Gloria is a girl on vacation who has to go to the hospital every day to accompany her mother, a hard-working nurse. While exploring the facility, Gloria meets Sofia, a girl who is convinced that the worsening health of her great-grandmother, a spiritual healer who is now a patient, has been caused by her admission to the hospital. Both girls will share the desire to leave the place, beginning a bittersweet journey of mourning and farewells.
Rafaela Camelo is a Brazilian director and screenwriter. In 2019, she directed O Mistério da Carne (Sundance), winner of the Best Film Award at Biarritz Amérique Latine and FEST – New Directors / New Films. Co-directed in 2023 with Emanuel Lavor, As Miçangas (Berlinale) won the Golden Horsemen at the 36th Filmfest Dresden. She is a member of the Talent Network of Projeto Paradiso. In 2021, she was selected for the Latin American programme of Berlinale Talents. She is preparing her feature film debut, Sangue do Meu Sangue, a co-production between Brazil, France and Chile. In 2023, she was selected by Variety as one of Brazil’s 10 next gen talents.
Daniela Marinho is a Brazilian film producer based in Brasília. Her production credits include the short films O Mistério da Carne by Rafaela Camelo (Sundance, 2019), Best Film at Biarritz Amérique Latine and Fest New Directors/New Films; O Véu de Amani by Renata Diniz (Gramado, 2019), Best Screenplay at Gramado; As Miçangas, directed by Emanuel Lavor and Rafaela Camelo (Berlinale Shorts, 2023), Best Film at Dresden; and Lubrina, by Leonardo Hecht and Vinícius Fernandes (Cartagena, 2023). Now, with Rafaela Camelo, she is finalizing their first feature film Blood of my Blood. She attended Buenos Aires Talents in 2022 and has recently joined the Talent Network of Projeto Paradiso.
The story takes place in the Brazilian Midwest, the region where I was born and which influenced me with its very specific, mystic aura. Despite being a film about death, it is not my goal to give so much weight to a topic that is already considered taboo. I truly believe it takes a certain amount of humour to achieve depth. To evoke a bittersweet atmosphere, I chose the point of view of two 10-year-old girls. One is a medical miracle for having received a transplanted organ and has the sensitivity to perceive spirits. The other is a trans girl who experienced a symbolic death based on her old identity and is experiencing the process of saying goodbye to her fatally ill great-grandmother.
Daniela Marinho | Producer
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +55 61 982 424 106
Rafaela Camelo | Director
Email: [email protected]
A close investigation into the lives of the different generations of a dysfunctional family, who are all searching for the same nearly impossible thing – fulfilment in life. Victor is finally coming out of the closet, only to realize that he is too old for queer dating; his sister, the opera diva Annika, must re-evaluate her life after receiving terrible news; their grandmother Joke just wants to die; and 10-year-old Timo checks off his bucket list, believing he only has one week left to live. A life-affirming drama where comedy and tragedy coexist, just like they do in real life.
Aaron Rookus (1983) graduated from the Utrecht School of the Arts in 2008 and studied film science at the University of Amsterdam. His graduation film I Wish I Could Share the Happiness Of Being Alone With Someone Else won several awards, as did his short debut Wednesdays, which was released in 2012. After several shorts, including the acclaimed A Good Life (2015), he directed episodes for the TV-series Godforsaken (2017), Icarus (2016) and Towers of Power (2018). Goodbye Stranger was his feature debut (Topkapi, 2022), which premiered at IFFR 2023 and stars acclaimed actor Martijn Lakemeier. Rookus is currently in the postproduction phase of his second feature and writer debut Idyllic (Studio Ruba) and is a lecturer at the Utrecht School of the Arts.
Studio Ruba is an Amsterdam based boutique production company founded in 2019 by producers Layla Meijman and Maarten van der Ven. Studio Ruba’s first feature film is Femi (Dwight Fagbamila, 2022), which had its world premiere at Warsaw IFF. In 2023, their coming-of-age road film Kiddo by Zara Dwinger had its world premiere at the Berlinale Generation K+, received six nominations at the Dutch Academy Awards, was theatrically released in the Netherlands, Belgium and France, and has travelled to over 50 festivals. Currently, the mosaic drama feature Idyllic by Aaron Rookus, a co-production with Flanders (Polar Bear) and Estonia (Allfilm), is in the final stages of post-production. Their first minority co-production To a Land Unknown by Mahdi Fleifel had its world premiere at Cannes 2024 in the Quinzaine Des Cineastes.
When will we be fulfilled in our quest for a good life with a happy ending? As a gay man who was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 22, the future as it was seen by society became less and less a picture within reach. I had to learn that “what is expected of you” doesn’t equal something that could be won. If you embrace the unforeseen, it will never let you down. In Idyllic, I investigate the theme of self-acceptance in a variety of characters and crossing storylines. They have one thing in common: they all must learn to accept that there is no path paved in front of you. Hopefully it will bring the viewer comfort and a sobering smile in their own quest. And perhaps people will see some wonder in the small particles floating around us. Idyllic is a visual and mind-boggling adventure for anyone who has lived a little.
