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We believe in stories, and in the people who tell them. Since its launch in 2011, The Sam Spiegel International Film Lab has become a leading force in the development of groundbreaking feature films by some of the world’s most promising talents. ​ Each year the Lab selects 12 international writer/directors who are at advanced stages of writing their first/second narrative feature film. The participants are invited to Jerusalem for three working sessions, over an eight month period. ​ The selected projects undergo an in-depth process with one of our acclaimed script editors, after which they are presented to an audience of jury members and decision makers, highly esteemed film professionals at a celebratory communal event in Jerusalem. The jury awards production prizes totaling $70,000, generously donated by the Beracha Foundation. ​ The Sam Spiegel International Film Lab supports bold storytellers, who look deeply into the human experience in search for their unique truth. The projects speak for themselves. Out of gallery Our Method The Sam Spiegel International Film Lab supplies filmmakers with creative oxygen- time, mentorship and deadlines. ​ The Lab participants are invited to Jerusalem for two 4-7 day writing sessions which take place in December & March. During these days, the Lab's devoted script editors lead an in-depth process with the filmmakers, listen to each project, defining its needs: Searching for its heartbeat, the pulse of the story, mining for the characters' emotional truth . Asking difficult questions that need to be faced in order to make each script the best it can be. ​ Between the face-to-face sessions, filmmakers meet the script editors online to continue the work in progress. As the third session nears, the developed scripts are submitted for the jury's reading. At this point producers/directors are required to create a short scene which best reflects the artistic intent and vision of the film-to-be. ​ In the third and final three-day session, which takes place in July, the projects meet the world! At the pitching event, director/producer teams present their projects and scenes to the prestigious jury members, as well as to an audience of relevant decision makers from the international film circuit. Based on the full script and the artistic vision, the jury awards production prizes totaling $70,000, generously donated by the Beracha Foundation. ​ This final session creates opportunities for the projects' producers to meet potential partners- co-producers, sales and distribution companies, funders- and solidify their production packages. Conducted in the Sam Spiegel work ethic, the eight-month Lab is as rewarding as it is demanding. Work in Progress JSFL is a long term relationship. Since the very beginning of the JSFL, our alumni have proven themselves as meaningful artistic players in the festival circuit and with audiences worldwide. JSFL takes pride in the alumni's achievements, and they are many. "Son of Saul" won the Best Foreign Film Academy Award . JSFL alumni films have premiered at the most prestigious film festivals, such as Cannes- "The Kindergarten Teacher", "Run", "Apprentice" and "One Week and a Day"; Berlinale - "The Black Frost"; Venice - “Acusada”, "Banat"; Sundance - "Imperial Dreams", “Photograph”; Tribeca - "We are Young, We are Strong", "I Dream in Another Language"; San Sebastian - "Barash", "A Taste of Ink", Busan - "Mr. Kaplan, Rotterdam - "Chaco" and have won numerous significant awards. To support the completion of the films, in 2018 JSFL created a Work in Progress (WIP) program , open to projects developed at JSFL, as well as other projects by JSFL alumni, directors & producers. The JSFL WIP takes place in July alongside the pitching event. The WIP showcases 3-5 films in post-production , each eligible for a cash award of $25,000. This prize will be granted to the film with a bold creative vision and finest execution, as selected by a jury comprised of international & Israeli professionals. The prize is generously donated by the Beracha Foundation. Call for the WIP program will be announced by late April 2020. Life is a work in progress. About JSFL Team Script Editors Scouts Participants The Venue

Target Participants Schedule Prizes Eligibility Costs Application Selection Process PARTICIPATION Target Participants JSFL is aimed at writers/directors from all over the world that are developing a 1st or 2nd fiction feature film. Projects must be at an advanced stage of development, having a full script, which is a solid, workable draft. JSFL Schedule Each edition of the JSFL lasts 8 months, during 3 sessions that take place in Jerusalem. The first session is 5-7 days in December , the second is 3-5 days in March , and the final 3 day session takes place in July. The first two sessions focus on writing -each filmmaker progressing through dialog with the script editor they have been assigned. Between these two sessions, an online meeting is scheduled, to aid the progression of the writing. The third session revolves around JSFL pitching event, which takes place during the Jerusalem Film Festival, and introduces the projects to an internationally renowned jury and an audience of influential decision makers including producers, sales agents & festival programmers. The film producers must be present and take part in the pitching. In preparation for the third and final session, the participants are required to produce one scene from the script (not longer than 3 min), which will be screened at the pitching event and will serve to communicate the artistic vision of the director. ​ COVID19 updates Following the global pandemic and ensuing travel restrictions JSFL moved all the work of the 9th edition, and reconstructed the schedule to meet the new conditions. Looking toward JSFL 10th edition we will continue to create the best