NEW ATHENS BASED FILM & FILMMAKER
FUNDING FOUNDATION
Announced In Cannes At The
Arab Cinema Center Awards Event
INTERNATIONAL EMERGING FILM TALENT FOUNDATION
Fueling Dreams
For Storytellers & Writers
For Budding Directors & Producers
For Emerging Filmmakers
For Undiscovered Talent
Cannes, 18th May 2024 – The INTERNATIONAL EMERGING FILM TALENT FOUNDATION (IETFF) was announced today during The Arab Cinema Center Awards Event at the Plage du Palmes. Started by Marco Orsini, Founder of the International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA), the new Foundation will offer support of thousands of Euros each year, through grants to IEFTA who, in turn, collaborates directly with external institutions, film industry bodies, festivals, and events with the goal of aiding emerging filmmakers who face challenges in entering the industry due to demographic, situational, or resource limitations.
Through IEFTF’s partnership with IEFTA we seek to provide support for unheard and unseen talent, providing opportunity for outstanding emerging creativity, and for them to have the recognition they deserve. We aim to nurture diverse voices and in turn, contribute to the enrichment of the film industry through inclusion of underrepresented perspectives. Our mission is to uphold and support diversity, equity and inclusion within the film industry, through grant based financial support utilizing film festivals, events and recognized film industry entities.
Through IEFTA, the IETFF has to date presented 42,000€ in prizes and currently supports an annual cash award of 10,000€ given to one of the 32 docs-in-progress from eight presenting partners participating in the Marché du Film Docs-in-Progress Showcases at the Cannes Docs program headed by Pierre-Alexis Chevit. This year the IETFF Inaugurated a similar 10,000€ prize for the Best Doc in Development Award at TIDF26 AGORA‘s “Thessaloniki Pitching Forum.” In addition, the fund has been supporting cash grants to other festivals and organizations such as the Durban FilmMart, and individual filmmakers. The new fund will begin supporting numerous other film programs, filmmakers and festivals around the world including the Close Up Pitching Forum with projects from Southwest Asia and North Africa (2,000€ cash prize) and Amman International Film Festival’s Industry Days with a 5,500€ cash prize to the most promising project in development.
Among the programs the fund will be supporting at this year’s Cannes Festival is IEFTA’s seventh year collaborating with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency at the Marche du Film presenting films and programs which help bring awareness and to urge immediate action and long-term responses to the current global humanitarian crisis.
This year, we are honored to present JOURNEY OF EXILE A Cinematic Exploration consisting of two events that focus on and merge narratives from refugees and displaced people.
DISPLACEMENT – Cinematic Perspectives is a moderated discussion by Journalist Hadley Gamble interviewing Actor, Producer and Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Cate Blanchett along with Princess Grace Award Winner & IEFTA selected filmmaker, Daniela Repas, as well as Refugee Voices in Film Filmmaker Barat Ali Batoor. This moderated discussion will shed light on the impactful role of cinema in depicting and confronting the complexities of displacement. Along with IEFTA and UNHCR, this event is co-hosted by the Arab Cinema Center.
REFUGEE VOICES IN FILM 7th Edition features three short films produced through a UNHCR and YouTube collaboration for World Refugees Day, and three works in progress that focus on changing perspectives. Followed by a Q&A discussion on the role of creative content and partnerships in amplifying refugee voices.
