Luna spending four months in Berlin

by Boyd van Hoeij

22/06/2012 - The debut feature of Dutch director Sacha Polak (pictured), Hemel [trailer], had its world premiere in the Forum section of the Berlin Film Festival and went on to win the Fipresci award. It recently screened at the Sydney Film Festival as well.

But since the premiere in February, the director has been busy with her proposed follow-up: Luna, a film again written by Hemel screenwriter Helena van der Meulen.

Luna tells the story of the eponymous singer, whose life starts to unravel after her boyfriend dies in an accident.

The film has been selected for the first edition of the Berlinale Residency programme, a new initiative that is part of the Berlin Film Festival and its Talent Campus. The Residency offers directors and their producers the opportunity to work closely with mentors and market experts on the shaping of their next project, much like the Cannes Cinéfondation programme.

Six projects have been selected for this inaugural edition, allowing the directors to stay for four months in Berlin (from September through December). The ultimate goal of the Residency is not only to get the film selected for festivals but also to give the film the chance of being released theatrically at home and abroad.

The six candidates, which also include Irish director Rebecca Daly (The Other Side of Sleep [trailer]) and Venice winner Samuel Moaz (Lebanon [trailer]), have been selected by an international jury comprised of Fortissimo Films’ Michael Werner; Danish producer Vibeke WIndelov; Bruno Bettati of the Valdivia Film Festival in Chile; Berlinale programme manager Thomas Hailer and Simon Ofenloch, a commissioning editor at ZDF/Arte.

Luna will be produced by Marleen Slot for Viking Film and has backing from the Netherlands Film Fund. Benelux rights have been sold to distributor Cinéart.