possible conditions for our promising, selected participants to immerse themselves and progress their projects. The exact structure and dates of the 10th edition will be published later on, depending on the global situation. Prizes The Sam Spiegel International Film Lab Grand Prize- 50,000 USD The Sam Spiegel International Film Lab- Emerging Filmmaker Award- 20,000 USD Generously donated by the Beracha Foundation The Factory 54 Artistic Vision Award- 8,000 USD Eligibility JSFL selects a mix of Israeli and international projects, 12 in total. The international projects are by invitation only, while the Israeli projects can apply through an open call. Eligible Lab applicants are writer-directors[1], who are within the process of working on their first or second full-length feature film, and have directed at least two short films or a television drama or documentary film, or an episode in a television series (two from any of the above), whose production has inspired international and/or local attention[2]. The filmmaker declares that they possess the script for a full-length feature film, which they wrote or were a full partner in writing; that they possess full copyrights to the script, and possess the ability to develop it independently, or with the assistance of a scriptwriting partner. Each project must have a producer committed to the project. English is the working language of the JSFL. Candidates must have sufficient fluency and comprehension. _______________________________________ [1] A director who does not serve as the sole scriptwriter of the project is allowed to invite his scriptwriting partner to the Film Lab, upon advance approval by the Film Lab staff. All expenses of the participation of this scriptwriter will be borne by the director or his representative. [2] A candidate who has directed only one short fiction which has attracted international attention is eligible to apply for acceptance to the JSFL. The Lab is entitled to separately examine exceptional cases such as this and other. ​ International projects- materials must be submitted in English. Israeli projects- materials may be submitted in Hebrew. Costs Participation fee is 1,000 Euro per project. Throughout the entire duration of the Jerusalem based activities, the JSFL will fully host the JSFL participants from across the world and from Israel, and will provide local transportation, lodging and board (breakfast and lunch: full meals; dinner: partial meal). Participants must pay all air-travel costs for the 3 sessions. This includes the expenses of the producer for the third session. JSFL will cover two nights of lodging for the producer in July. In many countries bursaries and scholarships are available for this kind of training. Application International Projects The application is by invitation only. JSFL utilizes scouts to identify promising candidates from around the world, whose project and creative profile meet the qualifications and standards of the Lab. No direct registration options are available. Selected projects apply online between June 1st to June 5th. Israeli Projects A call for Israeli projects is open for application between May 16th to May 31st, during which submissions are made online. The JSFL is open to graduates of all film schools, who meet the criteria. Selection process The selection process includes 3 stages: ​ 1. Submission of project dossier. ​ Dossier includes: ​ a logline & short synopsis 3-5 page synopsis director's statement link to director's previous work biographies and filmographies of all partners and project status. Projects selected for 2nd stage: ​ 2. Submission of full script. ​ Candidates will have approx. 10 days from notification to submission of script, which means script must be ready in English in advance. Projects selected for 3rd stage: ​ 3. Online Interview via Skype/Zoom. Both writer/director & producer must be present in the interview. Selected filmmakers will be informed by mid September. ​ For more information please check our FAQ or contact: lab@jsfs.co.il Apply now

Participants Lab No. Lab No.9 Lab No.8 Lab No.7 Lab No.6 Lab No.5 Lab No.4 Lab No.3 Lab No.2 Lab No.1 arrow&v Claire Oakley Project Name: English Animals Country: Lab No. UK 9 Dekel Berenson Project Name: ALIYA Country: Lab No. Israel 9 Elinor Nechemya Project Name: Island Country: Lab No. Israel 9 Ihab Jadallah Project Name: The Doubt Country: Lab No. Palestine 9 Juan Sebastián Quebrada Project Name: The Other Son Country: Lab No. Colombia 9 Marianna Brennand Fortes Project Name: Sisters Country: Lab No. Brazil 9 Myrsini Aristidou Project Name: Iris Country: Lab No. Cyprus 9 Netalie Braun Project Name: Oxygen Country: Lab No. Israel 9 Odeya Rosenak Project Name: Seven Chapters in Survival Country: Lab No. Israel 9 Pavel Vesnakov Project Name: Windless Country: Lab No. Bulgaria 9 Shuchi Talati Project Name: Girls Will Be Girls Country: Lab No. India 9 Tom Nesher Project Name: Finally Country: Lab No. Israel 9 1 2 3 4 5 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ... 9

