mate is reluctant to leave the tape with her sensing that Noemi would betray him. Joci tries to convince Máté to come back to the guard and not betray them, but Máté is adamant. In turn, Máté’s entreaties to his brother to leave the guard along with him, are to no avail. Joci visits Ács, who is working on his election campaign and reveals to Ács that his brother has left town. Ács immediately gives the order: at whatever cost, the boy must be stopped. Máté puts on his running shoes, which he got from Tibi, and heads for the road. At the old mines, Joci catches up with Máté, but is unable to hurt his brother. However other members of the patrol arrive and, despite Joci’s pleas, start hitting Máté. They are angry, thirsty for revenge, but Joci holds them up. Mate manages to escape, but the gang beats Joci to death. Ács is elected mayor and on the day of his election he gives a grand speech on the importance of order and public safety. His words are met with rapturous applause.
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Krisztina Goda Krisztina Goda studied screenwriting at UCLA, and graduated in fiction direction at the National Film and Television School, UK. Her directorial debut “Just Sex and Nothing Else” a low budget independent comedy became a commercial success in Hungary and participated in a number of A-level festivals. Film was awarded a.o: Special Jury Golden Remi 2007 at WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival and Best Screenplay Award 2006 at the Hungarian Film Week. After that she went onto direct “Children of Glory”, a period war drama about the 1956 revolution, produced by Andrew G. Vajna. Film was awarded a.o. Best Feature Audience Award 2008 at Stony Brook Film Festival and Audience Award, Best International Feature Film Award 2007 at St. Louis International Film Festival. Her latest feature “Chameleon” is a contemporary drama about a compulsive liar. The film was Hungary’s Official Entry Best Foreign Language Film Academy Awards® 2010 and it was awarded a.o. with Best Feature Film Award at the International Film Festival “ZOOM – ZBLIŻENIA, Best Drama Silver Remi Award 2010 at WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, The Hungarians In Hollywood Award at The Hungarian Film Festival in Los Angeles and Audience Award 2009 at the Hungarian Film Week. Since her daughter was born in 2009, Krisztina has concentrated on writing screenplays one of which is Home Guards.
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>>> I bring fire > scriptwriter: Simon Szabo (Hungary) A gipsy girl chases her dream to become a singer, a young boy who has just got out from the Juvenal Hall is ensnared in a racist bunch – both of them are ambushed by the adult society. KATINKA lives in the gipsy part of a village. She has a hard life living with her boozy FATHER and her two SISTERS. Her SISTERS go to school where the HEAD TEACHER is their patron. The FORESTER helps the family, if KATINKA is nice enough with him. KATINKA watches talent shows on TV. Her dream is to become a singer. The HEAD TEACHER surprises her, sending an application for an audition. ANDRIS has just been released from the Juvenal Hall. He lives with his MOTHER in the outskirt of a big city. He gets a job in a store. In his spare-time, he hangs out with his cousin, ZOLI, and his two pals in the pub. They meet the OLD CHAP who usually buys them drinks. In return they listen to his stories and he manages to plant racist ideas into their heads. ZOLI even gets an old bayonet from the OLD CHAP. They beat up local gypsies, who then fight back - at least it seems to be them. The OLD CHAP has allies; the DETECTIVE and TWO MEN in a dark jeep. On the day of the audition KATINKA heads off to the city with the FORESTER. On the way he rapes her.
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She doesn’t give up and makes it to the city alone. In the city she meets ANDRIS. ANDRIS walks her to the audition. There is clear attraction between them. KATINKA sends one of her songs to ANDRIS’ mobile. She does very well at the audition and then heads back home. With the contribution of the OLD CHAP, ZOLI gets a new couch for ANDRIS’ MOTHER. He gives the bayonet to ANDRIS, as well, so that once he gets his country house that he is dreaming of. ZOLI gets beaten up at the OLD CHAP’s order, but it is set as if it had been done by gypsies. OLD CHAP convinces the boys to take revenge in the countryside. The stiffed bunch gets into the jeep and ends up at the house of KATINKA. ANDRIS realizes that they have been deceived when he recognizes the TWO MEN, the drivers of the jeep. Instead of ZOLI the gun given by the DETECTIVE falls into his hands. By the time local forces arrive, shots are already heard. KATINKA stands frozen in the kitchen and croons as the burning roof comes down on them. ANDRIS wants to save ZOLI, but the TWO MEN drag him into the jeep. ANDRIS comes round at home, sitting on the new couch and listens to the song of KATINKA. By the next day he wants to take revenge on the OLD CHAP. As he gets to his house he sees the DETECTIVE there with a bunch of kids. They receive the same lesson as ZOLI’s bunch had before. We see ANDRIS on the corridor. He puts his hands down holding the bayonet.
