By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The long-running Frontières International Co-Production Market, which has launched such films as RAW, TURBO KID, SEA FEVER, VIVARIUM, EXTRA ORDINARY and THE RANGER, has announced the lineup of projects for its 12th edition, and its first to go all-digital due to the pandemic.
Originally slated to run during this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival (now also a digital event; see details here), this slate will be presented on-line July 23-26, making it the first edition to accessible globally. Among the movies that will be pitched to financiers, producers, distributors and other industry folks, 70 percent are from female directors. “The submissions we received for the Frontières Market confirmed that we needed to keep going, even virtually” stated Frontières executive director Annick Mahnert. “We welcomed many excellent submissions and the selection was a highly difficult process, and from that we are extremely proud to feature a majority of projects directed by women in this first wave. I strongly believe their stories will attract positive attention from both our attendees and the industry at large.”
The projects are:
616 (Italy)
Director: Lyda Patitucci
Writers: Milo Tissone and Federica Pontremoli
Producers: Marina Marzotto, Mattia Oddone (Propaganda Italia), Simone Gandolfo (Macai Film)
CRYPTOZOOLOGIST (U.S.)
Director: Brad Abrahams
Writer: Matt Ralston
Producer: Matt Ralston (Yeti Films)
ELECTRIC CHILD (Switzerland, France)
Director/Writer: Simon Jaquemet
Producers: Michela Pini (8horses GmbH), Didar Domerhi (Maneki Films)
ICE (United Kingdom)
Director/Writer: Stéphanie Joalland
Producer: Sean McConville (Frenzy Films)
LEST WE BE DEVOURED (Canada)
Director: Ashlea Wessel
Writer: Jim Munroe
Producers: Peter Kuplowsky, Shannon Hanmer (Low Sky Productions)
OUBLIER CHARLOTTE (Canada)
Director/Writer: Chloé Cinq-Mars
Producer: Nicolas Comeau (1976 Productions)
PERCHTEN—THE LOST WINTER (Italy)
Director/Writer: Rossella De Venuto
Producer: Maurizio Antonini (Interlinea Films)
TELL THEM WHAT YOU SAW (U.S./Canada)
Director/Writer: Chelsea Lupkin
Producers: Sarah Kalagvano, Michael Peterson (775 Media Corp), Hugues Barbier, Joe Yanick & Justin Timms (Yellow Veil Pictures)
THE LAST VIDEO STORE (Canada)
Director: Cody Kennedy
Writer: Tim Rutherford
Producers: Greg Jeffs (NJC Productions), Cody Kennedy & Tim Rutherford (The Last Video Store Inc.)
THE NIGHTMARE (Norway)
Director/Writer: Kjersti Helen Rasmussen
Producers: John Einar Hagen (Nordisk Film Production), Einar Loftesnes (Handmade Films in Norwegian Woods)
The second wave of projects will be announced in June, just before Frontières’ Marché du Film–Festival de Cannes edition, which we reported on here.