Maarten van der Ven | Producer
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +31 641 878 497
Based on true events, Mayflies is the story of a famous Hungarian assassin from the 1930s – Pipas Pista. It starts with his arrest, and it is revealed that he was born as a woman but lived with a male identity. In prison, while waiting for execution, he forms a relationship with Irma, a pastor’s daughter, who teaches him to read and write. Their relationship develops into a strong bond that results in clemency being granted for Pista. However, Irma must pay the price for it. Their ambiguous love story is still relevant 100 years later, when manipulation and corruption still affect our choices.
Emilia studied psychology at Princeton University and film at ELTE-Budapest. She is a freelance scriptwriter and has directed two shorts so far (Váczi Irén Must Die and Clear Explicit Statement). In 2017, she received an invitation from the University of Copenhagen's Travers Foundation to create an art installation. In 2019, she won the main award in the Budapest Palace of Art's David Lynch Contest with her experimental film. From 2019 to 2020, she was a student of the Hungarian National Film Fund's screenwriting course. Mayflies is her debut feature, which participated at Pitch It@Berlinale 2023, Industry@Tallinn and the Baltic Event Co-Production Market.
KMH Film is an award-winning full-service film production company established in 2002 and based in Budapest. KMH Film and Ferenc Pusztai have gained significant experience in Hungarian independent and funded feature films, international co-productions (both as the majority and minority party), commercials, short films and series. As KMH Film always maintains the high professional level of its projects, the KMH team continuously participate in widely appreciated international training sessions, workshops and various professional educational programmes. KMH Film and Pusztai are always looking for emerging talents; they have produced numerous debut features and are honored to have worked with Emília Goldberg on her 1st feature film.
The figure Pipas Pista, an assassin who was born as a woman but lived as a man and killed men, has excited me for a long time. He killed abusive men at the orders of their wives. It was revealed after his arrest that he was indeed a woman. During the Covid quarantine, when I experienced confinement myself, my attention turned to his years in prison. According to authentic records, he was sentenced to death, but a teacher who visited him in prison and taught him to read obtained a pardon for him. Both are prisoners – Pista awaits execution in the death house, and Irma is condemned to solitude by her severe agoraphobia – and both find refuge in each other.
Linda Pfeiffer | Producer
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +36 305 747 723
Set against the stunning backdrop of the Alps, My Boyfriend the Fascist tells the true story of Matthias, a left-wing filmmaker, and Sadiel, an idealistic Cuban activist with seemingly endless energy. As Sadiel grapples with disappointment towards communist Cuba, his ideological shift towards right-wing beliefs strains his relationship with Matthias, who tries to remain coherent about his progressive ideals. Through the lens of Matthias's camera, this intimate portrait captures their evolving relationship, mirroring political turmoil and personal transformation.
Matthias Lintner was born in 1987 in Bolzano, Italy. After graduating as a graphic designer, he attended the DFFB film school in Berlin. Since 2008, he has lived and worked between Bolzano and Berlin. He co-founded the film collective ASTRA LA VISTA, which includes a small festival in Bressanone (South Tyrol) providing visibility to young local filmmakers. Recently, Matthias has focused on art education and production with children and teenagers. His first feature-length documentary Property premiered in 2019 at CPH:DOX and was screened at multiple festivals, such as Doc Sheffield, New Horizons Poland, Kasseler Dokfest, Achtung Berlin, DokKa Karlsruhe and the Duisburger Filmwoche.
Martin Rattini (b. 1975, Bolzano, IT) graduated from the Kolleg für Fotografie in Vienna in 1998 and received his degree as a cinematographer from the ZeLIG Film School in Bolzano. In 2012, he founded Helios Sustainable Films, which produces creative documentaries and feature films. In 2018, he won a German Film Award and is a member of the German and European Film Academy. Daria Akimenko (b. 1987, USSR) is based in Bolzano, Italy. She holds an MA in Design and a PhD in the Arts. Daria is a published author, she has curated exhibitions and festivals, and has led international research projects and EU collaborations. She works at Helios Sustainable Films as junior producer and is a member of the Film Association South Tyrol.
Cuban reality is rarely discussed nowadays. While working on this film, I would often hear the question "What does it have to do with us?“. I first visited the country in 2020 and was shocked by what I saw. Is the US to blame for Cuba’s misery? Sadiel’s position is clear, but is he being objective, or is he damaged by a totalitarian system? Exploring complex political landscapes without seeking neat conclusions, I embraced ambiguity in observing how personal perspectives can divide people. With empathy and humour, I stayed close to the events, capturing our journey's raw essence. Together, we engaged with the themes of freedom, democracy and love. By merging the personal and political, this film reflects on the fluid nature of these concepts in turbulent times.