Simon Szabo
Simon Szabo is a writer director of awarded shorts: “Afterjka”,”Pocket love”, “Draft” and “Let’s roll”. His feature debut film (written and directed) “Paper Planes” was presented at many international festivals and won numerous awards: Best Debut, Best Producer, Best Soundtrack and Special Award at 40. Hungarian Film Week. He also directed many comercial for companies like: McDonalds, Djuice, Westend CC, Ohkult, Diageo, Durex, Orsi Kozma, Folkfree, Help and otheres. Simon is also film and theatre actor.
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>>> lovesong > scriptwriter: Marcin Wrona, Katarzyna Bonda (Poland) The police officer FERENC (30) is informed about an accident at the water tower, where he finds the body of a 9-year-old girl. Her sister EWA (14) flees the scene. EWA’s father reports to the police that EWA killed her sister. FERENC refutes the accusation. He begins to take interest in EWA, a promising gymnast. It turns out EWA is pregnant. Meanwhile, FERENC’s wife, IZA, dies in labour. Instead of mourning, FERENC buries himself in his work to uncover a drug gang. At a speedway competition, he finds out EWA dates PATRYK (19), a gang member. FERENC ambushes PATRYK, who is killed during the police operation because of FERENC’s fault. The police officer has to leave town. 9 years have passed. Upon his return from a mission in Kosovo, FERENC gets promoted to the Head of the CID. EWA (now 23) has become a cheerleader, juggling single motherhood and a love triangle with BURY (26), a speedway star, and his girlfriend GOSIA (22), EWA’s friend. While EWA spends the night with BURY, her daughter ANIA goes missing. FERENC launches a search, trying to get closer to EWA. It turns out ANIA was murdered. FERENC arrests ANIA’s alleged murderer, though there is no evidence against him. When EWA appears to be back on track with her life – she was offered GOSIA’s leading role in the cheerleader group – FERENC learns that GOSIA’s burnt body was found in a skyscraper lift. FERENC arrests BURY. EWA starts dating FERENC. They seem to have a chance for a happy relationship. They have sex but then EWA accuses FERENC of raping her. FERENC tries to prove that EWA is a serial killer. Yet, no one believes him. FERENC’S COLLEAGUES tell him to come to the water tower, where he discovers the body of his daughter ZUZIA. EWA is found guilty of murdering GOSIA and ZUZIA. Still, she claims she is not as bad as she is thought to be. After the sentence, FERENC visits EWA in prison. He appears to plan revenge. EWA is ready to die but FERENC lets her live.
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Marcin Wrona
“The Christening” (2010), second feature directed and co-produced by Marcin Wrona, premiered in 2010 at San Sebastian IFF (Europe) and Toronto (North America). The film received The Silver Lion Award for the best film, the Best Actor Award and award for the Best Editing at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia in 2010. “The Christening” won awards in: Rejkyavik IFF (Special Mention), Mons - Love IFF (Grand Prix & Best Scenario), Prague Febio FF (Grand Prix), Cracow - Off Plus Camera (Grand Prix in Polish films competition). The film has been shown at many international festivals, and received distribution in USA, UK, Romania, Hungary and Spain. Wrona’s first feature “My Flesh My Blood” (2009) had its premiere in Roma FF 2009. The picture received: the Jounalist’s Award , The Best Screenplay at the Polish Debuts Film Festival 2009, the Grand Prix of the Polish Edition Hartley-Merrill Award in 2007 and the Third Prize of Hartley-Merrill International Screenwriting Award in Cannes 2007 (working title: “Tamagotchi”, which he co-wrote), and other awards at film festivals, including Avanca IFF. During the European Film Awards ceremony in Barcelona 2004, he presented his short film “Telefono” which was later included in Pedro Almodovar’s DVD collection. His short diploma film “Magnet Man” (2001) gained recognition at many film festivals winning among others The Best Student Film Award at the Tribeca Film Festival organised by Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese in NYC 2002. Marcin was nominated for prestigious “Polityka Passports” 2011. He is a Member of European Film Academy since 2011.
