TFL Films & Series
2019 kicks off with 4 TFL Films at IFFR
January 18, 2019
January is a month full of events for movie lovers all around the world, and TorinoFilmLab is an habitué of these important dates.
Let’s start with some great news from the Netherlands: the upcoming IFFR - International Film Festival Rotterdam 2019 (23 January-3 February) has selected no less than 4 TFL Films in Voices, its section focusing on “films driven by powerful stories, captivating subjects and important themes”. Among these 4 titles, 3 were supported through the TFL Audience Design Fund.
Winner of the Golden Leopard at the latest Locarno Festival, A LAND IMAGINED (SG/FR/NL) is the second feature film from Singaporean director Yeo Siew Hua after his experimental low-budget debut IN THE HOUSE OF STRAW. The film was supported by TorinoFilmLab through the TFL Audience Design Fund 2018.
BIRDS OF PASSAGE by Ciro Guerra & Cristina Gallego (CO/MX/DK/FR) received the TFL Audience Design Fund Award in 2017 and hasn’t stopped traveling since its premiere at Cannes Director’s Fortnight in May 2018. Selected in the Voices section of IFFR, BIRDS OF PASSAGE will be screened at the same time within the Spotlight section of the Sundance Film Festival 2019 (24 January-3 February). The film is also shortlisted for Best Foreign Language Film in the Oscars 2019 race: the list nominees will be revealed by The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on January 22nd.
TEL AVIV ON FIRE by Sameh Zoabi (LU/FR/IL/BE), supported through the TFL Audience Design Fund 2018, premiered in Orizzonti at the Venice Film Festival 2018, where it won Best Actor (Kais Nashif) and the Interfilm Award for Promoting Interreligious Dialogue. Cineuropa defined it as "inventive, simple and irresistibly sympathetic."
COUREUR (BE/IT) is the fourth TFL title to be screened at IFFR. The debut feature film from Belgian director Kenneth Mercken was developed within ScriptLab 2013 (former Script&Pitch) and had its world premiere in Explore Zone at the Film Fest Gent 2018.
Three TFL Alumni have also been selected in the Bright Future section of IFFR. Viktor van der Valk (who attended ScriptLab 2018 with his latest project, THE CAMERA) will present his first feature NOCTURNE in this section dedicated to “young and emerging film talent with their own style and vision, often presenting their films for the first time on the international film scene”. He will be accompanied by Simon Jaquemet's THE INNOCENT and Soudade Kaadan's THE DAY I LOST MY SHADOW.
Last but not least, TFL Project TITANIC OCEAN by Konstantina Kotzamani (GR), developed within FeatureLab 2018 and winner of the Sub-ti Award during the TFL Meeting Event, will be presented at the IFFR’s Co-production Market CineMart (27-30 January).
What a nice edition!
Check the entire programme here.
If you wish to know more about TFL programmes and initiatives, we invite you to contact TFL Staff at IFFR.
Daniele Segre | Production & Distribution | daniele.segre@torinofilmlab.it
available for meetings on 29th & 30th January 2019