The President:
Wim Wenders, Director, Germany
Wim Wenders attended the Academy of Film & Television in Munich, worked as a film critic for various German publications, and was a founding member of Filmverlag der Autoren. In 1976 he set up his own production company, Road Movies, and, in 2002, Reverse Angle. Often hailed as one of the most important German directors on the international scene, Wenders has received various international awards, including the Golden Lion (THE STATE OF THINGS, 1982), the Palme d’Or and BAFTA (PARIS, TEXAS, 1984), as well as a European Film Award (WINGS OF DESIRE, 1988) and a Silver Bear (THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL, 2000). His latest productions include LAND OF PLENTY and DON’T COME KNOCKING. Throughout his career, Wenders has also made several unconventional documentaries including LIGHTNING OVER WATER, TOKYO-GA, and NOTEBOOK ON CITIES AND CLOTHES. His most famous documentary, BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB about a group of legendary Cuban musicians, received an Oscar nomination and won a European Film Award. Wim Wenders became president of the European Film Academy in 1996.
The Board:
Chairman:
Yves Marmion, Producer, France
A lawyer by training and former ENA student, Yves Marmion had been a civil servant for the French Ministry of Culture for 10 years. Notably, he was General Secretary and Head of Film Productions and International Affairs at the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)
In 1991, he joined the UGC group and formed the production entity UGC YM.
Among the films he has produced we find: EAST-WEST (Régis Wargnier, 1999), EMBRASSEZ QUI VOUS VOUDREZ (Michel Blanc, 2002), A SECRET (Claude Miller, 2006), I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (Philippe Claudel, 2008), TOUS LES SOLEILS (Philippe Claudel, 2011).
He was elected Chairman of the EFA Board in December 2005.
Deputy Chairman:
Nik Powell, Director of NFTS, UK
In the early 1970’s Nik Powell set up Virgin Records with Richard Branson and in the space of ten years the pair turned a small mail-order record operation into a multi-million pound conglomerate. In 1982 Powell went into partnership with Stephen Woolley, having sold out from Virgin in the previous year. Together they formed Palace Video, followed by Palace Pictures, and then Palace Productions, soon establishing each as highly regarded entities within the film distribution and production industry. Powell has acted as Executive Producer on all of Palace’s productions including Neil Jordan’s COMPANY OF WOLVES, Oscar nominated MONA LISA, Michael Caton-Jones’ SCANDAL, and Neil Jordan’s multi Oscar nominated THE CRYING GAME. Nik and Stephen Woolley’s new company Scala produced Iain Softley’s BACKBEAT, Terence Davies’ THE NEON BIBLE, Shane Meadows’ TWENTYFOUR: SEVEN, Mark Herman’s Oscar and Golden Globe nominated LITTLE VOICE, Fred Schepisis’ LAST ORDERS starring Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Tom Courtenay, Helen Mirren, David Hemmings and Ray Winstone, Charles Dance’s LADIES IN LAVENDER, starring Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Miriam Margolis and Daniel Brühl and Nik also executive produced CALENDAR GIRLS. Nik was appointed Director of the National Film and Television School in 2005, although he remains as non-executive chairman of Scala Productions.
He has been a member of the EFA Board since 1996.
Further members of the EFA Board:
Chris Auty, producer, UK
Bruno Chatelin, producer, France
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Adriana Chiesa Di Palma, international distributor, Italy
Adriana Chiesa Di Palma began her career as director of sales and acquisitions of the then leading Italian film distribution and production company, Medusa Distribuzione. She acquired and distributed for Italy over one hundred feature films, among which Milos Forman’s AMADEUS, Bergman’s CRIES AND WHISPERS, and all-time box office hits such as RAMBO.
In 1990 she created her own company, Adriana Chiesa Enterprises srl (ACE). Since its inception, the company has presented films by such directors as Carlos Saura, Akira Kurosawa, Giuseppe Tornatore, Mario Monicelli, Ettore Scola, Lina Wertmueller and many other great filmmakers. Yet ACE’s production line-up has also reflected an equally determined commitment to new emerging talent and creativity.
Totally dedicated to the circulation and promotion of European quality cinema, ACE today offers an impressive library of over 300 titles of award winning quality features, documentaries and animation, and a catalogue of restored library films from legendary cult to classic. Thanks to the company’s professional approach, solid world-wide experience and relations, and multilingual and multi-cultural emphasis, ACE boasts a truly international profile. The company’s activities now extend to film acquisitions, co-productions and project development. ACE co-produced the new film by Roberta Torre selected for the Venice Film Festival 2010.
Adriana Chiesa Di Palma, married to the cinematographer the late Carlo Di Palma, was Italian producer and translator of the Broadway hit DEATH DEFYING ACTS by Woody Allen, David Mamet and Elaine May, and the play by Woody Allen, WRITER’S BLOCK. She is President of ACE, Vice President of EFEA, the recipient of many awards, and has been a jury member of international film festivals.
Adriana Chiesa di Palma has been on the EFA Board since 2000.