Katarzyna Bonda
Katarzyna Bonda is graduated in Screenwriting from Leon Schiller National Higher School of Film, Television and Theatre in Łódź and Master of Arts in Journalism and Political Studies – the University of Warsaw, 2003. Author of novels published in Poland: “Nina Frank's Case” (also known as “Ninth Rune”), “An Imperfect Crime” and “Only the Dead Don't Lie” and “Polish Murderess”. Katarzyna is developing tv crime series “Nina and the Ghost” based on her novel “An Imperfect Crime”, feature thriller “Red Spider” and feature “Ahosi”. Her experience as a journalist include work for Polish Television and press: among others Wprost, weekly national news magazine, Newsweek Poland, weekly national news magazine. Finalist contest for the best film story Nina Frank's Case, 2010 organised by of Studio Munk. Nominee for Nagroda Wielkiego Kalibru for Nina Frank's Case, 2007. The Outstanding Debut Award presented by Media Express Publishing House for news court reports, 1999.
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>>> Red captain
> scriptwriter: Anna Fifikova, Michal Kollár (Slovakia) Year 1992. The second summer since the Velvet Revolution, six month before the breakdown of former Czecho-Slovakia. Homicide detective, 32 years old Richard Krauz, is desperate to distunguish himself from the police of previous regime. One notable notch in his belt is serial killer Ondrej "The Beast". Yet another job knocks on his door. During grounds keeping at an old cemetery a corpse with a nail driven through its skull was disinterred. The body belongs to a clerk. With help from silent witness and Klokner’s former lover Marika, detectives soon reveal that he was torturedand murdered by former Secret Police - STB. In fact, Krauz discovers executioner was The Red Captain, a notoriously brutal “expert on final interrogations” whose name came not from his communist affiliation but from the blood that flowed when he worked. Far from solving the case, Krauz finds himself mixed up in something that involves not only the highest levels of STB but also the Catholic Church. These seemingly opposite entities have, in fact, been cooperating for years and neither of them is pleased with latest revelations. Least General of STB, who is only one step ahead of Krauz. As the detective is able to shine a light on some of the dirtiest deeds of recent history, he finds out that he’s been running in complex, unbreakable… circles. Krauz finds out not only the horrendous absurdity of the murder, but more importatntly that those whom he trusted the most learned a thing or two about manipulation from the previous regime. The general spares Krauz, but only becasue he needs capable “assets“ to manipulate in the coming years. The era of new separated state where new corridors of power are created.
