The first workshop will take place in Udine (Italy) from April 29 – May 3, 2014 within the framework of the Udine Far East Film Festival (April 25 – May 3, 2014). This workshop is supported by the programme Creative Encounters: Cultural Partnerships between Asia and Europe by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and Arts Network Asia (ANA) in collaboration with Trans Europe Halles (TEH). A second event will be organized in South Korea in October 2014 during the Busan International Film Festival (October 2 – 11, 2014) in parallel to the Asian Project Market in South Korea with the support of Creative Europe (TBC).
TIES THAT BIND brings together five producers with feature fiction projects from Asia and five from Europe. During the two workshops they will work together work on the development of their projects under the guidance of top-level experts from both continents. The TIES THAT BIND workshop will offer the selected participants in-depth insight into audiovisual market and operating conditions, legal frameworks, financing, sales, distribution and exhibition practices in Asia and Europe, it will provide opportunities for networking between the participants and their companies to create medium and long term co-financing and co-production relationships and it will enable the access to a network of producers, markets, festivals and decision makers in both continents.
The following producers were selected for TIES THAT BIND 2014:
- Karim Aitouna, Hautlesmains Productions, France; project: Women of the Weeping River, director: Sheron Dayoc
- Joenathann Alandy, Outpost Visual Frontier, Philippines; project: Hypothalamus, director: Dwein Baltazar
- Valérie Bournonville, Tarantula, Belgium; project: Walkers, director: Olivier Meys
- Weronika Czołnowska, EasyBusyProductions, Poland; project: Baby, director: Kei Ishikawa
- Antonin Dedet, Neon Productions, France; project: Black Stones, director: Gyeong Tae Roh
- Justin Deimen, Silver Media Group, Singapore; project: Lanun, director: Chua Jingdu
- Julius Ponten, Habbekrats, The Netherlands; project: Ratu Adil, director: Jim Taihuttu
- Alina Yan Qiu, Jampa Films, China; project: Mazu, Guardian of the Seas, director: Xiao Zheng and David Ebner
- Masumi Soga, Japan; project: Kodokushi, director: Janus Victoria
- Lina Tan, Red Films, Malaysia; project: Five Star Billionaire, director: Bernard Chauly
This year’s selection features a vast diversity of different subjects and genres:
Karim Aitouna (Hautlesmains Productions, France) is producing Women of the Weeping River, directed by Sheron Dayoc. It is the story of two women in a remote Muslim community who hope to undo an escalating blood feud stretching back generations. The project is supported by the Sundance Institute, Hubert Bals and the Asian Film Fund.
Since 2010, Joenathann Alandy (Outpost Visual Frontier, Philippines) has produced five feature films and three short films that have received recognition locally and internationally. His first collaboration with writer/director Dwein Baltazar was on her debut feature film Mamay Umeng which was awarded Best Picture Prize at the Jeonju IFF in 2013. Hypothalamus is a multi-narrative drama/love story in which Baltazar interweaves the story of four different men and their affection for a mysterious young woman named Aileen.
Valérie Bournonville (Tarantula, Belgium) is producing the first feature film Walkers by Olivier Meys. The film is dealing with the sensitive subject of prostitution of Chinese women in Europe. The director has been living in China for eight years and has a great knowledge of China’s social issues and culture. Tarantula is a company that stands out with its co-productions with Mexico (Batalla en El Cielo by Carlos Reygadas – in competition in Cannes 2005); Canada (Congorama by Philippe Falardeau – Director’s Fortnight in Cannes 2006); Palestine (Le Sel de la Mer by Annemarie Jacir – Un Certain Regard” in Cannes 2008); Argentina (La Cantante de Tango by Diego Martinez Vignatti, in competition Locarno 2009); and Taiwan (Visages by Tse Ming-Liang, in competition in Cannes 2009), among others.
