US In Progress
Editorial
In June, US in Progress Paris celebrates its fifth anniversary. The program, the result of a collaboration between Champs-Élysées Film Festival and the Wroclaw American Film Festival, aims at fostering the promotion and distribution of American independent cinema in Europe, in order to support the circulation of these films and to offer a different vision of this great country than the one conveyed by big-budget movies. Indeed, it must be noted that American independent films are the poor relation of cinema: no public production funds in the United States, no public distribution funds in Europe, no official coproduction agreement between the United States and other countries throughout the world.
US in Progress is there to fill a gap by presenting five American indie films in post-production to European buyers, festival programers and producers. Thanks to US in Progress, European professionals, who are more to attend our event each year, have been able to discover new talents with a unique point of view, such as Benjamin DICKINSON, Matt PORTERFIELD, Michael TULLY, Dan CARBONE, Deb SHOVAL, Nathan SILVER, Mike OTT, Leah MEYEROFF and many others.
For this fifth edition, we are pleased to be associated with Paris Coproduction Village within the Industry Days programs of Champs-Élysées Film Festival. Thanks to this association, European buyers and distributors will be able to discover five American films in post-production and fifteen international projects currently looking for financing during their Parisian stay.
At last, we thank our partners for their commitment to our program and their support to American producers, and wish to the European professionals and the American directors a pleasant anniversary edition!
Adeline MONZIER, Founder and Organiser / Selection
Presentation
US in Progress Paris will take place in the scope of the 4th edition of Champs-Élysées Film Festival in Paris on June 8-10. The Programme is a joint initiative between the American Film Festival in Wroclaw, Champs-Elysées Film Festival in Paris and Black Rabbit Film in New York. It is the first and only industry event devoted to US indies in Europe. The aim of the programme is to present US indie films in post-production to European buyers in order to foster the circulation and distribution of American indie films in Europe.
This year, 5 projects will be selected and screened to 50 top European buyers (sales agents & distributors), producers and festival programmers. Among them : The Match Factory (Germany), The Works (UK), MK2 (France), K5 International (Germany), Memento (France), Protagonist Pictures (UK), Le Pacte (France), Wild Bunch (France), Trust Nordisk (Scandinavia), Rezo Films (France), Bankside (UK), Level K (Denmark), Bac (France), Urban (France), Wide (France), Versatile (France)…
Previous participants in the programme include : Tommy OLIVER’s 1982 (Toronto 2013), Michael TULLY’s Ping Pong Summer (Sundance 2014, world sales by Films Boutique), Lance EDMANS’ Bluebird (Tribeca 2013, Karlovy Vary 2013), Matt PORTERFIELD’s I Used To Be Darker (Sundance 2013, Berlinale 2013), David ANDALMAN’s Milkshake (Sundance 2013), Daniel CARBONE’s Hide Your Smiling Faces (Berlinale Generation 14Plus 2013, Tribeca 2013), Hannah FIDELL’s A Teacher (Sundance 2013, SXSW 2013), Jason CORTLUND & Julia HALPERIN’s Now, Forager: A Film About Love And Fungi (Rotterdam 2012, New Directors/New Films 2012, Gotham Awards nominee), Amy SEIMETZ’s Sun Don’t Shine (SXSW 2012, Edinburgh IFF 2013, Gotham Awards nominee 2012), Devyn WAITT’s Not Waving But Drowning (Sarasota FF, world sales by Premium Films), Benjamin DICKINSON’s Creative Control (SXSW 2015), Matt SOBEL’s Take Me To The River (Sundance 2015) and Nathan SILVER’s Stinking Heaven (Rotterdam 2015), Deb SHOVAL’s AWOL (Tribeca 2016), Logan SANDLER’s Live Cargo (Tribeca 2016), Joel PORTYKUS’ The Alchemist Cookbook (SXSW 2016), Nathan SILVER and Mike OTT’s Actor Martinez (Rotterdam 2016 + Tribeca 2016).
The awarded film will get post-production, acquisition and promotion services offered by our partners : TITRAFILM, CINE +, Eaux Vives Productions, Europa Distribution, Producers Network, Indiewire, Centre Phi and Kickstarter.
US in Progress involves two yearly get-togethers and the next edition will take place in Wroclaw in October 2016 in the scope of the American Film Festival. US in Progress Wroclaw’s submissions starts from April 6th to August 31st.
The Team
Adeline MONZIER (Black Rabbit Film/US in Progress) – Founder and Organiser / Selection
Chantal LIAN (Champs-Élysées Film Festival/US in Progress) – Organiser / Selection
Ula SNIEGOWSKA (American Film Festival Wroclaw/US in Progress) – Selection
Marie ZENITER – Selection
Monica SEMCZYK – Selection
Aurélie ZEROUALI – Guest & Hospitality
Léa PICOT – Catalogue
