‘Corsage' Director Marie Kreutzer's ‘Gentle Monster' Wins ArteKino Prize at Cannes Investors Circle
'Corsage' director Marie Kreutzer's 'Gentle Monster' emerged as the big winner at the third edition of the Cannes Film Market's Investors Circle, scooping up the ArteKino International Prize with its €20,000 ($22,500) purse.
The Austrian project, produced by Alexander Glehr and Johanna Scherz of Film AG Produktions GmbH, was selected from among 10 film projects presented to VIP investors at the high-profile Cannes financing event.
More from Variety
Taraji P. Henson Says Hollywood 'Lied to Me' About Black Movies and TV Not Selling Overseas, Spent Years Being 'Graceful in Getting Paid Less ... Not Anymore Though!'
Spike Lee Says Denzel Washington Deserved Oscar for 'Malcolm X' Over Al Pacino: 'It's Like Basketball, Where the Ref Blows a Call'
Palestine Film Institute Calls for Decision-Makers to Amplify Palestinian Filmmakers' Voices at Cannes Docs Showcase
'I'm surprised in the most positive way,' Kreutzer said following her win. 'Filmmaking is a really big mountain, and what happens before the premiere – to get a film made – is a very long climb. So we really need people who want to support cinema and have love for cinema – that's why meeting investors is extremely important. I had great conversations with these investors so far. The script has sparked their interest, and they're eager to learn more about the project.'
Held at the Plage des Palmes – the festival and market's official beachside venue – during the Cannes Film Festival, the third edition of the financing forum showcased 10 film projects that had never been publicly revealed before. The event featured industry panels followed by a private pitching session with acclaimed filmmakers.
The high-wattage director lineup included Cannes competition regular Jessica Hausner ('Little Joe,' 'Club Zero'), Academy Award-winner Sebastián Lelio ('A Fantastic Woman,' 'Disobedience'), Grand Prix and Caméra d'Or recipient Lukas Dhont ('Close,' 'Girl') and Oscar-nominated Golden Bear winner Jasmila Žbanić ('Quo Vadis, Aida?').
All projects featured budgets between €3 million ($3.3 million) and €9 million ($10.1 million) and were selected for their commercial potential and creative ambition.
Aleksandra Zakharchenko, head of industry programs at the market, oversaw the selection process alongside a committee including ARTE France Cinéma MD Remi Burah, media entrepreneur Serge Hayat, Hubert Bals Fund head Tamara Tatishvili (who also moderated the pitching session), and New Europe Film Sales' head of acquisitions Marcin Łuczaj.
Investors at the gathering had the opportunity to be the first to discover these anticipated projects, with legal support from entertainment industry specialists 111 Avocats provided to filmmakers ahead of one-on-one investor meetings.
'The Investors Circle is a rare and valuable event,' said Celine Dornier, VP financing and acquisitions at Logical Pictures Group, who attended as a selected investor. 'It's truly designed with investors in mind, which makes all the difference. The selection of projects is consistently high-level, with prestigious and diverse filmmakers that match what I'm looking for.'
The complete roster of projects unveiled at the 2025 Investors Circle includes:
'Coward' (working title) directed by Lukas Dhont (Belgium), produced by Michiel Dhont at The Reunion
'Disorder' directed by Giacomo Abbruzzese (Italy), produced by Marco Alessi and Giulia Achilli at Dugong Films
'Gentle Monster' directed by Marie Kreutzer (Austria), produced by Alexander Glehr and Johanna Scherz at Film AG Produktions GmbH
'Kamo' directed by Kornél Mundruczó (Hungary), produced by Mike Goodridge at Good Chaos, Ilya Stewart at Hype Studios, and Balthazar de Ganay
'Motherlove' directed by Eliza Hittman (US), produced by Paul Mezey and Andrew Goldman at Present Company
'On Land and Sea' directed by Hlynur Pálmason (Iceland), produced by Katrin Pors at Snowglobe and Anton Máni Svansson at Still Vivid
'Poeta Chileno' directed by Sebastián Lelio (Chile), produced by Rocío Jadue, Juan de Dios Larraín, and Pablo Larraín at Fabula
'Quo Vadis, Aida – The Missing Part' directed by Jasmila Žbanić (Bosnia and Herzegovina), produced by Damir Ibrahimović at Deblokada