Tom Nesher Back to Participants Project Name: Finally Producer: Haim & Estee Mecklberg Country: Israel Year of lab participation: 2021 Lab edition: 9 View the scene Logline When Inbar’s beloved young brother is killed in an accident, she takes desperate measures to fill the void that has been created in her life. When she discovers he had a girlfriend she knew nothing about, these measures take on a passionate and dangerous twist. Synopsis The only person Inbar (20) has really ever loved is Nati (17), her younger brother. Everything changes when Nati meets Maya (16) and falls in love. Their happiness is all consuming but short lived: Nati dies in a car accident. Inbar’s world is shattered. She now has to face another devastating realization: Nati lied to her. He was in love with a girl she never met. At first, Inbar hates Maya, who seems to be her exact opposite. Maya is sweet, demur and reserved. But curiosity haunts Inbar, and she develops a desperate hope that Maya can become a substitute to Nati in her current broken life. Inbar draws Maya into the darker regions of existence, where she feels most comfortable. Maya falls for Inbar. Hard. At the end of summer, Inbar and Maya travel to the deserted and heavenly Sinai desert. At night, Inbar convinces Maya to go skinny dipping with her. Drunk with alcohol and passion, Inbar reveals her fantasy: the two of them will stay together forever in Sinai. Maya becomes terrified. They fight and struggle violently, until Maya manages to break free. Inbar is left alone. Floating. When Inbar and Maya meet at Nati’s memorial, a year after his death, they are almost strangers. They chat about what happened in the time that has passed, but nothing seems to connect the two anymore. Except the longing, to the one they both loved, and to the love they felt to each other, for a little while. Director’s Note This is a very personal story. A year and a half ago my beloved younger brother was killed in an accident. My brother and I looked like twins, and lived an adventure-filled life together. We didn't have secrets from each other, or at least so I thought. This is a story of loss. Immediately after my brother died, I started writing. Some of my friends and family said I should leave it alone, because it only causes me pain. But this exact pain is the one that Inbar chooses to experience over and over, while deepening her relationship with her brother’s girlfriend, Maya. As Roland Barthes put it in his book "Mourning Diary": “I ask for nothing but to live in my suffering”. This is a story about youth. Youth is twilight time. If childhood is morning, and adulthood is night, the characters in my story exist at sunset. They know for sure that something is over and they are toying reluctantly of the idea of a new beginning. The teens in the film are constantly examining their boundaries: sexuality, friendship, dependency, loyalty, humiliation, and self-sacrifice. This is a story about love. I once read that spousal love increases twice as much when the couple loves a third person together - their child. If so, can two lovers of the same “child” bond together through an odyssey, and thus discover true love with each other? This is the way I see my story. Finally aims to be an exuberant, feisty, provocative, lively cinematic experience. I know this might sound totally contradictory to what one might expect from a film that is driven by mourning. Yet life has very little respect to conventions and expectations, and in my mind, movies should follow suit. Director-writer Tom Nesher is a filmmaker and a journalist. She is a graduate of the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film School's screenwriting program, and a student of history and literature in Tel Aviv University. Her three short films were screened in the Jerusalem Film Festival, Tel Aviv’s LGBT film festival, and in festivals around the world. Concurrently Nesher is also engaged in directing music videos for some of Israel’s most successful artists. For three years, she produced for Israel’s leading radio station, Galei Tzahal, the elite “Broadcasted University” program, in which she collaborated with some of Israel’s finest scholars and intellectuals. Today, she is a news anchor and editor at “Reshet” channel in Israel. She also does unique freeform documentary pieces which are broadcasted in primetime news. Finally is Nesher’s first feature film, and it has received a screenwriting development grant from the Rabinowitz film fund. Producer profile Haim and Estee Mecklberg are veteran Israeli producers. They have started 2-TEAM PRODUCTIONS in the beginning of 2005 in the intention of producing cross-over feature films – films with highly artistic and social content, yet outstanding audience appeal. Their past successful film include Eran Riklis's THE HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER, Asaf Korman's NEXT TO HER, Sharon Maymon & Tal Granit's THE FAREWELL PARTY and Elite Zexer's SAND STORM. Production company profile 2-Team Productions is one of the leading Israeli film production companies. Our films have participate in all major international film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto and Sundance, won numerous international and Israeli awards (including Sundance Grand Jury Prize, Venice Audience Award and Israeli Academy Best Film Awards) and, at the same time, were successfully distributed in Israel and around the world. Production Company 2-Team Productions, Tel Aviv, Israel office@2-team.com +972-3-787-5111 Production Budget $1,150,000 Secured funds $ 15,000, Rabinovitch Film Fund development grant Genre: Coming of age Language: Hebrew View the pitch

Pavel Vesnakov Back to Participants Project Name: Windless Producer: Veselka Kiryakova Country: Bulgaria Year of lab participation: 2021 Lab edition: 9 View the scene Logline A piece of desolated land stands between a young boy and his estranged relatives in a battle for lost dignity. Synopsis A foreign investor wants to buy people's land and even relocate the local cemetery in a small town in Bulgaria. The locals are happy to sell and leave the decaying area, without worrying what the dead might say. The only one to oppose this transaction is Kaloyan. An old engineer who worked as a director in the big Uranium mine around which the city was built during the Soviet Union. His stubbornness sparks conflict within the community, as well as within his family between him, his son and his grandson. Will the old moral values of Kaloyan help him win this last battle for lost dignity or he will ruin the lives of everyone he loves, and forces the young boy, named after him, to commit a crime. Director’s Note This movie explores the alienation between three family members who have forgotten how to love