The co-production, training and networking platform Dot.on.the.map Industry Days, an initiative of the artistic directors of Cyprus Film Days IFF, launches its first edition this year, in an online environment, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictive measures that the Cyprus Government has imposed to contain the spread of Coronavirus. During the online meeting, producers, directors and scriptwriters from countries of the Mediterranean Sea, will have the opportunity to pitch to members of the international film industry and to find the right connections to get the projects co-produced, financed, developed and/or distributed.
Dot.on.the.map Industry Days, is organised by Cyprus Film Days International Festival, the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth and the Rialto Theatre. The co-production forum is implemented in partnership with Thessaloniki International Film Festival Agora.
Τhe organisers’ vision is to create a platform for artistic and financial collaborations and to contribute to the development of the art of filmmaking in Cyprus and the wider region, serving as a hub for films originating from countries of the Mediterranean.
The 1st edition of Dot.on.the.map Industry Days will take place in an online environment from the 9th to the 11th of April 2020. Film director Danae Stylianou serves as head of Dot.on.the.map.
The organisation received a great number of project submissions from across the Mediterranean Sea, from countries such as, France, Italy, Spain, Malta, Slovenia, Lebanon, Egypt, Greece etc. The evaluation committee, which was made up of representatives from Cyprus Film Days IFF and Thessaloniki International Film Festival, has chosen six fiction feature film projects, at a development and financing stage. The following projects were selected for the year 2020:
- The First Cypriot Astronaut, Writer – Director: Stavros Pamballis, Production Company: IRON BOX FILMS, Countries: Cyprus, U.K.
- Four Days at the Sea, Writer – Director: Ivana Škrabalo, Production Company: Dinaridi Film, Country: Croatia
- Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo, Writer – Director: Khaled Mansour, Production Company: PATCHWORK PRODUCTIONS, Country: Egypt
- Souvenir, Writers: Thanos Psichogios, Vasiliki Petsa, Director: Thanos Psichogios, Production Company: BAD CROWD, Country: Greece
- The Three of Us, Writer – Director: Suela Bako, Production Company: ERAFILM, Country: Albania
- Visa, Writer – Director: Dima AL-Joundi, Production Company: Cinetelefilms – Crystal Films, Countries: Lebanon – Tunisia
The tutors for the pitching sessions are Isabelle Fauvel (Initiative Film, Special advisor on film development, France) and Yianna Sarri (Head of Agora Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Greece). The pitching sessions will be presented to respected producers, sales agents, and film festival representatives, with significant activity in the international film industry. Sales companies incude, Wild Bunch (France), Alpha Violet (France), ΜPM Film (France), Pluto Film (Germany), Film Republic (U.K.), Heretic (Greece). Film festivals include, Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic) and Connecting Cottbus (Germany). Production companies include, Unafilm (Germany), Arizona Productions (France), Faliro House (Greece), Graal Films (Greece), Geopoly Film (Bulgaria), Green Productions (Israel), La Prod (Morocco), Slingshot Films (Italy).
The Awards will be decided upon by a three member jury, chaired by French producer Guillaume De Seille. The two members are: Moroccan producer Lamia Chraibi and film programmer and pitching advisor at Connecting Cottbus International Film Festival, Martina Bleis, from Germany.
The awards will be announced on our website dot.cyprusfilmdays.com