4½ Production, Paradox Production and Cinenord were awarded development support for three to four feature projects each and Graceland, Mediamente and Exposed Film for one project each.
4½'s producer Karin Julsrud (photo, Reprise) said: "getting MEDIA support means that our projects are appreciated and acknowledged by European film consultants, which is very valuable. Receiving this seal of confidence on a European level also gives us confidence in the projects and shows that we are going in the right direction. Plus it gives us extra financial muscle for the development process."
Among the new films developed by 4½ is the youth film Yatzy directed by first timer Katja Eyde Jacobsen, based on a script adaptation by Harald Rosenløw Eeg (Uro). Julsrud hopes to make it a 100% Norwegian film and to put the project into production next April. Also under 4½'s banner is a new project by Marius Holst (Mirush) about the infamous borstal of Bastøy which will be developed into a real modern genre movie.
Producer Finn Gjerdrum says that the MEDIA support will allow his company Paradox Film to bet on upcoming talent such as Andreas J. Riiser - a graduate from the Lillehammer Film School who was for several years Roy Andersson's right hand man - now working on his debut feature The Fucked Up Love Test.
The MEDIA support will also enable Paradox to build on its on-going relationships with established filmmakers such as Petter Næss, who is in discussion with Paradox for the project Regnskap.
As for Cinenord's Tanya Badendyck, she plans to use the MEDIA grant to develop quality children and youth films such as the family film Helt sjef to be directed by Ole Martin Hafsmo (Switch) and the new youth drama Vegas written and directed by Gunnar Vikene (Trigger).