and share their feelings. Asen is part of a lost generation stuck somewhere in the transition between Communism and Democracy. Asen’s father Kaloyan, is a man of dignity and long forgotten values. Somewhere between the conflict between Asen and Kaloyan, Koko lies hidden. He’s a boy on the verge of manhood, desperately searching for a role model in his life. I am searching for an answer to the question are we, as society, capable of producing persons of honour anymore? I know that the movie is not going to give a definitive answer but it can lead us searching for it. The most important inspiration for this project was the life of my grandfather. He was a talented poet, but because he was against the communist regime, he wasn’t allowed to publish any books until the fall of the communism. He once told me: “They can always take you everything you have, but no one can take your dignity.” When I heard this sentence, I was so young that I didn’t pay much attention to it. Nowadays I think a lot about this subject and I based the foundation of my movie around it. The rhythm of the movie will be closer to an observation that will urge the audience to search for a self-knowledgeable experience. The lack of any wind even in the widest environments will serve as a metaphor for the lost path that our civilisation is heading on. The camera movement will help me shape this narrative as poetic as possible. In order to achieve this, I will use mainly long static shots. I am also planning to use old anamorphic lenses that will add another layer of timelessness to the movie. Director-writer Pavel G. Vesnakov director - writer, Bulgaria An alum of both Berlinale and Sarajevo Talents, Vesnakov’s first feature German Lessons premiered at the Cairo International Film Festival (2020) , and won the award for Best Male Performance and Sofia Special Jury Prize and FIPRESCI award. His short film trilogy Inches of Suburbia screened at Locarno and Clermont Ferrand, where it won the Grand Prix (2014), and was nominated for the European Film Awards (2014). Georgi Ivanov, Teodora Markova, Nevena Kertova co-writers, Bulgaria The writers team created the internationally recognized crime drama Undercover (2011), and was nominated for best foreign TV series at Monte Carlo Television Festival. The team’s mini-series Father’s Day (2019) was selected for the Venice Gap Financing Market; and Berlinale 2017. His feature Bubblegum (2017) won Best Screenplay at the Golden Rose Film Festival. Co-writers, Bulgaria Georgi Ivanov, Teodora Markova, Nevena Kertova The writers team created the internationally recognized crime drama Undercover (2011), and was nominated for best foreign TV series at Monte Carlo Television Festival. The team’s mini-series Father’s Day (2019) was selected for the Venice Gap Financing Market; and Berlinale 2017. His feature Bubblegum (2017) won Best Screenplay at the Golden Rose Film Festival. Producer profile Veselka Kiryakova Producer, Bulgaria Veselka Kiryakova’s producing credits include Alienation (2013), which premiered at Venice and won two awards. Ága (2018), by Milko Lazarov, premiered at Berlinale 2018 and won more than 40 awards around the world, such as Grand Prix in Tehran, Cabourg, Chukotka, Heart of Sarajevo etc. An EAVE workshop graduate and a member of EFA, Veselka took part in PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE, Cannes in 2018. Production company Red Carpet Films, Sofia, Bulgaria redcarpetfilms.bg@gmail.com +359 898610764 Production Budget $1.230.541 Secured funds $545.454,55 FSA/ Brazilian Cinema Agency Prize; $365.470,21Globo Filmes / Co-producer through Audiovisual Law; $85.818,18 Private investors through Audiovisual Law; $51.980,15 Direct funds from the producer; $181.818,18 GAP Genre: Drama Language: Bulgarian View the pitch

Juan Sebastián Quebrada Back to Participants Project Name: The Other Son Producer: Franco Lolli Country: Colombia Year of lab participation: 2021 Lab edition: 9 View the scene Logline Following his younger brother’s fatal fall from a balcony at a party, and as his family falls to pieces before his eyes, Federico makes an effort to live a normal life during his final weeks of school, and falls in love. Synopsis Bogota, the present. Simón (15) and Federico (17) meet up with their friends from the posh high school they recently started attending for a party they haven't experienced in a long time. They drink, dance, do drugs. But the party is short-lived: someone has fallen from the balcony. When Federico looks out the window, he immediately understands that it is his brother. And that he is dead. Federico tries to live his last few weeks of high school as normally as possible as his family falls apart before his eyes. He tries to be strong, to study, date, and prepare for college, but caught between his father, who is convinced that Simón committed suicide, and his mother, who is obsessed with the idea of communicating with her dead son, Federico soon realizes that it will be impossible for him to act as if nothing had happened. He grows closer to Laura, his brother's ex-girlfriend and the last person to have seen him alive, and although she provides none of the answers he was hoping for, he falls in love for the first time. And this, perhaps, is the only thing that will allow him to finally mourn. Director’s Note Six years ago, I got a call from my father, telling me that my teenage brother had just died. Like Federico, the character in my film, I got scared but not much more than that at the time. I went into the bathroom, looked into the mirror and said goodbye to my face and my life. I knew that soon, when I looked at myself again, I would see another face: that of someone with a very different life. Rather than talking about death, in this film I am interested in talking about how, after a traumatic event, not only our perception of things changes, but also the intensity of the