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European discoveries: Ten Directors to Watch

June 9, 2011, 5:30 PM

EFP presents passionate European directors and their films at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Who makes exciting stories work on screen? Who is the person behind touching pictures, amazing film scenes and breathtaking moments in cinema? Ten directors from across Europe will be spotlighted as creative heads of passionate cinema in the sidebar “Variety´s Ten Euro Directors to Watch” at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF, July 1 - 9, 2011). At the invitation of European Film Promotion (EFP) and KVIFF, they will present their films in this most attractive sidebar from July 3 – 4. The talent was selected by critics from the international trade magazine Variety. Most of them are first- and second-time directors and prize-winners from the international film festival circuit. The MEDIA Programme of the EU and the ten participating EFP member organisations are supporting the event. This year again sees HBO in the Czech Republic serving as the main sponsor.

Launched as “Variety Critics’ Choice: Europe Now!” 14 years ago, the sidebar has meanwhile strengthened its focus on the filmmakers while nurturing young cinema, often driven by a humorous and thrilling idea, sometimes controversial, but always entertaining. “The selected films are notable for their freshness, invention and passion,” says Alissa Simon, Variety liaison for the “Variety´s Ten Euro Directors to Watch” sidebar at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

The spectrum of films range from comedy to horror, from affectionate portrayals to psychological thrillers. With Kill List (UK), Ben Wheatley displays both a nasty edge and a playful sense of humour, while Yasemin Samdereli (Germany) with Almanya has created a breezy, colourfully styled comedy which centres on multiple generations of a German-Turkish clan. As an antithesis of the grim naturalism of the best-known new Romanian cinema, the witty, stylishly crafted Hello! How Are You? will be presented by Alexandru Maftei (Romania), and Jannicke Systad Jacobsen from Norway with Turn Me On, Goddammit brings an affectionately candid portrayal of female adolescent eroticism which seldom gets portrayed on screen.

Steven Gaydos, Executive Editor Variety, comments: "The world seems to have gotten smaller since Variety, EFP and Karlovy Vary began showcasing emerging European filmmaking talents in the official Fest section now known as VARIETY’S TEN EURO DIRECTORS TO WATCH nearly 15 years ago. Or perhaps the Hollywood film industry’s appetite for European filmmaking talent has gotten bigger. Because today the small, adventurous, often-groundbreaking works of these Euro talents are watched by the agents, producers and execs in Hollywood with great interest and urgency: in the pages of Variety you now see a rush to represent and employ new European filmmakers and you see the announcements of new Hollywood films that are in the dynamic, creative hands of these new European directors."

With the programme, EFP and its partners aim to honour new European cinema and the talent behind it. During two days of events and screenings, the directors will be introduced to the press, industry and public. The festival in Karlovy Vary is regarded as one of the most influential and renowned film events in Central and Eastern Europe, which attracts – apart from attending industry and press - especially young audiences from the Czech Republic and the neighbouring countries, who travel to Karlovy Vary each year in anticipation of exciting cinema experiences.

The directors will be presenting these films

More information in the press release here

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