Of the first six winners, Scope and Creaxial, who set up the crossmedia project for Once Upon a Time, did particularly well, helping this unbridled comedy to become a popular success in Belgian cinemas, whereas it was not successful in France, where the various interactive platforms were not used. The last two projects selected in September 2011 are currently being deployed to support films that are being released together (oh happy coincidence) this October 3: Dead Man Talking and The Suicide Shop.
Let’s remember that, unlike the financing granted to feature films or companies, which are investments, this Crossmedia session allows Wallimage to offer grants (subsidies) to innovative projects. In addition to their creativity, there is only one obligation: to spend this money in the Walloon Region with regional companies. This is a logical obligation, since the objective of the fund has always been to boost the activity of Walloon audiovisual companies and this operation is part of the Creative Wallonia strategy initiated by Jean-Claude Marcourt, Minister of the Economy, SMEs, Foreign Trade, New Technologies and Higher Education.
Seven entries were submitted this year to a jury of six people who studied them individually before comparing their opinions during a lively afternoon. The jury was composed of Philippe Reynaert, director of Wallimage, Stéphanie Hugé in charge of Wallimage-Coproductions, Virginie Nouvellewhois in charge of Wallimage-Entreprises, Pierre Colle (expert at the Walloon Telecommunications Agency), Jérôme Vandermaes (cabinet of Minister Jean-Claude Marcourt) and Philippe Pierquin (in charge of the virtual communication of Wallimage, of the Magritte of the Belgian cinema and editor in chief of Cinevox)
The collegial conclusions of these experts were transmitted to the members of the Wallimage board of directors who validated them and even had to decide on a file on which the experts could not agree!
Of the seven applications submitted, five were finally selected. The CrossMedia projects that will benefit for their promotion from a Wallimage grant are
The Congress proposed by Entre Chien et Loup. The project will be led by Dog Studio with the support of Israeli director Ari Folman.
Ernest and Celestine proposed by La Party. It is a vast playful operation jointly led by Cuistax, KWeb, Dogstudio with the support of Digital Graphics which colored the film.
Landes proposed by WFE, Alain Berliner’s company, and which will be realized by Creaxial
Minuscule, La vallée des Fourmis Perdu, produced by Entre Chien et Loup, a future ambitious collaboration of Superfluid, Stereo Agency and Fishing Cactus
And finally A Place on Earth produced by Versus which will be the subject of a large operation led by Wanabe (Emakina’s Walloon subsidiary) for photographers … and all those who have a place on earth!
Five very different projects that seduced the jury and the Board of Directors by their audacity, their relevance and their potential to build loyalty, three of the essential axes that presided over the examiners’ collective reflection.