Daniela Ciancio, costume designer, Italy
Daniela Ciancio was born in Naples in 1965. After graduating in Maturità Classica, in the1990s, she studied stage design at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli, earning a diploma in scenografia. In 1994, she earned the Diploma in Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia di Roma winning a study award with Piero Tosi and Marisa D’Andrea. In 1999 she won a borsa di studio for research of the costume fashion in the 18th century for the Drottingholm opera theatre, from the Italian Culture Institute, Fondazione C.M. Lerici in Stockolm.
Since 1986 she has worked in cinema and theatre with Paolo Sorrentino, Antonietta De Lillo, Francesca Comencini, Carlo Vanzina, Marco Risi, Alessandro Angelini, Vincenzo Marra, Antonio Capuano, Marcello Garofalo, Luciano Odorisio.
In 2005 she won the David di Donatello, the Ciak d’oro, the Premio Piero Tosi, the Capitello D’Oro, the Diploma Honoris Causa in Fashion Design and the Diamanti al Cinema for costume of IL RESTO DI NIENTE by A. De Lillo. In 2007 she won the Chioma di Berenice for the opera CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA directed by R. De Simone. In 2008/2009 she won the Premio Umberto Tirelli, the Premio Piero Tosi and a nomination for the David di Donatello for IL DIVO, directed by Paolo Sorrentino.In 2009 she won the Premio Girulà for the opera DON GIOVANNI RITORNA DALLA GUERRA by Carlo Cerciello.
Daniela Ciancio joined the EFA Board in 2010.
Helena Danielsson, producer, Sweden
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Mike Downey, producer, UK
Mike Downey founded the UK-based independent production house Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME) in 1990. He spent most of the eighties as a theatre director and producer in France, Germany, the former Yugoslavia and the U.K., as well as working as a publisher, contributor and critic for various international publications including Variety, Screen International and Moving Pictures International.
He was associate producer on Rajko Grlic’s award winning feature film CARUGA, and co-producer of Sebastian Niemann’s SEVEN DAYS TO LIVE. His most recent productions include Michael Bassett’s DEATHWATCH starring Jamie Bell, Venice competition entry SJAJ U OCIMA (LOVING GLANCES), FALCONS and NICELAND by Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Peter Timm’s MY BROTHER IS A DOG, Hillmar Oddson’s COLD LIGHT, and STRINGS by Anders Ronnow Klarlund. In 2005 he completed GUY X by Saul Metzstein starring Jason Biggs, HEADSMAN by Swiss director Simon Aeby, the Icelandic production ELEVEN MEN OUT by Robert Douglas, MURK by Denmark’s Jannick Johansen and the UK/Polish/German adaptation of the Günter Grass novel UNKENRUFE (Call of the Toad) directed by Robert Glinski.
Downey is a tutor on Sheffield University’s Creative Writing for Film course, is Thomas Ewing Visiting Professor of Film at Ohio University, a member of the board of advisors in the film school of Oklahoma University and the president of the Board of Advisors of the Motovun International Film Festival in Croatia. He currently also works in an advisory capacity with Amnesty International establishing humanitarian film prizes at festivals around the world, and joined the EFA Board in 2004.
Stephan Hutter, Producer/Distributor, Germany
Stephan Hutter is Chairman of the present Prokino Group who in the past 27 years has transformed the entity into one of the most significant independent companies in Germany. The group’s activities cover the whole spectrum of film business from development, production and theatrical distribution to exploitation in the video, TV and future markets.
Prokino was not only involved in production and/or distribution of the most important trend-setters in European cinema such as TRAINSPOTTING, RUN LOLA RUN and AMÉLIE, but just recently has also contributed to the huge success of extraordinary documentaries like BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE, SUPER SIZE ME and THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL. Stephan Hutter was elected onto the EFA Board in 2002.
László Kantor, producer, Hungary
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Cedomir Kolar, producer, France
Cedomir Kolar was born in former Yugoslavia, in the city of Rijeka on the Adriatic coast of Croatia. He graduated in film production at the Belgrade Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Since 1991, he has been acting as producer for Noé Productions in Paris. His credits include BEFORE THE RAIN by Milcho Manchevski, AFRICA MY AFRICA and KINI AND ADAMS by Idrissa Ouedraogo, AS YOU LIKE ME by Carmine Amoroso, TRAIN OF LOVE by Radu Mihaileanu, THE ADOPTED SON and THE CHIMP by Aktan Abdykalykov, NO MAN’S LAND by Danis Tanovic and Danis Tanovic’s short film in the collection of films 11′09”01-SEPTEMBER 11, produced by Galatée films and StudioCanal.
In 2003 he started the new Paris based production entity, A.S.A.P. Films, together with the director Danis Tanovic and his fellow producer Marc Baschet.
In 2005, A.S.A.P. Films produced the new feature by Danis Tanovic, HELL (L’Enfer), written by Krzysztof Piesiewicz in collaboration with the late Krzysztof Kieslowski, and WELL TEMPERED CORPSES by Benjamin Filipovic. This was followed by Marion Hänsel’s SOUNDS OF SAND (Si le Vent souleve les sables) in 2006, Danis Tanovic’s TRIAGE and Srdjan Karanovic’s BESA in 2008. In production are the films WOMB by Benedek Fliegauf, THE LIGHT by Aktan Abdykalykov, CIRKUS COLOMBIA by Danis Tanovic, and BLACK OCEAN by Marion Hänsel.