'The Puma' directed by Marcela Said (France/Chile), produced by Carole Scotta, Barbara Letellier, and Eliott Khayat at Haut et Court
'Toxic' directed by Jessica Hausner (Austria), produced by Johannes Schubert at Schubert and Philippe Bober at Coproduction Office
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz
Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Summer is for scares: Here are the horror movies hitting theaters this season
Summer 2025 is all about horror movies, with a slew of scary flicks headed to cinemas. This year there's a little bit of everything to look forward to, from sequels to iconic horror franchises to new movies from the genre's most celebrated up-and-coming filmmakers. There's even a bloodthirsty version of Bambi, if that's more your thing. If you plan your summer weekends around the latest scary movie releases, check out our guide for the top horror movies hitting theaters this season. From the Australian team behind Talk to Me comes A24'sBring Her Back, which also poses the question: Just how far would you go to communicate with a dead loved one? The new film stars Sally Hawkins as a grieving woman who takes in two foster children — and has some dark ideas about what to do with them. What's worse than being kidnapped by a serial killer? Being kidnapped by serial killer who takes you out to the middle of the ocean to be consumed by sharks. The film, which premiered at Cannes, takes all the scariest parts of Jaws and combines it with Silence of the Lambs. It will leave you sweating even in the most air-conditioned of movie theaters. Still reeling from the second season of The Last of Us? Return to the world of zombies with the third film in 28 Days Later franchise, which takes place nearly three decades after the Rage virus turned humans into the walking — er, running — dead. The new film from director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland stars Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jack O'Connell. M3GAN's all grown up! Well, sort of... This time around, killer robot M3GAN gets an upgrade in order to take down an even more evil robot named AMELIA, who is hellbent on destruction. If the trailer is any indication, M3GAN's teen years come with even more sass. (Oh, and for you popcorn bucket collectors …M3GAN 2.0 has an excellent one.) When will teenagers learn that covering up murder is always a bad idea? Apparently not in this long-awaited sequel to the classic slasher, where friends played by Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers and Sarah Pidgeon find themselves victims of a deranged hook-handed man. Fortunately, they've got a few experts on the subject at hand: Stars of the original I Know What You Did Last Summer Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. are back to reprise their roles and offer guidance. Pete Davidson is a comedy guy, but his character in The Home is stuck in a highly unfunny situation. Davidson plays a worker at a retirement home who realizes something is very, very wrong with the residents and staff. While the vibes are Get Out, poor Davidson doesn't — at least, not before the old folks start making cryptic warnings (who the hell are the "marked ones"?!) and he's strapped to a gurney by sinister staff members. Did Disney's Bambi make you cry as a kid? Well, this low-budget horror flick, a part of the Twisted Childhood Universe that also includes films like Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare, wants you to scream. You'll likely end up laughing at the absurdity of it all instead. Together, which stars married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie, was a hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival. If you're a body horror fan, you'll love first-time filmmaker Michael Shanks's take on just how close a couple can get. Filmmaker Zach Cregger went for twist after twist with his 2022 film, Barbarian. Now he's back with Weapons, a film about the mysterious disappearance of a classroom of schoolchildren. Why did these kids run away in the middle of the night? Where did they go? And who is to blame? Josh Brolin, Julia Garner and Alden Ehrenreich play townspeople seeking answers. (First thought … has anyone considered checking for tunnels under the basement?)
