Aug 29, 2019
Berlinale Co-Production Market: Submit International Feature Film and Series Projects Now

Until October 9, 2019, internationally experienced producers may submit new feature film projects in need of co-producers and financiers to the 17th Berlinale Co-Production Market (February 22 - 26, 2020). Approximately 25 feature-length fiction film projects will be selected from all submissions by the end of 2019. Project budgets should be between one and 20 million euros, with at least 30% of the financing or production funding from the project’s native country already in place.

Exceptions for projects with less than 30% financing:

Producers from Latin and Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Central and Southeast Asia, the Caucasus, Greece, Portugal and Southeastern Europe may also submit lower-budget projects starting from 750,000 euros.

Directors who have had films presented at the Berlinale in previous years may submit film projects with less than 30% financing for the selection of three “Berlinale Directors” projects. This exclusive selection of new film projects by Berlinale filmmakers, likely to be of particular interest to prospective co-producers and financiers, enables early support in the projects’ search for funding.

Another ten projects will be presented at the “Talent Project Market” in cooperation with Berlinale Talents. Producers in the first ten years of their career may submit their projects along with their Berlinale Talents application by September 2, 2019 for the “Talent Project Market”.

“Co-Pro Series”

Producers with series projects from around the world are invited to submit them by October 23 for participation in the highly sought-after “Co-Pro Series” pitch, following in the footsteps of earlier projects such as Babylon Berlin to find international co-production partners. At the “Co-Pro Series” event, the Berlinale Co-Production Market team organises both the pitch as well as meetings with potential partners.

A tailor-made meeting timetable will be created for each selected project at the Berlinale Co-Production Market. Approximately 1,500 specifically pre-planned individual meetings with interested potential co-producers, financers, international sales agents, distributors, TV broadcasters and sponsors take place on-site. Producers and financiers searching for co-production projects may apply for participation starting in November 2019.

In addition to the projects at the Berlinale Co-Production Market, once again five international companies will be introduced at the “Company Matching”. And at the pitching event “Books at Berlinale”, in cooperation with the Frankfurt Book Fair, participants are invited to discover new novels for potential cinematic versions.

Of the international feature film projects selected for the Berlinale Co-Production Market in previous years, 290 films have been successfully completed. Last year, the Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film, A Fantastic Woman by Sebastián Lelio (Berlinale Competition 2017, Silver Bear for Best Script), drew much attention, and already this year, 12 films have been presented at A-film festivals or are soon to celebrate their premiers. Photograph by Ritesh Batra (Berlinale Special 2019) opened in German cinemas in August, and The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea by Syllas Tzoumerkas (Panorama 2019) will open in September.

The Berlinale Co-Production Market is part of the European Film Market. The Berlinale Co-Production Market is funded by MDM - Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung and the Creative Europe - MEDIA programme of the European Union.

Online submission forms and further information on 2020 project submission is available at www.berlinale-coproductionmarket.de.

Press Office
August 29, 2019