Joke LIBERGE
BELGIUM
 
Project : OVERNIGHT
Joke Liberge was born in 1972 in the Netherlands to French/Dutch parents. She starts her film studies in 1994 at the University of Amsterdam and enters the Netherlands Film and Television Academy (NFTA) in 1997. Her graduation film Jana gets selected for several festivals. In 2001, ones her studies are done she exchanges Amsterdam for Brussels. While producing, making music videos, she writes and finances her short film Meandre. It travels to festivals around the world, gets awarded prestigious prices and even some theatrical releases. She makes another short film in collaboration with graphic artist, I love You, but most of her time goes to the writing of Overnight, her first feature film, produced by Need productions, in co-production with Lunanime (Lumière film distribution).

Synopsis : Julia’s life is given new direction due to external circumstances. Her parents both died in a car accident several months ago. She is not ready for this change of position and has to redefine herself in terms of identity. In doing so she takes her husband and son. The question is what will happen to them as a family when the speed of time takes over.

Blandine LENOIR
FRANCE
 
Project : LA CARDINALE
landine Lenoir was born in 1973. She started in front of the camera in 1990 in several TV dramas, television series and shorts (including Carne by Gaspard Noé, with whom she worked again in 1998 in Seul contre tous). In 2004, she had a role in Michael Haneke’s Caché, and in 2005 in Fabienne Godet’s Sauf le respect que je vous dois. She took part in the films Versailles by Pierre Schoeller and Bancs publics by Bruno Podalydes in 2007. She went into directing in 1999 with the short film Marinette, which won the SACD prize for best first work. Her filmography was extended with a number of prize-winning shorts: Pas de pitié (2001), Dans tes rêves (2003), Rosa (2005), Ma culotte (2006), Pour de vrai (2006) and Bien dans ma peau (2007). She is currently working with Local films on her first feature, La Cardinale.

Synopsis : At night in the middle of the countryside, Lucie – aged around 30 – miraculously survives a road accident. In the other vehicle she finds an injured man who gives her the ashes of somebody called Claudine. He had promised to spread them from the top of the Chapelle de la Trinité. Lucie will have to do it for him… Entrusted with this new mission, Lucie started walking in the middle of nowhere. She gradually realises that she has not come out of the accident unharmed: she is suffering from a very particular type of amnesia, and does not know how to contact her lover… Lucie sets off into the night for a meeting with her story…

Naël MARANDIN
FRANCE
 
Project : IL NOUS RESTE LA NUIT
Naël Marandin was born in 1981. As a teenager he worked as an actor (Les Allumettes suédoises, La Ville dont le prince est un enfant…). He distanced himself from his initial experiences to complete his studies at Sciences-Po, and then went to study and work abroad. Amongst other experiences he spent a year in China and Tibet. On his return he made a short film called Corps étrangers (25 festival selection, including Clermont-Ferrand, Los Angeles, 4 prizes) and a documentary entitled Pas de quartier (Festival Silhouette et les Bobines Sociales). He is currently working with Les Films sauvages on the development of his feature project, Il nous reste la nuit.

Synopsis : A young man sought by the police is taken in by an illegal immigrant Chinese woman. She lives with her teenage daughter in the flat of an aged, bed-ridden doctor she cares for in exchange for a roof over her head. The lack of privacy and the discretion needed not to raise the owners’ suspicions create a poisonous climate and very soon their frustrated desires are caught up in the swirl of the police investigation.

Aymeric VERGNON-D'ALANÇON
FRANCE
 
Project : LES ANNEAUX DE SATURNE
Aymeric Vergnon-d'Alançon was born in 1973. In parallel to studying literature, he worked on art photography and took part in several exhibitions. In 1998, he went to Le Fresnoy-Studio national des arts contemporains where he made his first short films (Seuil, Tous les chemins du monde) and a video documentary (D’une promesse qui n’a pas lieu - Sarajevo). Since then he has continued his video work (programmed several times in festivals and notably at the Jeu de Paume) and films (Ligature in 2003 and La Veille in 2006). He is currently working on the script of his first feature length film Les Anneaux de Saturne. He has had a residency at the Moulin d’Andé and has just received re-writing aid from the Basse-Normandie region.

