Posts in Category: News
Producers Pitch @ Nordic Talents 2014
Ok, so I didn’t give this pitch yesterday at the Nordic Talents Producers Pitch, where the established producers gets to pitch their company to the graduates of the Nordic Film Schools, because I had signed up wrong. Oh well. This is what I would have said:
Dear Graduates,
My name is Nynne Selin Eidnes, and I am a Producer and owner of First lady Film. I focus on films for children and youth. I do all kinds of films, animation, documentaries, fiction and series. I always look for the fantastic element. The thing that makes me go, wow, I have not seen that before. Genre, style, format and budget, comes second.
I know the film schools teach you to strive for the theatrical feature film as the epiphany of all filmmaking. And yes, some of you will make theatrical features. But, the theatrical feature is fast becoming a genre of its own and unless the way you want to tell your story falls into that very specific format, you will have to find other ways. Art-house films for one, does not work theatrically any more. Art-house works on the digital platforms. But not in the 100 minute format. 20 minutes work, 40 minutes work, and the very long format of 6 to13 hours work. So in this new fabulous digital marked there are possibilities for everyone to find the format and the audience that fits exactly the story you want to tell.
So I encourage you to be bold, be brave, don’t be bound by the conventions of the older generations. We are the ones that right now have to define the future of filmmaking.
This is why I make films for children and youths. They are the future, they are digital natives, they don’t care about platforms or formats, they don’t care if it is web, cinema or tv. They care about characters and universes and stories that inspire and engage them. They understand art, they understand aesthetics and they want to learn and be entertained.
My latest film Growing Pains, an animated short film about a teenage boy who turns into a werewolf when he is horny, just won the National Grand Prix at Odense Film Festival last week and has its last public showing in Toronto tomorrow morning, and is now going on the Academy long list. I have an animated feature film that just got development from Creative Europe and I am working on two 6 episode series and one documentary.
So if you want to be a pioneer, an entrepreneur and you want to make films for the future, you should come and talk to me.
Thank you.
Growing Pains: BEST DANISH SHORT FILM
Late Friday, I got at call from Director Tor Fruergaard, from The Odense International Film Festival.
Growing Pains WON:
BEST DANISH SHORT FILM (Academy Award qualifying)
and
SPECIAL MENTION (Animation competition)
see for yourself here: http://www.filmfestival.dk/en/winners/
That is just fantastic. And I am actually really thrilled that it did not just win the animation competition, but the best SHORT FILM – out of all films, both live action and animation.
oh, and the Academy Award qualifyer isn’t too bad either.
Now we are looking forward to Toronto and the International premiere.
Also we are working on a premiere for the cast and crew and friends in Copenhagen, where we will also display some of the fabulous stop-motion sets – for an invite, contact me.
VOKSEVÆRK / GROWING PAINS to TIFF
Finally it is official. Vokseværk is selected for the Short Cuts International at Toronto International Film Festival.
This is the best possible start for the film. And hopefully tha beginning of a long life in the festival circuit.
Tor Fruergaard, Sissel Dalsgaard Thomsen, Kristian Eidnes and myself will be going to Toronto to meet the audience and the industry and
to see if we can create a good vibe around the film.
And hopefully I will meet some possible future collaboration partners for Minna & The Dreambuilders. A producer’s work is never done.
But it’s always a lot of fun.
I am so proud of Vokseværk. And of everyone working on the film. YAY!
read more on www.growingpains.dk
We <3 Creative Europe
Wow. To be 1 out of just 14 animation projects to receive development funding from Creative Europe. That makes us just so darn proud.
This means that MINNA & THE DREAMBUILDERS can hold a completely awesome pixar inspired workshop where immensly talented people will pour all their great ideas
into the film and we can just paddle around in a pool of creative bliss, picking and choosing to our liking. And the best part: We will pay people to be part of our development.
Believe it or not, that is not too common these days. But now we have that possibility, and I promise you that we will take the money and do our absolute best
to get as much of it into the film, so we can make a kick-ass film that will awe the shizzle out of everyone and really cement that Danish animation is great…
So, no pressure 🙂 Just hard work.
Giant shout out to Producers Lise Saxtrup and Nina Lyng for letting me see (read: borrow from) their previous applications. I could not have done it without them. Or the invaluable help from Danish Creative Europe desk, Ene Katrine Rasmussen. You ladies ROCK!
Bachelor pitches at the Animation Workshop
I was invited to sit in the panel when the students at the Animation Workshop in Viborg pitched the films they are going to work on as their bachelor films. There were 26 pitches and only 6 will make the cut. I was completely amazed at the quality of the projects. Not that student films usually aren’t great, but this year they have had pitch training from the very talented Jerrica Cleland-Hura, and that meant that all the projects were founded in something the person pitching really had a relation to. Either in the theme or the characters or the setting. They were 26 very personal projects and that made my job really easy. When I see a pitch, my first approach is always to look at 3 important factors. 1) Is there a market for this film. 2) Can I finance this film 3) Do I believe that the person pitching will be able to lift this project off the ground.
Since the students had been so beautifully trained in finding stories that resonates in their own lives, nr. 3 came easy peasy. And since there is no need for external financing nr 2 was also easy. It quickly became apparent that they had been given a fear-free environment to develop their pitches in, so the diversity and quality of the projects were very high. And an interesting thing happens when people pitch films that they have a close personal connection to. It becomes much easier to see where the potential of the film is in the marketplace. Because if you feel it, then others will too. So all in all, it was a great day, that I really enjoyed, and I am looking forward to receiving an email later to day with the list of the 6 projects (my recommendation was 5 films + 1 game) that will be the graduation films of the Animation Workshop in January 2016.
No matter which films end up getting made, they will be interesting and funny and moving and definitely worth to watch. Yay!
