Future Frames announces films and participants for 2017

For the third year running, European Film Promotion (EFP) will present Future Frames, a spotlight on ten film students from across Europe and their latest short films. Future Frames will take place as part of the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) in the Czech Republic (June 30 – July 8, 2017).

Cooperating closely with the festival, EFP will introduce the filmmakers and their films– as international, European and Czech premieres – to the public, film industry and press during the four-day event which is running from July 2 - 5. The participants will take part in a master class and an industry meeting with producers and sales agents in order to expand their international network. The EFP initiative is supported by the respective EFP member organisations.

The participants include many students who have been lauded for their previous works. Elsa María Jakobsdóttir's - whose first short film was named Best Icelandic Short Film - will be presenting Atelier, her graduation film from the National Film School of Denmark. Czech director Damián Vondrášek's will be presenting his second short feature Imprisoned which has been nominated for Best Short Film at the national Czech Lion Film Awards.

The CV of Finland's Kirsikka Saari includes the script for the 2013 Oscar nominated short Do I Have to Take Care of Everything. She subsequently studied at the ELO Film School Helsinki and she will present her graduation film After the Reunion to Karlovy Vary.

Giorgi Mukhadze was nominated for the 2016 Tsinandali Award which honours Georgia's brightest young scientists and artists. His diploma film Waiting for Ana tells the story of two siblings trying to reconnect after the death of their mother.

Liene Linde, whose diploma film won the Latvian National Film Award, will present her postgraduate work Seven Awkward Sex Scenes. Part One about a young director's attempt at making her first film by using her own sexual experience.

Dutch filmmaker Joren Molter started filming in his teens, had the film Full of Life selected for the debut competition of the Dutch Film Festival when he was 16 years old, and joined The Netherlands Film Academy for the Fiction Directing course at the age of 18. His latest work, Greetings from Kropsdam, which is being screened in Karlovy Vary, won the Audience Award at the Warsaw International Film Festival.

The drama Bones for Otto has been realised by the 28-year-old Romanian director Matei Lucaci-Grunberg who is already working on his PhD. It was nominated for Best Short at the Transilvanian International Film Festival.

Michal Blaško studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and won several prizes with his second short film Fear. His bachelor project, Atlantis, 2003, about two young Ukrainians trying to get to Germany, will premiere at the Cinéfondation competition during this year's Cannes Film Festival before screening in Future Frames.

Slovenian director Katarina Morano similarly attracted critical praise for her second film which was nominated for the Student Oscar award in 2014. She will now be presenting her Master's degree project Ljubljana - München 15:27.

Swedish filmmaker Maria Eriksson, who received multiple prizes for Annalyn, has specialised in working with children, now resulting in her graduation film Schoolyard.

Now in its third year, Future Frames is positioning itself as an important platform for showcasing talented film school students and allowing audiences to discover their short films. The final selection made from the 26 entries is undertaken by KVIFF's artistic director Karel Och and programme coordinator Anna Purkrabkova.