Synopsis : In Grenoble, Bastien lives in the world of art traffickers and forgers. He is in competition with his best friend Karim for the best “assignments”, to be the prince of the city and win the kingdom. He is entrusted with the job of going into the mountains to see a retired art historian. The assignment is to find a painting and replace it with a copy. In this austere region, this solitary exile, far from his gang and his frenetic life, Bastien drifts towards something else. Behind the mask of a student archivist, sheltered by his disguise, he gradually begins his metamorphosis. When he discovers the painting, Bastien doesn’t say anything and slowly decides to change direction…

Denes NAGY
HUNGARY
 
Project : DON’T LOOK BACK
Denes Nagy was born in 1980 in Budapest. He has been studying at the University for Theatre and Film of Budapest in the directing class of Janos Szasz since 2002. He spent a year at the Berlin Film Academy (DFFB) as a guest student in 2006/2007 studying under the guidance of Krassimir Krumov and Valeska Grisebach. He has made several short films that were shown at many significant festivals: Eva Kovacs at the Tempere Film Festival (2003) and November at Fresh Film Festival Karlovy Vary (2005). His latest short film Together has won the prizes in Hungary and was selected at Premiers Plans film Festival in 2007. He is currently finishing writing Don’t look back, a feature that he will direct for Filmpartners Ltd.

Synopsis : Ilja, a thirty year old accordion player from Donetsk, Eastern Ukraine, decides to go to Berlin to play in the subway in order to gather money for his family. Things turn out to be different from what he expected. Even his reunion with his brother after 10 years of being far away drives him into total desperation.

Fabio MOLLO
ITALY
 
Project : IL SUD E NIENTE
Fabio Mollo was born in 1980 in Reggio Calabria, Italy. Graduated from University of East London in 2002, he returned to Italy where he continued studying at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome, in the directing department. He also worked as an assistant director for some feature films and TV series. His short films were shown at many festivals and won prizes: Al Buio (2005), Giganti (2007) in competition at the 58th Berlinale and at Premiers Plans Film Festival and awarded at Torino Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand, Cork Film Festival... He is currently working with B24 Film on the development of his first feature, Il Sud é Niente.

Synopsis : Il Sud è Niente tells the story of the mafia omerta becoming the social omerta. It is the story of the South which is not just a point on the compass, but a feeling, the story of a father and a son, and the silence which slowly erodes their relationship.

Jochem DE VRIES
NETHERLANDS
 
Project : CORNEA
Jochem de Vries was born in 1979 in Netherlands. He graduated In 2004 at the Utrecht School of the Arts. During his studies he made documentaries, experimental films and short films, Gesloten and Villa de Ves, selected in several festivals. After his graduation he followed some scriptwriting courses and made short films, including Farewell in 2006. In 2007, Jochem attended a Masterclass at the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing in Poland developing his First feature script, Cornea, with NFI Productions. His last short film Missen was nominated for a Palm d’Or for the best short film at the 62e Festival de Cannes.

Synopsis : After 14 years of marriage Els leaves Thomas. It seems like Thomas accustoms himself quite swift to this new situation, but in fact Thomas cannot get coop with the situation and finds a way to deal with this. Every morning before he goes to work, he secretly enters Els’ home. He takes a shower, smokes a cigarette in the garden and waters some plants. After this daily routine he leaves for his work as a medical eye photographer in the local hospital. Everything changes when Thomas meets Els’ new lover, a gym teacher. Circumstances lead to Thomas offering him a ride. Something tragic happens: Thomas witnesses the teacher falling in a waterhole. Just on time Thomas rescues the gym teacher, or doesn’t he? Everybody thinks Thomas rescued the gym teacher from drowning. But the viewer knows Thomas could have been earlier to rescue the teacher. Currently the gym teacher is in a coma. Thomas plays the game as he likes it and knows to sympathize Els again. Time passes and the gym teacher dies. At the same time Els is getting closer to Thomas, being the shoulder to cry on. Life continues the way it ended one year ago. But Thomas’ new life is just an appearance, and appearances are deceptive.

Gabriel ACHIM
ROMANIA
 
Project : ADALBERT'S DREAM
Gabriel Achim was born in Romania in 1975. He was recently awarded a Degree in Film Directing by the National University of Drama and Film, Bucharest. After working for ten years as a HR Director and Consultant for international companies, since 2004 he has worked as a director and producer. He has written, produced and directed several short features, which have been presented and awarded at both national and international film festivals: Saga (2006) and Bric-Brac (2008). His first feature length film as scriptwriter and director will be Adalbert’s Dream (Reconstruction), produced by Green Film (co-founded by him in 2008).

Synopsis : Adalbert’s Dream is a black comedy based on a real story happened in a Romanian communist factory in the 80’s. A work accident is re-enacted on camera, but the re-enacting becomes a new accident: the worker playing the victim gets his hand cut as well.