present. Of the need to learn to get up and look at things from another place. What it means to reconnect with the world. That is why I choose to tell the story from the point of view of a teenager, “the other son”, who must find his way in the shadow of his dead brother. This is a film of strong contrasts –of light, of feelings, of contexts– and I am concerned with portraying them with an electric intensity. I will try to portray the depth of existence, not through imposed or solemn staging, but through the energy inherent in the use of non-professional actors and in the city of Bogotá. I want to speak out loud about my brother’s death, my family’s madness, and my own pain, but, above all, about the light that comes after darkness. The difficult light, more beautiful than ever, that all humans must see sooner or later. Director-writer Studied directing at the Universidad del Cine in Buenos Aires and completed an editing degree at ESCAC, Barcelona. His graduate project, STRANGE DAYS, premiered at the 2015 BAFICI and was selected for festivals and won awards (Munich, Toulouse, Cartagena…). His first short, THE TREEHOUSE , was sold to ARTE before premiering in competition at the Toronto International Film Festival and traveling to more than 35 international festivals. He is currently developing his first feature THE OTHER SON, with the support of production companies Evidencia Films (Colombia), Geko Films (France), Le Tiro (Argentina) and Tresmilmundos Cine (Argentina). Producer profile Franco Lolli, Producer Columbia Colombian screenwriter, director and producer Lolli (1983, Bogotá) studied film at La Fémis in France. Directed the short films Como todo el mundo (2008 Grand Jury Prize, Clermont-Ferrand) and Rodri (2012 Cannes Director’s Fortnight). His opera prima Gente de bien premiered at the 2014 Cannes Critics’ Week and his second feature Litigante opened the same event in 2019. He founded Evidencia Films to produce his own films and those of other directors with powerful ideas and unique perspectives. Production company profile Evidencia Films is a Colombian film production company, whose main focus is the creation of an auteur cinema both daring and with strong commercial potential on the international market. To date, the company has produced Lolli's two feature films as director, as well as seven short films and a miniseries. The company's works have been selected for and won awards at major festivals around the world (Cannes, San Sebastián, London, Chicago…). Most recently, Evidencia intervened as associate producer to Simón Mesa’s first feature AMPARO, that premiered at the Critic’s Week in Cannes 2021. The company is currently developing the documentary LOS TILANGOS by Tomás Pinzón, about the failed Colombian peace process, and the first feature film by 2020 Orizzonti Short Film award winner Mariana Saffon. Production Company Evidencia Films, Bogota, Colombia franco@evidenciafilms.com +57 3132687890 Production Budget $543.000 Secured funds $335.000, Colombian Fund writing and production grants / Colombian, French and Argentinian co producers Genre: Drama Language: Spanish View the pitch

Ihab Jadallah Back to Participants Project Name: The Doubt Producer: Haim Mecklberg, Estee Yacov-Mecklberg Country: Palestine Year of lab participation: 2021 Lab edition: 9 View the scene Logline When Ibrahim is released from prison he is forced to face the overwhelming changes in his family and the society. Synopsis After spending many years in prison, Ibrahim returns to his wife Amal and son Yousef. But things have changed. He doesn’t really know his son, Amal has become independent and has her own business and his brother Mousa is working with the Israelis. Mousa and Amal dream of building a multi-story apartment, but first they must get the Jerusalem municipality sign it off, and get Ibrahim's consent. Ibrahim, displaced, doubtful, carrying the prison's scars, is trying to navigate his rocky family life while negotiating with the enemy. Director’s Note I began writing this script when I started planning to become a father, only later realizing it was, in fact, the story of my own father. My father went to prison for his ideals, that to this day he holds on to. Ibrahim, The Doubt’s protagonist is challenged with a new reality, and has to choose between pragmatism and idealism. Creating this screenplay helped me deal with the fear and doubts of my own fatherhood. Director-writer Jadallah grew up in East Jerusalem with cinema serving as his refuge from a violent reality. Jadallah earned a degree in filmmaking in Barcelona. His shorts The Shooter and The Flower Seller were screened internationally at MoMA, Clermont Ferrand, IFFR, Abu Dhabi and more. His first feature-length screenplay Dead Sea was developed at Torino Film Lab and Binger Film Lab. The Doubt participated at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab 2018 and Sundance Directors Lab 2019. Producer profile Haim and Estee Mecklberg are veteran Israeli producers. They have started 2-TEAM PRODUCTIONS in the beginning of 2005 in the intention of producing cross-over feature films – films with highly artistic and social content, yet outstanding audience appeal. Their past successful film include Eran Riklis's THE HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER, Asaf Korman's NEXT TO HER, Sharon Maymon & Tal Granit's THE FAREWELL PARTY and Elite Zexer's SAND STORM. Production company profile 2-Team Productions is one of the leading Israeli film production companies. Our films have participate in all major international film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto and Sundance, won numerous international and Israeli awards (including Sundance Grand Jury Prize, Venice Audience Award and Israeli Academy Best Film Awards) and, at the same time, were successfully distributed in Israel and around the world. Production Company 2-Team Productions, Tel Aviv, Israel office@2-team.com +972-3-787-5111 Production Budget $910,000 Genre: Drama Language: Arabic View the pitch

