EAVE project ME, YOU AND GODS receives funding
Development & Production News July 2025
In development
Netherlands Film Fund
Netherlands Film Fund announced the recipients of funding in the second round of its 2025 Film Production Incentive. 13 fiction features, 3 documentaries, 1 animated feature and 4 drama series receive support. The following projects are produced by EAVE graduates:
- DARK BLUE RIVER by Sergej Kreso, producer: EAVE graduate Janneke Doolaard
- DOWNTOWN by Michiel van Erp, co-producer: EAVE graduate Peter Bouckaert
- PA! by Sander Burger, producer: EAVE graduate Janneke Doolaard
- PRETEND I’M NOT HERE by Simon Bird, producers: EAVE graduates Leontine Petit
- QUO VADIS, AIDA – THE MISSING PART by Jasmila Zbanic, co-producers: EAVE graduate and group leader Michael Kitzberger, EAVE graduates Laurette Schillings, Arnold Heslenfeld, Frans van Gestel, EAVE graduate Beata Rzezniczek
- RED LIGHT EMPIRE by Tim Oliehoek, producers: EAVE graduates Leontine Petit, Sinisa Juricic
- OMA by Armin Septiexan, co-producer: EAVE graduate and Dutch National Coordinator Frank Hoeve has been selected for the Netherlands Film Fund + IDFA Bertha Fund Co-Production Scheme.
Four international co-productions with a Dutch share have been selected for a grant by the Netherlands Film Fund:
- JENJIRA’S MAGNIFICENT DREAM by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, co-producer: EAVE graduate and Dutch National Coordinator Frank Hoeve
- MILLIE AND THE SEVRET OF THE CROCODILE by Esben Toft Jacobsen, producer: EAVE graduate Marleen Slot
- QUO VADIS, AIDA – THE MISSING PART by Jasmila Zbanic, co-producers: EAVE graduate and group leader Michael Kitzberger, EAVE graduates Laurette Schillings, Arnold Heslenfeld, Frans van Gestel, EAVE graduate Beata Rzezniczek
In the third round of 2025, five minority co-productions with a Dutch share have been selected for a grant by the Netherlands Film Fund:
- PRETEND I’M NOT HERE by Simon Bird, producers: EAVE graduates Leontine Petit
- 100 TOUSAND TURKISH LIRAS by Nazli Elif Durlu, producer: PUENTES graduate Jamila Wenske
- PARADISE LOST by Yolanda Markopoulou, producer: EAVE graduate Konstantina Stavrianou
screen.brussels
Following its 27th session, screen.brussels will be supporting 10 new projects: 3 feature films, 2 animated projects, 2 series and 1 documentary. Among them the following projects by EAVE producers:
- LE FAUX SOIR by Michaël Roskam, producer: EAVE graduate Jean-Yves Roubin
- MELVILE by Fabrice Nzinzi, producers: EAVE graduate Anne-Laure Guégan, PUENTES graduate Géraldine Sprimont, EAVE graduate Jacques-Henri Bronckart
- FAUSSAIRES by Eva Husson, producers: EAVE graduate Julie Esparbes
- HUNTERS by Mathieu Mortelmans, producers: EAVE graduates Jacques-Henri Bronckart, Leontine Petit
https://screen.brussels/en/news/session-27
Wallimage
- COWARD by Lukas Dhont, co-producers: EAVE graduates Laurette Schillings, Arnold Heslenfeld, Frans van Gestel, Jacques-Henri Bronckart
- HAPPY DAYS by Susanna Nicchiarelli, producer: Interchange graduate Marta Donzelli
Moin Film Fund
The Moin Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein supports 6 projects by EAVE graduates:
- BLINDGÄNGER by Kerston Polte, producers: EAVE graduate Dirk Decker, EAVE+ graduate Andrea Schütte
- GHOST SCHOOL by Seemab Gul, producer: EAVE graduate Dorothe Beinemeier
- GRAMMATIK by Pop Fan, producer: EAVE graduate Julia Cöllen
- LEONORA IM MORGENLICHT by EAVE graduate Lena Vurma, producer: EAVE graduate Lena Vurma
- LIMBS OF ONE BODY by Kaspar Panizza, producers: EAVE graduate Dirk Decker, EAVE + graduate Andrea Schütte
