IFTA winning Irish filmmaker, Rebecca O’Flanagan is one of 25 producers chosen to take part in the Cannes Producers on the Move programme. The event, run by the EFP (European Film Promotion) offers a networking platform for selected participants at the Cannes Film Festival.
Over three days, May 14th to 17th, the EFP member organisations’ selection of enterprising producers will be put into the spotlight and brought together with the international film industry and press. They will be able to discuss ideas as well as the planning and financing of international projects, and explore the potential for possible co-productions. The 25 producers taking part marks the largest number of participants since the programme’s launch 12 years ago; Albania is represented with a producer for the first time.
A graduate of University College Dublin and King's Inns, Rebecca worked freelance for a number of years in the Irish film industry before becoming manager of Film Makers Ireland. In 2000, she joined the Irish Film Board to work as Development Manager. In 2004, she established Rubicon Films, which partnered with Treasure Entertainment, of which she is also now a director. Since then she has produced the short ‘Right Now Ladies and Gents’ and the IFTA-winning TV series ‘The Running Mate’.
In 2008, she executive produced Conor McPherson's feature film ‘The Eclipse’ which opened at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival where it won the Best Actor Award. In 2010 the film won an IFTA for Feature Film. Rebecca was back at Tribeca last year with Paul Fraser's ‘My Borthers’ which she produced through Rubicon Films in 2009. The same year she produced the IFTA-winning series ‘Your Bad Self’. She has lectured on the Master of Arts in Screenwriting at the School of Film and Digital Media in Galway as well as a number of other international film courses.
Financially supported by the MEDIA Programme, the Producers on the Move initiative aims to offers participants an opportunity via its numerous networking events to forge contacts with colleagues from other European countries as well as to meet representatives of film funds and learn more about the production conditions within Europe. From the past three editions of the programme, 60% of the participants have worked with one another on concrete projects, some of the films have already been realised and others are still under negotiation or at the planning stage.
With her Producers on the Move selection, Rebecca joins a prestigious list of previous Irish participants including Tristan Orpen Lynch (Song for a Raggy Boy); Macdara Kelleher (The Runway); Martina Niland (Once); Natalie Lichtenthaeler (As If I Am Not There) and Katie Holly (Sensation) who took part in last year’s event.
All of this year’s participants have projects in the pipeline such as Rebecca’s Treasure Entertainment recently receiving IFB development funding for feature film, ‘Shrooms 3D’. For a complete list of the 25 Cannes 2011 Producers on the Move click here.