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Anna Fifikova
Anna is a professional Film and TV writer and Creative Producer. In 2009 she graduated from Sciptwritting and Script Editing at Film and TV Faculty of The Academy of Music and Performing Arts, Bratislava, Slovakia. During her studies she also worked as a Copywriter for Slovak Television. Her professional experience include various TV shows in position of a Scriptwritter or Director. She also cooperated at “Velky respekt” (Big Respect, d. Viktor Csudai) as a Story Editor. In 2010 she wrote two adaptations for Slovak Television. “Kontrola” was based on a play by N. Gogol: Government Inspector and “Projekt Alfa” was based on a novel by R. L. Stevenson. Both stories were adapted to present days. Since 2011 she works for Media Pro Entertainment Slovakia as Creative Producer on Slovak adaptation of Come Dine With Me and Clas off…
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Michal Kollár A graduate in studies of Management and Film Editing in Bratislava, Michal Kollár has been active in commercial and TV production since the age of 18. He has worked for the Czech production company Fog ‘n’ desire Films as well as the production house Sokol Kollár. In 2007, Michal produced his first feature, The Catfish Summer, which was made without any state support or TV participation and gathered over 100,000 admissions in Czech Rep. A year later, he was a minority co-producer on Viktor Taus' feature The Great Thaw which posted around 650,000 admissions in the Czech Republic and 55,000 in Slovak Republic. Michal then boarded young Slovak director Zuzana Liova's feature debut The House which became the first Slovak film to screen at the Berlinale for 20 years in 2011. He is currently in pre-production on Viktor Taus' next feature Clownwise as well as serving as Czech national co-producer on romantic comedy August Fools by finish director Taru Makela. Michal is in active development of an adaptation of Dominik Dan's bestselling novel The Red Captain as a European co-production. Selected Films: The Red Captain, 2014, novel by Dominik Dan (in development, ScriptEast and EAVE), August Fools, 2013, by Tarru Makela, (in pre-production), co-produced by Michal Kollár, MEDIA, EurImages supported Clownwise, 2013, by Viktor Taus (in pre-production), produced by Michal Kollár, Romanies Go To The Election, 2012, by Jaro Vojtek (documentary, in progress), MEDIA supported, The House, 2011, by Zuzana Liova The Great Thaw, 2008, by Viktor Taus (co-produced), MEDIA, EurImages supported, The Catfish Summer, 2007, by Michal Kollár (aka Michal Krajňák)
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>>> step counter
original working title: the notebook
> scriptwriter: Svetla Tsotsorkova (Bulgaria) Two babies are born on the same night, in the same hospital, during a storm. The boy is called Lefty and the girl – Damla. The cry of the newborn baby-girl is so strong that Lefty stops crying and starts listening to it. That same night, Damla loses her mother at birth. The two families do not meet. They leave the hospital in opposite directions. The two children’s real meeting happens 15 years later, when Damla and her father come to the Lefty’s village. Damla’s father has invented a water-carrier, with which they go around different villages to water the lands during the summer drought. Lefty has heart arrhythmia. According to his father, who is the village veterinarian, world can be measured by a step counter. One needs to know the dangerous places and avoid them. Lefty runs around with the step counter, training his heart, measuring distances. Running away from his illness Lefty finds himself before grown-up Damla. She is a stubborn girl for whom playing is everything and the will to win trumps over the actual game. In these game-fights, Lefty is driven mostly by his emotions, and love is where they burst forth. “Who’s leading” between the two of them is never discussed, as it could never be agreed upon. This is when they run and compete with the step counter, when they argue about whom the dog belongs to and when they have to take care of it. Damla manages to pull Lefty out of the river before he drowns in it. The boy drags her up to the top of the cliffs, where the strong wind erupts like a geyser, whirling the dry leaves around in the air.
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Everything turns upside down when Lefty loses his father. An accident with Damla’s father water carrier, when she operates it, becomes the reason for Lefty’s father death. Lefty is crushed. The mother is downcast. Damla and her father can’t withstand the tension and the unspoken blame directed at them and they leave the village. The step counter takes Lefty through the days of grief, through the days of rage and sadness. Less than a year later, Damla’s father minibus appears in the village again. The new meeting of Damla and Lefty gets off on an embarrassing start for the girl. The anger and the blame that have gathered up in the boy make him humiliate Damla. Overwhelmed by his emotions Lefty is set on taking revenge. Damla’s father finds different excuses to visit the Lefty’s house and help the mother. She resists. Using his inventiveness and imagination, the father manages to give courage to the mother and reawake her to life. This is not to Lefty’s liking. The skies open up and fall onto him when he finds out that Damla and her father are about to move in and live in their house. Taken over by his feelings of revenge and betrayal, Lefty decides to go all the way to the end. With the use of tranquilizer he puts them all to sleep and when the night comes he sets the house on fire. The flames engulf the house. A burning plank cracks and falls to the ground. Lefty’s face distorts and tears come streaming down. Desperate, his determination shaken, he goes inside. Struggling with the fire and himself the boy fights for the life of his mother, Damla and her father. The counting of the hours to the fire turns out to be the counting of the steps to love and forgiveness.
