The MIDPOINT script and project development programme has announced the winners of its 2017 edition of Feature Launch (see the news). A group of international experts was present at a pitching session showcasing all nine feature projects that were in development during the programme, and they decided to hand the top honour to writer-director Antoneta Kastrati and producer Casey Johnson for the Kosovar psychological drama Zana [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Antoneta Kastrati
scheda film], as the project “explores the personal impact of horrific loss, and examines long-held cultural traditions and the living scars of war that continue to torment people from a remote corner of Europe”. 

MIDPOINT will be opening up shop at the Connecting Cottbus East West Co-production Market in November and has selected four of its latest alumni for a pitching session: the Slovenian project Inventory [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Darko Sinko
scheda film] by writer-director Darko Sinko and producer Vlado Bulajic, the Dutch-Turkish coming-of-age tale with a superhero motif Mnk Boy, the Belgian female-centred coming-of-age story Waterwolf, and the latest winner, Zana. Eliza Jones, representing the project Asunden, revolving around an island community torn apart over limestone mining in the Asunden forest, received the CineMart Award. 

“Feature Launch 2017 has offered our participants script consulting and project development in equal parts, and it has proven to be the right path. We have been truly blessed with a wonderful selection of projects. In addition, we have expanded our industry partnerships, and I cannot wait for the next edition, which will start already in January in collaboration with the Trieste FF, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and When East Meets West,” said Kristýna Plhoňová, the Feature Launch programme coordinator. The call for MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2018 is open for applications until 26 October.

MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2017 was organised in collaboration with the Czech Ministry of Culture, the Czech Film Fund, the International Visegrad Fund, the Macedonian Film Agency, Creative Europe MEDIA Desk CZ, APA – Audiovisual Producers' Association, COCO – Connecting Cottbus and CineMart.