These past few weeks, I haven’t stopped hearing good news for debut features and films by new directors.
Alongside the theatrical success of Summer 1993, by Carla Simón, and the announcement of the Netflix premiere of Amar: With You, by Esteban Crespo at the end of August, we have learned of the selection of Maus, by Yayo Herrero at Sitges and Fantastic Fest, and the filming of Sin Fin, the debut feature by the Esteban Alenda brothers. Furthermore, a few days ago Laura Alvea and José Ortuño began filming their second film, Ánimas.
It is wonderful to see how, little by little, director friends with whom I have worked on their short films are beginning to make their first features.
Additionally, during this week in August, the Locarno Festival is taking place, which features an important section for debutants with their first or second film, the Cineasti del presente section. For its part, the first section of the San Sebastián Festival whose programming we learned about was precisely New Directors, also dedicated to first and second films, and where world and international premieres will take place.
Which are the debut features and films by new directors that are standing out?
In this post, I have reviewed the competitions dedicated to debut features from the end of last year until now, both in A-list festivals and other specialized festivals. These are, above all, films that have won the most important awards in these competitions. We will keep an eye on the rest of the festivals taking place until the end of the year.
With this exercise, you can also see which competitions and festivals to keep in mind if you are starting to distribute your film and are designing your distribution strategy.
In total, there are 15 films and directors that we should follow to stay tuned to the cinema of the future and new trends in contemporary cinema. Here are some of the authors who will lead the way in cinema in the coming years:
#1 Makala, by Emmanuel Gras, won one of the most prestigious awards in the debut feature segment, none other than the Grand Prize at Cannes Critics’ Week in April this year, where only a director’s first or second film can participate.
Along the same lines, #2 Summer 1993, the first feature film by Carla Simón, which I mentioned at the beginning, won the Best First Feature Award at the Berlinale, an award that is cross-sectional, as all films selected in various sections of the festival are eligible.
#3 Duet, by David Nanesh (Iran), won the First Prize in the first film competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
#4 Keep the Change, by Rachel Israel (United States), won the Special Jury Prize for best debut feature in the international competition at the Karlovy Vary Festival.
#5 Shuttle Life (Malaysia) was the best debut feature in Shanghai, winning the Asian New Talent Award, dedicated exclusively to new directors.
#6 Birdshot, by Mikhail Red (Philippines), won the Asian Future Award at the Tokyo Festival, a section also dedicated to new Asian directors.
#7 How Viktor “the Garlic” Took Alexey “the Stud” to the Nursing Home, by Alexander Hant (Russia), also won an award equivalent to the previous one, but in this case for Eastern European cinema: the East of the West award at the Karlovy Vary Festival, dedicated to the director’s first or second film.
So far, these are some of the most important awards for debut works at A-list festivals this year, 2017. This list is completed with the winners of some of the festivals and competitions dedicated to this segment:
#8 Dark Skull, by Kiro Russo (Bolivia and Qatar), won the First Prize at IndieLisboa, where a director’s first, second, and third films can participate. It also participated in Locarno in 2016.
#9 Godless, by Ralitza Petrova (Bulgaria, Denmark, France), won the award at the Sofia International Film Festival in March, also dedicated to first and second films. Furthermore, it was the big winner at the Locarno Festival last year, taking the top prize.
#10 Rifle, by Davi Pretto (Brazil), was the Grand Prize winner of the international competition at Jeonju, one of the most important festivals for debut films in Asia, which took place in May. This film premiered in the Berlinale Forum.
#11 My Happy Family, by Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross (Georgia), was the big winner at the Transilvania International Film Festival, which closed in early June and is also dedicated to the director’s first and second films.
At the Rotterdam International Film Festival, there is a section dedicated to world premiere debut films called the Hivos Tiger Competition; in the last edition, the award went to #12 Sexy Durga, by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan.
#13 The Last Family, by Jan P. Matuszynski (Poland) was the Grand Prize winner at Molodist, Kyiv International Film Festival, which also specializes in debut films.
#14 Heartstone, by Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson, won the European Award for best debut feature at the Zlín Film Festival in the Czech Republic. This festival is dedicated to children and youth audiences. It was also selected for the Venice Days section in Venice (equivalent to Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes), where it won the Queer Lion Award dedicated to LGBTI-themed cinema.
Finally, and although it has not yet been awarded or participated in debut feature competitions, we should add #15 Maus, by Yayo Herrero, whom I mentioned at the beginning; it is selected for Fantastic Fest and Sitges, being one of the most anticipated debut features of this year.
Grants for the development and distribution of your film
There are two other pieces of news I have recently learned that can help you with the development and distribution of your film, although they are not specifically intended for debut features.
The Community of Madrid has an open call for the development of feature film projects until August 29 to finance the necessary activities before filming; you can find the call at this link.
On the other hand, the Rizoma Festival has announced the Rizoma Film Award to help with the dissemination and distribution of independent cinema. The prize consists of two screenings during the festival, DVD distribution by Cameo, VOD on Filmin, a one-week premiere in Madrid, a screening at the film library, and an evaluation by the distributor Zeitgeist Films, based in New York. You can see the full rules of the award here. The deadline is open until September 1.
I hope this post helps you discover the proposals of new directors and start preparing your film. Getting your first or second film made is not easy; remember that a lot of work and perseverance are necessary.
Do not forget it.