Daria Akimenko | Producer
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +393 405 263 400
Matthias Lintner | Director
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +49 15 779 570 234
For over 50 years, Numakage, a public swimming pool complex called the “ocean” within a landlocked city in the suburbs of Tokyo, has served as a much-loved place for the elderly to improve their health, as a leisure facility for children and families, and as a meeting place for gay men. However, the urban development plan forces the pool to be demolished, ignoring the opposition of many residents and generating a sense of loss in the community. With Numakage Public Swimming Pool, Shingo Ota explores the nature of grief by using five psychological processes of denial, anger, negotiation, depression and acceptance, as examined by the psychiatrist Kübler-Ross, and questions the importance of loss that is usually only associated with human death.
Shingo Ota was born in 1985, Nagano Prefecture. Shingo graduated from Waseda University, where he studied philosophy and narratology. Graduation received an award at Image Forum Festival 2010. His first full-length documentary film The End of the Special Time We Were Allowed (2013) was presented at Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2013 and distributed in 12 countries over the world. At Kinosaki won the Excellence Award at Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival 2022. The stage production The Last Geishas combines performing arts and documentary and is scheduled to have its world premiere at the Festival d'Automne, Europe's largest performing arts festival, in 2024. Numakage Public Swimming Pool is his second feature documentary.
Kyoko moved to France in 2011 and became the first Japanese to pass the acting section of the French National School of Drama. In 2016, she also obtained the French National Actor's Certificate. Based in Paris, she has appeared in many stage productions in Europe. She produced, wrote and starred in the film At Kinosaki, a collaboration project with Shingo Ota, which won the Excellence Award at Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival 2022. Since 2021, she has produced all of Shingo Ota's film works, and she is currently working on his latest film Numakage Public Swimming Pool, her first feature-length production. She has also received the Best Pitch Award in Cinema at Sea – Okinawa Pan-Pacific International Film Festival.
I released my first documentary in 2013 about my musician friend, who committed suicide and left me a suicide note reading “Please finish the film”. Making the film was a process for me in coming to terms with sudden loss, with the death sentence of a loved one. It has been about 10 years since then. I learned that the public swimming pool in my city would be demolished due to urban development. When I saw people grieving over the announcement, I asked myself the following questions: Is mental health care for the residents being neglected? Is there any difference between human death and public space death? Every time we encounter loss, we encounter grief. And every loss is equally important – no one can tell you which is bigger.
Shingo Ota | Director
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +81 70 8470 9083
Kyoko Takenaka | Producer
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +33 634 539 496
In Paris, Adél faces an unwanted pregnancy. In Budapest, Nóra hides the fact that she and her husband are trying to adopt a child. In Berlin, Becky confronts her family about her plans to become a single mother. Pushed to the edge, these three women in their forties are about to determine the course of their future lives. Each protagonist grapples with an initial problem – be it abortion, infertility or single parenting. However, their perceived solutions only create more complex conflicts. The story questions how free they truly are to live the lives they desire. Are they judged by society for their choices, or is their self-made cage the real barrier?
Borbála Nagy, born into a family of dancers in Hungary, studied movie science in Budapest, creating her first comedic shorts. After university, she worked as a cinema journalist and started a film blog. In 2011, she moved to Germany, starting out as a film festival organiser, and soon pursued directing to share her stories and address social issues. In 2012, she enrolled in the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB). Her short Everything Alright gained international recognition. Her latest work, Land of Glory, won multiple awards, including the German Short Film Award and the Hungarian Film Critics’ Prize. Borbála is an alumna of Talents Sarajevo, Berlinale Talents and the Cannes Cinéfondation Residence.
Petra Iványi, Hungarian producer and EAVE Alumna, founded Lupa Pictures with a focus on emerging directors. She produced FOMO and Cat Call, which both premiered at Tallinn Black Nights IFF. She is currently working on two European co-productions, The Origin of the World in the late editing phase, and Interest, which is under financing. She is a member of EFA.
Margarita Amineva-Jester studied philology and TV journalism in Russia before moving to Berlin in 2010. At the German Film and Television Academy Berlin, she studied film production, including an exchange at Columbia University and an internship at Autlook Filmsales. Since 2022, she has led Voices Films, focusing on director-driven features.
For a long time, I had been searching for an answer as to how to spend the second half of my life, with or without children. Confused by the imposed perfect lives on social media, I started to talk to women in my age group. I thus gained insight into life concepts that are hidden from the public discourse. While facing societal expectations, Nóra, Becky and Adél find themselves in complete isolation. Wherever they are, they are doomed to be lonely. The cities mirror their inner state, depicting them not only as victims of our zeitgeist, but also as a complex of its symptoms. With this honest, bitter-sweet portrayal of modern women, my aim is to initiate an open dialogue and alleviate loneliness.
