02/11/2021 - Strategic cultural sovereignty, the future of independent creation and the new relationship between cinema and broadcasters are all up for discussion between 3 and 5 November in Touquet-Paris-Plage

It’s amidst a complicated context that the 31st edition of the ARP’s (Civil Society for Authors-Directors-Producers) Film Meetings is set to unfold from tomorrow. What with the impact of the pandemic on the entire sector, the new role played by SVOD platforms in the funding of audiovisual creation, and the relatively laborious negotiations involved in reworking France’s media chronology windows (to name just a few pressing issues at present), any statements made during these three days in Touquet-Paris-Plage (3 - 5 November), hosting conversations and reflections revolving around the 7th art which are as popular with leaders hailing from all sections of the film chain in France, as they are with politicians responsible for cultural life in France and Europe (notably the French Minister for Culture Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin), will be placed under the microscope and treated as key indicators of the future that’s in the making.

Presided over by filmmakers Charlène Favier and Christian Carion, this year’s edition of the Film Meetings will firstly analyse the question: "Culture: A Strategic Asset for Europe?". Indeed, is it logical that the industry pushes for full control over audiovisual creation yet leaves its broadcasting solely to American operators? The debate will be introduced by Thierry Breton (European Commissioner for the Internal Market) and will include Nathanaël Karmitz (mk2), Bruno Patino (Arte) and Clément Beaune (Secretary of State for European Affairs) among its participants.

Another hotly anticipated discussion (to be moderated by filmmakers Baya Kasmi and Radu Mihaileanu) will explore the question: "Which Face for Independent Creation Tomorrow" (notably how to prevent it from becoming a mere service provider for larger operators, but also how to curb the polarisation of production and the nigh-on disappearance of so-called middle-ground films), a topic which will also feature among a number of others weighed up by Ardavan Safaee (president of Pathé Films), Carole Scotta (Haut et Court and co-president of DIRE), international sales agent Nicolas Brigaud-Robert (Playtime), producer Judith Lou Levy (Les Films du Bal), her counterpart Frédéric Brillion (Epithète Films), CNC president Dominique Boutonnat and banker Isabelle Terrel (Natixis-Coficiné).

Just a few months ahead of the elections in France, the debate entitled "The Presidential Elections: Which Cultural Policy Should We Adopt?" (hosted by the heads of the ARP, filmmaker Pierre Jolivet and Director General Mathieu Debusschère) will notably involve producer Isabelle Madelaine (of Dharamsala, and the president of the Union of Film Producers) and director Mohamed Hamidi, and will end with a word from the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo.

Last but not least, the critical matter  of "Cinéma and Broadcasters: The New Relationship" (moderated by filmmakers Jeanne Herry and Christian Carion) is set to be debated by Delphine Ernotte-Cunci (president of France Télévisions), Alain Sussfeld (UGC), politician Aurore Bergé, and producers Édouard Mauriat (Mille et Une Productions) and Marc Missonnier (Moana Films), to name just a few.

Worth a final mention, and lending an artistic dimension to this intellectually stimulating gathering which provides a perfect opportunity for taking the industry’s temperature (including the feeling behind the scenes), are the screenings planned for four films: Happening [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anamaria Vartolomei
film profile] by Audrey Diwan, The Accusation [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Yvan Attal
film profile] by Yvan Attal, Hear Me Out [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Pascal Elbé and Promises [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Thomas Kruithof
film profile] by Thomas Kruithof.

(Translated from French)