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CINEMED 2022 Cinemed Meetings

REPORT: Cinemed Meetings 2022

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- We take a look at the 14 projects battling it out for the 32nd Development Grant at the Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival

REPORT: Cinemed Meetings 2022
Director Alaa Eddine Aljem, whose project Eldorado has been selected

Tomorrow, Tuesday 25 October, will see the Cinemed Meetings - three days of professional meetings organised as part of the 44th Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival (read our article and our interview with Christophe Leparc) - kicking off once again. Stealing special focus on the festival agenda is the 32nd edition of the Development Grant, for which 14 selected fiction film projects are set to be presented by their filmmakers and producers to a jury composed of Georges Goldenstern (ex-director of the Cannes Film Festival’s Cinéfondation initiative), Catherine Bizern (Céci Moulin d’Andé), screenwriter and producer Yasmina Nini-Faucon (Istiqlal Films) and producer Thierry Lenouvel (Ciné-Sud Promotion).

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Two Development Grants (funded by the CNC and the Occitanie region and consisting of technical assistance courtesy of Titra Films French Kiss and Saraband) are due to be awarded, alongside a Céci Moulin d’Andé writing residency. Other films which have participated in this pitching session in recent years include The Last Queen [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Adila Bendimerad, Damien Ou…
interview: Damien Ounouri
film profile
]
by Adila Bendimerad and Damien Ounouri, Costa Brava, Lebanon [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Mounia Akl and Mediterranean Fever [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Maha Haj.

Cinemed Meetings will also host the 8th edition of the "Du court au long" initiative (13 first fiction film projects of international origin put forth by filmmakers who have a short film competing in Montpellier this year, which will be assessed by a jury offering two writing residencies), the new Cinemed & Aflamuna/Beirut DC programme (a selection of seven projects in development, hailing from the Arab world, and notably coming courtesy of Dima El Horr, Hicham Lasri and Raed Andoni), the co-production meetings and their associated individual meet-ups between project bearers and film professionals attending Montpellier, the Châtaignes Boost Camp and Chemin Faisant residences, round tables and the "Talents en court" initiative.

The projects competing for the Development Grant are as follows:

Aisha Can't Fly Away Anymore - Morad Mostafa (Egypt)
Production: Sawsan Yusuf for Bonanza Films
Aisha, a Somali carer for the elderly, lives in Cairo where she discovers the underbelly of African society, which is awash with tension between its various groups. Stuck in a dead-end relationship, her routine, the day-to-day pressure of life, and her dreary job leave her facing an impasse.

Searching For Woody - Sara Shazli (Egypt)
Production: Marianne Khoury for Misr International Films
Sara, a solitary little girl, grows up in Cairo with Woody, her Ethiopian nanny, and her workaholic mother. Twenty years later, Sara decides to confront her mother. Will Sara be able to free herself from the burdens of the past before becoming a mother herself?

The Other WifeMeriem Mesraoua (France)
Production: François d’Artemare for Les Films de l’après-midi
As she takes extreme measures to save the illusory refuge of her marriage, Salima is confronted with the fragility of the image she has preserved for such a long time.

The Sad life of Happy Pig!Christy Whaibe (Lebanon)
Production: Christelle Younes for Bee On Set Productions
35-year-old Chady works as a mascot at events. Unable to move past his break-up with his girlfriend, he decides to leave Lebanon for good. As he waits for his Schengen visa to arrive, he discovers that his father, whom he believed to have been killed by a stray bullet 30 years earlier, was assassinated during the war on the command of a current deputy. He decides to take revenge disguised in his "Happy Pig" mascot costume.

Road to Limbo - Ayoub Lahnoud (Morocco/France)
Production: Marie Gutmann for Méroé films
While fleeing from the gendarmes and leaving behind his native Douar, 30-year-old outsider Rahal also saves Taher, a "zouhri" child who is about to be sacrificed as an offering, in accordance with legend, in order to reveal the location of a treasure. The two hounded companions are forced to travel through rural Morocco together where, for better or for worse, reality and beliefs intertwine.

Ciudad sin sueño - Guillermo García López (France/Spain)
Production: Anne-Dominique Toussaint for Les Films des Tournelles
La Cañada Real, located on the outskirts of Madrid, is one of the largest illegal settlements in Europe. Ramon, a 13-year-old Roma boy, has always lived here with his family. Together, they form a part of the community of La Cañada. Ramon and his best friend Saïd film the world around them on a mobile phone they both share. One day, Saïd tells Ramón that he is going back to Morocco with his family. The family ties begin to slacken when Ramon’s family is notified that their house is going to be demolished. For the first time, Ramon sees a real opportunity to leave La Cañada behind, unleashing a hidden desire to live a different life from that of his parents, who would do anything to prevent their eviction.

As God Wills - Mari Gulbiani (Georgia)
Production: Kate Kalandarishvili for Midifilm
This dramatic story about two Muslim women who set out on the trail of a man who has joined fighters in Syria is set in Pankisi Gorge, a mountainous region in Georgia. These women try to find out what exactly transcends their love but also has the potential to destroy the world.

Eldorado - Alaa Eddine Aljem (Morocco)
Production: Francesca Duca for Le Moindre Geste
A group of migrants arrive in Morocco with the aim of crossing the sea to reach a secret utopian island called "Eldorado" but, instead, they wind up in a factory manufacturing tomato sauce for pasta, pizza and ketchup, working for a brand going by the same name of "Eldorado".

The Exiles Also Die Of Love - Marie Le Floc'h (France/Belgium)
Production: Lionel Massol for Films Grand Huit
Wael, who works in a fish factory, is exiled in Lorient with his 15 year-old daughter Reem. After six years of researching and waiting, he has just secured the release of his wife, Sousan, a well-known actress, who was heavily involved in the Syrian revolution.

Man of the House - Andamion Murataj (Albania/Italy/Greece)
Production: Blerina Goce for Lissus Media
Fran, who was born a female but has chosen to live life as a man in accordance with the ancient Albanian custom of Sworn Virgins, must compromise her masculinity in order to become a mother to her niece, Zana, a young parentless girl struggling with puberty issues. Fran already supports the family, but she soon realizes Zana wants far more than material comfort. This film examines the painful process of rediscovering femininity and motherhood when it has been purposefully buried for years.

Jugoslavia Ivan Bakrac (Montenegro/Serbia/France)
Production: Guillaume de Seille for Arizona Productions
On her 55th birthday, and in order to overcome her all-consuming loneliness following her son's relocation abroad, Jugoslava makes the most of her holiday to look for a new flat. This search will change her life in an unexpected way.

The White HouseFrancesco Romano (Italy/France)
Production: Raffaella Pontarelli for Amarena Film
Felicetta feels marginalized by her family and oppressed by the context in which she lives. One day, a powerful Camorra boss asks her for shelter. Their encounter leads them to question everything they held true. But the latter suddenly vanishes, shattering the illusion of an impossible relationship.

NeftaYves Piat (France)
Production: Damien Megherbi for Les Valseurs
Hichem is a customs officer from Southern Tunisia who struggles to provide for his family. His life changes when he meets Tesla, a donkey lost at the Algerian border carrying huge bags of cocaine...

ParadiseÉlisabeth Silveiro (France/Spain)
Production: Claire Chassagne for Dolce Vita Films
Emma and her brother Marc go to Spain for the summer. Here, she meets Nadezda, a Russian woman who works in a city brothel, which Marc has identified as the place to finally lose his virginity... Emma is shaken, finding herself attracted to a woman for the very first time.

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(Translated from French)

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