Venice Gap-Financing Market Projects Selected

The 7th edition of the Venice Gap-Financing Market (September 4 - 6, 2020), organised as part of the Venice Production Bridge, will take place during the forthcoming 77th Venice International Film Festival and will offer selected European and international projects the opportunity to close their international financing, through one-to-one meetings with international decision-makers.

The 3-day Venice Gap-Financing Market will present 55 projects from around the world in the final stages of development and funding. More than 270 project applications have been received from around the world and the selection reflects the great diversity backgrounds, content and viewpoints, aesthetics and budgets of the projects submitted for consideration.

The selection is divided as follows:
• 28 feature-length Fiction Film and Documentary projects
• 12 Virtual Reality Immersive Story projects
• 12 Biennale College Cinema – Virtual Reality projects
• 3 Biennale College Cinema projects

The Venice Gap-Financing Market is thus setting up one-to-one meetings between the teams (producer and director) of the 55 projects and top industry decision-makers (Producers, Private and Public Financiers, Banks, Distributors, Sales Agents, TV Commissioners, Internet and Video-platforms, Institutions, Post-Production Companies…).

The Book of Projects, detailing each project, will therefore be emailed to professionals from the film industry, to entitle them to request 30-minute one-to-one meetings with the teams of the selected projects through the Venice Production Bridge website. 

Thanks to the Venice Production Bridge website, the VPB Office will support the teams and the registered professionals in organizing tailor-made meetings.

Fiction Films: 22 projects for feature-length fiction films (17 from Europe and 5 international), that need to complete their funding package with minority shares in the co-production, having at least 70% of the funding in place.

Documentaries: 6 projects (all from Europe) for narrative or creative documentaries (fulfilling the same requirements as the fiction films above).

1. A GIRL’S ROOM (France, Finland, Germany) by Aino Suni, Adastra Films
2. A BEAUTIFUL IMPERFECTION (The Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, United Kingdom) by Michiel van Erp, Kaap Holland Film
3. A PICTURE BOOK (Japan, Germany) by Tomoko Kana, Horizon Features Co., Ltd.
4. AMATE SPONDE doc (Italy) by Egidio Eronico, EiE Film
5. BOUAZIZI (France, Germany) by Lotfy Nathan, Cinenovo
6. BROTHER (Canada) by Clement Virgo, Conquering Lion Pictures
7. CAPTAIN VOLKONOGOV ESCAPED (Russia) by Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov, Lookfilm Studio
8. CONVENIENCE STORE (Russia) by Michael Borodin, Metrafilms Llc
9. THE FAUN (Romania, France) by Augusto Zanovello, Aparte
10. IL LEGIONARIO (Italy, France) by Hleb Papou, Clemart
11. IRIS (Cyprus, Greece, France, Germany) by Myrsini Aristidou, The Living
12. JEUX SANS FRONTIERES (Romania) by Andrei Cretulescu, Digital Cube
13. LA GUARDIA (Italy, Germany) by Giulio Ricciarelli, La Sarraz Pictures
14. L’ETÀ DELL’INNOCENZA doc (Italy, Switzerland) by Enrico Maisto, Start, Ventura Film
15. MEDUSA (Brazil) by Anita Rocha da Silveira, Bananeira Filmes
16. MEURSAULT CONTRE ENQUETE (Algeria, France) by Malek Bensmaïl, Hikayet Films
17. MORE THAN EVER (previously Mister) (France, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway) by Emily Atef, Eaux Vives Productions, Niko Film, Samsa Film, MER Film
18. OCCUPIED CITY doc (The Netherlands, United Kingdom) by Steve McQueen, Family Affair Films
19. PICCOLO CORPO (Italy) by Laura Samani, Nefertiti Film
20. RUNNER (USA, Germany, France) by Marian Mathias, Killjoy Films
21. SHIRIN EBADI: UNTIL WE ARE FREE doc (The Netherlands, Spain) by Dawn Gifford Engle, Stichting PeaceJam Europe
22. SUMMERLIGHT AND THEN COMES THE NIGHT (Iceland, Belgium, Sweden) by Elfar Adalsteins, Berserk Films, Polar Bear,  Vilda Bomben Film
23. SUPERNOVA (Mexico, Argentina) by Natalia López, Amondo Cine, Lobo en medio de Lobos
24. SWEET DREAMS (The Netherlands, Belgium) by Ena Sendijarevic, Lemming Film
25. THINGS THAT YOU KILL (France , Canada, Iran) by Alireza Khatami, Fulgurance
26. TRANSAMAZONIA (France, Germany , Sweden) by Pia Marais, Cinéma Defacto
27. WHY WE FIGHT doc (Belgium, Germany) by Mirjam Devriendt, Cassette for Timescapes
28. WIR WAREN KUMPEL doc (Switzerland, Germany) by Christian Johanns Koch and Jonas Matauschek, CognitoFilms Ltd.

