Eurimages Funding
Five Polish co-productions have received funding from Eurimages, the Council of Europe fund for the production, distribution and international promotion of European films.
Supported films:
- Aglaja by Krisztina Deak (produced by KONCEPT MEDIA Radosław Styś)
- The Woman Who Dreamt of a Man by Per Fly (produced by ZENTROPA INTERNATIONAL POLAND)
- Robert Mitchum is Dead (Robert Mitchum est mort) by Olivier Babinet, Fred Kihn (produced by STUDIO AGART)
- Back in Your Arms (Kai Apkabinsiu Tave) by Kristijonas Vildziunas (produced by Studio Filmowe TOR)
- The Essence of Killing by Jerzy Skolimowski (produced by SKOPIA FILM)
These projects received a total of 1.2 million EUR in funding. Films by Skolimowski and Vildziunas received the highest ratings from the Commission.
To be eligible for Eurimages funding, film projects must have co-producers from at least two Member States. All feature, documentary and animated films intended primarily for theatrical distribution are eligible. Since its establishment, the Eurimages fund has supported nearly 1,000 film projects.
Eurimages meetings take place in various European cities. In May 2007 the Polish Film Institute organized the Warsaw meeting of Eurimages delegates and funding session.
EVERY POLISH PROJECT HAS A CHANGE
says Irena Strzałkowska, the Polish national representative for Eurimages:
Every Polish project has a chance for Eurimages funding. There is no rule that would exclude any type of film; we support both the acclaimed and the first-time filmmakers; arthouse films and more mainstream projects (meaning those that should attract a large theatrical audience). Such films are also needed.
We are not always politically correct. Sometimes films by acclaimed directors will not receive funding, instead it will go to lesser known projects. Each proposal is thoroughly assessed. It is therefore important to make a good impression and to meet all formal requirements when applying for funding.
I’m glad when typically Polish projects receive funding, but also when funding goes to projects with a Polish co-producer holding minority shares. This gives the Polish partner the rights to distribute the film in Poland. Another key factor is that co-production projects ensure the participation of Polish artists in the production process, thus being an excellent opportunity for score composers, actors and technical staff to present themselves on the international scene and be offered work on future projects.
As the Eurimages representative, all I can suggest to Polish producers is to be more proactive in submitting their projects. They are now active on the international stage, at film festivals, markets, pitching sessions. They are capable of finding co-production partners.
But we are still far behind the French, who submit a large number of projects at each session (26 co-production projects most recently). Meanwhile each session brings only 2-3 Polish projects. With about half of submitted projects (on average, the same for every country) receiving funding, that leaves the impression of a small number of Polish co-productions. It’s worth taking the chance, though; even if a producer withdraws his project for budgetary reasons, it is possible to apply again. So the more we apply, the higher our chances for receiving funding.
Translated by Karolina Kołtun