Myrsini Aristidou Back to Participants Project Name: Iris Producer: Nathalie Dennes Country: Cyprus Year of lab participation: 2021 Lab edition: 9 View the scene Logline Young Iris winds up at the local police station after attacking a landlord’s henchman. It's only when her long estranged father unexpectedly shows up, that she is bound to let go of her defiant self. Synopsis Limassol, Cyprus. Young and defiant IRIS (13), certainly knows her way around the decadent shipyard. She works a part-time summer job at a traditional fish tavern with her friend DANAE (17) and frequently hides out at her beloved SALOME’s (75) place after pulling petty-thefts, in exchange of running her errands. When Iris discovers that Salome is being forcibly evicted from her home for the development of a real estate project in the neighborhood, she takes matters into her own hands and attacks the landlord’s dangerous henchman, winding up at the local police station. With her hard working mother STELLA (35) not answering the phone, Iris is left waiting in a drab room for a while before her estranged father ARIS (38) unexpectedly shows up. Aris at first denies all responsibility, explaining that the kid is not his problem. Unwilling to leave with him, Iris finally does, and is quickly impressed by his trick to make some easy cash out of the situation. Aware of her usefulness in the scam, she threatens to expose him if he doesn’t give her a cut from the earnings. Determined to pay a lawyer who might help with Salome’s eviction case, Iris returns to her father and artfully imposes herself into his life and work. The two begin to form an unlikely bond, with Iris ultimately forced to take a precarious step towards adulthood. Young and defiant, Iris, 13, certainly knows her way around the Limassol shipyard. She frequently engages in petty-theft, then hiding in her elderly friend Salome’s house. When Iris discovers that Salome is being forcibly evicted, she is determined to change this verdict. Iris turns to her estranged father and artfully imposes herself into his life and work. The two form an unlikely bond, through which Iris finds new powers. Director’s Note A police siren shakes us into alert just like an anxiously barking dog. A wave crashes on the decadent shipyard’s shore, just as a horse races to the finish line. Distressed fences, a forced eviction, henchmen and lawyers, petty-theft and quick cash, blood smears, and an estranged father beside the drifting dust, permeate the world of this film; all before the adolescent eyes of defiant Iris. The parallel drawn across the absence of a father, and the lack of boundaries for young Iris thereof, is the primal drive of the story, just as it was for me at that age. Daringly crossing the threshold of physical and emotional boundaries, to merely understand the fragility that holds them together, Iris oscillates through chaos and order as a way of understanding where exactly she stands in this world. Since my early childhood, I couldn’t help but wonder how different my upbringing would be if I had my father around. This feeling of negligence, ambiguously led to my independent seeking self, an explosive temperament ceaselessly challenging the righteousness of authority. A deep-rooted curiosity to traverse things until the end with an innate desire to hold on tight to the reins. My exaggerated self-determination often led to adrenaline highs, full blown chaos, where I thrusted myself to the verge to merely feel something; anything. It was in my adolescent years that I began to know my father, and the acceptance of our bond, even if flawed, has made all the difference. Forever in the breath of my heroine, highlighting her visceral impulsiveness and delicate naiveté, I seek to portray her precarious journey from determination to defeat and finally acceptance; just as this delicate relationship with her father unveils. Director-writer Myrsini Aristidou was born and raised in Limassol, Cyprus. She graduated with an MFA in Film Directing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and holds a BFA in Film and Art History from Pratt Institute in New York. Her short film Aria (2017) premiered at the 74th Venice Film Festival and continued to screen at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. While her previous short film Semele (2015) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won multiple awards worldwide, including the Berlinale Special Prize of the Generation Kplus International Jury. Myrsini is currently developing her first feature length film, Iris, a European co-production between 1.61 Films and Filmblades (Cyprus), Graal (Greece), The Living (France) and Road Movies (Germany). She was a fellow at the Cannes Cinéfondation Residence and participated at the TIFF Talent Lab, Berlinale Talents, Torino Script Lab, and the Jerusalem Script Lab. The project was awarded a special mention from the jury at the Thessaloniki Film Festival Crossroads coproduction Market. Myrsini also published and exhibited her photographic book Mother India (2009), with all the proceeds donated to the Médecins Sans Frontières. She is the co-founder of Sagapo Children's Foundation, dedicated to education. Producer profile Nathalie Dennes, Producer France Producer, France Nathalie Dennes started her career within the Acquisitions department of Studiocanal in Paris before joining 3B Productions, mk2 and contributing to the launching of CG Cinéma where she managed within four years the production of a dozen critically acclaimed films such as Clouds of Sils Maria by Olivier Assayas, Mustang by Deniz Gamze Ergüven or Things to Come by Mia Hansen-Løve. Production company profile The Living is a Paris-based production company founded in 2017 by Nathalie Dennes to produce directors of her generation and projects combining delicate aesthetics with worldwide appeal, with a focus on women. The company‘s slate currently includes shorts and features from French and foreign directors awarded in major international film festivals. Dennes partnered with 3B Productions on The Truth by Hirokazu Kore-Eda that premiered in 2019 Venice Film Festival. Production Company The Living, Paris, France ndennes@theliving.fr +33 6 74 39 02 71 Production Budget $1,177M Secured funds $555.582 Cypriot Ministry of Culture; $70.613 ERT (Greek Public Television) Genre: Drama Language: Greek View the pitch

