Hop to the Hub
Andrei Kartashov of the Talent Press 2014 visits the new Berlinale Talents stand at the European Film Market.
The Berlinale Talent Market Hub at the European Film Market
The Berlinale Talents programme, bringing young filmmakers into the spotlight since 2003, has launched a new initiative this year. In addition to the Talent Project Market where emerging producers and directors have an opportunity to learn about the business, a stand under the name “Berlinale Talents Market Hub” was opened at the European Film Market (EFM). Being one of the major meeting points for industry professionals, EFM is a perfect place to network for anyone involved in film production. Surrounded by influential studios’ and national industries’ stands, the Talents Hub blazes with bright magenta in the centre of EFM’s main hall. Selected projects of this year’s Talents, as well as those of alumni, are in the focus.
On the first day of this year's EFM, Ana Hernández, a Talent producer from Mexico, is getting herself familiar with the environment, using the Hub as a starting point of her journey. “I have a project in development”, she says. “So far I am just seeing what’s happening.” As a new part of the Market – visible from everywhere (which also helps) – the Hub draws attention from business pros getting acquainted with the Berlinale Talents concept. The most commonly heard question is: “What’s Berlinale Talents?”
“We have three main objectives here”, says Brigid O’Shea, the representative of the Talents Market Hub. “First, it is the place where Talents meet industry professionals. Second, we present selected projects from our Project Labs and the Editing Studio. And we also aim to promote the Talents initiative as such.” The project embraces different genres and formats, from a Belgian romcom (SOUVENIR) to a short adaptation of Dante’s “Divine Comedy” from Kazakhstan (POPPIES).
Director/screenwriter Ludmila Curi from Brazil is leaving some promo material on the counter – she is looking for a producer and editor for her two documentary film projects. One of these is connected with Soviet history, so she’s considering a Russian co-production. As that country’s national, I direct Ludmila to the Russian corner of EFM. After all, it is all about networking.
