Rea Rajčić presents Pogana at Berlinale Talents
Producer Rea Rajčić (Eclectica) has been selected as the only representative from Croatia to participate in the most important European networking and training platform for young filmmakers, Berlinale Talents. She will present her project Pogana (dir. David Kapac) as part of the Talent Project Market lab, which will allow the participants to take part in the Berlinale Co-production Market.
This year’s Berlinale Talents received a record 3,832 applications from 131 countries, of which 202 participants from 68 countries were selected. Filmmakers in the first ten years of their career are eligible to participate.
At the Talent Project Market lab, ten producers will present their feature film projects to co-producers and backers at the Berlinale Co-production Market. The participants will receive pointers from established industry mentors on positioning their projects within the international production environment and prepare for the numerous, specially tailored one-on-one meetings.
“After presenting the project and the award at the Black Nights festival in Tallinn, I’m especially pleased that Pogana gets to be presented at one of world’s most prestigious co-production markets, at Berlinale. I believe this will provide another springboard for the project, as well as for our production house”, said on the occasion producer Rea Rajčić.
In November of last year, she received the Producers Network Prize for promising young producers at the Baltic Event Co-production Market, which will allow her to participate at the platform Producers Network 2024, taking place at the Cannes Marché du Film.
Pogana is a feature film project penned by duo Andrija Mardešić and David Kapac, to be directed by David Kapac.
It centres on Pogana, a woman sold by her father to a Sailor from a remote island. He brings her home to take care of his five children. After the Sailor is lost at sea, Pogana is left at the mercy of the villagers and their cruel customs. Torn between gruelling tasks and raising the children, Pogana, driven by her survival instincts, finds an ally in the local lighthouse keeper. When she finally starts adjusting to life on the island, her late husband starts returning to her in the form of bones pulled out from the sea every day.
Pogana is being developed by Eclectica and has received support from the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (for both script and project development).
The Berlinale Talents will take place 17th – 22nd February, as part of the Berlin International Film Festival running 15th – 25th February.