The third edition of the Dot.on.the.map Industry Days co-production and networking platform ran on site for the very first time from 14-16 April, during the 20^th Cyprus Film Days International Film Festival. The event succeeded in welcoming more than 100 film professionals to Limassol, who hailed from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, along with a plethora of Cypriot professionals who attended.

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At the pitching session, the seven projects (see the news) were presented by their producers and directors, and the jury, comprising producer Dominique Welinski, producer Fabian Gasmia and sales agent Xavier Henry-Rashid (Film Republic, UK), decided to grant the Best Project Award to Albanian director Lorin Terezi for his debut fiction project, The Consequences of Freedom. As the jury explained, “At a time when Europe itself is facing danger, we want to award a project questioning this transition into the new world after the fall of the wall. Tradition versus the modern world, brotherhood versus individualism, life versus death.”

The story, co-penned by Terezi and Anila Balla, is set during isolated Albania’s transition into unchecked capitalism, as a family of five is murdered by two brothers in what is initially classified as a robbery. At least this is what was reported all over the news in the early 1990s. The Consequences of Freedom is being produced by Florenc Papas for Tunnelfilm, and the award consists of lighting and grip equipment rental worth €8,000, courtesy of PS Movies & Stories Cinema Equipment Rental Ltd.

The Agora Networking Award, offered by the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and including accommodation and free market accreditation, went to producer Antonella Di Nocera, of Italy’s Parallelo 41 Produzioni, for the project To Get Her, written and directed by Sabrina Iannucci, who also received the award. The jury underlined: “As filmmakers, we experience on a daily basis how difficult it is to get projects greenlit in a highly competitive marketplace. Key to broad success is an amazing screenplay, and we encourage all of the projects to go the extra mile.”

Finally, the MFI Script Consultation Award, which includes a consultation session with MFI trainer Ana Sanz Magallon, went to the Cypriot project 4 Ηοurs, directed and produced by Petros Charalambous, who also co-wrote the script along with Stavros Raptis.

It should be underlined that at its first physical edition, the new industry initiative offered quite a versatile programme to the attending professionals, with a series of information sessions that explored the Cyprus Minority Co-Productions Scheme, the investment incentives in Greece and Creative Europe – MEDIA development calls. Furthermore, international sales agents representing prominent sales companies offered an insight into their acquisition process, the importance of developing a successful festival and marketing strategy, and how this can determine the life of a film. Two master classes, one with Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Phaedon Papamichael and another with development expert Isabelle Fauvel (of Initiative Film, France), on the relationship between scriptwriters, directors and producers during the development phase, wrapped the events at Dot.on.the.map Industry Days.

Here are all of the winners at the third Dot.on.the.map Industry Days:

Best Project Award
The Consequences of Freedom – Lorin Terezi (Albania)
Writers: Lorin Terezi, Anila Balla
Producer: Florenc Papas (Tunnelfilm)

Agora Networking Award
To Get Her – Sabrina Iannucci (Italy)
Writer: Sabrina Iannucci
Producer: Antonella Di Nocera (Parallelo 41 Produzioni)

MFI Script Consultation Award
4 Ηοurs – Petros Charalambous (Cyprus)
Writers: Petros Charalambous, Stavros Raptis
Producer: Petros Charalambous (Film Etc.)