email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

Verena Gräfe-Höft • Producer

“We all are facing a huge challenge to make our films visible”

by 

- We met up with German producer Verena Gräfe-Höft, working for Hamburg-based Junafilm, and selected as one of the 2017 Producers on the Move

Verena Gräfe-Höft • Producer

Four years after German producer Verena Gräfe-Höft presented the drama Nothing Bad Can Happen [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Katrin Gebbe in the Un Certain Regard section, she is returning to Cannes as part of the Producers on the Move programme. With her Hamburg-based production company Junafilm, she has already teamed up with various international production partners. Among the new projects she is preparing to present to potential co-producers is Gebbe's new drama, Pelican Blood.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Cineuropa: What do you expect from the experience of becoming a Producer on the Move in Cannes?
Verena Gräfe-Höft: I am delighted to be able to expand my film industry network in Europe. I will meet some of the most interesting European producers and I am looking forward to exchanging ideas about future film projects. We all are facing a huge challenge to make our films visible at a time when a lot of films are being produced, new players are appearing on the market and changing viewing habits are posing new challenges for the distribution and marketing of films.

What makes a project interesting for you as a producer?
For me, the most interesting ideas are the ones that are original, bold and straight to the point. I also like to be a part of the development process. Filmmakers who have a vision and something to say beyond their own worlds — that I love.

How would you describe your experience of working on international co-productions?
I have mainly worked with producers from Denmark, including two feature films by Ask Hasselbalch that centre around a young superhero called Antboy. Meanwhile, Not at Home is a hybrid between fiction and documentary that was co-produced with Afghanistan and Denmark. Most recently, we teamed up with partners from Iceland and Estonia for the family drama The Swan by Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir. In addition, several projects with Turkey, Denmark, Iceland and France are currently in development; I have been involved in all these projects from the early script development stage.

What would be the perfect co-production for you?
For me, the perfect co-production is about the mutual trust that one places in the other partner and the joint creative work in all matters from development and financing right up to the completion of the film. It is exciting when I am able to discover new talent, and in return get the opportunity to bring great filmmakers and team members from my home country to join up with international colleagues. In the end, it is an enriching experience for everyone, and a wonderful film has emerged from it.

Which projects will you bring to Cannes?
Above all, I will be there to introduce Katrin Gebbe’s new project, Pelican Blood. It is a bold and edgy drama that tells the story of a mother-daughter relationship in a way that has never been done before. Parts of the film will probably not be shot in Germany, and so it makes sense to look for international co-production partners. Besides that, I will present the psycho-thriller Sleep by Michael Venus. And I am also looking for partners in Canada for the first English-language feature film I have produced, Desire of the Prey by Carly Borgstrom.

Furthermore, I have just finished working on Draußen in meinem Kopf (The World Beyond my Head), the debut feature film of Eibe Krebs, who is a former student of Wim Wenders. For this film, I am looking for international sales agents and distributors.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy