The Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes has announced Goes to Cannes as an online-only edition as it teams up with four renowned international film festivals to showcase a selection of original works-in-progress titles seeking a sales agent, a distributor or a festival selection.

From 22 to 23 June, festivals will showcase a selection of feature films in post-production. These curated selections will be presented during two-hour online screenings. As a novelty this year, professionals who will attend the screenings will be able to organize meetings with project holders on the occasion of the Goes to Cannes Speed Meetings which will be held on the Marché du Film Online on the 24th of June from 9:00 to 21:00 (UTC+2).

Four film festivals will present their selection as part of the 8th edition of Goes to Cannes: Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), New Horizons International Film Festival, Thessaloniki International Film Festival and, for the first time this year, NFDC Film Bazaar.

“While film festivals around the world are going through a transformation never experienced before, we wish to rally together to bring positive change to the film industry,” said Jérôme Paillard, Executive Director of the Marché du Film. “We are proud to offer these major festivals and markets an online platform to help the filmmakers reach their audience in these unprecedented times. With Goes to Cannes, we also wish to show our appreciation for these festivals and markets for their relentless efforts to develop cinema and support creativity and I am especially happy to welcome NFDC Film Bazaar who have joined us this year.”

The Marché du Film Online will take place from June 22 to 26.

HAF GOES TO CANNES

Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) is the leading film project market in Asia. HAF welcomes both projects in-development and work-in-progress projects. Past participants include China’s Jia Zhangke; Hong Kong’s Stanley Kwan; South Korea’s Bong Joon-ho and many others. The 18th HAF will take place in Hong Kong from 27-29 August 2020.

List of Projects :

The Borderlands

Directed by: Samarth Mahajan
Produced by: Ashay Gangwar, Sunil Doshi (All Things Small)
Country of production: India

An intimate exploration of how everyday lives intertwine with borders in the Indian subcontinent.

Born to Be Second

Directed by: Jian Fan
Produced by: Richard Liang, S. Leo Chiang (FAN Film Studio)
Country of production: China

The film follows two families haunted by their painful past as they build towards an uncertain
tomorrow.

Dear immigrants: What Was Your First Meal?

Directed by: Fei Pang Wong
Produced by: Diana Cheung (Tonikaku Pictures Limited)
Country of production: Hong Kong

A documentary unveils rich tastes of memory from the first meal of new settlers and further unravels the larger historical flows of a “floating city”, Hong Kong.

Olympic Halftime

Directed by: Haruna Honcoop
Produced by: Vít Janecek (D1film)
Countries of production: Czech Republic, Greece, Slovak Republic

A film reflects on urban impacts and architecture of Olympic games. Controversial side effects of the Olympics are not consequences of the games themselves, but of mobility. Is this sustainable?

Ningdu

Directed by: Lei Lei
Produced by: Lei Lei, Isabelle Glachant (Chinese Shadows)
Countries of production: Hong Kong, Netherlands, USA

Caught between semi-gods and mass madness, in a world of propaganda images, surrealist collage and pop-art animation, the Lei’s struggle to live through China’s tumultuous movements.

THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL GOES TO CANNES

Thessaloniki International Film Festival is the leading Cinema institution in Greece. TIFF’s annual activity includes the organisation of Thessaloniki IFF and Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. In addition, TIFF runs 4 cinema screens, the Cinema Museum of Thessaloniki and the Thessaloniki Cinematheque. Thessaloniki Goes to Cannes is co-organized by TIFF and the Greek Film Center.

Greek Film Centre (GFC), is the main public institution that applies cinematographic policy in Greece. It provides funding for domestic production and international co-production and promotes Greek Cinema
domestically and internationally.Τhe Hellenic Film Commission (HFC) of GFC supports and facilitates international audiovisual productions planning to film in Greece and promotes Greek locations worldwide. GFC designates the national representative in EURIMAGES and collaborates with the European Commission in operating Creative Europe Media Desk – Greece.

List of Projects :

Green sea

Directed by: Angeliki Antoniou
Produced by: Lilette Botassi (Inkas Films), Angeliki Antoniou (Angeliki Antoniou Filmproduktion), Jost Hering (Jost Hering Filme)
Countries of production: Greece, Germany

“A life without memory is no life at all.” Luis Buñuel

Dog

Directed by: Yianna Americanou
Produced by: Monica Nicolaidou, Effie Skrobola, Vassilis Tzanidis, Giorgos Kyriakos, Costas Lambropoulos

Countries of production: Cyprus, Greece

A dog is man’s best friend – a child is a father’s property.

Esperanto

Directed by: Stratis Chatzielenoudas
Produced by: Ioanna Petinaraki
Country of production: Greece

The intimate portraits of canary breeders and their passion to train their darlings is our guide in this atmospheric film essay about communication and self-isolation.

If it’s not OK it’s not the end

Directed by: Salvador Muñoz Saiz
Produced by: Salvador Munoz Saiz
Country of production: Greece, Spain

The toughest opponent is never inside the ring.

