Alessia Acone Talks ‘Eclectic’ CineMart Selection, Engaging Emerging Professionals and ‘Staying Real’: ‘The Trend Is Diversity’

variety.com:

Marta Balaga Ahead of its 41st edition, International Film Festival Rotterdam’s industry event CineMart isn’t interested in uniformity. “The trend is diversity,” says head of IFFR Pro Alessia Acone. “We feature different themes, different production structures and different filmmakers.

We want to make sure we can represent many things at the same time. This year, more than ever.” The “eclectic” lineup of projects includes Aisling Walsh’s “Lucia,” about the only daughter of James Joyce, two-time Tiger Short Competition-winner Beatrice Gibson’s debut feature “La nuit,” Barbara Rupik’s animation “Cherub,” produced by Madants, previously behind “The Silent Twins,” and another animated film “Cloud of the Unknown.” “We go from a bigger-budgeted film to a collectively written story and animations coming from two different sides of the world.

From biographic stories to arctic expeditions, from dreamy landscapes to car chases,” observes Acone. “A new set of awards, courtesy of Eurimages, proves that this year’s selection is made out of projects that dare to push boundaries, talk about personal and relevant matters, and experiment – also with different formats.” In “Another Journey Without Women,” Illum Jacobi will go all the way back to 1918, when an expedition led by Danish explorer Knud Rasmussen explores new lands in Greenland.

Loïc Hobi will focus on a “queer action hero,” racing his Honda in “Bad Gays.” “What makes ‘Bad Gays’ controversial is that it exists in an industry that grants radical and queer movies only a niche presence.