The co-production committee between Germany and France has announced in Paris the results of its latest call, aimed at strengthening creative alliances between the two countries. A total of €1.084 million has been allocated to six productions, divided between three feature films already in production and three projects still in development. The selection includes four French-majority initiatives and two led from Germany.

Among the supported projects, one of the standouts is “Die Stadt”, the new film by German director Helena Wittmann, known for Human Flowers of Flesh, which screened in Locarno. The noir-style film is backed by Fünferfilm (Hamburg) and the French company Cinéphage!, with additional Spanish involvement. Funding amounts to €211,000 from the German side and €160,000 from France. Set in a rapidly changing port city, the story follows Lou, a French woman hired to track down a construction worker named Théo. After refusing to provide a photo as proof of her work, her personal stability collapses, leading her on an uncertain path through the evolving urban landscape.

Another title receiving the green light is the latest proposal by Moroccan filmmaker Faouzi Bensaïdi, following his screening at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight with Deserts. His musical comedy “Histoire d’amour en 10 chansons, 3 mariages et 1 baiser” is set in Marrakech and focuses on Lhajja, the charismatic leader of a wedding band, surrounded by musicians, dancers and neighbourhood friends. The production is handled by Barney Productions (France) and NiKo Film (Germany), with partners in Belgium and Morocco. Each country contributes €160,000 to the budget.

The third feature to receive funding is “Ducks”, the fiction debut of Franco-Cambodian filmmaker Neary Adeline Hay, known for her documentaries Eskape and Angkar. Produced by Special Touch Studios in collaboration with Katuh Studio and a Canadian partner, the project was granted €182,000 from France and €129,000 from Germany. The film follows Kerya, a French woman of Cambodian heritage who travels to Cambodia to scatter her father’s ashes, only to embark on an unexpected journey accompanied by her young cousin — and 300 ducks.

In the development category, three projects will each receive €27,500. The first, “In den Fängen des Autoscooters”, directed by Maximilian Bungarten, is a co-production between Benedetta Films and the French company Moderato. The drama explores the grief of a trainee plumber coping with the accidental death of his best friend, while forming an unexpected bond with a Romanian fairground worker.

Also supported is the animated documentary project “Mystery Woman”, by French filmmaker Aurélie Pollet. With the backing of Katuh Studio and France’s Kepler 22, the film portrays the extraordinary journey of Lillian Alling, an immigrant who in 1926 decided to return to Europe on foot from New York, crossing the continent and Siberia as an act of resistance and self-determination.

The list concludes with “Prajd”, directed by Elvire Muñoz, produced by Mondina Films (France) together with Achtung Panda! Media (Germany). The story follows Mira, a Serbian paediatrician working as a caregiver in Paris while trying to validate her medical qualifications and dealing with pressure from her family back home. Her life takes a turn when she begins a relationship with Romane, the pianist daughter of one of the families she works for.