EFP Ready for Toronto! | European Film Promotion

Sweetness in the Belly starring Dakota Fanning and Yahya Abdul Mateen. World Sales Hanway Films (Photo by Chris Katsarov)

Promotional Push for 23 New European Films

The Toronto International Film Festival is one of EFP's (European Film Promotion) most important promotional platforms for European films outside of Europe. With the core aim to support the promotion and sales of the latest European titles, EFP's FILM SALES SUPPORT (FSS) scheme is contributing more than €65,000 to boost the sales campaigns of 23 films to North American and worldwide markets at TIFF.
Among the 14 World Premieres receiving FSS are: While at War by acclaimed writer and director Alejandro Amendábar (Film Factory Entertainment), The Barefoot Emperor (Be for Films), the latest political satire of award-winning Belgian directors Jessica Woodworth and Peter Brosens, Our Lady of the Nile (Indie Sales), opening Film of the Contemporary World Cinema section. Further films receiving a marketing push include Instinct by first-time director Halina Reijn, featuring Marwan Kenzari, EUROPEAN SHOOTING STAR of 2014 and the Czech adaptation of The Painted Bird (Celluloid Dreams) starring Stellan Skarsgard, Harvey Keitel and Julian Sands. Swiss psychological drama Love Me Tender by Klaudia Reynicke (Summerside International) is benefitting from FSS thanks to SWISS FILMS.
FSS funding is made possible by the support of Creative Europe – MEDIA Programme of the European Union and was confirmed by the respective EFP member organisations: Austrian Films, British Council, Bulgarian National Film Center, Czech Film Center, Danish Film Institute, Eye International (The Netherlands), Finnish Film Foundation, Flanders Image (Belgium), German Films, Greek Film Centre, Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales / ICAA (Spain), Istituto Luce-Cinecittà – Filmitalia, Norwegian Film Institute, Screen Ireland, Swedish Film Institute, SWISS FILMS and UniFrance.

Find the films and companies receiving FILM SALES SUPPORT for TIFF here.

Join EFP at TIFF

EFP again hosts a EUROPE! UMBRELLA at the festival's Industry Center, providing a central meeting point for 'All things European'. Thanks to the substantial support of Creative Europe, the stand hosts 10 national film promotion institutes from throughout Europe, with the Kosovo Cinematography Center joining for the first time and three European world sales companies: Stray Dogs, Heretic Outreach and New Europe Film Sales, the latter handling seven films premiering at TIFF. Also present at the stand is European film fund Eurimages, who contributes financially to the umbrella. All in all, 22 European countries are represented at TIFF's Industry Centre. They jointly support 166 European films and co-productions premiering in the various sections of the festival.

Find all participants of the EUROPE! UMBRELLA and the films they are representing here.

Congrats to 67 EFP Alumni at TIFF

EFP is thrilled that 67 participants of its tentpole talent programmes EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS and PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE are involved in 54 films screening at TIFF. A special mention goes to a project that started out at EFP's PRODUCERS LAB TORONTO. Sweetness in the Belly was realised by Canadian producers Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny, who met British executive producer Adrian Sturges through EFP, Ontario Creates and TIFF in 2013. Also outstanding is German producer Janine Jackowski of Komplizen Film who co-produced three films: award-winning Synonyms; the thriller The Whistlers; and the father and daughter drama The Fever. Among the 29 EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS at TIFF quite a few feature in more than one film, such as Matthias Schoenaerts (A Hidden Life and The Laundromat), Adele Haenel (Deerskin and Portrait of a Lady on Fire), Nina Hoss (The Audition and Pelican Blood) and Franz Rogowski (A Hidden Life and I Was at Home, But).