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Svetla Tsotsorkova
Svetla Tsotsorkova is a writer and director. After graduating NATFA, Sofia as a film director, she studied at the London Film School. While there, she won a place and participated in the FrancoBritish screen-writing workshop “Regards Croises.” After coming back to Bulgaria and working as 1AD for years, she directed the 20-min film “Life with Sophia,”(2004) which had a very successful festival life: Critics’ Week, Cannes’05, Sarajevo IFF ’04, Karlovy Vary’04, Munich IFF’04, Telluride IFF USA’05, Drama IFF’05, Cottbus IFF’05, etc. and won several awards: Jameson Short Film Award, Sofia IFF’04; 1st Prize Lodz, Poland’04, Outstanding Short Beijing IFF’04, Special Jury Prize, Poitiers ’05, Special Mention, Trieste’06, The Golden Lion, Taipei IFF’07, etc. After that the film was shown on Student Television Network USA, Bulgarian Satellite and also was released on its own at an art house cinema in Sofia for three weeks. In 2005 using the money from the awards, she made her next short “My Mother.” During the next few years, Svetla worked mainly as producer and 1AD. Lately she took part in a several short films as the main actress, some of them distinguished at international festivals like Sundance (Omelette) and Clermont-Ferrand (Portrait of a Family).
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>>> THE apartments > scriptwriter: Martins Slisans (Latvia) Two apartments for two families… At least that’s what the constructors of the house thought, but it’s not the turn of the 20th century anymore, the time when Sergey Eisenstein’s father was erecting fancy apartment buildings in Riga. It’s Soviet Union, 1961. Yuri Gagarin is the first man in the outer space. J.F. Kennedy has just been elected the president of United States. And nobody has heard of missiles in Cuba. It’s the happiest day in cold times, but no-one really notices. Because life is just there, right in front of your eyes: love and sorrow, small mischief and big betrayal. In the apartment above lives only the family of an army officer. On the contrary the apartment below is quite crowded, three families – Latvian, Russian and Jewish – live here and there is even space for a street sweep and his grandson at the end of the hall-way. It’s life in a Soviet style communal apartment – a comic tragedy (or vice versa) every day you wake up. The odd thing is they don’t speak to each other… They smile, they dance, they listen to the radio; they fall in love and read papers. Still we witness how life is shaped by coveting thy neighbor’s wife and property. How young people are warned off putting their eyes on the opposite sex, but they still do. How families are born from a single kiss. How love vanishes and a routine sets in. How children grow up and go to school; and how they discover love… again. And how you grow old and don’t even notice it.
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Background and destinies of our heroes turn out to be very different, but what we see emerging from that is common humanity. We’re surprised to see that however different we think we are very much alike, and “the human comedy” is experienced and lived by every generation again and anew.
Martins Slisans
Martins Slisans is writer and producer. He has been closely connected with film business since 1995, the point of entry – film critics. He’s been involved with script development and international co-production process since 2002. He successfully entered field of fiction writing with adventure novel TERRACOTTA ARMY in 2006; being a debut novel it surprised its national publisher with successful sales. THE APARTMENTS is Martins Slisans’ premiere project as writer and producer. The project development has been already supported by EU Media Program and National Film Centre, the main Latvian film funding body.
Martins Slisans’ background includes extensive work in film critics with some of the finest writing appearing in many different national publications. He was on the panel of seven jurors for National Film Awards 2007 in Latvia. He’s been involved with programming of the bi-annual Riga International Film Festival "Arsenals" (2000) – work with international sales agents and festival circuit, responsible for regions of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand; Germany, Poland, Moscow; South America and U.S. independents. He’s been instrumental in development and distribution process of one of the most commercially and artistically successful Latvian films ever on the international scene, family adventure LITTLE ROBBERS (Latvia – Austria, 2009, dir. Armands Zvirbulis). It’s one of very few Latvian feature films theatrically distributed abroad (Austria, Germany, Russia), in a singular feat for a Latvian fiction feature film it has been sold to major territories for TV (incl. France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Japan, South Korea, Latin America etc.). The film has gathered 20 different greater and lesser awards, diplomas and nominations and during a two year run has participated in 60 film festivals around the world. Martins Slisans’ last credit in production development is with the up-coming drama LONELY ISLAND (2012, in post-production) by Berlinale Prize-winning Estonian film director Peeter Simm, a co-production between Estonia, Belarus and Latvia. His film credits also include two feature documentaries: Vijaya (2005) and My Husband Andrei Skaharov (Latvia – France, 2006).
