‘Corsage' Director Marie Kreutzer's ‘Gentle Monster' Wins ArteKino Prize at Cannes Investors Circle
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
Hypebeast
2 days ago
- Hypebeast
The Slow Death of the Contemporary Art Gallery
The contemporary art gallery as we know it is dying. In cities like New York and Los Angeles, dedicated spaces that once buzzed with foot traffic and formal openings are now struggling with rising rents and changing expectations. The old model, where a gallery does everything for its artists, feels like it's falling apart. Big gallery chains, the ones built on endless art fairs, multiple cities and huge rosters of artists, are losing their grip. Last month, Tim Blum announced he would close his Blum & Poe galleries in L.A. and Tokyo and even stop plans for a new one in Tribeca. He was blunt about the reason: 'This is not about the market. This is about the system,'he told ARTnews, pointing out that collectors have more power than ever to negotiate. His decision echoes a wider feeling across the industry with many giving up on the idea of building giant gallery empires. You can see this shift happening at major events. The latestArt Baselconfirmed that galleries are showing more mid-priced work, not just the massive, ultra-expensive pieces they once counted on. A recentreport from Art Basel and UBSshowed that while the overall art market shrank last year, the number of actual sales went up. It's a clear signal that the business is no longer just about a small group of big spenders, it's now about reaching a wider audience at lower price points. 'The old model was built on scarcity and prestige. The new one runs on access and attention.' A significant force behind this change is the shifting demand for different types of art. The once-dominant 'blue-chip' artists, masters whose work commanded staggering prices, are no longer the only game in town. Collectors are increasingly turning their attention to 'red-chip' artists, a new class of talents whose value is built on viral hype and cultural relevance rather than institutional endorsement. These artists are attractive for two main reasons: their work is often more accessible and affordable, and it brings fresh, diverse cultural perspectives that feel relevant and exciting to a global audience. This hunger for new voices and unconventional methods is reshaping the market. A key example isOlaolu Slawn, a London-based artist who sold out his solo show,I present to you, Slawn, at the Saatchi Yates gallery in 2024 by creating and selling 1,000 individual, more accessible pieces, an approach that challenges the fine art world's focus on scarcity and prestige. A separate but related trend sees celebrities entering the art market with their own work, often commanding high prices based on their fame. Actor Adrien Brody is a notable example. His art, which he described is about celebrating the little nuances in life has sold for significant amounts, as per a convo withInterview Magazine. For instance, a painting he created of Marilyn Monroe was sold at a Cannes gala auction for $425,000 USD, illustrating how star power can directly translate into commercial value. However, his work has drawn sharp criticism from the industry, with critics often labeling it as kitschy and derivative. One critic writing forARTnewsdescribed his work as having a 'faux naïve aesthetic' and 'mediocre production value,' while others have accused him of cheaply appropriating the styles of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. As the old guard shrinks, smaller galleries are finding new ways to thrive. In New York,Tiwa Galleryshows self-taught artists in a relaxed space, rejecting flashy Landddcombines Latin American crafts with immersive events. In L.A.,Marta galleryblends art and design right into everyday life. These new spaces care more about quiet, genuine connection than putting on a spectacle. Retail is also becoming a new kind of gallery. Stores like South Korea's Gentle Monster and London's Dover Street Market are blurring the lines between art and commerce, transforming shopping into an immersive cultural experience. Gentle Monster's stores are famous for their fantastical, ever-changing installations, from surreal kinetic sculptures to robotic figures that draw in visitors who are just as interested in the art as they are in the eyewear. Dover Street Market, founded by Comme des Garçons's Rei Kawakubo, is a 'beautiful chaos' where each brand and artist is given a dedicated space to create a unique installation, turning the store into a constantly evolving exhibition. By blending high-end retail with cutting-edge art and design these spaces offer a new kind of public access to creativity, making the gallery experience a part of a commercial transaction rather than a separate cultural outing. 'If your space is fueled by DJs and cocktails, maybe it isn't really a gallery anymore.' It's clear that going to a gallery is no longer the only way to see or buy art. Today, buyers can just scroll on their phones and purchase work directly from studios or social media. This instant access has replaced the slow dance of white-cube shows and champagne previews. Some galleries are trying to keep up, creating online art drops and hosting pop-ups in different retail spaces. But others are pushing back, as one veteran gallerist puts it: if your space is fueled by DJs and cocktails, maybe it isn't really a gallery anymore. Art isn't disappearing. It's just moving, becoming more accessible and less tied to one physical location. The old model was built on scarcity and prestige. The new one runs on access and attention. The question isn't whether galleries will survive, but which ones can change fast enough to matter.
Vogue
2 days ago
- Vogue
Ilfenesh Hadera Was Right at Home on the Set of Highest 2 Lowest
Here, Hadera talks to Vogue about Highest 2 Lowest's dreamy Cannes premiere, being schooled (quite happily!) by Washington on set, and what she'd like to do next. Vogue: Highest 2 Lowest had its world premiere at Cannes this year. How did you approach getting dressed for that red carpet? How do you like to feel in those moments? Ilfenesh Hadera: I mean, here's the thing. I'm 39. I grew up in Manhattan. I have a real sense of my own style, what I think works, what I like, and maybe I play it safe, but generally, if I don't feel good in it, I'm not going out in it. Not for the sake of a brand relationship, not for the sake of pushing comfort zones. I feel like if you don't feel good, you look self-conscious, and it shows. And when you're at a premiere, you're meant to be celebrating your hard work and your project and feeling good, and you should own the moment. Cannes was kind of a funny moment. I'm not a huge dreamer—I like to set goals and be realistic about things and kind of be in the moment and not dream about the future too much, because I think it does detract a little bit from where you're at. But Cannes has always been a temple of cinema. There's so much history, and I really wanted the look to be perfect. I ended up at the Albright Fashion Library, and they styled the look the day before I took off. I've never in my life worn polka dots, but I felt great, and it felt appropriate.
Vogue
6 days ago
- Vogue
9 Spike Lee Joints to Watch (or Revisit) Now
Spike Lee is something of a Cannes legend—a festival regular who was president of the jury in 2021 and returned this year with his latest high-octane romp, Highest 2 Lowest, a reunion with long-time collaborator Denzel Washington. Ahead of its arrival in theaters this week, we revisit the boundary-pushing auteur's most impactful work to date, from the sun-soaked highs of Do the Right Thing to the devastating gut punch of Da 5 Bloods. She's Gotta Have It (1986) Lee's breakthrough came at the age of 29, with his raucous, ultra-low budget feature-length directorial debut: the zippy tale of a Brooklyn artist (Tracy Camilla Johns) struggling to choose between three lovers, which earned him Cannes's Youth Prize for young directors as well as the Independent Spirit Award for best first feature. Some three decades later, he'd adapt it into a spirited, DeWanda Wise-led Netflix series of the same name, too. Do the Right Thing (1989)