12 VR Immersive Story projects (10 from Europe and 2 international), including fiction, documentary, animation film and other interactive installation based experiences. The projects include both original concept and adaptations. All projects have secured 30% of their budget and have this financing in place.

1. ALONE AT NIGHT (Finland) by Hanna Västinsalo, Handle Productions Oy
2. BANKSY: THE WALLED OFF HOTEL VR (Germany, Palestine, The Netherlands) by Amer Shomali, K5 Factory GmbH
3. BIRDIE LONG GONE (France, Belgium) by Samuel Lepoil, Tamanoir Immersive Studio, Demute Studio
4. GULLIVER'S PUTSCH (France) by Jérémy Pouilloux and Michaël Bolufer, La Générale de Production
5. LET GO (France, Australia, Belgium, Switzerland) by Michael Beets, Les Produits Frais
6. NÉPHÉLÉ (France) by Alexandre Perez, Floréal Films
7. NIGHT SHIFT (Sudan, South Africa) by Abdalsalam Alhaj, Electric South
8. PROJECT DASTAAN: CHILD OF EMPIRE (United Kingdom, India) by Erfan Saadati, Project Dastaan
9. TANGIBLE UTOPIAS (Romania) by Ioana Mischie, Storyscapes, Studioset
10. THE GARDEN (France, Canada) by David Barlow-Krelina, Red Corner, ED Films
11. THE GREATEST WAIT. AFTER THE LAST SKY. (France, Canada) by Razan Alsalah, Ida.Ida
12. THE SICK ROSE (Taiwan) by Tang Chi-Chung, HTC Vive Originals

11 projects, that have been developed during the workshop of Biennale College Cinema VR, 4th edition, plus 1 project from the 3rd edition, and that have reached different stages of development, pre-production and post-production.

1. A VOCAL LANDSCAPE (Denmark, Iran) by Omid Zarei, Superposition
2. CHROMA 11 (Hong Kong) by Tsui Shan Tsang, River Vision Production
3. DANCING LETTERS (Poland) by Anna Zoll, Udyssey Creative Technologies
4. JAMIE & JAMIE (Hungary) by Fanni Fazakas, OCG
5. NOWHERE LEFT TO GO (USA, Spain) by Patricia Echeverria Liras, Lightshed Llc
6. MONO (Italy) by Chiara Troisi, Epica Film
7. PUPPET TROUBLE (USA, Brazil) by Lucas Rizzotto, Thought Co.
8. THE PUB (UK) by Duane Hopkins, Oslo Pictures 
9. THE WOLF AND THE LAMB (Norway) by Emanuel Nordrum, Varino Creative
10. TICKET TO NOWHERE (Denmark) by David Wedel, Mannd
11. TOUCHED (Denmark, Slovakia, Germany) by Emilia Ondriasova and Sara Lisa Vogl (Makropol)

From the 3^rd edition:

1. OPEN THE DOOR TO THE 20^TH CENTURY: THE SCITOVSKY VILLA (Hungary) by Zsolt Magyari, Good Kids

3 projects, that have been developed during the first workshop of Biennale College Cinema, 8th edition, and that have reached different stages of development and pre-production.

1. BABADO (Brazil, Portugal) by Camila Freitas and João Vieira Torres, Primeira Idade
2. GOOD DEAL (China) by Shen Di, Spire Media
3. THE PLANT UNDER THE WILD LAND (Brazil) by Diego Zon, De Repente o Rio