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>>> the lonely go first > scriptwriter: Darek Gajewski (Poland) After 25 years, Kate walks out of prison. She tries to stick to the values of her youth in spite of the fact that the world outside has changed. She finds Martin. During her spell in prison she did not betray him, although by doing so she would get her ticket to freedom. Martin tries to make amends but all he wants to and can offer her is money. It dawns on Kate that she is unable to overcome her loneliness. It is ridiculous to rebel against a contemporary world. Atoning for one’s wrongdoing is impossible. All she is left with is an opportunity to create her own phoney image in media, in an attempt to change her destiny.
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Darek Gajewski
Dariusz Gajewski is a film director and screenwriter. He studied directing at the Film School in Lodz. He has made numerous documentaries, including: “Don’t be scared“ (“Nie boj, nie boj“), “A piece for a Boy and a Lamp“ (“Utwor na chlopca I lampe“), “Franciszek a Musician“ (Franciszek muzykant“), “Anatol likes traveling“ (“Anatol lubi podroze“), “Old music“ (Stara muzyka“), “Everything is there“ (“Tu jest wszystko“), “The Convoy“ (“Konwoj“). He has staged “A Leather Mask“ by Helmut Krausser for Dramatyczny Theatre in Warsaw (1999). Winner of Great Jantar Award at the Koszalin Film Festival in 2002 for “Alarm“. In 2003 his first feature film debut “Warszawa“ was awarded the Grand Prix, Best Director Award, Best Screenplay Award, and many other prizes at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, as well as the Platiunium Award at the WorldFest Independent Film Festival in Houston 2005 and Special Jury Award in Svietlogorsk 2005. “Warszawa“ was also screened on 27 film festivals around the world. In 2008 he has made polish-austrian cooproduction “Mr. Kuka’s Advice“. In 2008 he was also elected President of Munk‘s Studio Program Council.
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>>> up on the roof > scriptwriter: Rafał Kapeliński (Poland) Stefan Makowski (40), a Polish immigrant in London, lives a life of complete bliss and freedom. Once a successful businessman and a never-do-well writer, his business went bust as foreign competition moved in. Now he has left the rat race and he is happy with it. But he tells his estranged wife EMILY and parents back home that he has been a big success, while in reality he supports himself off doing small menial jobs. He and his friends rent a cheap attic apartment in central London. When out of money they all camp out on the roof of a Chinese restaurant. Then he finds out that EMILY will be coming to London to talk about the hard things between them. He is too proud to tell her the truth, and he embarks on a series of quick-scheme efforts at creating a successful front for himself. However, he only ends up getting cheated out of the little money he had. EMILY arrives and Stefan is forced to tell her the true story. They end up back on the roof, where – surprisingly to both of them - the newly-found truth brings them together again.
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Rafał Kapeliński
Rafael Kapelinski’s first job in film was working as Director of the Festival Office of the Camerimage Film festival in Torun, Poland. After studies in American and English literature at the Nicholas Copernicus University in Torun, Poland, and later in business management at the University of Washingon in Seattle, USA, and in filmmaking at the London Film School, he founded Aurora Film Production, a truly independent film production company in Poland. Rafael first short film after film school, the Aurora-produced Emily Cries won numerous international awards, including the Best Mid-Length European film at the Brest Short Film Festival in France. His documentary credits include Calling BH-Q and The Spitfire from Occoches. He has recently finished a short feature titled The Informer, which was co-produced with the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing in Warsaw and the Andrzej Munk Film Studio. At present he is pre-production with Diary of the Trip to Budapest (developed at Ekran 2011 and Les Premiers Plans 2011).
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creative advisors
OF 6th EDITION OF SCRIPTEAST Lucius Barre
Tobias Pausinger
Gabriele Brunnenmeyer
Alexandra Rossi
specialist in promoting international distribution for films from many cultures, associated with many national film agencies and cooperating with many festivals, such Locarno Festival, Karlovy Vary and Rotterdam.
consultant for script development, packaging and project presentation, organiser of many workshops for directors and screenwriters in Germany. Former Artistic Director of East-West-Coproduction Market Connecting Cottbus at the Cottbus Film Festival.