Marianna Brennand Fortes Back to Participants Project Name: Sisters Producer: Carolina Benevides Country: Brazil Year of lab participation: 2021 Lab edition: 9 View the scene Logline Marcielle is 13 years old the eldest daughter of an impoverished family on Amazon island. She will do everything in her power to protect herself and her younger sister from the violence that surrounds them Synopsis Marcielle, 13, lives with her parents and siblings in a remote shack on the banks of an Amazonian river. Her mom wants Marcielle to start working the barges and help put food on the table. Knowing that it entails being sexually exploited, her father is dead against it. However, this apparent fatherly protection hides something darker - he is sexually abusing his daughter. Marcielle fights this reality but when her sister is at risk, she must make an impossible choice Director’s Note What fascinates me in cinema is the potential to encounter the “other” and how it enables us to see, feel and live in someone else’s shoes. This is why I will have an absolute protagonist, Marcielle – we will be radically on her point of view, seeing only what she sees and hearing only what she hears. As a filmmaker, I want to increase public awareness for such a painful subject matter as sexual abuse of women, especially children and adolescents. In terms of plot, I chose a , a classic narrative with tremendous visual power. Although the abuse scenes are never shown on screen, my intention is to show in a poetic way how the violence impacts on the character perception. Marcielle experiences many conflicts and the film will be with her in her moment of conscious awareness. In the photography I want to show the contrast of the beauty and richness of the region's natural landscape with Marcielle's poor and sad reality. The lush forest with abundant water can be as arid as a desert. A very cinematic environment that hides the unspoken "rules" of its inhabitants. For that “Sisters” will be shot on location, in a riverside community in Amazon Region where this story takes place. Actors’ direction will benefit from that because I’ll be working with actors that will be able to dive into the universe of the film and non-actors that will be comfortable in their habitat. Female characters who interact with Marcielle, will help her to see that is not normal what she is been through and that is possible to put an end to the cycle of abuse. The film will be generous to its characters and their stories, in terms of the length of scenes that reflect the way in which time, and distance, in that part of the world, imprisons its inhabitants. Director-writer MARIANNA BRENNAND FORTES Director-writer, Brazil Founder of the production company INQUIETUDE. Her work as director includes Francisco Brennand (2013) (Best Brazilian Documentary- Brazilian Association of Film Critics, Best Brazilian Film - São Paulo Film Festival), The Coconut, the Ring, the Tire, and The Lighthouse (2007), the cable TV series Apartamento 302 (3rd season, 2016). Publisher of the award-winning book Diário de Francisco Brennand (2016), a literary diary. Co-writer, Brazil Felipe Sholl Felipe Sholl's first feature film as a director, The Other End won the Best Film and Best Actress awards at the Rio de Janeiro Int’l Film Festival. His short, TÁ , won a Teddy Award at the Berlinale. Felipe is the screenwriter of Memory House , (Cannes 2020 Official Selection) and Il Traditore (Cannes 2019 Official Selection). Co-writer, Brazil Marcelo Grabowsky Marcelo Grabowsky wrote and directed the short Private Photos (2020) shown at the Palm Springs Short Fest and Frameline, the short Chlorine (2014), shown at NYFF, Best Short award at Milano Film Festival. His feature documentary Witness 4 (2011) was screened at the Toulouse Film Festival and won the Best Director award at the Semana Film Festival. Producer, co-writer Carolina Benevides, Brazil Carolina Benevides is the executive producer at Inquietude where she develops documentaries, features and series. Among them I Am Carlos Imperial (2015), and Darn Good (2016), (Best Film, Cine PE). Benevides was production coordinator on The Eye of the Storm (Cannes, 2009), and Passerby (Best 1st film Guadalajara, 2010). In 2020 she released the documentary series Festival’s Nights for cable TV. Production Company Inquietude, Recife, Brazil carolina@inquietude.art.br +55 21 991940062 Production Budget $1.230.541 Secured funds: $545.454,55 FSA/ Brazilian Cinema Agency Prize; $365.470,21Globo Filmes / Co-producer through Audiovisual Law; $85.818,18 Private investors through Audiovisual Law; $51.980,15 Direct funds from the producer; $181.818,18 GAP Genre: Drama Language: Portuguese View the pitch