My first Reeboot: PALLE ALENE I VERDEN
This is a great day for First lady Film. I’ve just signed the transfer of rights to the popular danish children’s book PALLE ALENE I VERDEN (Palle alone in the world). The book is about a 5 year old boy who wakes up and finds himself completely alone in Copenhagen and does what all children do. Explore the city, the toy store, the sweet shop, even take all the money he wants in the bank. everything is his for the taking. But how great is it to have everything you ever dreamed of, if you have no one to share it with?
The author, Jens Sigsgaard wrote the book in 1942, during the war. He was a children’s psychologist and the book is based on interviews he made with children about what they wanted most of all in the world (to have everything) and what they were most afraid of in the world (that they would be completely alone) – and that is why the book resonates with us even today.
There is a film. Brilliant Danish director Astrid Henning-Jensen filmed the book in 1949. We have big shoes to fill with this reboot. The film is on the Danish national cultural canon for kids.
Astrid’s film has been cherished for 65 years. We want to make a film that is as timeless and important so it can last for the next 65 years.
It will be live action with spectacular special effects. Directed by Esben Tønnesen and written by Susan Stølsvig Skovmand
PALLE ALONE IN THE WORLD. TODAY.
OMG I gave a speech
Last week in Cannes I gave a speech as the opening of the NORDIC FACTORY co-producers Happy Hour on the Director’s Fortnight beach.
It was short and sweet and basically encouraged people to meet the wonderful people behind the facility houses that have been really generous in their investment in the Nordic Factory films.
And of course to come and co-produce more films in Copenhagen. In the picture I am standing in front of some of the films that sound studio Mainstream has done in the recent years, and frankly it is quite a line-up.
The Happy Hour was a success and I know that all the facility houses are ready to do it again. So if you missed us this year, we will most probably be back in some form next year. YAY!
GROWING PAINS selected for OFF main competition
What a great email to finish off a week in Cannes: GROWING PAINS is selected for the main competition at the Odense Film Festval. Yes, its the nr 1 Danish short film festival, that will send the winner directly to the Oscar short film short list. Can you feel the breeze of the red carpet, because we sure can ! Everybody shout AUUUUUUUUUUUUU !
WATCH OUR TEASER HERE:
Growing Pains on Buster Film Festival
If you thought that the Buster Film Festival was only for small kids, then think again.
We are happy to announce that Danish Audiences will have the chance to see some erotic wolf action on this years edition.
Lock up your daughter, or she may cry wolf!
Growing Pains in DFI festival distribution
We are so happy that The Danish Film Institute has chosen to take Growing Pains into their festival distribution. We hope that this can open some A-festival doors for our film – so that we can show the world how Danish animation kicks ass.
Growing Pains (almost) selected for OFF
We are in the last days of compositing on Growing Pains, and have just submitted a Work In Progress to the Odense Film Festival, where we hope to hold our Danish Premiere – it also an Oscar Qualification festival, so lets hope we win.
But, first we have to get selected, but if you can see the link below, it looks like the selection jury is enjoying it!
NORDIC FACTORY in the editing room
All the films have been shot, and have begun the very fast paced editing process. We are showing the films to The Danish Film Institute and The Copenhagen Film Fund on wednesday and final cut is on friday, so they are working till their fingers bleed. Thankfully the directors are all very talented and have been well prepared, so as of now (knock on wood) everything is going smoothly. yay!
Cartoon Movie Coolness
Kim Hagen, Thomas Howalt and I have arrived at Cartoon and saw Esben Toft’s Beyond Beyond as the opening film. I was really looking forward to that as I missed it in Berlin. Its gonna be a great couple of days.
Nordic factory Kick-Off
production meeting with all the directors and production managers of Nordic factory. The room is buzzing with creative energy and the Lady feels happy and content. Lets Make some Movies!
Building the dream
We are extremely happy to announce that we got selected to pitch at Cartoon Movie so now the fun begins.
We are working hard to getting the teaser trailer ready for Cartoon.
Please contact me if you are there and want to meet.
Cartoon Movie
Just submitted a new film to hopefully be pitched at Cartoon Movie i March 2014.
We are very excited!
Building the forest
Since all of the sets on the GROWING PAINS film are folded in paper, then so are the exterior shots of the forest.
In this shot, Forest Designer Charlotte Worsaae and builder Benjamin Buch Andersen discuss how to dress the forrest when we shoot.
Production Designer Liselotte Justesen overlooks the process.
VENUS NR 1. ON EKKO SHORTLIST
Tor Fruergaards graduation film VENUS has just snagged the nr 1. spot on EKKO Shortlist.
EKKO Shortlist is a new Short Film Forum created by Danish Film Magazine EKKO and is right now the most influential place to have your short film shown. EKKO short list has the attention of The Danish Film Institute and all the major players in the Danish Film Industry.
Venus is written by Sissel Dalsgaard Thomsen with beautiful photography by Sturla Brandth Grøvlen.
Tor, Sissel and Sturla return to make our new film GROWING PAINS, so this could not be better.
Director Anthony Tullberg plays for DFI
Director of ME, MYSELF & MARTIN LAURSEN, Anthony Tullberg plays football today in the EKKO Football CUP.
Anthony will play on the team of The Danish Filminstitute. We wish them the best of luck
http://www.ekkofilm.dk/artikler/kampen-om-fodboldtronen/
CLOUD FISHER a new animated fantasy film
I just delivered an application to DFI with a new animated fantasy film called CLOUD FISHER. About a girl learning to overcome her fear of heights while saving the day and her father from evil.
Epic fantasy stuff. I am looking forward to working for the first time with director Troels Hugo Cederholm and writer Simon Weil.
It will be awesome, I promise you that.