12/06/2006

P.R.I.M.E. (Packaging, Rewriting, International, Market, Exchange), a leading European training programme (created at the end of 2005) that helps producers develop and finance their projects, is kicking off its first season with an inaugural training course from June 7-11 in Berlin.

The following producers are fortunate enough to take part in this year’s comprehensive training course: Gilles Roulin (Olympia Films , Switzerland) with his film A Rose For Maria; Peter Kuhn (Mediacontentfactory, Germany) with Dragon Dale; Raymond Tarabay (Atossa Film, Germany) and Jani Thiltges (Samsa Film, Luxembourg) with Heroes; Ludger Pfanz (Planet Film, Germany) with Hometown Babylon; Ewa Zukowkska (ZK Studio, Poland) with Jablonki; Markus Fischer (Fischer Filmproduktion, Austria) with Lercherl; Reinhard Brundig (Pandora Filmproduktion, Germany) and Rolf Schmid (Fama Film, Switzerland) with Lullaby; Peter Bech (Zentropa GRRRR, Denmark) with Morgenthaler’s Animal Fables; Ivo-Alexander Beck (Janus Filmproduktion, Allemagne) with Treasure Island; and Danish director Sarita Christensen with The Apple and the Worm.

P.R.I.M.E. is an initiative of the Swiss FOCAL foundation, the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and the Austrian Film Institute, in partnership with the Danish and Polish film institutes, the Swiss Ministry of Culture and the EU MEDIA Programme.

Frank Stehling, executive director of transFOCAL and director of P.R.I.M.E., said that he hopes that “with the participants and experts selected, we will build an international network of professionals to strengthen the position of independent European producers and develop high quality films that will have good chances of market success".

The next P.R.I.M.E. meeting is scheduled to take place in September.

(Translated from French)