Cedomir Kolar was elected onto the EFA Board in 2004.
Goran Paskaljevic, director/writer, Serbia
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Antonio Pérez Pérez, Producer, Spain
After studies in engineering, biology and music, Antonio Pérez Pérez has been involved in the writing, producing and directing of numerous TV commercial, short subjects and TV documentaries. He was a founding member and shareholder of the production companies Videoplaning in 1983 (leader of Andalusian TV studios) and Omeya T.V. in 1987. In 1989, he founded Maestranza Films, his film production company, producing, amongst others, SOLAS (Alone) which won the Audience Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1999 and 5 Goya Awards, NOBODY KNOWS ANYBODY (Goya awarded), FUGITIVAS (2 Goya awards), IBIZA DREAMS (Berlin Panorama 2002), SEVILLE SOUTHSIDE (Berlin Panorama 2003), TUNA & CHOCOLATE and HABANA BLUES. Santa Isabel Fine Arts academic, board member of Egeda (Spanish producers ass.) and vice-president of Spanish Media Desk Fund, he was selected by Variety as one of the “Ten Producers to Watch” 1999 in Cannes. Antonio Pérez Pérez has been a member of the EFA Board since 2000.
Marek Rozenbaum, producer, Israel
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Antonio Saura, producer, Spain
As producer, with his company Zebra, credits include award winning films such as EN LA CIUDAD SIN LÍMITES by Antonio Hernández, RENCOR by Miguel Albaladejo, SALOMÉ by Carlos Saura; box office successes like DOS TIPOS DUROS by Juan Martinez Moreno, DI QUE SI by Juan Calvo , experimental movies like SÍNDROME by Liberto Rabal or more ambitious European co-productions like OCULTO by Antonio Hernández or MIGUEL AND WILLIAM by Ines Paris.
His last documentaries, FADOS by Carlos Saura, and THE CHICKEN, THE FISH AND THE KING CRAB by Lopez Linares were a success in the festival and art house circuit.
This year he will open AGALLAS by newcomers Luque and Sanchez -Mateos.
ZEBRA has produced in the last three years more than 2,000 hours of tv programming in all genres, including fiction, realities, documentaries and talk shows.
Antonio Saura is a founding partner of LATIDO FILMS, one of the most dynamic Spanish International Film Sales companies.
He was named “producer to watch” by Variety, and was selected as “European producer in the move” 2003.
Before producing, he created and directed the Media Business School, one of Europe’s leading training centres for the audiovisual. And is currently a founding member and partner of the program Greenhouse, of Euromed audiovisual.
Antonio Saura is also a panellist and teacher in several film schools, Universities and training programs. He joined the EFA Board in 2008.
Els Vandevorst, Producer, Netherlands
Els Vandevorst was born in 1962 and studied at the Dutch Film and Television Academy in Amsterdam. During her studies, she produced two films: ALASKA (1989), which received an award for best foreign student film by Mike van Diem, and HET NADEEL VAN DE TWIJFEL (1990) by Maarten Treurniet. After her graduation, Els worked as a producer in training with Allarts B.V. and Added Films International.
In 1997, Els Vandevorst and Wilfried Depeweg founded Isabella Films in Amsterdam. Isabella Films focuses on the production of feature films which have commercial potential and which appeal to an international audience because of their artistic value and accessibility.
Under the label of Isabella Films, Els Vandevorst (co-) produced various national and European feature films such as FL. 19,99 by Mart Dominicus (1998), THE CROSSING by Nora Hoppe (1999), DANCER IN THE DARK, DOGVILLE and MANDERLAY by Lars von Trier (2000, 2003, 2005), VILLA DES ROSES by Frank van Passel (2001), IT’S ALL ABOUT LOVE by Thomas Vinterberg (2003), SEA OF SILENCE by Stijn Coninx (2003), THE SOUTH by Martin Koolhoven (2004), and FATHER & SON by Alexander Sokurov (2004).
Els Vandevorst became a member of the EFA Board in 2002.
Michael Weber, sales agent, Germany
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Krzysztof Zanussi, director, Poland
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Director: Marion Döring, Germany
Marion Döring studied languages at the university of Mainz from 1972 - 1975 and then worked as a trainee and later editor at the daily newspapers Fuldaer Zeitung and Hessisch/Niedersächsische Allgemeine. Between 1980 and 1985 she worked as free-lance journalist in Berlin, from 1985 to 1988 as press attaché of the “750 Years Anniversary Berlin 1987″ and “Berlin - European Capital of Culture 1988″. She has been connected to the history of the European Film Academy since its very beginnings in 1988: first as PR manager of the European Film Awards, later as project manager for the Academy’s activities and publications, since 1996 as the Academy’s director and, starting in 2004, also as Executive Producer of the European Film Awards.
Honorary Members:
Jeanne Moreau
Sir Ben Kingsley
Dušan Makavejev
István Szabó