ODD FISH by Snævar Sölvason is shooting
In Production and in Post-production November 2023
In production
- ODD FISH by Snævar Sölvason, co-producer: EAVE+ graduate Jukka Helle is in production. The story tackles the themes of identity and acceptance. Set in a small community in Iceland’s northern Westfjords, it follows two childhood friends, Björn and Hjalti, who run a popular seafood restaurant in a fishing village where they were born and raised. The pair are polar opposites: Hjalti is a confident family man and a big fish in town, Björn a reserved, single guy who has always lived in his parents’ house. As the pair suddenly get an opportunity to keep their fish restaurant going all year round, Björn comes out as a trans woman. Can his best friend overcome his prejudice and accept what truly matters in life? ODD FISH is being produced by Julius Kemp and Ingvar Pordarson for The Icelandic Film Company (Iceland), and co-produced by Solar Films (Finland) and Axman Production (Czech Republic). The project has received backing from the Icelandic Film Centre, Iceland’s tax rebate and the Nordisk Film & TV Fond.
- POLVO SERAN by Carlos Marques-Marcet, producers: EAVE graduates Eugenia Mumenthaler, Giovanni Pompili is in production. Written by the director himself along with Clara Roquet the original soundtrack of the musical tragicomedy is by the artist, singer and composer Maria Arnal and the choreographies are the creation of the dance company La Veronal. According to the synopsis, when Claudia decides that she does not want to wait for a disease to destroy her body, her partner, Flavio, who has not been separated from her for the last forty years, puts into action their old plan to end their life together in Switzerland thanks to the help of an association for voluntary assisted death. Meanwhile, their daughter Violeta becomes an involuntary mediator between her parents and everything they leave behind, while at the same time looking for her place in this story of unconditional love. The film raises questions such as; are we able to prepare ourselves for death? Why do we cling to life? What is it that makes us afraid of death? Is all affection conditional or is some unconditional? Is love for children always unconditional? From love to death through comedy, drama, music and dance. According to Marques-Marcet, "in this mixture of genres, the musical will allow us to approach these complex emotions and the unfathomable hole of death where words cannot reach, expressed through the body and music. The choreographies are intended not as a pause in the narrative, but as a way to keep the film moving forward by exploring the characters from another angle". POLVO SERAN is a production from Lastor Media (Spain), Alina Film (Switzerland) and Kino Produzioni (Italy) with the collaboration of the ICAA, ICEC and MEDIA – Europa Creativa, and supported by RTVE, Movistar Plus+, Direzione generale Cinema e audiovisivo del Ministero della Cultura DGCA - MIC, IDM Film Fund & Commission Südtirol Alto Adige and Eurimages. Filming takes place during October, November and December on location in Barcelona, the Italian Alps and Switzerland.
- MY FATHER’S SHOES by Hristo Simeonov, producer: EAVE graduate Katya Trichkova, co-producer: EAVE graduate Jean-Laurent Csinidis is shooting. After completing five short films, Bulgarian director Hristo Simeonov deepens his research on human relationships by focusing on a family constellation, with a father who abandoned his closest ones long time ago. The script delves into the world of Mima who was raised by her stubborn mother, Boyka. She had long lost contact with her father when she learns that he has passed away, and when the father's body arrives in their village, no one can recognise him except for Boyka, who refuses to see him. Amidst this complicated situation, mother and daughter must face their own pain as they reconcile with the past. Producer Katya Trichkova reveals that the script was developed over the course of two years. The project was also presented at Sofia Meetings and Crossroads in 2021. Backed by Bulgaria’s Contrast Films and France’s Films de Force Majeure, while relying on the support of the Bulgarian National Film Centre and CNC - Cinema du Monde, the production will have 24 shooting days, starting on 2 November with a small crew and no expensive equipment.
www.films-de-force-majeure.com
- LOS DESTELLOS by Pilar Palomero, producer: EAVE graduate Valérie Delpierre is shooting. The plot, written by the director, tells how Isabel's life takes an unexpected turn the day her daughter Madalen asks her to visit Ramón, who is ill, on a regular basis. After fifteen years away from her ex-husband, whom she sees as a stranger despite the fact that they were family for years, resentments that she thought she had gotten past begin to resurface in Isabel. However, by accompanying the man at his most vulnerable moment, Isabel will be able to see the failure they experienced through different eyes and focus on the present of her own existence. Based on the story ‘Un corazón demasiado grande’, by the Basque writer Eider Rodríguez, Pilar Palomero states that "from the very first moment I was intrigued by this story which, broadly speaking, was about the forced reunion of a couple that didn't work out. I felt that this conflict allowed me to think about how contradictory and complex the ties we create can be and, above all, to propose a reflection on the impressions that we make and leave behind, and that make us who we are". LOS DESTELLOS is a production from MOD, Misent Producciones and Inicia Films with the participation of RTVE, Movistar Plus+, TVC and À Punt, with funding from ICAA - Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales and the collaboration of the ICEC - Generalitat de Catalunya and IVC - Generalitat Valenciana. The film is being shot on location in Horta de Sant Joan and Tortosa (both in Tarragona, Catalonia) over the months of October and November.
