American Film Festival and U.S. in Progress Ready for New Edition

Poland’s Tauron American Film Festival will celebrate its 17^th edition from Nov. 17-22 – and its industry sidebar U.S. in Progress will, once again, connect European buyers and Polish post-producers with American indie filmmakers.

“I’ve attended three times, and each time something essential to the films came out of the experience. I was in a long-running competition with Pete Ohs for who could keep up the longest streak, which I ultimately lost,” laughs director Rob Rice. 

Ohs ended up shooting Charli XCX-starring “Erupcja” in Poland. Rice collaborated with post-production studio XANF on “Ponderosa,” featuring Alexis Bledel and shown at Tribeca. 

He adds: “So much of what it takes to make these little films happen is nebulous and cumulative. It’s the accretion of a million little efforts and interactions, and it felt like U.S. in Progress was the spark that got all those things to react and precipitate into something real.” 

“I like that there’s no fluff, unlike with so many labs. U.S. in Progress is direct. They’re like: ‘Come to Poland, we’ll give you some money and introduce you to programmers.’”

The event has adapted to the changes observed in the industry since the pandemic. Submissions open in July.

“We focus less on market presentations of projects and more on mutual understanding of production systems and on post-production contacts,” says Ula Śniegowska, director of the Wrocław-based fest.

AFF, which has awarded Indie Star Award to the likes of Jesse Eisenberg, John Waters and Susan Seidelman, is a sister festival of Tauron New Horizons. 

“We’re unique in our approach compared with other European programs. Filmmakers point out that we remain a quality label. ‘U.S. in Progress selected’ is the first sign their project is appreciated by a professional international jury, especially as events of this kind are becoming increasingly rare in the U.S.”

Recent successes include “Bunnylovr” with Katarina Zhu and Rachel Sennott, Georgia Bernstein’s Sundance thriller “Night Nurse” and “Take Me Home” by Liz Sargent.

“U.S. in Progress was instrumental to ‘Bunnylovr’s’ success. As an independent film made on an extremely modest budget, the grants and post-production partnerships that came out of our participation allowed us to finish the film,” says Zhu, who worked with Fixafilm and XANF.

“The opportunity to screen there also gave ‘Bunnylovr’ early momentum that carried through to our festival premiere. As a first-time filmmaker, being met with that level of curiosity and support at such an early stage was incredibly encouraging.”

Producer Tristan Scott-Behrends notes: “U.S. in Progress has become an essential part of the fabric of American independent cinema.” 

“At a time where budgets are extremely tight, the prizes offered can make a huge difference in a film’s post-production budget. The talent in Poland is exceptional and this festival is a great opportunity for American filmmakers to connect with some of the best companies working out of Poland.”

He adds: “It’s such a leg up to have those relationships established and have the ability to connect and share with other filmmakers along the journey to its release.”

Śniegowska would like to help Polish post-production companies become more competitive and visible on the European market, and position themselves “as equal to, or even more attractive than similar studios in the Czech Republic or Hungary,” she says. 

While it’s all about “small steps” and enabling up to five collaborations a year, their hospitality model – “The city of Wrocław is a huge part of it” – allows for new friendships and “lifelong partnerships.”

U.S. in Progress manager Monica Semczyk agrees: “Recently, we had a small U.S. in Progress reunion in New York, which gave these filmmakers the chance to reconnect back home as well.”

“Our selection is eclectic and brings new surprises each year, but we aim to discover new voices and always feature a strong presence of debut features. It’s always exciting to see how these filmmakers evolve. Take Jane Schoenbrun.” 

Schoenbrun, whose latest film “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” opened the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, is another U.S. in Progress alumni. Just like India Donaldson (“Good One”), now working on A24-backed “The Chaperones.”

Rice says: “It’s where you really get this feeling of: ‘Oh, this is really happening with the film.’ As you can imagine, it’s an easy ‘yes’ from the film teams.” 

This year, he hopes to return to Wrocław again – this time, to show the film at the fest. 

“I can already anticipate feeling jealous of the people in the lab. When else do you hear filmmakers wishing their films were unfinished?”