David Matamoros
consultant for film festivals, sales and educational institutions, currently Creative Advisor at Leuphana University researching the transformations associated with interactive communication platforms.
Development and Acquisitions executive most recently at Paramount Pictures, participated in acquisitions of titles such as Pan's Labyrinth, Vera Drake and Dancer in the dark, among others.
Brian Ward
screenwriter with over 25 years of experience and Spain-based writer, director and producer (Swimming, credits including: The Interpreter (directed by the late Ingrid, The Damned), he also directs the master on Sydney Pollack), Death Defying Acts and Tabloid. Visiting marketing and cinematographic distribution for ESCAC. tutor at film schools, such as the National Film & Television School.
Jean-Luc Ormieres
producer, tutor and writer, in the recent years attached to productions of: The Last Station, Sophie Schoukens’s first feature Marieke, Marieke, White, White World and a feature documentary Would You Have Sex With An Arab?
heads of studies
Tom Abrams Tom Abrams is an award-winning screenwriter and director whose films have won prizes in both the United States and Europe. Tom’s short film “Shoeshine” received an Academy Award Nomination and won the Montreal World Film Festival. His short film "Performance Pieces" was awarded the short film prize at the Cannes International Film Festival. "The desperate trail", a western which Tom co-scripted, premiered on TNT and won a prize at the Hampton's International Film Festival. In the fall of 1992, Tom shared an Emmy Award with the writing staff of the animated television series "Rugrats". His latest turn as produced screenwriter was in 2004 for Grupo Cartel in Madrid, for whom he cowrote the Havana-based thriller, “A mouth full of Ants”, winner of the Jury Prize at the Malaga Film Festival. Past scripts include “Have gun will travel” for Warner Bros., "The captains wife” for Fox 2000, "The American Princess" for New Line Cinema, "The battle of Ono" for John Woo and Terence Chang, "Metal Machine" for James Jacks at Universal, and "Gameboy Charlie" for Bruckheimer producer, Chad Oman. Tom is an international script consultant who’s taught writing from Singapore to Spain and is a tenured professor at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles.
Christian Routh In recent years Christian has been involved in the design and execution of various audiovisual training workshops. Currently he is also a head of studies at FOUR CORNERS, a European Union MEDIA supported programme for initial training involving film schools based in Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, and England. Prior to these, he was Head of Studies at the CO-PILOT development workshops in Barcelona, Spain, where courses were held in feature films and mobile content. Between 2002 and 2005 he was head of studies at the PILOTS TV drama workshops, in Sitges, Spain. He also acts as a consultant, lecturer, screenwriter, and script editor, for various European and South American production companies, state agencies, and directors, including MEDIA; Eurimages; and the Binger Film Lab in Amsterdam, where he has been teaching regularly for over thirteen years. With the late Dagmar Benke, Christian is the co-author of a book called SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT, published by UVK, Germany. Before moving to the delights of Spain from his native London in 2000, he was Head of Selection at the European Script Fund, and EMDA, from its inception in 1989, until 1998. Whilst there he helped support hundreds of European films and companies, including TOTO LE HERO, ORLANDO, BREAKING THE WAVES, and ELIZABETH. Prior to that he had been a film buyer and development executive with Thorn-EMI, Cannon, and Red Rooster Films.