Made in Vain

Directed by: Michael Klioumis
Produced by: Louizos Aslanidis
Country of production: Greece

Three bodybuilders are trapped in a perpetual, relentless struggle with the mirror, their insecurities, excessive vanity and narcissism, and the pursuit of the perfect body.

NEW HORIZONS’ POLISH DAYS GOES TO CANNES

Polish Days co-organized with the Polish Film Institute is the biggest industry event in Poland, taking place during New Horizons International Film Festival in Wrocław. It consists of presentations and screenings of the latest Polish films for international industry representatives. Polish Days 2020 will be held July 27 – 29 online.

List of Projects:

Everyone Has a Summer (Każdy ma swoje lato)

Directed by: Tomasz Jurkiewicz
Produced by: Magdalena Sztorc, Przemysław Miękinia (Before My Eyes)
Country of production: Poland

Summer holidays. Rebellious Agata comes to a small town to work at a religious camp. 17-year-old Mirek falls in love with her, while his grandfather – who suffers from dementia – sees in her his long-gone lover. Mirek uses his grandfather to get closer to Agata. As they explore their
relationship, they uncover a carefully guarded family secret.

The Moths (Ćmy)

Directed by: Piotr Stasik
Produced by: Paweł Kosuń (Centrala)
Country of production: Poland

A multi-layered poetic survival story. A group of gaunted boys aged 8-15 who fled the offline camp after the educators took their computers and cut off the Internet has been found after 20 days of search. During this time, they hid in abandoned places and did not say a word to each other. One boy was missing.

Wika!

Directed by: Agnieszka Zwiefka
Produced by: Katarzyna Ślesicka, Ania Stylińska (My Way Studio), ma.ja.de/Germany, Pystymetsa/Finland, Stefilm/Italy
Country of production: Poland, Germany, Finland, Italy

Wika is the oldest DJ in Poland and probably in the world. At the age of 81 she plays for people younger than her grandchildren and refuses to simply “grow old”. But as Wika’s career develops rapidly, the body starts to remind of her limitations. “Wika!” is an intimate portrait of a woman who tries to maintain dignity and joy of life till the last day.

The Horse Tail (Koński ogon)

Directed by: Justyna Łuczaj – Salej
Produced by: Marcin Malatyński (Indeks Film Studio)
Country of production: Poland

In a town at the foot of a cliff, between a rubbish dump, barns and a forest, people form incestuous relationships and hold painful secrets. An aging prostitute comes back to town, milk streaming from her breasts. A policeman’s wife has been raped. The main suspect becomes the object of affection of the victim’s daughter. Impossible love blooms.

The Last Mission (Orzeł. Ostatni patrol)

Directed by: Jacek Bławut
Produced by: Anna Bławut Mazurkiewicz, Bartek Gliński (Aura Films)
Country of production: Poland

Year 1940. The crew of the Polish submarine struggles in the underwater darkness against all odds: attacks of the invisible enemy, claustrophobia, own fatigue, mistakes and failures.

NFDC FILM BAZAAR GOES TO CANNES

National Film Development Corporation of India organises the NFDC Film Bazaar, South Asia’s largest film market, every year in Goa, India, from November 20-24. Since its inception in 2007, independent filmmakers of the region present their projects in the Co-production Market, Work-in-Progress Lab, Industry Screenings and other sections.

List of Projects :

Two Friends (Dostojee)

Directed by: Prasun Chatterjee
Produced by: Prasun Chatterjee, Prosenjit Ranjan Nath, Soumya Mukhopadhyay, Ivy Yu-Hua Shen (Kathak Talkies)
Country of production: India

An innocent friendship between two boys crosses the barriers built by religion and society. But when they are fatefully separated, how do they face their first farewell?

Fire in the Mountains

Directed by: Ajitpal Singh
Produced by: Ajay Rai (Jar Pictures), Mauli Singh
Country of production: India

In a Himalayan village, Chandra strains herself and saves money to build a road for her handicapped son, while the husband vies for her money for a Shamanic ritual to cure the child.

Pedro

Directed by: Natesh Hegde
Produced by: Rishab Shetty (Rishab Shetty Films)
Country of production: India

A middle- aged electrician living with his mother and his brother’s family in a remote village accidentally commits a disgraceful act. The villagers’ sentiments are hurt and they react in a way that is unexpected.

Shankar’s Fairies

Directed by: Irfana Majumdar
Produced by: Nita Kumar (Nita Kumar Productions)
Country of production: India

Lucknow, India, 1962. A little girl belonging to a privileged family and a village man who is the family servant share a relationship based on imagination and stories. Underlying their innocent bond are divided worlds: city and village, master and servant, adult and child.

The Knot (Uljhan)

Directed by: Ashish Pant
Produced by: Kartikeya Singh (Route One Productions LLP)
Country of production: India

Shirish and Geeta, a middle class couple, have a car accident one night. Their differing reactions to the fallout from the accident open up fissures in their relationship and puts to test their values and beliefs.