8th La Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde - Update

Today organizers announced that this year Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde Patron is none other than Claire Denis.  During three days she will accompany the events programed for the ten project directors and producers but most interesting they will be able to attend a masterclass by the renown filmmaker.

Believe that besides the outstanding opportunity for the young directors and producers, the appointment of Claire Denis as this year patron of this cinema event sponsored by l’Institut français will get major press coverage, at least a lot more than in previous years. Great!

To read the news at l'Institut français official site go here, available only in French.

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4/22/15
The Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde is a professional program helping talented young directors from emerging countries increase their international exposure. Each year this program, developed by the Institut Français, invites ten directors working on their first or second feature films to attend the Festival de Cannes along with their producers. They receive personalized support, improve their market position and find new international co producers.

The selection committee of La Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde has chosen 10 projects (8 fiction films and 2 documentaries) for the 2015 edition.  Truly remarkable is that out of the ten directors five are female filmmakers, that's 50% which is more than double the usual less than 25% share.  Great.  Female directors are in BLUE.

1922, directed by Martín Mauregui, produced by Agustina Llambi Campbell, Argentina
African Cinema, directed by Haminiaina Ratovoarivony, produced by Eva and Nantenaina Lova, Madagascar
La Belle et la Meute (Beauty and the Dogs), directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, produced by Habib Attia, Tunisia
Cactus Flower, directed by Hala Elkoussy, produced by Hossam Elouan, Egypt
Harb Miguel (Miguel's War), Eliane Raheb, Lebanon (documentary)
Jiejiafuzuo (Lotus Position), directed by Liu Shiu, produced by Ying Liang, China
Liberation, directed by Tushar Prakash, produced by Sanjay Shah, India
ساحة اللعب Playground, directed by Wesam Mousa, produced by Eyad Badwan, Palestine (documentary)
Todos Somos Marineros (We're All Sailors), directed by Miguel Angel Moulet, produced by Carolina Denegri and Héctor Gálvez, Peru
Venecia (Venice), Rusudan Chkonia, Georgia

A Brief summary of each project.

1922

I want to shoot an adventure movie that is rabidly modern, with fascinating, unique characters that are trying to find their way home even though they are going in opposite directions. Martín Mauregui.

Synopsis: It is 1922 in Patagonia. Two anarchists escape the army by fleeing towards the mountains. On the way, they meet with adventures: the Widow, the Indians, Marx’s suicidal daughters, psychedelic drugs, avenging whores, a poisoned whale… in the meantime, these two nameless men try to get to know each other.

African Cinema
Why is Madagascar so rich but so poor? What does the presence of foreigners in Africa hide? This fiction is inspired by a true story. Haminiaina Ratovoarivony.

Synopsis: An American humanitarian worker crosses Madagascar to make a donation, equipped with an ice pick and a GPS. The Minister, who has a lot to lose in this affair, requests Lova and her two beaux to act as guides. Nevertheless, the island and its many pitfalls defeat the foreigner, who thought he was on safe ground.

La Belle et la Meute (Beauty and the Dogs)
 
Myriam wants to file a complaint against two police officers who raped her, but can you denounce the police to the police? Kaouther Ben Hania.

Synopsis:
Tonight, Myriam, a beautiful young Tunisian student, only wants to dance. But something terrible breaks her wings. Two police officers rape her. Despite the trauma and pain, Myriam is adamant: she wants to file a complaint.

Cactus Flower
Cactus Flower is a story of survival through human solidarity. Dreams are a form of resistance, and the city, which charms and abuses, is as much a protagonist as the characters. Hala Elkoussy.

Synopsis: The story of Aida, a struggling theatre actress, her neighbour Samiha, a destitute and reclusive bourgeoise of fading beauty, and Yassin, a tormented street-smart young man. All three are thrown together overnight after a flood leaves the two women homeless in Cairo, a city on the verge of collapse.

Harb Miguel (Miguel's War)
 
This feature-length documentary deals with the themes of family, religion and fascism, and their impact on people’s construction of their political and sexual identity. Eliane Raheb.

Synopsis:
Miguel, a Lebanese man in his fifties who immigrated to Spain, is going through a personal and emotional crisis. He is homosexual and masochist, and has never been in love. Traveling between Lebanon, Spain, France and Syria, Miguel faces up to who he really is as part of an emotionally healing journey.

Jiejiafuzuo (Louts Position)
Yu, a modern young Chinese woman, embarks on a life-changing personal journey, which leads her from pain to fear, conflict to serenity. But one question remains unanswered: can she accept injustice? Liu Shu.

Synopsis: When her mother is killed in a hit-and-run accident, Yu sets out to find the culprit. Her quest for justice and mourning process take her on a spiritual journey. When she finally finds the murderer, he turns out to be extremely religious. He tries to buy her silence without admitting responsibility. Yu must choose between forgiveness and justice.

Liberation
Torn between traditions and modernity, Liberation is my attempt to express the confusion that surrounds women and men in India regarding their identities and their search for liberation from a maelstrom of social and emotional conflicts. Tushar Prakash.

Synopsis: In a modernist house on the outskirts of Delhi, a love-starved middle-aged woman, an overworked husband and a young alcoholic domestic helper search for liberation from their mundane lives and existential conflicts. Liberation highlights the angst of modern Indians surviving in a fractured society plagued by globalization, repression and violence.

ساحة اللعب Playground
The children of Gaza used to enjoy playing a lot of games that had a direct relationship with reality. Children’s games during peacetime are not like those in wartime. Wesam A. S. Mousa.

Synopsis: The film focuses on the games children invented in Gaza during the Nakba and Israeli siege, and their transformation in the wake of the Hamas revolution. Their games reflect their desire to live normal lives and survive a hostile reality. They also reflect the political struggle within Palestinian society, as well as the struggle to overcome Israeli oppression.

Todos Somos Marineros (We're All Sailors)
Krystof, a sailor stranded in Peruvian waters, learns to live on solid ground. A woman will be his ally in this new journey that awaits him. Miguel Angel Moulet.

Synopsis: Krystof, his brother and the Captain live on a fishing ship, stranded in the port of El Callao. The company is bankrupt, the ship has not fished in eight weeks and the rest of the crew has returned to their countries. With no money and no real possibility of change in sight, Krystof tries to adapt to a new way of life on solid ground.

Venecia (Venice)
After seven years of stagnation, the owners of an unfinished apartment block called “Venice” have a chance to solve their problems even though it means one of them must give way. Rusudan Chkonia.

Synopsis: A construction company has been unable to finish the “Venice” residential complex for seven years. Each attempt to complete construction ends in failure. The strange tragic-comic gatherings of the residents resemble the construction of the Tower of Babel: no one can reach an agreement except in the face of a common enemy.

If you wish to read about directors and producers for each project go official site here.