- MALA by Lou Wildemann, producer: TTB graduate Frauke Kolbmüller
FFA
The German FFA commission supports the documentary DIESSEITS DER VERNUNFT by Stefan Kolbe and Chris Wright, producer: EAVE graduate Heino Deckert
The German-French film funding commission and the German FFA commission put their weight behind 2 film projects by EAVE graduates:
- OPFER by Maryam Zaree, producer: EAVE graduate Jonas Dornbach
- TAKE ME TOO by Lena May Graf, producer: EAVE graduate and TTB group leader Jonas Weydemann
Film- und Medienstiftung NRW
Germany’s Film- und Medienstiftung NRW supports 34 projects in the field of feature film production, series production, script development, pre-production support, sales and cinema/exhibitor support. Among them:
- 30 BULLETS by Arman T. Riahi and EAVE graduate Arash T. Riahi, producer: EAVE graduate Arash T. Riahi
- FLESH OF THE GODS by Panos Cosmatos, producer: EAVE+ graduate Jonas Katzenstein
- OH! YOU PRETTY THINGS by Nicola Fegg, producer: EAVE graduate Heino Deckert
- ON LAND AND SEA by Hlynur Palmason, producer: EAVE graduate and group leader Didar Domehri, EAVE and TTB graduate Katrin Pors, TTB graduate Mikkel Jersin
- THE ASSIGNMENT by Patrice Toye, producers: EAVE graduates Hans Everaert, Anton Iffland Stettner, Eva Kuperman
Vienna Film Fund
Production support
- HEART BEATS by Johanna Lietha, producer: EAVE graduate and group leader Michael Kitzberger, EAVE FFF graduate Karin Berghammer
- SENTIMENTAL FAIL CLUB by Jasmin Baumgartner, producers: EAVE graduates Gabriele Kranzelbinder, Austrian National Coordinator Barbara Pichler
- SOWIESO UND ÜBERHAUPT – DIE WELT DER CHRISTINE NÖSTLINGER by Alexandra Schneider, producer: EAVE graduate and group leader Michael Kitzberger
Project development
- DAS ENDE DER UNGLEICHHEIT by Theresa Distelberger, producer: EAVE graduate and group leader Michael Kitzberger
- EMPIRE OF SENTIMENT by Sebastian Meise, producer: EAVE graduate and group leader Oliver Neumann
- SUPERHUMANS by Inna Shevchenko, producer: EAVE graduate Arash T. Riahi
IDM Film Fund
- EAVE project ME, YOU AND GODS by Francesca Scalisi, co-written by EAVE graduate Enea Gramo, producer: EAVE graduate Chiara Galloni receives support from IDM Film Fund
https://www.film.idm-suedtirol.com/en/
In production
- LEAVING COPACABANA by Milcho Manchevski, producer: EAVE graduate Marija Stojanovic, is in production. The film is a social thriller-comedy about siblings Malina and Viktor, who steal bronze busts for a living. One day, the heavy bronze head-and-shoulders of a national hero slips out of Viktor’s hands and crushes his foot. When the doctor arrives to treat his injury, he demands sexual favours as payment. That’s when Viktor picks up a heavy manhole cover that was lying around the house. As with all of Manchevski’s films, this one also explores socially relevant issues alongside emotional and artistic themes, such as sibling love. The film tackles loneliness, poverty, corruption, mental illness and a society driven by the privileges of the wealthy. While set in contemporary North Macedonia, it also offers a universal commentary on how people live and connect in today’s world. “This is a film about sibling love and self-sacrifice, about the rich and the poor, the good and the bad, the blind and the seeing. It’s a film about how we live, how we laugh and how we die,” says Manchevski. The feature is a co-production between Banana Film (North Macedonia), Gala Film (Bulgaria), Sense Production (Serbia), the Tirana Film Institute (Albania), Coast to Coast (Italy) and Berkeley Media Group (UK). It was supported by national film funds and private investors from all six territories.
