Award winners of the 35th CineMart at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2018

47th International Film Festival Rotterdam

24 January- 4 February 2018

Rotterdam, 31 January 2018

Wednesday 31 January 2018 brought an end to the refocused 35th edition of CineMart, the co-production market of International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Out of 16 selected projects the juries selected four award winners. Mitra by Kaweh Modiri won the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award of €20,000 for the development of an international co-production; Electrocute by Gastón Solnicki won the Filmmore Post-Production Award of €7,500; A White, White Day by Hlynur Pálmason won the ARTE International Prize of €6,000; and Disco Afrika by Luck Razanajaona won the Wouter Barendrecht Awardof €5,000.

The jury for the Eurimages Award was comprised of Arben Zharku, Dorien van de Pas and Rachel Ellis. The jury for the Filmmore and ARTE Awards consisted of Bart Van Langendonck, Anton Scholten and Annamaria Lodato. The winner of the Wouter Barendrecht Award, given to a director under 35 years of age, was chosen by representatives of the Wouter Barendrecht Film Foundation, Ellis Driessen en Nelleke Driessen. 

Eurimages Co-Production Development Award

Winning project: Mitra by Kaweh Modiri (The Netherlands)

Jury report: "The jury was particularly impressed by the bravery of one filmmaker, who presented a very personal, delicate and urgent story that crosses generations and deals sensitively with themes of retribution, guilt and coming to terms with very deap personal loss, whilst also being a very politically important film. A classical story in some ways, but one that leaves sufficient space for ambiguity in relation to how people deal uniquely with their pain and suffering."

Filmmore Post-Production Award

The prize money of the Filmmore Post-Production Award is to be used for colour grading and visual effects.

Winning project: Electrocute by Gastón Solnicki (Argentina)Jury report: "The jury is keen to see how the director, with the backing of the producers from REI CINE, combines his qualities to put the eccentricities of the unexpected into his films with the more traditional way of storytelling he wants to use for this project. The combination of these elements bears the exiting promise of an extraordinarily film."

ARTE International Prize

The ARTE International Prize is given to an international co-production.

Winning project: A White, White Day by Hlynur Pálmason (Iceland/Denmark)Jury report: "The prize is given to a talented filmmaker preparing his second feature, which will be a mystery drama dealing with love and loss and taking place in a country that is rarely present on the screens. For the quality of his previous work, for an original and powerful artistic vision and an intriguing subject, the ARTE International Prize is awarded to A White, White Day by Icelandic filmmakerHlynur Pálmason."

Wouter Barendrecht Award

The Wouter Barendrecht Award is given to a project by a director under 35 yearsof age.

Winning project: Disco Afrika by Luck Razanajaona (France/Madagascar)Jury report: "After long consideration the jury decided to give the award to a team which we think can make a true difference, both for the filmmaker and for his country’s film culture and industry. Or more precisely: the lack of the latter. We are convinced that the grant shall be well spent in the further development of thisupright endeavor."Click here for an overview of all 16 projects selected for CineMart 2018.

About CineMart

CineMart ran from 28 to 31 January 2018 as part of the IFFR PRO Days, which ran from 26 January to 2 February. CineMart was the first platform of its kind to offer filmmakers the opportunity to launch their projects internationally and connect with industry executives to take the next step in creative development and financing. Every year, CineMart invites a select number of directors/producers to present their film projects to co-producers, bankers, funds, sales agents, distributors, TV stations and other potential partners. The projects’ expected budgets range from €250,000 to €5 million. Launching 16 new feature film projects in January, CineMart also heralds an important start to the film year. More information can be found at IFFR.com.