Baltic Bridge East by West announces co-production slate

The Baltic Bridge East by West (B’EST), the venture to foster co-productions between the European Union and the CIS countries and Georgia, has announced its first slate here in Cannes.

The B’EST workshop is held by the organizers of Baltic Event (Estonia) and International Film Forum for CIS Countries in cooperation with EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs), Rfilms, Tandem Production (Russia), and with the support from MEDIA Mundus.

The European Union half of the slate includes Aurora Films’ Guillaume André-directed project Saaremaa, the title of which refers to a link with Estonia.

Amour Fou participates with the Soviet prison camp drama Francuski, from Serbian director Goran Rebic and Napafilms, Finland, presents youth drama Finka by Reetta Aalto.

Tasse Films’ orphan drama Mellow Mud by young Latvian filmmaker Renars Vimba represents the Baltic countries.

Romantic comedy Good-bye is produced by Germany’s Jolle-Film and directed by Kazakhstan-born filmmaker Anna Hoffmann.

On the Eastern slate Russia is represented by three projects: Vita Activa’s psychological drama The General, directed by Georgian-born Bakur Bakuradze, whose first and second feature films were selected in Cannes; apocalyptic action-horror Hogweed submitted by studio CTB Film Company and Sharnohoy – the Yellow Dog, Geser Film Studio’s contribution, which is directed by Bair Dishenov, who won Crystal Bear in Berlin for his debut short.

Georgian company Cinetech brings the drama Alien House, directed by Rusudan Glurjidze and the line-up is completed by Armenian project Lucid Place, produced by Parallels Film Production and directed by its founder Hovhannes Galstyan.

B’EST’s two workshops take place on June 23-27 in Moscow, within the framework of Moscow International Film Festival, and November 25-28 in Tallinn, within the framework of Baltic Event.

Baltic Event previously collaborated with the Moscow Business Square, when the Media International supported initiative Baltic Event for East was organized in 2010. From the BE’E selection, Sergei Loznitsa’s In the Fog has its premiere in competition in Cannes.