06/02/2007

European film industry professionals, scriptwriters, directors, producers and development managers have until February 20 to submit their applications to the Script&Pitch training programme.

While some doubt the effectiveness of the training programmes, it is more important to stress the quality of the projects: if the subject material is good, results are guaranteed.

One success story is Nanna Huolman’s debut feature That Special Summer (see Making of), which recently won the Church of Sweden Film Prize in the director’s home town at the Göteborg Film Festival. The film was described by the jury as "a powerful and sympathetic account from 1980s Sweden, with great resonance in today's multi-ethnic Sweden."

Huolman told Cineuropa that she found it "necessary to work on an international level, to dare to broaden one’s point of view beyond the borders of one’s native country." This young director aims to "draw inspiration from other countries, experiences and temperaments, as limiting oneself to one’s own country can be too confined, too safe and too easy."