Weronika Czołnowska (EasyBusyProductions, Poland) is the producer of Baby, a fantasy comedy about a young couple who end up in strange Kappa Word and have to convince their baby to be born. Baby will be a Polish- Japanese co-production and the project won the main prize at IT Project Market at the Fantastic Film Festival in Bucheon, Korea. Baby will be the first feature of Kei Ishikawa whose previous short film Dear World received a special prize in the prestigious competition of the Akira Kurosawa Foundation. His other short film It’s All in the Fingers also produced by Weronika Czołnowska premiered at New Directors/New Films Festival in New York.
The Korean filmmaker Gyeong Tae Roh was immediately recognized with his first film The Last Dining Table, which was selected for the Sundance Film Festival. Antonin Dedet (Neon Productions, France) produced his second feature film, Land Of Scarecrows. These two truly poetic films are denouncing globalization and pollution, and they are the first two parts of the trilogy “Environment and Pollution”. The Black Stones is the last film in this peculiar series. Antonin Dedet has produced or co-produced so far thirteen feature films, involving more than fifteen countries worldwide (Spain, Brazil, Monzambic, Italy, United States, South Korea, Lebanon, Germany, Algeria, etc.).
Justin Deimen (Silver Media Group, Singapore) will be producing Lanun, a gritty crime saga set in Southeast Asia that charts the rise of a young village orphan as he navigates his way into the upper echelons of Indonesia’s criminal enterprises by becoming one of the region’s most feared and powerful maritime pirates – a Lanun. Justin Deimen is an Executive Producer/Director of Development for Silver Media Group, one of Asia’s few privately managed media investment funds that finances film and other media content for international audiences.
Julius Ponten (Habbekrats, the Netherlands) will be producing Ratu Adil, a film that will be largely based in Indonesia, right after the capitulation of the Japanese at the end of the Second World War – a subject that has not been dealt with in film, in the Netherlands, nor internationally. Ratu Adil will not be a great epic war movie, but a personal film about insanity of war and the dark pages in Dutch and global history. Julius Ponten produced over 60 music videos, dozens of commercials and short films and two feature films (Wolf, Rabat). Wolf was directed by Jim Taihuttu and had his world premiere in competition at San Sebastian in 2013.
Alina Yan Qiu (Jampa Films, China) will be producing Mazu, Guardian of the Seas, a 3D Fantasy/Sci-Fi. It is a story about a Chinese Olympic swimmer who is given a magical necklace and discovers that she has been chosen to carry-on the Goddess Mazu’s legacy of protecting the Eastern oceans. With the help of several key allies, she learns to harness the necklace’s powers and soon finds herself pitted against a malevolent creature bent on destroying mankind. Alina Yan Qiu has produced three feature films and all had nationwide theatrical release: Inseparable starring Kevin Spacey (2012), award-winning Red River (2009), and Hutong Days (2008).
Masumi Soga from Japan will be producing Kodokushi, tackling a uniquely Japanese social issue. More and more people in Japan are experiencing a “lonely death”, literally in the sense that they have none to look after them and die alone, sometimes not being found for years, but also metaphorically, when they are living a life, which is unfulfilled and isolated. The project to be directed by young female director Janus Victoria received Best Project Award at the Talent Campus Tokyo.
Lina Tan (Red Films, Malaysia) will present Five Star Billionaire, an adaptation of Tash Aw’s book (winner of the Whistbread First Novel Award and the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize). The story is set in Shanghai and revolves around 5 individuals from Malaysia who try to find their footing in China. Lina Tan founded her production company Red Films in 2004 which supported the wave of new indie films in Malaysia. She produced Visits: Hungry Ghost Anthology, box office hits and critically acclaimed films like Gol & Gincu, Kami, Pisau Cukur, Songlap and Istanbul Aku Datang which have created new wave in the Malaysian film scene.
TIES THAT BIND is organised by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Audiovisual Fund, EAVE, Udine Far East Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival/Asian Film Market/Asian Project Market, in partnership with Festival Scope.
TIES TIES BIND is supported by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and Arts Network Asia (ANA) in collaboration with Trans Europe Halles (TEH)..