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The 10 projects supported by La Fabrique Cinéma 2021
5 min19 film-makers and producers from southern and emerging countries are taking part in the Institut français La Fabrique Cinéma this year. 10 films, undergoing development and financing, have been selected for the 2021 edition.
Between workshops, collective meetings and individual meetings with consultants and potential partners, La Fabrique is organising an online and onsite programme during the Cannes Film festival, designed for the winners.
Read about the 10 feature-length film projects selected!

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2/12ALIS, by Clare Weiskopf and Nicolas van Hemelryck (Colombia)
Film-maker and journalist Clare Weiskopfhas has spent more than fifteen years working on various social questions. She has won the Columbian national journalism prize twice. The films of Nicolas van Hemelryckhave competed at the IDFA, Cinéma du Réel, Dok Leipzig, Sheffield, DocNYC and have been awarded prizes at Turin, Bogoshorts and Docudays-UA. The Alis documentary is their second feature-length film.
Synopsis: Teenage girls who lived on the streets of Bogotá dream up a fictional classmate. The soulful narrative reveals their perseverance to break the cycle of violence and embrace the future.

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3/12DANCING THE TIDES, by Xeph Suarez (Philippines)
Xeph Suarez comes from Mindanao, and lives in Manilla. He has made several short films, including Si Astri maka si Tambulah, which won the award for best director and received a special mention from the jury at Cinemalaya 2018. Dancing the tides is his first feature-length fiction film. He is accompanied by the producer Alemberg Ang (Daluyong Studios).
Synopsis: A Muslim transwoman from a community of “sea gypsies” is torn between living blissfully with her boyfriend and following her tribe’s customs by marrying a woman betrothed to her at birth.

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4/12ELDER SON, by Cecilia Kang (Argentina)
Cecilia Kang studied film-making at the E.N.E.R.C. She made several short films which took part in several international festivals, like Videojuegos, Berlin Film Festival 2015, in the "Generation" official competition, and Mi último fracaso, her first documentary film (Première BAFICI 2016, in competition). Elder Son is her first feature-length fiction film. She is accompanied by the producer Juan Pablo Miller (Tarea Fina).
Synopsis: The film draws an emotional cartography based on a family’s migration from post- war South Korea to Argentina. They break traditions to go against what is expected of them, delineating unexplored paths through painful acts of freedom.

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5/12FALLEN, by Damian Sainz Edwards (Cuba)
Damian Sainz Edwards is a filmmaker and visual artist born in Cuba, who has made several short films, selected and awarded prizes in prestigious festivals around the world. His latest short film, The fugitives, sketches out the characters of his first feature-length film, Fallen. He is accompanied by the producer Viana González (Autonauta Films).
Synopsis: An old macho man returns to his hometown upon his daughter’s death. There he will have to choose whether to be part of a family he long abandoned due to his prejudices or continue living his lonely life.

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6/12FLESH OF MY FLESH, by Matthys Boshoff (South Africa)
Matthys Boshoff’s short film, Flesh of my flesh, was presented in competition at Clermont Ferrand and has been selected in more than 30 festivals where he won several awards. The feature film is produced by Jozua Malherbe (Make Stuff Machine).
Synopsis: Following a car accident that left his wife quadriplegic, Magnus, a rising lawyer, brings free spirit Annelie back from the hospital. As the lover becomes the caretaker and dreams disappear, will the family survive?

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7/12FRESCOS OF THE FORGOTTEN, by Amédée Pacôme Nkoulou (Gabon)
Amédée Pacôme Nkoulou is a Gabonese filmmaker. His first short fiction film, Moane Mory (2014), has been shown in several festivals around the world, in particular in the official selection at FESPACO.
Boxing Libreville, his first creative documentary film, won the best documentary film award at the Tarifa African film festival and the jury prize at FIDADOC in Morocco.
The scenario of his first feature-length film Frescos of the forgotten, won the Idrissa Ouedraogo Prize of the Ouaga Film Lab. He is accompanied by the producer Samantha Biffot (Princesse M production).
Synopsis: Set in a fictional African country, Frescos of the forgotten tells the story of a young street artist who tries to rebuild himself after being incarcerated for two years.
Crédit photo : ©Tayla Gentle
Fresque de ©Skubalisto

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8/12IF WE DON’T BURN, HOW DO WE LIGHT UP THE NIGHT, by Kim Torres (Costa Rica)
Kim Torres is a Costa Rican scriptwriter and filmmaker born in 1993 who has taken part in the Guadalajara Talents of the Berlin Film Festival and made the short films Suncatcher (2021) and The Champion (2015). She wrote the scripts of two Netflix series as well as several feature films. She is working on her first feature-length film, If we don't burn, how do we light up the night, selected at the MAFF, where the project received an award, and has taken part in the Torino Film Lab Next. She is accompanied by the producer Alejandra Vargas Carballo (Noche Negra Producciones).
Synopsis: Amidst the heat of summer in Costa Rica, fourteen-year-old Laura has to move to a conservative mountain town where rumor has it that a creature from the forest killed a woman. As her friendship with Daniela grows into something special in an environment that sexualizes their adolescent bodies, she finds the courage to save her from an abusive relationship.

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9/12SOLO (EKA), by Suman Sen (India)
Born and raised in Kolkata, Suman Sen is a writer, director and producer living in Mumbai, India. His first feature-length film, Solo (Eka) participated in Film Bazaar 2019 and Torino Next 2020. He is accompanied by the producer Arifur Rahman (Goopy Bagha Productions).
Synopsis: Solo explores the degeneration of the core social fabric of India, moving towards a fragile future and failing aspirations. The film reflects the time I have lived in for the last couple of years: a time of hatred, intole- rance, and violence.

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10/12KABUL MELODY, by Sahra Mani (Afghanistan)
Sahra Mani is a multi award-winning director. Her first feature-length documentary, A Thousand girls like me (2019), has been shown in several film festivals. Her work as a producer and director focusses on human rights, equality and justice. Kabul melody is her second feature-length film.
Synopsis: Teenage girls Madina and Negin are studying music at the only music school in Kabul. They navigate their way between family criticism and Taliban threats. As a new European tour is coming up, both girls suddenly vanish. One day I receive a phone call. Madina wants to share her story.

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11/12THE MISSING PLANET, by Marouan Omara (Egypt) and Tom Rosenberg
Marouan Omara is a filmmaker based in Cairo. His films are set on a non-marked territory between fiction and documentary. The Missing Planet is his second feature-length film. He works closely with Mark Lotfy (Fig Leaf Studios), producer/director of Alexandria.
Synopsis: The missing planet is a journey through the surreal landscapes and fragmented memories of another world that mirrors our own.

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The Institut français and the project

La Fabrique Cinéma de l’Institut français is a programme aimed at identifying and promoting directors and producers from emerging countries. Working together with other professional partners, it offers personalized support to first and second feature film projects.
More information about La Fabrique Cinéma de l’Institut français programme
More information about the projects of La Fabrique Cinéma 2021