The first New Europe Warsaw Sessions come to a successful conclusion
by Ola Salwa
- Polish-based sales agency New Europe Film Sales organised a workshop for promising film directors in order to facilitate the making of English-language movies
The New Europe Warsaw Sessions, organised by Polish-based sales agent New Europe Film Sales (NEFS), were held from 24-27 September and were designed to bring together a group of talented filmmakers and experienced industry professionals who would be able to share their expertise on the international film market and facilitate the making of English-language films.
Poland’s Agnieszka Smoczyńska (The Lure [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Agnieszka Smoczyńska
film profile], Fugue [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Agnieszka Smoczyńska
film profile]), Jan P Matuszyński (The Last Family [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dawid Ogrodnik
film profile]) and Paweł Maślona (Panic Attack [+see also:
film review
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interview: Pawel Maslona
film profile]), the USA’s Laura Moss, Denmark’s Jeppe Rønde (Bridgend [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) and Iceland’s Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson (Under the Tree [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson
film profile]) participated in the first edition of the event. The team of experts included 101 Reykjavik and Everest [+see also:
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trailer
making of
film profile] helmer Baltasar Kormákur; Mike Goodridge, artistic director of the International Film Festival & Awards Macao; Dylan Leiner, of Sony Pictures Classics; and producers Julia Godzinskaya from Rooks Nest, Sibilia Diaz-Plaja from Focus Features, Julia Oh from Film4, Ben Giladi from AI-Film, Kim Magnusson from M&M Productions and Vanja Kaludjercic, who works for VoD platform MUBI. The workshop included intense one-on-one sessions, as well as master classes led by each guest. Additionally, there was a brainstorming session with Polish Film Institute and Adam Mickiewicz Institute representatives called “How to Promote Polish Cinema Internationally?”
“It turned out pretty much the way I dreamed it would. Everything that happened during the New Europe Warsaw Sessions was very relevant,” says Jan Naszewski, who organised the workshop with his NEFS team, comprising Ewa Bojanowska and Marcin Łuczaj. “Each participant has had different experiences with the European industry, so they were able to share and compare them in a friendly atmosphere. They were also able to learn how to plan their career on the international market. We also busted some myths about the industry,” adds Naszewski, who is already planning the next edition of the New Europe Warsaw Sessions. The event was supported by the Polish Film Institute, the Mazovia Warsaw Film Commission and the Adam Mickewicz Institute. Private partners included Chimney Poland, Film Produkcja, Platige Image, Gigant Films, Forum Film, Monolith Films and Gutek Film.
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