Introduction to European Work in Progress
This year, 14 projects from around the world were awarded prizes at the European Work in Progress (EWIP) event, with a total value of €140,000. This amount is almost double what was awarded last year in Cologne.
Prize Winners
The prize winners included projects from Peru, Brazil, and Nepal. The Spanish director Francisco Marise’s feature documentary film "Truck Driver" received a €20,000 prize from Onegate Media, which also acquired television rights for Germany and Austria. Laura Garcia Alonso from Spain received a prize from Loft Tonstudios for her film "Runner", which is about the mental health of high-competition athletes.
More Prize Winners
The Peruvian director Francesca Canepa’s debut feature film "Belén" received a €10,000 voucher from Optical Art for color grading and visual effects. The animation director and illustrator Upamanyu Bhattacharyya’s debut animated feature "Heirloom" received a €10,000 award for sound design from Zeagermann_Audio. The German director Dagmar Knöpfel received a €2,500 voucher for costumes for her film "Verdandi", which is inspired by the true story of three Faroese women from different generations.
New Sponsors and Prizes
Two new sponsors, Post Republic and D-FACTO Studios, awarded prizes this year. The Nepalese writer-director Abinash Bikram Shah received a €30,000 voucher for post-production services for his drama "Elephants in the Fog". The Brazilian co-directors Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias received a €10,000 voucher for image and sound post-production services for their debut feature film "Down the River".
Additional Prizes
The studio D-FACTO also awarded a second voucher worth €5,000 to create a barrier-free version of Alisa Kolosova’s drama "Spye with My Little Eye". The sound post-production house K13 Studios awarded a €10,000 prize for Dolby Atmos sound mixing to Robiul Alam Tutul’s film "Kill Me Like a Dog". K13 also presented a second prize for synchronous sound design to the film "Heysel 85", which is inspired by the tragic real events at the European Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool in May 1985.
Marketing and Technology Prizes
The PR agency MM Filmpresse will coordinate the international festival publicity campaign for Finlay Pretsell’s documentary film "Douglas Gordon by Douglas Gordon" with a value of €7,500. The translation company FilmSubtitles awarded a prize of €5,000 for subtitles to Katharina Rivilis’ debut feature film "I’ll Be Gone in June". The British media-tech company Gruvi’s prize for marketing and technology services worth €5,000 went to the Ethiopian filmmaker Sewmehon Yismaw Sendek’s romantic drama "Guardian of the Island".
Conclusion
The eighth edition of EWIP took place for the first time this year in the Hamburg Film Festival and coincided with the industry’s industry days. The awards were selected by an international jury consisting of Rémi Bigot, Aaron Kassaye, and Yuan Sui.