EFP related talent at the Toronto International Film Festival 2019

Contemporary World Cinema

Maria's Paradise
by Zaida Bergroth
Finland/Estonia
World Premiere
featuring Pihla Viitala (Finland 2010)
produced by Liisa Penttilä (Finland 2012)

Resin
by Daniel Joseph Borgman
Denmark
World Premiere
produced by Katja Adomeit (Denmark 2015), executive produced by Louise Vesth (Denmark 2008)

The County
by Grímur Hákonarson
Iceland/Denmark/Germany/France
International Premiere
co-produced by Ditte Milsted (Denmark 2017)

Red Fields
by Keren Yedaya
Israel/Luxembourg/Germany
International Premiere
produced by Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu (Luxembourg 2003)

A White, White Day
by Hlynur Pálmason
Iceland/Denmark/Sweden
North American Premiere
featuring Ingvar E. Sigurdsson (Iceland 1999), Hilmir Snaer Gudnason (Iceland 2000)
produced by Anton Máni Svansson (Iceland 2017)

Adam
by Maryam Touzani
Morocco/France/Belgium
North American Premiere
featuring Lubna Azabal (Belgium 2004)
co-produced by Patrick Quinet (Belgium 2003)

Instinct
by Halina Reijn (ESS, The Netherlands 2007) directing debut
The Netherlands
North American Premiere
featuring Marwan Kenzari (The Netherlands 2014), Tamar van den Dop (The Netherlands 1999)

Les Misérables
by Ladj Ly
France
North American Premiere
associate produced by Sylvie Pialat (France 2007)

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Kathleen Hepburn
Canada/Norway
North American Premiere
co-produced by Dyveke Björkly Graver (Norway 2019)

Synonyms
by Nadav Lapid
France/Israel/Germany
North American Premiere
co-produced by Janine Jackowski (Germany 2009)

Dogs Don't Wear Pants
by J-P Valkeapää
Finland/Latvia
North American Premiere
produced by Aleksi Bardy (Finland 2006), executive produced by Annika Sucksdorff (Finland 2010), co-produced by Aija Berzina (Latvia 2018), Alise Gelze (Latvia 2008)

Discovery

opening film
Simple Women
by Chiara Malta
Italy/Romania
World Premiere
featuring Jasmine Trinca (Italy 2007)
produced by Marta Donzelli (Italy 2011)

Sweetness in the Belly
by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari
Ireland/Canada
World Premiere
produced by Jennifer Kawaja (Canada 2010), Julia Sereny (Canada 2013), executive produced by Adrian Sturges (United Kingdom 2009)

Sea Fever
by Neasa Hardiman
Ireland/Sweden/Belgium/United Kingdom
World Premiere
featuring Ardalan Esmaili (Sweden 2019)
produced by John McDonnell (Ireland 2006)

Disco
by Jorunn Myklebust Syversen
Norway
World Premiere
featuring Nicolai Cleve Broch (Norway 2007)
produced by Maria Ekerhovd (Norway 2011)

The Audition
by Ina Weisse
Germany/France
World Premiere
featuring Nina Hoss (Germany 2000)

Entwined
by Minos Nikolakakis
Greece
World Premiere
executive produced by Lilette Botassi (Greece 2001)

Zana
by Antoneta Kastrati
Albania/Kosovo
World Premiere
co-produced by Dritan Huqi (Albania 2011)

Two of Us
by Filippo Meneghetti
France/Luxembourg/Belgium
World Premiere
co-produced by Patrick Quinet (Belgium 2003), Donato Rotunno (Luxembourg 2001)

Hope
by Maria Sødahl
Norway/Sweden
World Premiere
co-produced by Yngve Saether (Norway 2009)

Pompei
by Anna Falguères, John Shank
Belgium/Canada/France
World Premiere
produced by Joseph Rouschop (Belgium 2002)

Love Me Tender
by Klaudia Reynicke
Switzerland
International Premiere
produced by Tiziana Soudani (Switzerland 2000)

TIFF Docs

Cunningham
by Alla Kovgan
Germany/France/USA
World Premiere
co-produced by Dan Wechsler (Switzerland 2011)

This Is Not a Movie
by Yung Chang
Canada/Germany
World Premiere
produced by Ingmar Trost (Germany 2015)

My English Cousin
by Karim Sayad
Switzerland/Qatar
World Premiere
produced by Joëlle Bertossa (Switzerland 2013)

Sing Me A Song
by Thomas Balmès
France/Germany/Switzerland
World Premiere
produced by Joëlle Bertossa (Switzerland 2013)

Collective
by Alexander Nanau
Romania/Luxembourg
North American Premiere
produced by Bernard Michaux (Luxembourg 2008)

Gala Presentations

The True History of the Kelly Gang
by Justin Kurzel
Australia/United Kingdom
World Premiere
featuring George MacKay (United Kingdom 2014)