Odeya Rosenak Back to Participants Project Name: Seven Chapters in Survival Producer: Marek Rozenbaum Country: Israel Year of lab participation: 2021 Lab edition: 9 View the scene Logline Following sexual abuse, fifteen-year-old Rafaella is sent to survive a cross-country hike - which ends up transforming her from a common roadside weed, to a rare and blossoming flower. Synopsis Rafaela (15) is kicked out of the house by her stepmother Rachelle (40) and her biological father Mike (45), after having told them a secret that could potentially destroy the new life they’re trying to build. She’s sent to “Survival Camp” for the summer holidays, a program designed to set at-risk youth straight and teach them Jewish and Israeli values. Under the instruction of Yaron (20), the “Survival Camp”’s questionable counselor, Rafaela and the rest of the program’s participants hike across Israel: from Eilat in the south to the Hermon in the north. Rafaela is forced to withstand difficult physical and mental survival challenges, all while battling internally with her traumatic past and gnawing doubts: the difference between truth and lies, reality and imagination. During this cross-country journey Rafaela is exposed to the Israeli periphery: geographically, culturally and socially speaking. She acquires her very own set of survival skills, as well as the tools to unpack the unbearable reality she’s been living in. She also forms an unbreakable bond with the other participants- who serve as a temporary replacement family. With the help of her new friends and various characters she meets along the way, Rafaela slowly breaks free of the symbiotic relationship she has with her father, faces the doubts and guilt eating away at her, finds the answers to the questions tormenting her and breaks free. Director’s Note When I was seven and a half, I lost my mother. Six months later, I was sexually abused. During my teens, I was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder. My father and his wife didn’t know how to handle my emotional state, and sent me to a Society for Protection of Nature hiking camp. Their hope was that it’ll offer me the healing I needed. I did. In camp I met boys and girls my own age, who like myself were labeled as “at-risk youth”. One a month we’d go on exhausting hikes in different locations across the country. During those hikes we started to bond, and for the first time in my life I had real friends who served as a sort of alternative family to me. This hiking camp group changed my life forever, and is the inspiration for the “Survival Camp” where the film’s main character - Rafaela - is being sent. Rafaela’s emotional journey, her trauma and the main conflict she deals with throughout the plot are based on my own biography. “Seven Chapters in Survival” is a journey to the heart of Israel’s periphery: be it geographically, culturally or socially. The film’s main character and her friends all come from dysfunctional families, and are forced to survive and grow out of nothing. The film showcases the wild beauty of these untamed teenagers, their spirit, their courage and their desire to grow and become strong, independent persons despite the unbearable environment in which they grew up and their terrible personal stories. The geography of the film - all the way from Eilat in the south to Hermon in the north - reflects the main character and her friends, the wild landscapes referencing their spirits. During the main characters’ journey, they meet various characters (people and animals alike) who are usually exempt from public, cultural and cinematic discourse. The film focuses on these “transparent” people and locations, giving them the center stage. In all the films I wrote and directed there was always a female heroine who the plot revolved around. My heroines all reflect the physical and emotional journeys I’ve been on, as they face different struggles specific to the female experience. My inspiration for the film’s directing-style, general atmosphere, tone and art are derived from films such as: “Badlands” (Terrence Mallick), “Happy as Lazzaro” (Alice Rohrwacher), “Whale Rider” (Niki Caro), “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Benh Zeitlin), “Princess Mononoke” (Hayao Miyazaki), “Rosetta” (the Dardenne brothers), “American Honey” (Andrea Arnold) and Nomadland (Chloe Zhao)... Films where the heroines go through a turning of age journey and find salvation and peace by connecting with their wild sides. The film is divided into seven chapters, referencing Jewish mythology where the world is created in seven chapters - including the creation of man. It is a narrative of evolution, of blossoming out of the wilderness, out of the fringes, from nothing. The concept of creating something substantial out of so-called barren land excites me. A lot. Director-writer A graduate of the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film School, Rosenak wrote and directed the shorts Torch, Wild & Biopsy (Chicago International FIlm Festival, Camerimage, Munich International Student Film Festival, Singapore Children’s FF, DocAviv, NYFF, among others. The films won major prizes at these festivals. She is the author of the critically acclaimed poetry book Come, Lick Me (2020) and writes a weekly column in Haaretz newspaper. Created the web documentary Plague Diary 2020. Producer profile Marek Rozenbaum, Producer, Israel Marek Rozenbaum holds a degree in Social work and Film from the Tel Aviv University. He has directed 2 films and produced over 40 feature films and international co-productions, among them award-winning films that have received worldwide recognition. Mr. Rozenbaum is the recipient of five Ophir Best Film Awards. He served as Chairman of Israel's Film and Television Producers Association and today is a Member of its Board as well as chairing the Israeli Academy of Film and Television for a decade. Production company profile Transfax Film Productions was established in 1989 as an independent production company specializing in feature film production and co-production. The company has produced over 40 feature films and international co-productions -many winning international prizes including Keren Yedaya’s Or (Camera D’or)& That Lovely Girl, and A Strange Course of Events by Raphael Nadjari (Quinzaine des Realisateurs) and Our Father by Meni Yaish. Production Company Transfax, Tel Aviv, Israel marek@transfax.co.il +972 50 523 8766 Production Budget $1,050,000 Genre: Drama Language: Hebrew View the pitch