At last month’s Eurimages Board of Management meeting in Geneva, Switzerland on June 28, 2019, three Canadian coproductions (all supported by Telefilm) got some excellent financing news. Saules aveugles, femme endormie (Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman); La nuit des rois (Night of the Kings); and Canadian Igor Drljača’sTabija were all selected for financing support from Eurimages this year — amounting to €898,000 among the three projects.
Curious to know more about Canada and Eurimages? Here’s a quick recap! Eurimages is the cultural support fund of the Council of Europe. In 2017, Canada became Eurimages’s first non-European member country! And as a coproduction leader, Canada is thrilled to see how this ongoing affiliation continues to be of assistance to our talent and industry by helping open doors to financing opportunities, as well as business and creative partnerships.
Here’s the scoop on the three Telefilm-supported projects awarded Eurimages financing this year:
- Saules aveugles, femme endormie (Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman) This animated France-Luxembourg-Netherlands-Canada coproduction directed by Pierre Földes (France) adapts the work of writer Haruki Murakami. With Canadian producers micro_scope and Unité Centrale.
- La nuit des rois (Night of the Kings) With Canada’s Peripheria Productions among its coproducers, this France-Canada-Ivory Coast coproduction written and directed by France’s Philippe Lacôte is a feature set in an African prison.
- Tabija Written and directed by Bosnian-Canadian director Igor Drljača, this Canada-Bosnia and Herzegovina coproduction tells the tale of an unlikely romance in Sarajevo after the war. (Psst! In 2014, this project was one of 15 chosen for the Cinéfondation Atelier at the Cannes Film Festival, and was a recipient of the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award.)