Petra Ivanyi | Producer
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +36 203 866 824
Borbála Nagy | Director
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +49 15 759 211 414
Margarita Amineva-Jester | Producer
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +49 17 663 495 565
What if love doesn't take place between two people but becomes a complex jigsaw between three characters whose lives are entwined? Tess, Szabolcs and Andrea are imprisoned in each other’s past. The Silent Treatment tells the story of 18-year-old Belgian girl Tess in relation to 42-year-old Hungarian man Szabolcs. As a victim of Stockholm syndrome, Tess has developed an obsessional bond with her alleged kidnapper Szabolcs. However, through the actions of Szabolcs' partner, 34-year-old Hungarian Andrea, Tess finally finds her own truth. Andrea helps the young woman in changing her distorted relationship from obsessional imagination to a unity of kindred spirits.
With her short Melanomen, Caroline Strubbe has won many awards, including Oberhausen and Krakow. Two years later, her silent mid-feature Taxi Dancer received a special mention at Sundance. Her feature film debut Lost Persons Area was selected for Cannes Critic’s Week in 2009 and won the SACD Prize for best script. The film was selected for the Lux Prize and shown at more than 40 international festivals such as Karlovy Vary and Rotterdam. In 2013, she premiered with I’m the Same I’m an Other at Toronto International Film Festival. This second feature film was selected for international film festivals such as Tallinn and Valladolid. Both films were presented in a special program at MoMA in New York.
Tomas Leyers has produced more than 20 feature fiction films and documentaries and has co-produced more than 20 films and several short films. Since 2004, he has been the managing producer of the Brussels-based production company Minds Meet. With a focus on European art-house cinema, Minds Meet’s films have been selected for festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, Locarno and Karlovy Vary. He has participated in several film workshops, such as EAVE, EAVE+, EP2C, When East Meets West and Puentes-Australab. Since 2020, he has also been the appointed Conservator for the Royal Belgian Film Archive CINEMATEK and a board member of the Film Fest Gent since 2018.
Human nature is driven by projection as Andrea’s inability to communicate with her partner is given form in the reunion with Tess. She coaches the silent girl to find the right words – words she cannot express herself. For Tess, her imagination represents a form of liberation in her art. And for Szabolcs, facing his emotions brings a sense of courage as he finally realizes that he needs to be vulnerable. The Silent Treatment is the last part of the Lost Persons trilogy by Caroline Strubbe. Tess and Szabolcs are the protagonists uniting the three films; by reintroducing them each time at an older age, the study of how our past shapes our identity is explored and refined in each one of these films.
Caroline Strubbe | Director, Scriptwriter
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +32 486 406 090
Tomas Leyers | Producer
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +32 476 460 015
Within this labyrinth of US highways, four million trucks traverse vast landscapes, carrying 10.5 billion tons of freight annually. A substantial proportion of these drivers are immigrants. Confined to truck cabins for years, they face limited prospects of deeper integration into American society, often remaining within their ethnic bubbles. When envisioning a trucker burning rubber up and down the US highways, our three protagonists are far from the typical image that might come to mind. Still in the prime of life, an actress, a painter and an engineer leave everything behind to spend their lives behind the wheel of a truck in search of the elusive American dream.
Miloš Ljubomirović – director and producer of the film. Miloš, a film director and producer, graduated with top honours from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. Since 2014, he has directed three films and produced 10, which have been showcased at festivals such as Cannes, Locarno or Busan. Two of his films were EFA Short Film Candidates. Miloš is an alumnus of IDFAcademy, Sarajevo Talent Campus, CineLink Producers’ Lab and CEE Animation Workshop.
Danilo Lazovic – director and producer of the film. Danilo is a multifaceted producer, director and cultural theorist. He completed his master's studies at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Faculty of Philology. He is an active participant in prestigious industry programs such as Eurodoc, BDC Discoveries, EAVE Marketing and goEast Talent Lab.
In the vast expanse of the American roads, Wheels of Forgotten Dreams weaves a narrative deeply rooted in displacement and social struggles echoed in the poetic visuals of endless highways. Life unfolds in cramped truck cabins, where parallel lives run alongside the hum of engines. This documentary captures unconventional character interviews and fragments of existence, illuminating the broader context of lives spent in emigration and the decay of industrial America. It is a tale not of complete stories, but of moments, in the rhythm of an ever-changing world. The idea for the film arose from the personal experience of one of the directors, whose brother was a truck driver.
Miloš Ljubomirović | Director, Producer
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +381 646 150 953
Danilo Lazović | Director, Producer
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +381 637 775 894
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