The Song of Names
by François Girard
Canada/Hungary
World Premiere
co-produced by Viktória Petrányi (Hungary 2003)

closing film
Radioactive
by Marjane Satrapi
United Kingdom
World Premiere
co-produced by Ildikó Kemény (United Kingdom 2001)

Masters

A Hidden Life
by Terrence Malick
USA/Germany
North American Premiere
featuring August Diehl (Germany 2000), Matthias Schoenaerts (Belgium 2003), Alexander Fehling (Germany 2011), Franz Rogowski (Germany 2018), Joel Basman (Switzerland 2008), Maria Simon (Germany 2004)

I Was at Home, But
by Angela Schanelec
Germany/Serbia
North American Premiere
featuring Franz Rogowski (Germany 2018)

The Whistlers
by Corneliu Porumboiu
Romania/France/Germany
North American Premiere
co-produced by Janine Jackowski (Germany 2009), Sylvie Pialat (France 2007), associate produced by Dan Wechsler (Switzerland 2011)

Midnight Madness

Saint Maud
by Rose Glass
United Kingdom
World Premiere
produced by Andrea Cornwell (United Kingdom 2013)

The Platform
by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
Spain
World Premiere
produced by David Matamoros (Spain 2012)

Platform

My Zoe
by Julie Delpy
Germany/France
World Premiere
featuring Daniel Brühl (Germany 2003)
executive produced by Daniel Brühl

closing film
Martin Eden
by Pietro Marcello
Italy/France
International Premiere
featuring Luca Marinelli (Italy 2013)

Primetime

The Sleepers
by Ivan Zachariáš
Czech Republic
International Premiere
featuring Tatjana Pauhofová (Slovak Republic 2007)

Short Cuts

Lucia En El Limbo
by Valentina Maurel
Belgium/France/Costa Rica
North American Premiere
produced by Grégoire Debailly (France 2019)

Nimic
by Yorgos Lanthimos
Germany/USA/United Kingdom
North American Premiere
featuring Daphne Patakia (Greece 2016)

Special Presentations

Dirt Music
by Gregor Jordan
United Kingdom/Australia
World Premiere
featuring Kelly MacDonald (United Kingdom 1999)

Deerskin
by Quentin Dupieux
France
International Premiere
featuring Adèle Haenel (France 2012)

Pelican Blood
by Katrin Gebbe
Germany/Bulgaria
North American Premiere
featuring Nina Hoss (Germany 2000)
produced by Verena Gräfe-Höft (Germany 2017), co-produced by Mila Voinikova (Bulgaria 2017)

A Herdade
by Tiago Guedes
Portugal
North American Premiere
featuring Victoria Guerra (Portugal 2017)

Frankie
by Ira Sachs
France/Portugal
North American Premiere
featuring Jérémie Renier (Belgium 2002)
co-produced by Diana Elbaum (Belgium 2001), Luis Urbano (Portugal 2007)

The Truth
by Hirokazu Kore-eda
France/Japan
North American Premiere
featuring Ludivine Sagnier (France 2001)

La Belle Époque
by Nicolas Bedos
France
North American Premiere
executive produced by Francois Kraus (France 2004)

The Laundromat
by Steven Soderbergh
USA
North American Premiere
featuring Matthias Schoenaerts (Belgium 2003)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire
by Céline Sciamma
France
Canadian Premiere
featuring Adèle Haenel (France 2012)

Judy
by Rupert Goold
United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
featuring Lucy Russell (United Kingdom 2002)

Knives Out
by Rian Johnson
USA
World Premiere
featuring Daniel Craig (United Kingdom 2000)

Wavelengths

Liberté
by Albert Serra
France/Spain/Portugal/Germany
North American Premiere
executive produced by Montse Triola (Spain 2015)

Fire Will Come
by Oliver Laxe
Spain/France/Luxembourg
North American Premiere
co-produced by Donato Rotunno (Luxembourg 2001), Koldo Zuazua (Spain 2009)

The Fever
by Maya Da-Rin
Brazil/France/Germany
North American Premiere
co-produced by Janine Jackowsi (Germany 2009)

supported by

additional fss partner

Support for Films from Switzerland

EFP additionally offers FSS for the promotion of Swiss films outside of Europe, thanks to new international measures by the Federal Office of Culture, Media Desk Suisse and SWISS FILMS.