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CANNES 2016 Exhibitors

Europa Cinemas conference: “The success of a movie is decided in the cinemas”

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- CANNES 2016: Cineuropa was present at the Europa Cinemas conference hosted by this year's Cannes Film Festival

Europa Cinemas conference: “The success of a movie is decided in the cinemas”
l-r: Claude-Eric Poiroux, general director, Europa Cinemas; Lucia Recalde Langarica, Creative Europe MEDIA; Nico Simon, president, Europa Cinemas; and Madeleine Probst, vice-president, Europa Cinemas

At the Europa Cinemas conference held at the Cannes Film Festival, the organisation's general director, Claude-Eric Poiroux, announced that new guidelines would provide strong support for difficult countries. The European cinema network is active in 576 cities across 30 countries, where 962 cinemas with 2,320 screens are operated. Sixty percent of the listings of these cinemas comprise European films.

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“Cinemas play a fundamental role in the distribution of European films,” underlined Lucia Recalde Langarica, head of unit of the Creative Europe MEDIA programme. Besides the economic contribution, there is also a social aspect. “The role of cinema in integration is essential,” stated Recalde. Furthermore, the cinemas have data on how many people attend their screenings, meaning “you can maximise your impact through the smart use of data”.

The European Commission will continue to support the cinemas. The next European Film Forum will take place in collaboration with Europa Cinemas during the Venice Film Festival.

“Cinema is a privileged window into our culture,” underlined Viviane Reding, Member of the European Parliament and former Vice-President of the European Commission. The movie theatres will play a strong role because they cannot be replaced by a platform. The cinema experience is about “identity, dreams and sheer pleasure – and that is priceless”.

“We are currently in a very strategic year,” summed up Silvia Costa, Member of the European Parliament, but a great deal depends on the political outlook of the Parliament. In December, the Parliament will present a report. “We need your opinion,” requested Costa. “Cinemas have a strategic value. At present, the data for the entire exploitation chain are not clear, since there are no figures from TV, DVD or VoD available. Even if the consumption of film is changing, the success of a movie is decided in the cinemas.”

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