BRIFF 2023 Brussels Co-Production Market

15 projects set to grace the 7th Brussels Co-Production Market

11/05/2023 - The market is set to unspool on 28 and 29 June, hosted by the Brussels International Film Festival

Director Neary Adeline Hay, selected for the market with her project Docks

Created in 2016 with the aim of supporting promising feature film projects in development and putting their leaders in contact with potential partners, the Brussels Co-Production Market is returning for a 7th edition on 28 and 29 June during the Brussels International Film Festival (BRIFF), homing in on 15 European fiction and documentary projects hailing from 11 countries. The idea is to enhance interactions between the producers and sales agents who are invited to meet the project bearers by providing more time to hold these meetings. The selection is divided into two sections: the Gap Financing Sessions, aimed at favouring exchanges between European producers looking for Belgian minority co-producers, and the Up-and-Coming Producers section, specifically aimed at producers starting out in their careers.

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Project leaders will get to take part in a pitch preparation workshop to ready them for the presentation they’re scheduled to deliver to producers and sales agents, as well as to the different industry representatives invited by the festival: programmers, broadcasters, post-production studios, etc. In all, a hundred or so professionals are coming together for these two days of work and meetings. The Co-Production Market is also renewing its partnership with the Marseille International Music & Cinema Festival (MCM) through the awarding of a Music & Cinema Award, which will see the winning project automatically selected for the next European Musical Composition for Screen Market.

The Brussels Co-Production Market is also a member of the Coprocity platform, which brings together 15 European co-production markets, ranging from the Cinéfondation Atelier to Cinemart, via the TorinoFilmLab and the Les Arcs Industry Village.

Among the various individuals selected for the Gap Financing sessions, two documentary-makers trying their hands at fiction steal focus: Neary Adeline Hay, who turned heads with her documentary Angkar [+see also:
trailer
film profile], is set to present Docks, while Finland’s Joonas Berghäll (The Happiest Man on Earth [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Mother’s Wish [+see also:
trailer
interview: Joonas Berghäll
film profile]) is presenting The Elf.

In terms of Up-and-Coming Producers, two Belgian directors stand tall, presenting their first fiction feature films: Nelson Polfielt - who made his name in 2016 via his short Stacey and the Alien - will be pitching Something in the Wind, and Maxime Pistorio (whose short Green Fit is currently touring festivals) is set to unveil Belladonna, which just took part in the Atelier Grand Nord. Equally noteworthy is the return of Latvian filmmaker Dzintars Dreibergs (Latvia’s representative at the Oscars in 2021 with Blizzard of Souls [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), who also presented a project at last year’s market and is now back with Brothers’ War, and Lithuania’s Jurgis Matulevičius (nominated for the 2020 European Film Award for Best First Film courtesy of Isaac [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jurgis Matulevičius
film profile]) who’ll be throwing his weight behind China Sea.