Films from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America are among the 25 feature projects selected from a record 270 submissions for the ninth edition of European Work in Progress (EWIP), which will be held during the FilmFest Hamburg’s industry days for the second year from September 28-30.
This year’s selection, which will be pitched to an international audience of sales agents, distributors and festival programmers, covers a mix of genres including thrillers, comedies, horror, fantasy, coming-of-age dramas and biopics.
The lineup includes several first-time features including Eka by India’s Suman Sen, La Unión by Spain’s Cordelia Alegre and Mum? by Austrian actress-turned-director Katharina Sporrer.
Projects by established names include veteran Serbian actress-director Mirjana Karanović’s third feature Folk Play, which had been pitched at the Berlinale Co-Production Market in 2024; New York-based Latvian animator Signe Baumane’s third animated feature Karmic Knot following her previous full-length films Rockets In Pockets and My Love Affair With Marriage; Czech writer-director Vaclav Kadrika’s historical drama Panna Sophia/Comenius; and dark comedy Social Animal by Iranian-born, Berlin-based director-producer Sinan Ataeian Dena, who produced of Ali Ahmadzadeh’s 2023 Locarno Golden Leopard winner Critical Zone.
The winners of awards offered by such sponsors as The Post Republic, K13 Studios and Northern Stars – Hamburg Film Partners alliance of companies will be decided by an international jury comprised of Christian Bräuer, managing director of Yorck Cinemas, Venice Film Festival programmer Paolo Bertolin, Rotterdam Film Festival curator Rebecca De Pas, sales agent Valeska Neu from Films Boutique, and Movistar+ editorial manager Iñigo Trojaola.
Several projects from the 2025 EWIP line-up have had their world premieres at international film festivals this year, including Teodora Ana Mihai’s Heysel 85 in Berlin, Abinash Bikram Shah’s Elephants In The Fog and Katharina Rivilis’ I’ll Be Gone In June in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard; Elephants In The Fog won the UCR jury prize and has been selected as Nepal’s Oscar submission.
The complete selection for EWIP’s 2026 edition:
A House On The Waves (Iran-Fr) dir: Lily Mousavi. Prods:: Gholamreza Mousavi (Filmsazan Javan), co-produced with Florian Môle (Les Grands Espaces)
Crossings (WT) (Germany) dir: May Dugast. Prod: Linus Ladiges (Klinkerfilm)
co-produced with Fréhel Vince (Filmarche)
Deserted (Germany, Algeria, USA), dir: Mario Pfeifer-Mutumba. Prods: Julia I. Peters (Jippie Film), Mario Pfeifer-Mutumba (Blackboard Films) co-produced with El Kheyer Zidani (ZK Productions Alger), Oliver Thau (Papermoonfilms)
Don’t Be A Stranger (Germany)dir: Robert Thalheim Prods: Andreas Banz, Matthias Miegel, Robert Thalheim, Jasmin Saunders (Kundschafter Filmproduktion)
Eka (India, Australia, France) dir: Suman Sen. Prod: Maud d’Amade (Zorba Production)
co-produced with Alan McAlex (Suitable Pictures), Emmanuel Pappas, Manjari Makijany (Asia Pacific Pictures)
FOLK PLAY(Serbia, France, Luxemburg, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro) dir: Mirjana Karanović. Prod: Snezana van Houwelingen (This and That Prod.)co-produced with Denis Carot (Elzevir Films), Ulysse Payet (Noctua Films), Jani Thiltges
