Producers Alexander Glehr and Johanna Scherz have received the €20,000 ArteKino International Prize from the Cannes Marche du Film’s Investors Circle for Gentle Monster, to be directed by Marie Kreutzer.
Gentle Monster follows two women who shape their lives around men whose dark sides they prefer to ignore: Lucy, who moves to the country with Philip and their son despite professional restrictions on her; and Elsa, who balances her job as a police special investigator with caring for her demented father.
Glehr and Scherz produce through their Austrian company Film AG Produktions GmbH, and have previously made titles including Kreutzer’s Corsage and The Ground Beneath My Feet.
The project was selected from a 10-strong list, among projects by Lukas Dhont (Coward – working title), Kornel Mundruczo (Kamo), Eliza Hittman (Motherlove) and Sebastian Lelio (Poeta Chileno).
The selection process for the Investors Circle was overseen by Aleksandra Zakharchenko, head of industry programs at the Marche du Film; Arte France Cinema managing director Remi Burah; media entrepreneur Serge Hayat; Tamara Tatishvili, head of Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund; and New Europe Film Sales head of acquisitions Marcin Luczaj.
“Filmmaking is a really big mountain, and what happens before the premiere – to get a film made – is a very long climb,” said Kreutzer. “So we really need people who want to support cinema and have love for cinema – that’s why meeting investors is extremely important. I had great conversations with these investors so far. The script has sparked their interest, and they’re eager to learn more about the project.”
“The Investors Circle is truly designed with investors in mind, which makes all the difference,” said Celine Dornier, VP financing & acquisitions at Logical Pictures Group, who attended the event. “The selection of projects is consistently high-level, with prestigious and diverse filmmakers that match what I’m looking for.”
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