- THE KIDNAPPING OF A PRESIDENT by Samuli Valkama, producers: EAVE graduate and National Coordinator Finland John Lundsten, EAVE graduates Jakub Kostal and Madis Tüür is in production. The dark comedy is based on an extraordinary true event from Finnish history. The film dramatises a little-known episode from 1930, when a group of far-right military officers plotted to kidnap Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg, Finland’s first president, who had retired several years earlier, along with his wife Ester. The film tells the absurdly comedic true story of this failed coup attempt in October 1930, led by Lieutenant Colonel Eero Kuussaari. Following a drunken night fuelled by nationalistic resentment against the democratic establishment, a group of poorly prepared officers from the upper echelons of the Finnish army decide to abduct Ståhlberg, who has already retired by that point. The country, still deeply divided after the civil war, is engulfed in political tension and unrest. The plan quickly unravels owing to the conspirators’ incompetence and some unexpected resistance, especially from the president’s stubborn wife, Ester Ståhlberg. The kidnappers inadvertently set off a series of incredible events, an episode whose full, definitive truth remains unknown to this day. The screenplay, co-written by Valkama and producer John Lundsten, who have already collaborated on several other projects, has been in development for over six years. In a joint statement, they said: “When we first looked into the background of President Ståhlberg’s abduction, our initial reaction was astonishment: Finnish officers leaning towards the far right had launched a coup while drunk and forgot about it the next day. The story felt incredibly timely, and the screenplay has been developed carefully and thoroughly. The result will be a black comedy based on historical facts that will surely resonate with our times.” Filming is taking place entirely in the Czech Republic, with Prague standing in for Helsinki’s historical locations. THE KIDNAPPING OF A PRESIDENT is a Finnish-Czech-Dutch-Estonian co-production, staged by John Lundsten and Melli Maikkula, of Finland’s TACK Films, in co-production with Jakub Kostal and Vratislav Šlajer for the Czech Republic’s Bionaut, Rogier Kramer and Laura Bouwmeester for the Netherlands’ Labyrint Film, and Madis Tüür for Estonia’s Münchhausen Films. Financial backing includes support from the Finnish Film Foundation, the Czech Film Fund, the Netherlands Film Fund, the Estonian Film Institute and the Nordisk Film & TV Fond.
- CONFIRMATION by Darko Sinko, producers: EAVE graduates Vlado Bulajic and Lija Pogacnik is in production. Everybody in a small Slovenian village is getting ready for the annual ritual of confirmation. Among them, there are also three teenage best friends, Mate, Peter and Gaber. When a landslide damages the road leading to the church where the confirmation usually takes place, the locals decide to try to repair it on their own. The preparations for the ceremony also reveal a carefully hidden secret: a package of marijuana under the church organ usually played by cool city girl Veronika. The finding points to the three friends, and once the police get involved, their friendship must overcome a considerable challenge. “We have all experienced disappointment in our friendships, and maybe even caused it for others“, Sinko stated. “Why is that so? Betrayal always comes as a surprise that hurts a great deal, but it can also hide something beautiful and dear – obviously, we lose something that we held as very important.” According to Sinko CONFIRMATION is envisioned as a visually rich movie, with a lot of characters and thick plotting that may head in the direction of irony, the grotesque and even a hint of surrealism. CONFIRMATION is being produced by December, RTV Slovenia serves as the co-production company. The film was financially supported by the Slovenian Film Centre and Creative Europe - MEDIA. Viba Film Studio provides technical support.
- LA VÉNUS ÉLECTRIQUE by Pierre Salvadori, producer: EAVE graduate Jacques-Henri Bronckart is in production. Written by the director in league with Benoît Graffin and Benjamin Charbit the story takes us to Paris in the early 20th century. Convinced that he’s responsible for his wife’s death, in-vogue painter Antoine Balestro just can’t get back to work, to the despair of gallery owner Armand. One drunken evening, seeking forgiveness, Antoine tries to make contact with Irène by way of a medium. But he unwittingly finds himself dealing with a humble street entertainer called Suzanne who doesn’t know anything about the afterlife, having only snuck into the clairvoyant’s caravan to steal some food…. LA VÉNUS ÉLECTRIQUE is being produced by Philippe Martin and David Thion on behalf of Les Films Pelléas in co-production with France 2 Cinéma and Belgium’s Versus Production. Pre-purchased by Canal+, Ciné+/OCS and France Télévisions, the feature film also enjoys support in the form of an advance on receipts from the CNC, as well as from the Ile-de-France region, Wallimage, Pio & Co, and the SOFICA companies Cinéaxe, Cinécap, Indéfilms and Palatine. The movie’s ten-week film shoot will continue in Belgium (in Liège and the surrounding area), Paris and the Paris region.
- MY NOTES ON MARS by Lili Horvat, co-producer: EAVE+ graduate Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu is in production. Horvat’s first international film is being produced by Poste Restante and the executive producers are Dóra Csernátony and Lili Horvát. Co-production partners include Archer Gray (USA), Amour Fou (Austria), Paradise City (France), and Obala Art Center (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The story follows Margot, who disappears inexplicably while hiking with her husband and a group of friends. A few weeks later, Margot miraculously reappears, but she is clearly not the same as before the accident. The Hungarian/Austrian/French/Bosnian coproduction was supported by the National Film Institute - Hungary (NFI).
