In the Ninth edition of the International Short Film Festival IN THE PALACE, films of six continents competed for the gold of Balchik. Within the separately organized market of the film industry - FILMER FORGE MARKET 1/10 of them were sold.
Among the main buyers were leading companies presented on the Western and Russian markets - Shorts International LTD and egoist.tv .
Our main pride and reason for joy is the fact that two of the films sold were Bulgarian - Trains, directed by Pavel Vesnakov and The Good Neighbor, directed by Ivan Mitov.
Trains, which won the award for Best Bulgarian Film at the IN THE PALACE '2011 ISFF entered into the largest catalog of short films and will be distributed online via the iTunes platform. Distributor of the film is the world's leading distribution company Shorts International LTD. The company get familiar the US, European and Asian audience with the best titles from the world of Short Film - a format that is gaining greater market share in the film niche.
"Trains was sold to Short International LTD and they are distributors for America, Asia, Africa and several other places. The film will be on iTunes and on their website www.shortsinternational.com, but will be broadcasted on American televisions as well. I am very pleased with how things are going on, because we invested very little money and didn't expect such success. Now I keep going to festivals with Trains and meanwhile I managed to finish my new film."
- Pavel Vesnakov, Trains
Besides the Bulgarian movie Trains, Shorts International LTD will distribute the film Red In the Water, dir. Mikel Gurrea. The film was nominated for Best International Film and Mikel left Balchik with a Special Mention for Cinematography and Production Design.
"Thanks to IN THE PALACE, Linda O. Olszewski, from Shorts International, has optioned to acquire Red In The Water to be distributed on iTunes around the globe. IN THE PALACE is what every short film festival should be: a celebration of cinema. From the organizers to the contestant filmmakers, the festival provides an instant sense of gathering, joy and collaboration. I will never forget my time at the 9th IN THE PALACE, because my film, Red In The Water got a very positive response and was awarded with a Special Mention Of The Jury, because I got very valuable comments and critiques from fellow colleagues and, among everything, because I met people that I now consider friends. "
- Mikel Gurrea, Red In The Water
Russian TV channel egoist.tv, specialized in broadcasting the world's best short films in Russia, the CIS and Baltic states, after the festival in Balchik bought the films The Good Neighbor directed by Ivan Mitov (nominated for Best Bulgarian Film) and the Swedish film Out of Erasers directed by Erik Rosenlund. The films authorized for distribution by egoist.tv will be broadcasted on their pay TV channel and mobile as well as on the internet network and public non-commercial screenings.
The industry film market FILMER FORGE MARKET is a separate and complete event during IN THE PALACE ISFF, funded by EA NFC (Executive Agency National Film Centre), which represents institutions and organizations involved in financing, development and distribution of film projects and services. The market which aims to support and promote short film genre, consists of three main modules: Pitching sessions; Educational initiatives and Film Market: commercial area, market for finished films, informational meetings, presentations and more.
Please stay tuned for updates and get ready for the 2012 FILMER FORGE!