IFFR welcomes 58 emerging producers to Rotterdam Lab

44th International Film Festival Rotterdam
21 January - 1 February 2015

Rotterdam, 13 January 2015

IFFR welcomes 58 emerging producers to Rotterdam Lab
New partner organisations from South Africa, Sweden and United Kingdom

International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will welcome 58 young film producers from 24 countries to the 15th edition of Rotterdam Lab, IFFR 2015. Rotterdam Lab is organised by IFFR’s co-production market CineMart, and entails a five-day training workshop for young and emerging producers designed to build up their international network and their experience at international film festivals and markets. The participants were nominated by the 29 international training bodies and funding agencies that are CineMart partners. This year, Rotterdam Lab welcomes ATFT (South Africa), Northern Film & Media (United Kingdom) and the Swedish Film Institute as new partners. Rotterdam Lab takes place from January 24th to 28th in festival venue De Unie, as part of International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) that runs from January 21st to February 1st.

The Rotterdam Lab programme includes panel discussions on topics such as co-production, development, post-production and film financing. In these panels, industry experts provide the producers tools on presenting their projects in general and building an international network. Additionally participants take part in ‘speeddating’ sessions, during which they have time to personally meet with industry delegates and receive advice on their individual projects.

Rotterdam Lab kicks off on Sunday January 25th with a coaching session by Ido Abram of EYE Film Institute Netherlands on pitching film projects, followed by a ‘Practice your Pitch’ session. Other themes in the programme are ‘microbudget filmmaking’ with Serbian filmmaker Ognjen Glavonic, ‘film financing’ with Paul Miller (Escape Pictures) and ‘company management’ with Bettina Brokemper (Heimatfilm). Additionally, the Rotterdam Lab programme includes a key session on marketing on multiple platforms, hosted by the Independent Filmmaker Project (USA) and the session ‘Sound in and before post-production: the forgotten journey’ hosted by EP2C (Belgium).

By allowing producers to present their companies and projects, receive feedback on how to proceed, and expand their network in an effective way, Rotterdam Lab contributes to IFFR’s ambition of nurturing emerging talent. Furthermore Rotterdam Lab has developed into a valuable tool to strengthen CineMart's international network of independent producers.

Rotterdam Lab 2015 (partner organisation, participant, company, country):
3Puertos, Luana Melgaço, Teia Filmes, Brazil
3Puertos, Constanza Sanz Palacios, Constanza Sanz Palacios Films, Argentina
Ateliers du Cinéma Européen (ACE), Angelos Venetis, Boo Productions, Greece
Ateliers du Cinéma Européen (ACE), Jamila Wenske, One Two Films, Germany
ATFT, Rafeeqah Galant, ELP Media, South Africa
ATFT, Jean Meeran, Team Tarbaby, South Africa
ATFT, Zinzi Nkenene, Natives at Work, South Africa
ATFT, Sandile Nzuza, Indepentdent Producer, South Africa
ATFT, Samora Sekhukhune, Away from the Keyboard, South Africa
Catalan Films, Lluís Baulida, Erasmus Films, Spain
Catalan Films, Guillem Carreras-Candi, Atzucac, Spain
Cinergia, Marcel Beltrán, Largas Luces Productions, Cuba
Creative Skillset, Daisy Allsop, Zeitgeist Films, United Kingdom
Creative Skillset, James Cotton, Cotton Real Entertainment, United Kingdom
Creative Skillset, Emily Morgan, Quiddity Films, United Kingdom
Creative Skillset, Rob Watson, Poisson Rouge Pictures, United Kingdom
Curious Film, Dan Higgins, Curious Film, New Zealand
Danish Film Insitute, Per Damgaard, Masterplan Pictures, Denmark
Durban FilmMart, Wafa Tajdin, Seven Thirty Films, South Africa
EAVE, Anamaria Antoci, 4 PROOF FILM, Romania
EAVE, Magdelena Ilieva, Little Wing, Bulgaria
Edinburgh International Film Festival, Rebecca Day, Scottish Documentary Institute, United Kingdom
Edinburgh International Film Festival, Sam Ferguson, Independent Producer, United Kingdom
Edinburgh International Film Festival, Linsday McGee, Independent Producer, United Kingdom
Film I Vast, Olle Wirenhed, Göta Films, Sweden
Film und Medien Stiftung NRW, Roman Roitman, Filmbucht, Germany
Film und Medien Stiftung NRW, Hans Eddy Schreiber, Karibufilm, Germany
Finnish Film Foundation, Annalisa Schmuckli, Empire Pictures, Finland
Finnish Film Foundation, Timo Vierimaa, Funfar Films, Finland
Flanders Image/VAF, Gilles de Schyver, De Wereldvrede, Belgium
Gunajuato Film Festival, Joaquin del Paso, Amando Films, Mexico
Gunajuato Film Festival, Pablo Zimbron Alva, Varios Lobos, Mexico
Independent Filmmaker Project, Sarah Murphy, Independent Producer, USA
Independent Filmmaker Project, Chris Ohlson, RCO Films, USA
Irish Film Board, Ruth Carter, Parallel Film Productions, United Kingdom
Irish Film Board, Emmet Fleming, Fleming Creative Limited, United Kingdom
Israel Film Fund, Liran Atzmor, Atzmor Productions, Israel
Israel Film Fund, Yifat Prestelnik, Yifat Prestelnik Films, Israel
Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Michel Balagué, Mengamuk Films, Germany
Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Kirill Krasovskiy, faktura film, Germany
Meetings on the Bridge, Selin Karli, Bulut Film, Turkey
Netherlands Film Fund, Dragan Bakema, Popov Film, The Netherlands
Netherlands Film Fund, Wout Conijn, Conijn Film, The Netherlands
Netherlands Film Fund, Sanne Cousijn, Blackframe, The Netherlands
Northern Film & Media, Lauren Davies, Lola Cove Films, United Kingdom
One Fine Day Films, Josephine Claire Niala, Independent Producer, Kenya
Proimages Colombia, Diana Perez Meija, La Banda del Carro Rojo Producciones, Colombia
Proimages Colombia, Alejandra Quintero Escobar, Nina Mala Producciones, Colombia
Rio de Janeiro State Secretariat of Culture, Tatiana Leite, Bubbles Project, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro State Secretariat of Culture, Matheus Peçanha, Estúdio Giz, Brazil
Sundance Institute, Gabrielle Nadig, Buffalo Picture House, USA
Sundance Institute, Kim Sherman, Independent Producer, USA
Swedish Film Institute, Andreas Emanuelsson, BOB Film Sweden, Sweden
Telefilm Canada, Aisling Chin-Yee, Prospector Films, Canada
Telefilm Canada, Kaleena Kiff, Radius Squared Media Group, Canada
Telefilm Canada, Mike MacMillan, Lithium Studios, Canada
Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival, Christian James, CariVista Films, Trinidad & Tobago
Wallonie Bruxelle Images, Amel Bouzid, Kaplan, Belgium

International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) offers a high quality line-up of carefully selected fiction and documentary feature films, short films and media art. The festival's Tiger Awards Competitions, Bright Future, Spectrum and Limelight sections contain new work by auteurs from all over the world including many World Premieres. In the Signals section, IFFR presents retrospectives and themed programmes. IFFR actively supports new and adventurous filmmaking talent through numerous industry initiatives including co-production market CineMart, its Hubert Bals Fund and Rotterdam Lab.