- SUBMERGÉE by Alanté Kavaïté, producer: EAVE graduate Antoine Simkine is in production. Written by Alanté Kavaïté the story takes us to an island with no future, given that it’s already partly submerged underwater. A woman is caring for ten or so very elderly individuals, but the arrival of five travellers turns their lives upside down… Produced by Les Films D’Antoine, together with Estrella Productions, the film enjoys support from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and the department of Charente-Maritime, where filming will continue throughout November, with Chilean-Danish cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro heading up photography.
In post-production
- SIMONA KOSSAK by Adrian Panek, producer: EAVE graduate Magdalena Kaminska is in post-production. Written and directed by Adrian Panek, the film tells the story of a Polish biologist. Coming from a renowned family of artists (both her father Jerzy and grandfather Wojciech were famous painters, and her aunts Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska and Magdalena Samozwaniec were poets), Simona had no talents towards arts whatsoever. Eventually, in the mid 1960s she studied biology and after graduating, she moved to examine Białowieża Forest, where she lived in a small hut for 30 years. She was involved with nature photographer Lech Wilczek, whom she met in the wilderness. According to the press release, Simona Kossak focuses both on that relationship and on Simona’s professional efforts and her struggles as a woman biologist in a male-dominated environment. Adrian Panek states that his character is somewhat “archetypical” because she “rebels and runs away from her family, circumstances, place of birth, and wanders into the unknown in order to forget who she was or who she was told to be. And that way, she finds herself.” He adds that the film is also about Białowieża Forest, its story and the people connected to it. Simona Kossak recently regained popularity among Polish audiences thanks to a documentary by Natalia Koryncka-Gruz, titled Simona. Magdalena Kaminska and Agata Szymanska are producing the film through their Polish company Balapolis, while the co-producers are Documentary and Feature Film Studios, Krakow Festival Office and Hollman Emea Limited.
- SOVJET JEANS by Staņislavs Tokalovs and Juris Kursietis, producer: EAVE graduate and Latvian National Coordinator Aija Berzina is in post-production. The eight-episode series set in 1979 Soviet Latvia, the time of the fiercest propaganda against Western culture is based on true stories and follows Renars. The rock & roll fan and petty criminal is committed to a mental asylum for political reasons, where he starts illegal production of counterfeit US cult jeans together with his fellow inmates. The jeans gain popularity among the Latvian youth and Renars becomes an anonymous underground legend while the KGB searches for the jeans tailoring shop all over the country. “The socialist youth, the battles in the KGB, the obedient, the rebels, the thugs… all of them are victims of the same absurd madness. Our characters and their story pose the question: is it here in the madhouse that the only normality is born, while the world outside is crazy? All the authors in the team have different experiences with life in the Soviet era, but we are all born in different parts of the Socialist bloc. For us, this series is important not only because of the extraordinary point of view of the period, but also because of the terrifying parallels with the events of the present. We want to tell this story in its complexity, without going into extremely dark shades, but on the contrary, to feel hope, humour and beauty,” scriptwriter Teodora Markova said. SOVJET JEANS is produced by Aija Berzina through Tasse Film and it is supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia, as well as Go3 and Depo DIY.
- THE MISSILE by Miia Tervo, Elokuvayhtiö Komeetta, producer: EAVE graduate Evelin Penttilä is in post-production. The film is a dramedy about personal and national borders and boundaries, and it follows single mother Niina, who drifts into the middle of an international missile crisis in Inari when the Soviet Union shoots a missile across the Finnish border. “The film portrays the journey of Niina, a single mother in an abusive relationship, as she becomes entangled in the investigation surrounding the missile crash. Through this empowering process, Niina discovers her voice and gains the courage to stand up for herself. The film's creative team consists of talented professionals from Finland and Estonia, collaborating under the guidance of director Miia Tervo, and crafting a work with the potential to resonate with audiences all over the world”, producer Johanna Maria Paulson said. Kaisla Viitala and Daniel Kuitunen are producing through Komeetta (Finland) in co-production with Johanna Maria Paulson and EAVE graduate Evelin Penttilä through Stellar Film (Estonia). The project was fully financed at the end of 2022 and the production started in February 2023. From Estonia the production of the film was supported by the Estonian Film Institute, Estonian Cultural Endowment and the FilmEstonia cash rebate scheme. The project was also supported by Eurimages. Filming took place in February and March 2023, in Lapland and Estonia. All the exteriors were shot in Northern Finland (in Kemijärvi and Pelkosenniemi), while the interiors were shot in Estonia (Tallinn and nearby).
Page published 30 November 2023.
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30 November 2023
In Production and in Post-production November 2023
ODD FISH by Snævar Sölvason is shooting
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In Development November 2023
3 projects funded by screen.brussels