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Summer is for scares: Here are the horror movies hitting theaters this season
Summer 2025 is all about horror movies, with a slew of scary flicks headed to cinemas. This year there's a little bit of everything to look forward to, from sequels to iconic horror franchises to new movies from the genre's most celebrated up-and-coming filmmakers. There's even a bloodthirsty version of Bambi, if that's more your thing. If you plan your summer weekends around the latest scary movie releases, check out our guide for the top horror movies hitting theaters this season. From the Australian team behind Talk to Me comes A24'sBring Her Back, which also poses the question: Just how far would you go to communicate with a dead loved one? The new film stars Sally Hawkins as a grieving woman who takes in two foster children — and has some dark ideas about what to do with them. What's worse than being kidnapped by a serial killer? Being kidnapped by serial killer who takes you out to the middle of the ocean to be consumed by sharks. The film, which premiered at Cannes, takes all the scariest parts of Jaws and combines it with Silence of the Lambs. It will leave you sweating even in the most air-conditioned of movie theaters. Still reeling from the second season of The Last of Us? Return to the world of zombies with the third film in 28 Days Later franchise, which takes place nearly three decades after the Rage virus turned humans into the walking — er, running — dead. The new film from director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland stars Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jack O'Connell. M3GAN's all grown up! Well, sort of... This time around, killer robot M3GAN gets an upgrade in order to take down an even more evil robot named AMELIA, who is hellbent on destruction. If the trailer is any indication, M3GAN's teen years come with even more sass. (Oh, and for you popcorn bucket collectors …M3GAN 2.0 has an excellent one.) When will teenagers learn that covering up murder is always a bad idea? Apparently not in this long-awaited sequel to the classic slasher, where friends played by Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers and Sarah Pidgeon find themselves victims of a deranged hook-handed man. Fortunately, they've got a few experts on the subject at hand: Stars of the original I Know What You Did Last Summer Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. are back to reprise their roles and offer guidance. Pete Davidson is a comedy guy, but his character in The Home is stuck in a highly unfunny situation. Davidson plays a worker at a retirement home who realizes something is very, very wrong with the residents and staff. While the vibes are Get Out, poor Davidson doesn't — at least, not before the old folks start making cryptic warnings (who the hell are the "marked ones"?!) and he's strapped to a gurney by sinister staff members. Did Disney's Bambi make you cry as a kid? Well, this low-budget horror flick, a part of the Twisted Childhood Universe that also includes films like Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare, wants you to scream. You'll likely end up laughing at the absurdity of it all instead. Together, which stars married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie, was a hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival. If you're a body horror fan, you'll love first-time filmmaker Michael Shanks's take on just how close a couple can get. Filmmaker Zach Cregger went for twist after twist with his 2022 film, Barbarian. Now he's back with Weapons, a film about the mysterious disappearance of a classroom of schoolchildren. Why did these kids run away in the middle of the night? Where did they go? And who is to blame? Josh Brolin, Julia Garner and Alden Ehrenreich play townspeople seeking answers. (First thought … has anyone considered checking for tunnels under the basement?)
Elle
7 hours ago
- Elle
Mia Threapleton Says She Manifested Working With Wes Anderson Aged Just 13
Start as you mean to go on, they say - and Mia Threapleton's start, has set a high. In her biggest role to date, the actor stars alongside the likes of Tom Hanks and Michael Cera as Benicio del Toro's daughter in The Phoenician Scheme – a veritable who's who of global Hollywood talent. There is only one director who can pull this calibre of actor together, and that is Wes Anderson. The film has just shown at Cannes Film Festival, and Threapleton touched down days later in London where ELLE UK caught up with the star. SEE MORE AT ELLE COLLECTIVE 'The Cannes carpet was… terrifying,' Threapleton confessed. 'The stairs are very tall and very red, and I was just thinking, don't fall over. Everything is fine. Pull down your dress at the front. Don't let anyone tread on the back of it. That was the first red carpet that I'd ever done, and being there with everybody really made me feel a hell of a lot calmer because firstly, they'd all done it before, and secondly, it was the same people that felt like a family when I was working with them. I knew that we were all going to have a giggle. And then I got into the cinema, and I felt like the room was vibrating. I couldn't hear anything, because my heart was thumping so loud in my ears. And then I sat down, the film started, and I just thought - here we go.' Threapleton's excitement in joining Anderson's iconic legacy is effervescent. With total gratitude and a slight sense of disbelief, she recalls watching Anderson's work as a teen and aspiring to be like the actors she has just worked with. Needless to say, she has done her homework, quoting lines from The Grand Budapest Hotel and confessing that aged thirteen, when watching Moonrise Kingdom, she wrote in her journal: 'I really wish I can work with Wes Anderson one day.' In Mia's case, manifestation truly works. Anderson's cinematic world far transcends what is only seen on screen, case in point: the social media account Accidentally Wes Anderson. With its instantly recognisable aesthetic, Anderson's films – and the impeccably dressed characters that come with them – have been replicated by legions of cinephiles time and time again. For Threapleton's character Liesl, there are no Adidas tracksuits nor Peter Pan collars. Playing a nun, her costume evolves from conservative and clean to pipe-smoking and red-lipped. 'She is a blank canvas, and then paint gets added. It was very informative to who Liesl is. The eyeshadow goes on and it feels different. It is incredibly indicative of the internal journey that she is going on when we see her. And I really miss those green stockings.' Showing affection towards the bolder aesthetics Liesl adopts, it is then unsurprising that Mia takes sartorial inspiration from style icons Iris Apfel and Isabella Blow. Be it fashion or film, Threapleton's enthusiasm is infectious. Watch our interview with Mia to hear more about her wardrobe essentials, Scarlett Johansson's big sister energy, hiding in plant pots on set and the lessons she learnt from her star studded The Phoenician Scheme cast. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
