Bobby Bedi's KUTCH in Berlin Co-Production Market

 

 

	BOBBY BEDI

At the ninth Berlinale Co-Production Market (February 12 to 14, 2012), the producers and directors of 39 selected film projects from 30 countries will meet with 450 potential co-production and financing partners. The official selection of projects for the Berlinale Co-Production Market 2012 includes 25 exciting new feature film projects (chosen out of 311 entries). These projects have budgets between one and seven million Euros. The Berlinale Co-Production Market is part of the European Film Market (EFM).

The well-known Indian film producer Bobby Bedi's directorial debut KUTCH is the first Indian film to participate in the Berlin Co-production Market. Another Indian filmmaker Ritesh Batra's film THE LUNCHBOX/DABBA has also been selected in the Talent Project Market section. The film has a backdrop of Mumbai's globally famous 'dabbawalas' and about two people among the millions in the city of Mumbai whose dabbas get mixed up by a quirk of fate. The film was part of the Screenwriter's Lab in the NFDC's Film Bazaar at Goa.

Three projects have been selected in cooperation with the CineMart Rotterdam for the ''Rotterdam-Berlinale Express''. These projects will participate in both the CineMart as well as the Berlinale Co-Production Market.

A large number of the projects selected for 2012 are by directors who have presented films in the past at the Berlinale: Gustavo Taretto (MEDIANERAS, Panorama), Giulio Manfredonia(QUALUNQUEMENTE/WHATSOEVERLY, Panorama) and Marcela Said (EL MOCITO, Forum) all screened their last films at the Berlinale 2011. Also Taika Waititi, Hans Petter Moland, Alexei Popogrebsky, Petri Kotwica, Ruben ostlund, Ineke Houtman, Tudor Giurgiu and Chico Teixeira are well known for their earlier works shown at the Festival. Awaited with great suspense as well are new projects by 'WCF director' Ciro Guerra (THE WIND JOURNEYS); a directorial debut by Stephanie Weber Biron, known for her camera work on Xavier Dolan's films; and the first Indian project in the official selection, Bobby Bedi's KUTCH.

''Comedies and art-house films are not a contradiction for us this year,'' comments Sonja Heinen, head of the Berlinale Co-Production Market: ''Among the entries, we had a particularly large amount of humorous projects, among which were some truly great comedies that are going to have audiences leaving cinemas in good spirits or even laughing. These films have huge audience potential and so we expect them to be especially interesting for many financiers.''

Another 247 applications were entered in conjunction with the Berlinale Talent Campus and eleven of these exciting newcomer projects have been chosen for the ''Talent Project Market''. This section of the Co-Production Market is especially attractive for those producers who want to get involved in projects at an early stage.

Over the years, out of the projects selected for the Berlinale Co-Production Market, more than 120 films have already been realised. At 40%, the success rate of these co-production meetings is exceptionally high.

The programme of the Berlinale Co-Production Market will also feature further networking opportunities, as well as an up-to-date series of events concentrating on the latest information and trends in film financing and international co-productions.

(Rajesh Kumar Singh is Editorial Consultant for Festivals and Markets for BollywoodTrade.com. He is a filmmaker, critic and market analyst)