5th Edition of Cannes’ Atelier de la Cinefondation

Caran Hartfield‘s Bury Me Standing and Jake Mahaffy‘s Free in Deed are two in development projects looking for funding among the 15 selected by Cannes’ Atelier de la Cinéfondation. As explained to me by some Sundance directors who had a chance to have their projects take part in the Cannes’ The Atelier, in a nutshell, it acts as one extra way to meet with other producers in an attempt to get some coin (mostly foreign) prior to production. Mostly reserved to first, second and third time directors, this year selection includes two U.S. based projects. The directors and producers meet with industry people during the festival’s hustle and bustle.

Supported by indie producers Effie Brown (Real Women Have Curves) and Gina Kwon (Me and You and Everyone We Know), Bury Me Standing already has three players attached to the project (Mos Def, Kerry Washington and Alfre Woodard) and tells the story of when life, death, and the madness that follows when the two meet. The story examines a young woman’s reflections on death, a memorial, and a “family” that is forced to face its greatest fears when a young man suddenly dies.

Selected for Sundance Institute’s 2006 Directors Lab, Jake Mahaffy‘s Free In Deed see a father, who in order to tend for his own ill son, the intensely religious man secretly returns to his hometown where, years ago, his attempted miracle became a criminal act. With complexity and emotional power, “Free in Deed” explores faith and redemption in rural America.

Here is the complete list of participants. 

THE UMBRELLA MEN – John BARKER (2nd feature film) South Africa
MORAL SCIENCES – Diego LERMAN (3rd feature film) Argentina
EXECUTIONER GARDEN – ZHANG Yuan (11th feature film) China
OBLIVION – Atef HETATA (2nd feature film) Egypt
BURY ME STANDING – Caran HARTSFIELD (1st feature film) USA
FREE IN DEED – Jake MAHAFFY (3rd feature film) USA
L’HOMME QUI CACHE LA FORET – Bertrand MANDICO (1st feature film) France
SHUN LI AND THE POET – Andrea SEGRE (2nd feature film) Italy
CHAMBRES D’HOTEL – Danielle ARBID (5th feature film) Lebanon / France
DEATH FOR SALE – Faouzi BENSAIDI (3rd feature film) Morocco
40 DAYS OF SILENCE – Saodat ISMAILOVA (2nd feature film) Uzbekistan
SPONSORING – Malgoska SZUMOWSKA (4th feature film) Poland
RED CROSS – Hugo VIEIRA DA SILVA (2nd feature film) Portugal
PINOY SUNDAY – HO Wi Ding (1st feature film) Taiwan / Philippines
OUR GRAND DESPAIR – Seyfi TEOMAN (2nd feature film) Turkey