THE MATCH FACTORY’S FILMS DISTINGUISH THEMSELVES THROUGH STORY AND STATEMENT, ORIGINALITY AND STYLE.
FOUNDED IN EARLY 2006 BY FORMER BAVARIA FILM INTERNATIONAL HEADER MICHAEL WEBER, PANDORA FILM’S REINHARD BRUNDIG AND KARL BAUMGARTNER, THE MATCH FACTORY, NOW STARTING IN IT’S SECOND YEAR IN THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET PLACE ALREADY DOES LOOKS BACK TO A TREMENDOUS TRACK RECORD:
BEING PRESENT AT ALL MAYOR FESTIVALS AND MARKETS, THE MATCH FACTORY TITLES RECEIVED NUMEROUS AWARDS: BERLIN GOLDEN BEAR FOR JASMILA ZBANIC’S GRBAVICA, ROTTERDAM TISCALI AUDIENCE AWARD FOR MICHAEL HOFMANN’S EDEN, BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL’S ALFRED BAUER AWARD (BEST INNOVATIVE FILM) FOR RODRIGO MORENO’S EL CUSTODIO, ROTTERDAM FIPRESCI AWARD FOR CLAUDIA LLOSA’S MADEINUSA AND BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL’S PANORAMA FIPRESCI AWARD FOR DETLEV BUCK’S TOUGH ENOUGH.
THE MATCH FACTORY FURTHERMORE WAS HONOURED TO PRESENT AKI KAURISMÄKI’S NEW FILM LIGHTS IN THE DUSK IN OFFICIAL SELECTION IN COMPETITION AT THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL DE CANNES, ACCOMPANIED BY YOU AM I, KRISTIJONAS VILDZIUNAS “UN CERTAIN REGARD” CONTRIBUTION.
THE 59TH LOCARNO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL DEDICATED A RETROSPECTIVE TO THE WORK OF AKI KAURISMÄKI, TO WHOSE MULTIPLE AWARD-WINNING COMPLETE LIBRARY THE MATCH FACTORY DOES HOLD THE INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS TO. AT THE 63RD VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, THE MATCH FACTORY WAS PROUD TO PRESENT EUPHORIA BY RUSSIAN DIRECTOR IVAN VYRYPAEV.
THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY HIGHLY ACCLAIMED WRITER/DIRECTOR BAHMAN GHOBADI’S HALF MOON WINNING THE GOLDEN SHELL, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AND FIPRESCI AWARD AT THE 54TH INTERNATIONAL SAN SEBASTIAN FILM FESTIVAL, WHERE TO GREAT AUDIENCE RESPONSE SVEN TADDICKEN’S EMMA’S BLISS WAS SCREENED AT THE ZABALTEGI SECTION. THE YEAR ENDED WITH GRBAVICA BY JASMILA ZBANIC WINNING THE LOS ANGELES BASED AFI FEST.
2007 SUCCESSFULLY OPENED WITH PIA MARAIS’ THE UNPOLISHED WINNING THE TIGER AWARD AT THE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ROTTERDAM. AT THE BERLINALE, THE MATCH FACTORY PRESENTED THE FIPRESCI AWARD WINNER TAKVA - A MAN’S FEAR OF GOD BY ÖZER KIZILTAN, A TURKISH FILM IN CO-PRODUCTION WITH FATIH AKIN’S HAMBURG-BASED CORAZÓN INTERNATIONAL IN THE PANORAMA SPEZIAL SECTION, SERBIAN GUCHA – DISTANT TRUMPET BY DUSAN MILIC IN THE PANORAMA SECTION, AND MADONNAS BY MARIA SPETH IN THE INTERNATIONAL FORUM OF NEW CINEMA SECTION. IN COMPETITION, THE MATCH FACTORY WAS PROUD TO PRESENT THE NEW FILM OF CHRISTIAN PETZOLD: YELLA, WHICH WON THE SILVER BEAR FOR THE BEST ACTRESS NINA HOSS.
IN CANNES, THE MATCH FACTORY WILL PRESENT FATIH AKIN’S THE EDGE OF HEAVEN IN OFFICIAL SELECTION: IN COMPETION AND JAIME ROSALES’S SOLITARY FRAGMENTS (LA SOLEDAD) IN OFICIAL SELECTION: UN CERTAIN REGARD.
MOREOVER THE MATCH FACTORY DOES VERY MUCH LOOK FORWARD TO BRINGING THE UPCOMING PROJECTS BY HANS WEINGARTNER, STEFAN ARSENIJEVIC, STANISLAV MUCHA, HAILE GERIMA, BENT HAMER, WAYNE WANG, SERGEI DVORZEVOJ, ULIKE VON RIBBECK AND OTHERS TO INTERNATIONAL MARKETS, FESTIVALS AND AUDIENCES AROUND THE WORLD.
