11th Edition of the Final Cut in Venice Awards

The Venice Production Bridge is delighted to share with you the awards given by both the jury and supporters of the Final Cut in Venice programme. This year, the programme's institutional accolade, the La Biennale di Venezia jury prize, was presented to the South African fiction feature film CARISSA directed by Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar.

The Venice Production Bridge has organised the 11th edition of its programme, Final Cut in Venice (September 3 - 5), the workshop to support films in post-production from Africa and Arab countries (Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria). 72 projects directed by 77 filmmakers were submitted (26 by female directors and 51 by male directors), out of which 7 projects were selected (2 by female directors and 5 by male directors).
 
Between the 3rd and 4th of September, the 7 works-in-progress, including the projects in the framework of Focus on Germany supported by German Films, were presented in Sala Pasinetti (Palazzo del Cinema), followed by a Q&A, while on the 5th of September 30 one-to- one meetings were organised for the 7 selected projects with potential financiers.
For the seventh year, La Biennale di Venezia gives a cash award of € 5,000 to support the Best Film in post-production.

 La Biennale di Venezia Prize Jury, composed of Bobby Allen (MUBI), Enrico Bufalini (Cinecittà) and Sarah Chazelle (The Party Film Sales) has awarded the film :

CARISSA by Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, (South Africa)
Producers: Deidre Jantjies, Annemarie Du Plessis
 
“We were entranced by this journey from modernity back to traditions and the choices that we are led to make between the easier life with economic progress and the more harmonious life with nature”

The Jury of the Supporters of the 11th edition of Final Cut in Venice has decided to give their support to the following films in post-production:

SUDAN, WHEN POEMS FALL APART, by Hind Meddeb (France, Tunisia)

Producers: Abel Nahmias, Michel Zana, Alice Ormières

• TitraFilm (Paris) is offering up to € 5.000 for color-grading; up to € 3.000 for the production of a DCP master, or the creation of i-Tunes, Google or Netflix files; up to € 2.000 for French or English subtitles (translation not included);
• El Gouna Film Festival is offering $ 5.000 awarded to an Arab project and the invitation to the CineGouna platform;
• Red Sea Fund (Red Sea International Film Festival) is offering € 5.000;
• MAD Solutions is offering for a feature-length fiction project an MG of $ 10.000 or a feature-length documentary a $ 3.000 MG for marketing, publicity and distribution in the Arab World for one Arab project;
• Rai Cinema S.p.a is offering € 5.000 for a first negotiation right for the acquisition of Free TV exploitation rights in the Italian territory and obligation to mention “in collaboration with.” in the credits of the work.

SHE WAS NOT ALONE by Hussein Al-Asadi (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Usa)

Producers: Huda Al Kadhimi, Huma Gupta

• Sub-Ti Ltd. (London) is offering up to € 7,500 for the creation of the DCP master with Italian or English subtitles;
• Sub-Ti Access Srl (Turin) is offering up to € 7,500 for the accessible contents of the film for audiences with sensory disabilities subtitles for the deaf and hearing-impaired and audio description for the blind and visually impaired, including audio subtitles in voiceover, in Italian or English (the subtitles and the audio-described soundtrack for the DCP will be provided);
• Oticons is offering one of the selected projects to benefit from the film composers represented by the company and the original score that they will create. The production of the original score will include all relevant services, such as spotting sessions, composition, orchestration, mock-ups,  final production, for a value of € 12.000;
• Festival International du Film d’Amiens is offering its participation in the production costs of a DCP (€ 2.500);
• Eye on Films is giving the possibility to benefit from the Eye on Films label, that will present the film to distributors and festivals affiliated to EoF and will contribute to the communication of the film for a value of € 2,500 during its world premiere in an A-category festival.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS by Scandar Copti, (Palestine, Germany, France, Qatar, Italy)

Producers: Tony Copti, Dorothe Beinemeier

• Studio A Fabrica is offering € 15.000 by for the sound mixing of a feature length film (up to 12 days of work, sound mixer not included);
• Laser Film is offering € 15.000 for the colour correction of a feature-length film offered by) for up to 50 hours of work (technician included).

CARISSA by Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, (South Africa)

Producers: Deidre Jantjies, Annemarie Du Plessis

• The Cinémathèque Afrique of the Institut Français (Paris) is offering the Prize “Coup de cœur de la Cinémathèque Afrique”, consisting of the acquisition of the non-commercial and non-exclusive broadcasting rights for 7 years with a value of € 4.000 – 6.000 depending on the genre, length and available territories of the film;
• Festival International de Films de Fribourg is offering its participation in the production costs of a DCP (€ 2.500).

LIFE IS A RAILROAD, by Kevin Mavakala, Manassé Kashala,

Isaac Sahani, Tousmy Kilo (Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Germany)

Producers: Dieudo Hamadi, Jeanne Basset

• The Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) – Clap ACP is offering  €5.000 as a refund for post-production services – delivered by societies based in one of the EU or OACPS countries (except South Africa) – of a feature-length film realised by a director from one of the ACP countries and produced or co-produced by a society based in one of the ACP countries;
• Oticons Music Supervision award in-kind service up of a value of €3.000.