FkN Newsletter

April 2011

FkN News

01.04.2011
Projects for docXchange Selected 
The selection for docXchange, the new initiative for interactive documentary projects by Filmkontakt Nord and Hot Docs, has been made. 24 projects have made the cut and will be taking part of the 3-day seminar/workshop at Hot Docs in Toronto, Canada. Check out the selected projects here!

docXchange is a two-step programme comprised of fostering professional development and offering potential financing opportunities for interactive documentary projects. The first part of the programme takes place in May 2011 with a three-day seminar/workshop at Hot Docs in Toronto, Canada. The second part takes place in September 2011 with a one-day financing forum at Nordisk Panorama in Aarhus, Denmark. Find more information on our website.

At Hot Docs, Filmkontakt Nord will also be hosting the Nordic delegation. The Nordic presence at Hot Docs will be celebrated on Monday 2 May, when Filmkontakt Nord is inviting all accredited guests for a Happy Hour and a Half.

Hot Docs is North America's largest documentary festival, market and conference. Read more about Hot Docs here.

01.04.2011
FkN at Visions du Réel 
Filmkontakt Nord has been a partner for Visions du Réel International Film Festival in Nyon, Switzerland around it's new initiative Docs in Progress.

The Docs in Progress project is a part of Doc Outlook, the Market section of Visions du Réel, and its purpose is to present a selection of films in their finishing stages to a panel of professionals (festival representatives, distributors, producers, marketing experts). Excerpts from rough cuts will be screened and discussed to give these projects constructive feedback and suggest new openings before their release.

Filmkontakt Nord's Head of Industry, Katrine Kiilgaard, has selected one of the projects to be presented at Docs in Progress. The Nordic project to be presented is Hag Fag, directed by Swedish Ester Martin Bergsmark and produced by Anna-Maria Kantarius at Danish Upfront Films. A representative of DOK Leipzig will also bring a project.

Katrine Kiilgard will be in Nyon 8-13 April. To set up a meeting with Katrine, send her an email or call her on +45 2042 4529.

01.04.2011
Nordic Producers at Sunny Side of the Doc 2011 
Partnering with EDN, Filmkontakt Nord is co-ordinating the Nordic delegation to Sunny Side of the Doc in France, securing Nordic film professionals value-for-money access. Get a unique opportunity to join Sunny Side of the Doc's worldwide network! Read more here.

01.04.2011
Nordisk Forum 2011 
New Rules for Observers
Nordisk Forum for Co-financing of Documentaries 2011 will as always be a key platform for indvidual meetings with decision-makers for pitch teams as well as observers. To ensure the quality of the matchmaking, this year new rules will apply to observers. Only observers with a selected project will be able to book meetings with decision-makers and experts through the Nordisk Forum booking system. These observers and their projects are referred to as observer+. Regular observers without a selected project are free to approach decision-makers for meetings, if decision-makers have an available meeting slot.

To be an observer+, participants must apply with a project at the project deadline 10 June 2011. A selection committee will make a selection of a maximum of 24 observer+ projects. Observers without a selected project can apply for accreditation to Nordisk Forum until 1 August.

Registrations will open in the beginning of May.

Producers Meet Producers and German Speaking Delegation
After last year’s success, Nordisk Forum will once again kick off with the networking event Producers Meet Producers Sunday 25 September. The event aims to facilitate the efforts to find suitable co-production partners and form the bonds necessary to access funds across borders.

In connection with Producers Meet Producers FkN introduces a specially invited foreign delegation at Nordisk Forum. The purpose is to facilitate connections outside the Nordic countries. This year Nordisk Forum welcomes a German speaking delegation from Switzerland, Austria and Germany who will present themselves and outline their production landscape at Producers Meet Producers.

For more information check out the Nordisk Forum Guidelines.

201.04.2011
Filmkontakt Nord Board 2011 
On the annual March meeting in Copenhagen, the board of Filmkontakt Nord was constituted. The Board consists of five national Board Members, all currently active in the short film and/or documentary sector in their respective countries. The national Board Members are elected for a term of four years by the national Advisory Groups representing the national associations of independent filmmakers and producers.

The FkN Board 2011 consists of:
Vibeke Vogel, Bullit Film, Denmark (Chairman)
Tore Buvarp, Fenris Film AS, Norway (Vice Chairman)
Ewa Cederstam, Helion Film, Sweden
Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir, Krumma Films, Iceland
Sami Jahnukainen, Mouka Filmi Oy, Finland

Every year, FkN publishes an activity report, summarizing last year's activities. Read the English summary here.

New Nordic and International Initiatives

01.04.2011
New Head of Programme in Odense   
Odense International Film Festival (OFF) introduces a new Head of Programme each year. The Head of Programme will be heading the selection committee for the competition programme, which also consists of the Festival Director and a film consultant. By changing the Head of Programme yearly, OFF aims at keeping the festival dynamic, presenting new and interesting angles while keeping their high quality standard.

The 2011 Head of Programme is film director Kaspar Munk. The short film veteran and feature film newcomer Kaspar Munk won an award at OFF 2007 and was on the international jury in 2009.

Last year, OFF strengthened it's profile and went back to it's root as a short film festival, solely screening films under 30 minutes. Read more about OFF here.

01.04.2011
European Broadcasting Union at Sheffield Doc/Fest   
This year for the first time, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) will have the biannual plenary meeting during Sheffield Doc/Fest. The meeting is open to all EBU members and will bring together around 60 European documentary commissioners, representing 40 public television broadcasters from Europe and beyond. The 2-day EBU meeting will include a pitching forum for approximately 30 projects, mainly focusing on current affairs or arts and culture, and will enable broadcasters to negotiate co-productions, pre-buys and other collaborations around new and existing documentary projects.
The meeting will additionally give the public service documentary commissioners the opportunity to share their professional experience with their peers.

Sheffield Doc/Fest, now in it's 18th year, will be held 8-12 June. For further information, click here.

01.04.2011
Barosso on the future of MEDIA   
During the Berlinale rumours said that EU's MEDIA Programme might be reduced or closed down in 2014. However, in the beginning of March on a visit to Turku, the European Capital of Culture 2011, Barosso stated:

"The field of culture is a very important one, also for the European economy. Let me mention the programme MEDIA, related to European cinema. There were some reports saying that the European Commission had the intention to reduce it, which is completely inaccurate. On the contrary, if one thinks about something concerning this programme, it is to reinforce it, at least this is what we are going to propose.

The programme MEDIA has been giving a great contribution to the European Cinema from now 20 years. 1,7 billions euros has been invested in the European cinema. Thanks to that programme, many exchanges and translations were organised, which made the distribution of European movies possible in other parts of Europe and in other parts of the world. These are concrete examples of where the European Union can help what has been done at national or even regional or local level."