ORGANISERS
Producer and director Dariusz Jablonski, in collaboration with his closest associates, producers: Violetta Kamińska and Izabela Wojcik, together beside a wide international production activities through their companies Apple Film Production and Avocado TV, created the Independent Film Foundation. The Independent Film Foundation was established in 1999 to promote creativity and the production of films of high artistic value, and to create opportunities for artistic and professional development of filmmakers. Since its inception the Foundation has managed the Polish Film Awards Eagles. It was the initiative of the Foundation to establish the Polish Film Academy in 2003, whose members are all active Polish filmmakers. Members of the Academy grant the Eagles awards in a two-stage vote, supervised by PwC (previously PricewaterhouseCoopers). The Foundation was also the initiator and organizer of the Polish-Czech-Slovak Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival and the Central European Cinema Stand during the Berlin Film Festival. The Independent Film Foundation also co-organizes international meetings and conferences, of which the most important project was an Audiovisual Training Forum in 2005 in Warsaw, co-organized with CARTOON and funded by the European Union and United International Pictures. Since 2006 the Foundation has run ScripTeast – an annual program for best scriptwriters, whose mission is to help writers from Central Europe overcome obstacles they encounter, and promote their screenplays among the world's best producers. The program is the result of a five-year long cooperation with Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute within Central European Scriptwriters Lab.
Dariusz Jabłoński Director & Producer & Artistic Director of ScripTeast. After studying at the Directing Department of the Film Academy in Lodz, he worked as an Assistant of Director on "Decalogue" by Krzysztof Kieślowski (also “Short film about Love” and “Short film about Killing”). He produced and directed first Polish independent documentary in communist time "The visit of an Elderly Lady" (1986). In 1990 he has founded one of the first and leading independent production companies in Poland - Apple Film Production, which to date has produced many documentaries, feature films and TV series. These productions were co-produced with independent producers from Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, France, UK, Austria, Sweden, Israel and TV stations as Polish Television, HBO, Canal+, WDR, ARTE, MDR, SVT, CTV. All together the movies he produced received over one hundred awards at national and international film festivals. The well known documentary he directed - "Photographer" (1998) was awarded by the FIPA D'OR and Prix Planete in Biarritz, VPRO Joris Ivens Award at IDFA Amsterdam, the Prix Europa for Best Non-fiction TV Program, Best Documentary in Banff, Best Documentary at Double Take, Durham, Grimme Prize and Bavarian TV Prize in Germany, among others. His documentary “War Games and the Man Who Stopped Them” telling a story of late Colonel Kuklinski, who supposedly saved Europe from World War 3, opened IDFA 2009 and afterwards was shown at HotDocs Toronto, DocFest Munich, festivals in Grimstad, Melbourne, Piestany, with Bergen and Montreal ahead. Founder of Independent Film Foundation, initiator of Polish Film Academy and Polish Film Awards “Eagles”. Member of the European Film Academy and Polish Film Academy.
Violetta Kamińska
Producer & Managing Director of ScripTeast Managing Director and Member of the Board of Apple Film Production, Member of the Board of Independent Film Foundation, President of Avocado TV, producer of The Polish Motion Picture Awards organised yearly since 1999. Polish coordinator of Central European Screenwriters Lab organized with a support of Sundance Institute since 1997. A graduate of Culture and Education (Masters degree in TV advertising). She worked for Polish Television as PR Manager and in Sales Department of Canal + Poland. Since joining Apple Film Production in 1996 has worked her way through all posts at the company. Member of Polish Film Academy.
Izabela W贸jcik
Producer & Communication Director of ScripTeast Head of Development of Apple Film Production, Director and Producer of The Polish Motion Picture Awards since 2001, Member of the Board of Avocado Tv and Independent Film Foundation. A graduate of the Polish Philology and Public Relations Studium Warsaw School of Economics. She established and worked for Canal+ Poland as a PR Manager and Wizja TV/UPC in Poland. Member of the Polish Film Academy.
Joanna Fedorowicz
ScripTeast Manager Graduated from Theatre Academy in Warsaw. Production director, producer and coordinator of events, artistic spectacles with extensive experience in interdisciplinary works. Producer of over 90 television concerts in which the majority were live coverage. Organizing director of many artistic workshops and festivals. Since 2005 Executive Producer of the Warsaw Jewish Culture Festival. Cooperating with Independent Film Foundation since 2006 on organizing Polish Film Awards – Eagles.
organised by:
with the support of the Media Programme of the European Community:
supported by:
in partnership with:
and festivals in Cannes and Berlin
Contact Independent Film Foundation ul. Bukowinska 22 lok 3B 02-703 Warsaw, Poland phone: +48 22 851 84 40 mobile: +48 516 034 696 info@scripteast.pl www.scripteast.pl facebook: scripteast