Together with the Audience Design Lab at International Screen Institute Film i Väst are pleased to announce a new partnership. Film i Väst will support the participation of a local team in attending the Lab this October, where they will participate in a workshop with their own Audience Designer, working on their feature project over the course of 4 days in Vienna. They will also be supported with one-to-one sessions with industry experts in the fields of Festivals, Sales Agents and Publicity.

The selected project is Laura, the debut feature of director Fanny Ovesen and produced by Marie Kjellson from Kjellson & Wik.

Synopsis: On a couchsurfing trip through Europe, 19-year-old Laura wakes up naked after having had sex with another couchsurfer, without a single memory of their night together. This becomes the starting point for an equally liberating and destructive exploration of Laura’s own boundaries, taking her on a personal journey across the borders of Poland, Czech Republic, Germany and France. But as the journey goes on, an increasing fear emerges – the fear that the forgotten night wasn’t voluntary.

The lead roles are played by Embla Ingelman-Sundberg, Aviva Wrede and the french actor Oscar Leasage (Les Amandiers by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and the tv-drama Marie Antoinette).

– This is a first step for us to work with and offer Audience Design to co-productions. We all need to get a better understanding of the audience and Audience Design is one way of doing that. We are very excited that Marie Kjellson (producer) and Fanny Ovesen (director) want to explore this field even more with their film Laura, says Sigrid Bersmann, Marketing and Events at Film i Väst.

– I’m thrilled to be collaborating with Sigrid and the team at Film i Väst. Audiences and how to reach them has been an important topic of conversation each time we meet, and I can’t wait to support Fanny and Marie on their brilliant project in finding its path to audiences this autumn at the Lab, says Síle Culley, Lab Director of The Audience Design.

Laura is a collaboration between seven countries, led by producer Marie Kjellson, Kjellson & Wik in co-production with Film i Väst, True Content Production Norway (producer Renée Mlodyszewski) and Ström Pictures (producer Monica Hellström) with support from The Swedish Film Institute, The Norwegian Film Institute, The Danish Film Institute, Nordic Film & TV Fund, Eurimages and YLE with development support from Creative Europe and Lindholmen Science Park. Associate producer in France is Antoine Simkine, Les Films D’Antoine. The film is shot in collaboration with Background Films in Czech Republic, F25 in Poland and New Matter Films in Germany. Nordic distribution is handled by Scandinavian Film Distribution. The film has been shot across Europe summer 2023.  

ABOUT International Screen Institute
The International Screen Institute, is a non-profit organisation (e.V.) providing first class training for European and international film and TV creatives and executives. We offer a wide range of courses for all levels of experience, from beginners to top executives and company owners.

The Screen Institute Team brings years of practical, hands-on experience to the table to ensure all courses are delivered by high profile industry practitioners, who are the best in their field.

These industry experts and professional trainers will share their knowledge and expertise in a wide range of short and extended courses with the aim to improve the skillsets of film makers and executives as well as building confidence and industry connections to benefit both the individual and their organisation or company in our rapidly growing industry.

ABOUT SÍLE CULLEY
With nearly a decade of experience working in Sales and Distribution, Síle now runs an Audience Design consultancy helping independent producers and established production companies identify potential audiences for their films and the positioning of their projects in the ever-competitive marketplace. Since she began, her contribution as Audience Designer has led to international premieres at top festivals, world sales and theatrically-released titles, and successful applications with Creative Europe, the BAI, the BFI and Screen Ireland.
Síle is a member of the European Film Academy and the founder of The Breakfast Club, a peer-to-peer network for women working in the Business of Film in Ireland. She is an alumni of Berlinale Talents, Torino Film Lab, LIM Less Is More and the NFTS.