EXCLUSIVE: Tel Aviv’s CoPro 24 — The Israeli Coproduction Market will welcome back the international doc community for the first time in two years later this month. The event, which has over the years unveiled award-winning features such as The Gatekeepers and Advocate, has also unveiled an initial slate of 13 projects.
CoPro 24, organised by CoPro – Israeli Content Marketing Foundation, will run between May 31-June 3 in Israel’s second city, the first time it has been held in person since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. The event aims to expose Israeli projects to the international market at early stage and includes pitches, screenings and meetings.
Decision makers attending including Discovery+ VP of Documentaries Igal Svet, France Télévisions Commissioning Editor Renaud Allilaire and BBC Storyville Commissioning Editor Philippa Kowarsky, along with the likes of Arte G.E.I.E. Commissioning Editor Catherine Le Goff, Deckert Distribution Sales Agent Patrizia Mancini and Fremantle Head of Documentaries Mandy Chang.
An initial 13 projects have been selected for the event, including a first tranche of seven for its Co-Production Pitching Forum on May 31, which will be presented to 50 international doc execs. These include Avida Livonia’s Contract with the Devil?, Michal’s Psychopaths from Limor Pinhasov and Liran Atzmor’s Sapir. Scroll to the bottom for a full run-down.
The Close Encounters track, designed for projects at various stages of development, will include veteran director Yair Qedar’s Freud Vs Freud, which tells the story of the father of psychology over four episodes using some of the 30,000 letters he left and is for Israeli broadcaster Kan 11.
Seven high-profile docs at the rough-cut stage will be made available on CoPro’s DocuShuk screening platform, with the filmmakers for the first time presenting their projects in 30-minute sneak peak sessions. The first of these is Being Terez Halasa, which is from Rozeen Bisharat and is for Hot 8. It looks at how chance and history collide in an intergenerational encounter between two Palestinian women born in Israel.
Furthermore, the Docaviv International Documentary Film Festival will take place simultaneously, with 13 films that have previously appeared at CoPro premiering. These include H2: The Occupation Lab — which counts European public broadcasters France Télévisions, RTBF, RTS, SVT and YLE among its backers — and The Devil’s Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes, from Yariv Mozer and for Sipur and MGM.
CoPro launched more than two decades ago and its organisers say it has been responsible for more than 600 deals and $30m of funding for Israeli productions in that time. Notably, Dror Moreh’s Academy Award-nominated The Gatekeepers and Rachel Leah Jones’ Emmy winner Advocate were first exposed to the international market at the event.
“We are thrilled to welcome the world’s documentary industry back to Tel Aviv this year. On-site events are essential for our ecosystem and I’m happy to gather again after two years of social distancing,” said Pnina Halfon Lang, CoPro’s Executive Director.
CoPro 24: Initial 12 Projects
Being Terez Halasa
Director: Rozeen Bisharat
Producer: Osnat Trabelsi
Chance and history collide in an intergenerational encounter between two Palestinian women born in Israel. Broadcaster: Hot 8
The Camera of Doctor Morris
Director: Itamar Alcalay and Meital Zvieli
Broadcasters: Arte, RBB, YesDocu
Completed. Premieres at Docaviv 2022.
Contract with the Devil?
Director: Avida Livni
The story behind the incredible agreement between the Nazi regime and the Leaders of the Jewish community in Israel. Broadcaster: Hot 8
The Devil’s Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes
Director: Yariv Mozer
Broadcasters: Sipur, MGM
Completed. Premieres at Docaviv 2022.
Freud Vs. Freud
Director: Yair Qedar
Freud left 30,000 letters. In the feature length documentary, these letters will be instrumental in telling Freud’s story in four episodes whose common theme is overcoming. Broadcaster: KAN 11
H2: The Occupation Lab
Directors: Idit Avrahami and Noam Sheizaf
Broadcasters: France Televisions, RTBF, RTS, SVT, YLE, Hot 8
Completed. Premieres at Docaviv 2022.
Michal’s Psychopaths
Director: Limor Pinhasov
In an attempt to understand her father, Michal embarks on a journey into the minds of the world’s most infamous psychopaths. Broadcaster: KAN 11
My Game Changer
Directors: Nevet Mazor and Liran Atzmor
An autistic’s journey to learn from other gamers overseas how to manage life’s challenges.
Necropolis
Director: Keren Alexander
In the biggest Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem there is no space left, therefore it was decided to dig underground. 17 floors deep in the heart of the mountain, a massive burial project is being excavated with over 23 thousand new Kosher graves. Necropolis is a creative documentary that tells a vivid story on life and death of Jerusalem down under.
Poem For Aseel
Director: Roy Cohen
An Israeli man navigates a world in which his childhood friend has become a Shaheed
Sapir
Director: Liran Atzmor
The story of Sapir Berman – the first professional-league transgender soccer referee in Premier league. Broadcaster: Keshet 12
