Tamara Kotevska, Jacqueline Lentzou & Rubaiyat Hossain Films Selected for Les Arcs Work in Progress Showcase

Oscar-nominated filmmaker from North Macedonia, Tamara Kotevska, is set to present her latest project at this months Les Arcs Film Festival during its Work in Progress segment. Kotevskas debut narrative feature, Man Vs Flock, follows an elderly farmer defending his land from being overtaken by a new highway. Her film is one of 12 works in progress featured at the event.

Kotevska gained international acclaim with Honeyland, which won the Best Documentary World Cinema award at Sundance 2019 and received nominations for both Best Documentary and Best International Feature Film at the 2020 Oscars. Her other nonfiction works include The Walk and The Tale of Sylian.

Greek director Jacqueline Lentzou will attend with her second feature, A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra, inspired by the sudden death of a teenager in Athens. Lentzous previous film, Moon, 66 Questions, premiered in the Encounters section of Berlins 2021 virtual edition and won awards at festivals including Sarajevo and Seville.

Bangladeshi filmmaker Rubaiyat Hossain will showcase The Difficult Bride, telling the story of a woman preparing for marriage while grappling with body image issues. This marks Hossains fourth feature following Made in Bangladesh (2019), Under Construction (2015), and Meherjaan (2011).

The Work in Progress initiative aims to connect films in post-production with international distributors and sales agents. Past participants include 2026 Oscar hopefuls Sound of Falling (Germany) and Little Trouble Girls (Slovenia).

The festival also hosts Industry Village events such as Coproduction Village, Talent Village, and Music Village. This year, the Works in Progress showcase received 163 project submissions. Participating projects compete for the TitraFilm Award (10,000 for post-production), the Alphapanda Audience Engagement Award (7,000 in marketing support), and the 22D Music Award (10,000 for music composition).

In related news, the festival will honor composer Lonie Pernet with the Revelation Female Film Composer Award, established in 2022 in collaboration with Sacem and Lab Femmes de Cinma. Pernet is known for her work on soundtracks including Magma by Cyprien Vial.

Selected Films in the Work in Progress Showcase

• A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra** Produced by Avion Films (Greece), Atalante Productions (Greece), Kelek Film UG (Germany), 4 A 4 Productions (France)
• Man Vs Flock* Directed by Tamara Kotevska (North Macedonia), Produced by Video Studio Petkovski (North Macedonia), Nukleus Film (Croatia), Filmoskopija (Serbia), Cine Planet (Montenegro), Zeynofilm (Turkey)
• The Difficult Bride Directed by Rubaiyat Hossain (Bangladesh), Produced by Zeitgeist Filmproduktion GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), Wega Filmproduktionsges.m.b.h (Austria), Third Picture GbR (Germany)

The festivals 202526 awards season calendar includes key dates for the Oscars, Grammys, and various guild awards, alongside premiere schedules for new and returning broadcast, cable, and streaming series.

Author: Sophia Brooks