Jessica Hausner and Annemarie Jacir Films Among Projects Pitched by Up-and-Coming European Producers in Cannes (EXCLUSIVE)

Yahoo

13-05-2025

European Film Promotion is playing host at the Cannes Film Festival to 20 up-and-coming European producers, selected for its Producers on the Move program. Variety invited the producers to share details of their upcoming projects, which we list below, including films to be directed by Jessica Hausner and Annemarie Jacir.
Blerina Hankollari, AlbaniaProject: 'Beyond the Blue Mountains Is the Sea'Director: Eneos Çarka'Beyond the Blue Mountains Is the Sea' is a meditative docufiction about a diver, suspended in oxygen therapy, who slips into a reverie that connects him with his mysterious double travelling Europe's last wild river in southern Albania, where water dissolves the boundaries between memory, nature, and identity.
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Andi G. Hess, AustriaProject: 'Toxic'Director: Jessica HausnerAcross four chapters, 'Toxic' examines different aspects of the modern working world. Through contemporary parables, it follows employees and employers within a capitalist system on the verge of outpacing itself. At times, the tone is more realistic, at others more absurd, but what ties it all together is the human element that acts as the sand in the gears of a profit-driven world.
Geraldine Sprimont, BelgiumProject: 'The Judges'Director: César DiazThe portrait of the precariousness of Guatemala City's suburbs, caused by the abandonment of social, political and police institutions. Here, the 'law of the strongest' has been reinstated. Through two female characters, the film tells the story of a community of neighbors who decide to kill a rapist as an act of self-proclaimed justice.
Magdelena Ilieva, BulgariaProject: 'Voices'Directors: Magdelena Ilieva, Yana MarinovaA crisis PR expert in Bulgaria's make-believe democracy saves her daughter from prison by fronting a women's rights campaign that masks the very abuses her daughter exposed. The fakeness that erodes society slowly rots their relationship in this twisted, darkly funny tale.
Tamara Babun Zovko, CroatiaProject: 'First Week of August'Director: Filip MojzešAn idyllic island vacation takes a tumultuous turn when a mother's sudden physical outburst towards her 10-year-old son exposes hidden tensions and lingering conflicts within the family. A picturesque Mediterranean setting becomes a backdrop for the family to confront long-standing personal issues.
Daniel Mühlenthorp, DenmarkProject: 'Medicated'Director: Las Dyhrcrone'Medicated' follows Ivan, 17, a ruthless young opioid-addict known as the Crocodile, who must confront his humanity when a stranger challenges his position on The Seagull Farm ruled by 87-year-old Angel Girl seeking her successor among her disciples.
Lionel Massol, FranceProject: 'Sousan'Director: Marie Le Floc'hThis is the story of a man who fights to find a woman who may never come back. This is the story of a woman who has never given up and who may have already paid too much to give up. This is the story of their impossible love.
Fred Burle, GermanyProject: 'The Oblivion Theory'Director: Annemarie JacirIn Gaza in 1987 a reclusive New Yorker hides in a rooftop apartment amid an uprising. Isolated yet watchful, she unexpectedly becomes a quiet force of change – for herself and those around her. 'The Oblivion Theory' is a new feature by renowned director Annemarie Jacir.
Claudia Sümeghy, HungaryProject: 'DVNA'Director: Tamas Yvan Topolánszky'DVNA' is a haunting eco-thriller where a tech mogul's quest to expose a Danube pollution scandal ripples across time — entwining with a mother's search for her missing child in a deserted Budapest, and forcing us to face the consequences of our environmental choices.
Deirdre Levins, IrelandProject: 'Meat'Director: Rioghnach Ní GhrioghairPresented at Cinemart and the Berlinale Co-Production Market in 2025, 'Meat,' a cannibal folk horror by Rioghnach Ní Ghrioghair, follows a young girl in 1800s famine-stricken Ireland who finds refuge with a sisterhood, only to discover their survival depends on more than nature's bounty.
Francesca Andreoli, ItalyProject: 'Me, If You Want'Director: Leonardo Guerra SeràgnoliAn unexpected email draws a lonely Italian man into the life of a young London DJ — and into a fragile dance between truth, forgiveness, and the family we choose. Co-written by Leonardo Guerra Seràgnoli and Blaise Peters, this cross-cultural drama blends emotional depth with a fresh, contemporary edge — set between southern Italy and London's vibrant music scene.
Kristele Pudane, LatviaProject: 'Dancing Void'Director: Madara DišlereA poetic and intimate documentary following a young medical clown on a transformative journey — revealing how profound healing can emerge even in the darkest places through reflection, empathy, and freedom, using a wordless art form that connects people across cultures and boundaries.
Klementina Remeikaitė, LithuaniaProject: 'Liberations'Director: Laurynas Bareiša'Liberations' is the third feature film by Laurynas Bareiša, an award-winning director recognized at both the Venice and Locarno film festivals. The film tells the story of a family fleeing an unseen war, only to confront the profound psychological aftermath of a conflict that leaves no physical traces, yet shatters everything they once knew.
Bojana Radulović, MontenegroProject: 'Fires'Director: Bojana RadulovićBojana Radulović's 'Fires' is a female-led Balkan psychodrama where patriarchy, wildfires, and adolescent desire collide. With Cannes alumna Eleonora Veninova directing and newcomer Anja Vujković starring, it's a bold, festival-ready vision for global arthouse and platform audiences.
Vincent Quénault, LuxembourgProject: 'The Cupboard'Director: Laura SchroederDirector Laura Schroeder ('Barrage,' 2017) is developing her fourth feature, 'The Cupboard.' This social drama, based on a true story from Luxembourg, follows a woman who appears to be the prime suspect in a tragic accident at a children's day-care center.
Janne Hjeltnes, NorwayProject: 'First Aid for Killers'Director: Bobbie Peers'First Aid for Killers' is an off-beat dark comedy by Palme d'Or winner Bobbie Peers ('Sniffer,' 2006) where a lost man's search for escape leads to mistaken identity, a heist, and quiet chaos beneath the surface of a tourist paradise.
Agnieszka Wasiak, PolandProject: 'Black Water'Director: Aga WoszczyńskaSet against eerie Nordic landscapes, 'Black Water' is a suspenseful slow-burner about two women who form an unexpected bond after their partners mysteriously vanish amid an ecological disaster. Their connection guides them through loss toward embracing uncertainty and healing in a world falling apart.
Carla Fotea, RomaniaProject: 'Expelled'Director: Tudor Platon'Expelled' is the third documentary from Tudor Platon (DOP of 'The New Year That Never Came' by Bogdan Mureșanu). The project was pitched at IDFA Forum last year and is currently in financing. It's a gripping exploration of the Romanian educational system, triggered by the scandal surrounding Tudor's expulsion from high school in the middle of the political crisis of 2010/2011.
Eliza Jones, SwedenProject: 'My Best Friend's Baby'Director: Sophie Vukovic'My Best Friend's Baby' is a film about the greatest love of all – friendship. After Damir donates his sperm for Sara's solo parenting journey, the two best friends travel from Sweden to his family's wedding in Croatia, where the strain on their secret arrangement challenges their friendship and forces them to reassess their own notions on family.
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