(Samsa Film), Ida Weiss (Bela Film), Ankica Jurić Tilić (Kinorama), Marija Perović (Kino)
I Don’t Even Know Who I Was (France, Brazil) dir: João Paulo Miranda Maria. Prod: Justin Pechberty (Les Valeurs) co-produced with Mayra Faour Auad (Mymama)
Karmic Knot (Latvia, Germany) dir: Signe Baumane. Prods: Dominiks Jarmakovičs (Studio Locomotive), Fabian Driehorst (FABIAN&FRED)
La Unión (Spain, Colombia) dir: Cordelia Alegre. Prods: Àngels Masclans (Dos Soles Media), Roger Torras (Desarrollos Mediáticos Internacionales/WKND), Federico Duran (El Sol Ermitaño), Jaime Guerrero (Rara Cine)
Legítima (Mexico, Italy) dir: Elisa Miller Encinas. Prods: Nicolás Celis López, Ana Katiria Suárez Castro (Pimienta Films) co-produced with Lorenzo Fiuzzi, Bardo Tarantelli (UMI Films)
Lost Boys (Ethiopia, USA) dir: Josh Leong, Abel Engedayehu. Prods: Josh Leong, Semagngeta Aychiluhem, Eden Tigabu, Lauren Franco, Violette Trotter, Gideon Bear Hamot (Lost Boys Film)
Mother of Sugar (Spain) dir: Clàudia Cedó. Prods: Ariadna Dot (Deliris Films), Rafa Molés (Suica Films), Tono Folguera (Lastor Media)
MUM? (Germany) dir: Katharina Sporrer. Prod: Henry Tritschler (Leitwolf Filmproduktion)
Panna Sophia/Comenius (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey, The
Netherlands) dir: Václav Kadrnka. Prods: Simona Kadrnková, Václav Kadrnka (Sirius Films), Katarína Krnáčová (Silverart) co-produced with Burak Çevik (Fol Films), Minco Eggersman (Rina Film)
Retreat (Hungary, Slovakia) dir: Hajni Kis. Prod: Júlia Berkes (Proton Cinema)
co-produced with Mátyás Prikler (Mphilms), György Kárpáti, Balázs Berta (Vertigo Media)
Serebrennikov - Every Day Is An Empty Stage (Germany, Switzerland) dir: Marcus Richardt. Prod: Marcus Richardt (Favo Film) co-produced with Michela Pini, Guy Fässler (8HORSES)
SOCIAL ANIMAL (Germany) dir: Sina Ataeian Dena. Prods Sara Fazilat (Third Culture Kids), Sina Ataeian Dena (Plan A)
Spross (Germany) dir: Friederike Güssefeld. Prod: Anton Kaiser (Schramm Film)
Suraiya (Bangladesh, Germany) dir: Robiul Alam Robi. Prod: Fazle Hasan Shishir (Ratherhood Initiatives) co-produced with Nicole Gerhards (NIKO Film), Shibabrata Barman, Robiul Alam Robi, Faridur Reza Sagar, Raihan Rafi, Moumita Hussain
Tahmina (The Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Poland) dir: Aboozar Amini. Prod: Jia Zhao (Silk Road Film Salon) co-produced with Waltraud Ehrhardt, Peter Obrist (Good Karma Fiction Films), Aonan Yang, Andreas Mendritzki (Greenground Productions), Idza Igel (Harine Films)
The Dancer of Berlin (Germany, Bulgaria) dir: Zsolt Bács. Prod: Helge Sasse (Tempest Film)
co-produced with Gabriel Georgiev (Samba Pictures)
The Next Testament (Spain, Estonia) dir: Velasco Broca. Prod: Cormac Regan (Lanzadera Films) co-produced with Iban del Campo (Limbus Filmak), Aram Garriga (Visual Suspects), Sergio Adriá (Espurna Films), Katrin Kissa (Homeless Bob Production)
Uzbek For Beginners (Uzbekistan, Germany, France) dir: Michael Borodin. Prod: Julia Shaginurova (Einbahnstrasse Productions) co-produced with Bekzod Abduvaliev (Abstract Visuals), Emmanuelle Faucilhon (Les Films du Sillon), Michael Borodin
We Are Kiboko (Kenya) dir: Wakio Mzenge. Prods: Timothy Agevi, Kennedy Kyalo (Ivonry Production)
Witch (Kazakhstan, France) dir: Adilkhan Yerzhanov. Prods: Aigerim Abaykhanqyzy, Olga Khlasheva (Sirius Production) co-produced with Guillaume de Seille (Arizona Films)
No comments yet