BALKAN FUND

To celebrate the Tenth anniversary of the Balkan Survey section, a Round Table will be organized on the subject of Balkan productions, the present and future of co-productions with other European countries, as well as the problems related to the distribution and circulation of Balkan films.

Expected to attend are among others, Cedomir Kolar and Ademir Kenovic (Bosnia), Behrooz Hachemian and Zeki Demirkubuz (Turkey), Goran Paskaljevic and Miroljub Vuckovic (Serbia and Montenegro), Danijel Hocevar (Slovenia), Stefan Kitanov (Bulgaria).

The Round Table comes at a timely moment as Greece is the host country of two Balkan film-related Funds, The Southeastern European Cinema Network (Production development) and the Balkan Fund (Thessaloniki Film Festival Script Development Fund).

The later, now in its second year of operation, has just announced the 12 titles-strong short list of the pre-selected projects which will be presented by their respective directors/screenwriters at the pitching sessions of the Fund, November 24-26, during the festival, prior to the deliberation of the 5 member-international jury which will single out the 4 winning projects each one receiving a Euros 10,000 grant.

The projects are,
1. Snow, writer/director, Aida Begic, producer Elma Tataragic, (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
2. International Relations, writers/directors/ Sophia Zornitsa,Petko Spasov, Lyubomir Popov, Dragomir Sholev, producer Nikolay Kirov (Bulgaria)
3. The Only Love Affair Hemingway Did Not Write About , writer/director Svetloslav Ovcharov, producer Assen Vladimirov (Bulgaria)
4. Sweet Cold Water, writer/director Ruth Platt, producer Darko Stavric (FYROM)
5. Oregano Fields, writer Maria Konomis, director/producer Thanos Anastopoulos (Greece)
6. The Hedgehog, writer/director/producer Nikos Grammatikos, co-writer Nikos Panayotopoulos (Greece)
7. Will You Come?, writer/director/producer Fotini Siskopoulou, co-writer Maria Efstathiadis (Greece)
8. Love Fair- Gucha, writer/director Dusan Milic, producer Goran Radakovic (Serbia & Montenegro)
9. Baby Photo, writer Andrei Codrescu, director Cristian Mungiu, producer Adriana Solomon (Romania)
10. California Dreaming, writer/director/producer Cristian Nemescu (Romania)
11. Nowhere, writer/director/producer Predrag Velinovic, (Serbia & Montenegro)
12. Hidden Faces, writer/director/producer Handan Ipekci, (Turkey)

The International Jury is formed by:
- George Goldenstern, in charge of the Cinefondation at Cannes Film Festival (France)
- Maksa Catovic, director of ITP Komuna and film producer. (Serbia & Montenegro)
- Leonard Crooks, in charge of the Glasgow Film Fund (UK)
- Dunja Klemenc, president of the association of Slovenian Film Producers (Slovenia)
- Christina Kallas, artistic director of the Balkan Fund, screenwriter, producer and screenwriting professor at the Berlin Film Academy. (Greece)