Cannes: ‘Corsage’ Director Marie Kreutzer Wins Investors Circle Prize for ‘Gentle Monster’

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The film project titled “Gentle Monster“, helmed by Austrian director Marie Kreutzer (Corsage)), has been honored with the 2025 ArteKino International Prize at this year’s Investors Circle in Cannes. Alexander Glehr and Johanna Scherz, producers from Film AG Produktions, were presented with the €20,000 ($22,000) award during a closed-door pitching session that marked the culmination of the third edition of the Marché du Film’s select investment platform.

Kreutzer expressed her delight in a genuinely enthusiastic manner following her win. “Making a film,” she noted, “is an enormous mountain to climb, and the journey before the premiere is a long, arduous ascent. That’s why it’s crucial to have people who appreciate cinema and are willing to invest in it. I’ve been fortunate enough to discuss potential investment with some remarkable individuals. The script has ignited their curiosity, and they’re eager for more details about the project.

At the Plage des Palmes, during the 78th Cannes Film Festival, the Investors Circle gathered high-profile film financiers and investors for a private showing of ten promising director-led projects. This exclusive event, open only to select attendees, featured presentations from acclaimed directors Jessica Hausner, Sebastián Lelio, Lukas Dhont, and Jasmila Žbanić.

The event was structured to link daring, imaginative ideas with investors for the long haul. It showcased projects that required budgets ranging from 3 million euros to more than 9 million euros ($3.3 million – $10 million). Throughout their investor readiness process, each team benefited from guidance by 111 Avocats, a law firm based in Paris that specializes in the entertainment industry. This year’s selections were supervised by Aleksandra Zakharchenko, Head of Industry Programs at the Marché du Film, along with a jury consisting of Remi Burah (ARTE France Cinéma), Serge Hayat, Tamara Tatishvili (Hubert Bals Fund), and Marcin Łuczaj (New Europe Film Sales).

Besides “Gentle Monster”, the 2025 Investors Circle roster featured films such as “Coward” from Lukas Dhont of Belgium, produced by Michiel Dhont at The Reunion; “Disorder” directed by Giacomo Abbruzzese of Italy, produced by Marco Alessi and Giulia Achilli at Dugong Films; “Kamo” directed by Kornél Mundruczó of Hungary, produced by Mike Goodridge at Good Chaos, Ilya Stewart at Hype Studios, and Balthazar de Ganay; “Motherlove” directed by Eliza Hittman of the U.S., produced by Paul Mezey and Andrew Goldman at Present Company; “On Land and Sea” directed by Hlynur Pálmason of Iceland, produced by Katrin Pors at Snowglobe and Anton Máni Svansson at Still Vivid; “Poeta Chileno” directed by Sebastián Lelio of Chile, produced by Rocío Jadue, Juan de Dios Larraín, and Pablo Larraín at Fabula; “Quo Vadis, Aida – The Missing Part” directed by Jasmila Žbanić of Bosnia and Herzegovina, produced by Damir Ibrahimović at Deblokada; “The Puma” directed by Marcela Said of France/Chile, produced by Carole Scotta, Barbara Letellier, and Eliott Khayat at Haut et Court; and “Toxic” directed by Jessica Hausner of Austria, produced by Johannes Schubert at Schubert and Philippe Bober at Coproduction Office. In simpler terms, these films along with “Gentle Monster” were part of the 2025 Investors Circle lineup.

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2025-05-19 12:24