Tunç Davut’s debut feature film project scoops the Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival’s Principle Development Grant, while Khedija Lemkecher’s Un huitième also wins support.
At the close of two days of pitches, the jury of the Development Grant’s 30th edition, which unfolded within the Cinemed Meetings hosted by the 42nd Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival, singled out "two projects which probe our levels of engagement and which broach their subjects with dignity and feeling." The main prize was won by Comme un arbre, the debut feature film project by Turkish filmmaker Tunç Davut. Its story centres around Refik, who is in the final stages of a terminal illness and who decides to give some money to his Syrian refugee home help. She disappears just before the end of Eid, leaving her children behind her. In the aftermath of her disappearance, tensions within Refik’s family relations are exposed to the cold light of day… This project which "really moved the jury with its reflection on Turkish society and on family and which makes us think about our own world" is produced by Sinem Altindag on behalf of Tekhne Film, and is co-produced by Andrijana Sofranić Šućur for Serbia’s Nana 143.
Assigned by a jury presided over by Georges Goldenstern (director of the Cannes Film Festival’s Cinéfondation), joined by Marianne Dumoulin (JBA Production), Michel Zana (Sophie Dulac Distribution) and Catherine Bizern (Céci Moulin d’Andé), this 8,000-Euro development grant is funded by the CNC and comes with an additional 2,500 Euros in sound post-production services, courtesy of Titra Films.
The second grant, consisting of 4,000 Euros from the Occitanie region (alongside 5,000 Euros-worth of image post-production services from French Kiss Studio and sound post-production services from Saraband), was awarded to another debut feature film project: Un huitième by Tunisia’s Khedija Lemkecher, which the jury chose for "its passion, its energy and the strength of the subject-matter, but also to help the filmmaker take her story as far as possible and to make the film as ambitious as it can possibly be." The story revolves around Zohra, an elderly widow who lives hidden away in her home, harassed by bailiffs. Her sons-in-law want her out of her house since the Sharia law on inheritance only concedes an eighth of the deceased’s assets to the wife. But Zohra will lead a battle to fight this unjust law… Production is steered by Moslah Kraïem on behalf of Cercina Films Productions. Impressively, this project also won the third prize handed out at the event: a writing residency hosted by the Moulin d’Andé Film Writing Centre.
For its part, the jury of the 6th edition of the "From Short to Long" initiative (open to filmmakers showcased in Montpellier’s short films competition who are looking to propose a feature film project) awarded a Méditalents writing residency to Greta, a project by Croatian filmmaker Sanja Milardovic (produced by Matej Merlic for Castor Multimedia). The story follows in the footsteps of the titular Greta, a 62-year-old actress and diva whose world falls apart when she learns her estranged son Marko is terminally ill. Greta moves to Marko and his wife Zora’s ramshackle village, but the mother-son relationship deteriorates, and Greta is thrown out of the house… In a desperate attempt to find her way to Marko’s heart, she starts to live her life through her son’s…
Likewise worth a mention is the second residency (hosted by Moulin d’Andé) gifted by the "From Short to Long" jury, which went to Birth Right, the project directed by Israeli filmmaker Inbar Horesh.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Development Grant
Principal Grant
Comme un arbre amputé - Tunç Davut (Turkey/Serbia)
Second Grant
Un huitième - Khedija Lemkecher (Tunisia)
Moulin d’Andé Film Writing Centre Residency
Un huitième - Khedija Lemkecher
"From Short to Long" initiative
Méditalents Writing Residency
Greta - Sanja Milardovic (Croatia)
Moulin d’Andé Film Writing Centre Residency
Birth Right - Inbar Horesh (Israel)
Kaynak: https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/393974/
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