- YOUNG STALIN by Géla Babluani, producer: EAVE graduate Vladimer Katcharava is in production. The script penned by Géla Babluani and the British historian Simon Sebag Montefiore (the author of the eponym bestseller) follows the little-known, stranger-than-fiction early life of Joseph Stalin - street fighter, bank robber and revolutionary - before he became the architect of Soviet tyranny. “YOUNG STALIN is an ambitious film, both in scale and in topic. Once again, 20 Steps, Independent Film Project and Film and Music Entertainment demonstrate that if we unite, we are strong enough to create the best stories in international cinema today”, said Georgian producer Archil Gelovani of Independent Film Project. The film is produced by UK’s Film and Music Entertainment Ltd (F & ME) and Georgia‘s Independent Film Project and 20 Steps, and it is serviced in Romania by Alien Films Entertainment. The producers are Sam Taylor, Archil Gelovani, Vladimer Katcharava, Len Blavatnik, the executive producers are Danny Cohen and Vince Holden, David Zerat and Ilan Amouyal, local producers in Romania are Iuliana Tarnovețchi and Oana Prata, and other producers include Rupert Lloyd. “This is the Stalin you’ve never seen before, not a dry and dusty biopic but the story of the young revolutionary, lover and ruthless outlaw who later became the tyrant. It’s a timeless story about how monsters are made, and why some people follow them”, producer Sam Taylor said. YOUNG STALIN will premiere in the summer of 2026.
In post-production
- AU TEMPS POUR NOUS by Agnès Jaoui, co-producer: EAVE graduate Jacques-Henri Bronckart is in post-production. Written by Agnès Jaoui in collaboration with Emmanuel Salinger, Laurent Jaoui, Noé Debré and Florence Seyvos, the story takes us behind the scenes of an ambitious staging of the opera The Marriage of Figaro where tensions mount following an accusation of sexual assault, jeopardising the entire production and forcing everyone to take a stand. Conflicts of opinion and generational divides ensue…. AU TEMPS POUR NOUS is being produced by François Kraus and Denis Pineau-Valencienne on behalf of Les Films du Kiosque, in co-production with StudioCanal (who are also steering distribution in France and world sales), France 2 Cinéma and Belgian firm Versus Production. Pre-purchased by Canal+, Ciné+ OCS and France Télévisions, the feature film also enjoys support from the Sud region, the department of Vaucluse, Procirep and Angoa, Inver Tax Shelter, O'Brother Distribution and from the SOFICA companies Indéfilms, Cofimage, La Banque Postale Image and SofitvCiné. Filming took place in Luberon and Paris.
- ESPIONAGE FOR BEGINNERS by Viktor Oszkar, co-producer: EAVE graduate Benoit Roland is in post-production. Inspired by a true story from the mid-1970s, the film follows W. György, a Hungarian hotel receptionist caught up in an unexpected adventure mixing espionage, love, and self-discovery. Istvan Major of Filmsquad (Hungary) is producing in co-production with Benoit Roland of Wrong Men (Belgium) and Javier Toledo (Spain). Guillaume Benski from Superbe Films (France) is the executive producer, while Gül Togay (Hungary) is creative producer. The production of the film was supported by National Film Institute – Hungary, while the development was backed by Creative Europe MEDIA’s mini-slate scheme. The shooting started at the end of May 2025 in Hungary and Belgium.
- MAN VS FLOCK by Tamara Kotevska, co-producer: EAVE graduates Sinisa Juricic, Vicky Miha is in post-production. The Macedonian/Greek/Croatian//Turkish/Serbian/Montenegrin co-production is a tragicomedy set against the backdrop of rural North Macedonia. The construction of a new highway disrupts the peace of a small village and brings tradition into conflict with modernisation. The story centres on an elderly farmer, who finds himself fighting for his land against a Chinese construction company, with the conflict soon extending to his own family. An unexpected twist comes when a social media influencer crash-lands on his property and becomes his unlikely ally. “MAN VS FLOCK explores the clash between tradition and modernisation, resistance and acceptance of change, and the question of what it truly means to preserve one’s identity in a world increasingly driven by profit“, said Tamara Kotevska in a statement. The shooting started in May and ended in July 2025. The film is produced by Jordanco Petkovski through Video Studio Petkovski in co-production with Siniša Juricic through Nukleus film (Croatia), Vicky Miha through Asterisk (Greece), Zeynep Atakan through Zeyno Film (Turkey), Igor Vranjković through Cine Planet (Montenegro), and Jordancho Petkovski through Filmoskopija (Serbia). MAN VS FLOCK was financially supported by the North Macedonia Film Agency, the Greek Film Centre, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Film Center Serbia, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Turkish Radio and Television (TRT), the Film Centre of Montenegro, as well as Eurimages.
Page published 31 July 2025.
