Innovative Filmmaking Takes Center Stage at Rotterdam’s CineMart Awards
Barbara Rupik’s visionary project, “Cherub,” clinched the prestigious Eurimages New Lab Award for Innovation at CineMart, the co-production market affiliated with the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Rupik, known for her exceptional puppet animation in Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s “Silent Twins,” artfully explores the narrative of shape-shifting angelic beings in “Cherub,” who descend upon a forgotten village to claim the soul of a dying girl. The €5,000 Wouter Barendrecht Award further recognized Rupik’s creative prowess.
On a parallel note, Lilian Hess’ “Duchampiana” secured the Eurimages New Lab Award for Outreach. This unique VR experience delves into body politics, drawing inspiration from Duchamp’s iconic work, “Nude Descending a Staircase.” Hess, recognized for her previous work, “Observations at 65º South,” which was acquired by Netflix, aims to create a thought-provoking emotional experience with “Duchampiana,” marking her debut as a VR director.
Eurimages, the Council of Europe’s cultural fund supporting independent filmmaking, introduced two new awards at this edition of CineMart. The Innovation Award, offering €20,000, supports projects in development promoting experimentation, while the Outreach Award, worth €30,000, recognizes work-in-progress projects that enhance audience outreach.
Additionally, Andreas Fontana, director of “Azor,” clinched the Filmmore Post-Production Award (€7,500) for his drama “Les Diplomates,” portraying a tale set against the backdrop of the Eastern Bloc’s disintegration in the late 1980s. The winners’ list also includes Shengze Zhu’s “A Distant House Smokes on the Horizon,” recipient of the ArteKino International Award (€6,000), and Alejandro Telémaco Tarraf’s “Alumbre,” honored with the VIPO Award (€3,000).
This year’s CineMart showcased a diverse array of 16 features and four immersive projects in development, alongside four features and two immersive projects nearing completion in the Darkroom work-in-progress program. Head of IFFR Pro, Alessia Acone, expressed enthusiasm about the rich diversity of projects, emphasizing the platform’s commitment to fostering avant-garde, visionary, and groundbreaking content in the ever-evolving landscape of film and media.
Full list of winners:
4DR Studios Award
Winner: “The World Came Flooding In,” dir. Isobel Knowles & Van Sowerwine, Australia
Produced by: Film Camp
ArteKino International Award
Winner: “A Distant House Smokes on the Horizon,” dir. Shengze Zhu, China, U.S.
Produced by: Burn the Film, supported by the Hubert Bals Fund for development
Eurimages New Lab Award – Outreach
Winner: “Duchampiana,” dir. Lilian Hess, France, Germany
Produced by: Tchikiboum
Eurimages New Lab Award — Innovation
Winner: “Cherub,” dir. Barbara Rupik, Poland
Produced by: Madants
Filmmore Post-Production Award
Winner: “Les Diplomates,” dir. Andreas Fontana, Switzerland, U.K.
Produced by: Alina Film
Wouter Barendrecht Award
Winner: “Cherub,” dir. Barbara Rupik, Poland
Produced by: Madants
VIPO Award
Winner: “Alumbre,” dir. Alejandro Telémaco Tarraf, Spain
Produced by: Zeitun Films