08/07/2008

A total of 200 professionals, experts and representatives from European institutions will gather today at the French Cinémathèque, invited by the Culture and Communication Ministry and the National Film Centre (CNC) for a symposium entitled "Cinema, Europe, the World" organised to mark the French presidency of the European Union.

Led by Costa Gavras, participants will explore the issue of film cooperation between the European Union and third-party countries. The objective of the day is to outline future action for cinematic creation, from training to production, and including distribution and exhibition.

The programme includes four working sessions: "Supporting the development in diversity of national film industries" (identifying the most effective measures and the countries to be helped as a priority in Africa, Asia and Latin America); "Helping film production in other countries and co-productions between continents", "Promoting cultural diversity: a cooperation policy on a European level?" and "Exhibiting films: the challenges of distribution and exhibition".

Participants include Christine Albanel (French Culture Minister) who will close the event, Véronique Cayla (Director General of the CNC) and several other representatives of the EFAD (Directors of European Film Agencies): Simon Perry (Ireland), Henrik Bo Nielsen (Denmark), Gerlinde Seitner (Austria), Maciej Karpinski (Poland), Guy Daleiden (Luxembourg), Laufey Gujonsdottir (Iceland), Marge Liiske (Estonia), Nils Klevjer Aas (Norway), Urlika Nisell (Sweden), Veronique Pacco (Belgium), Rosario Albuquerque (Spain) and Zsolt Kezdi-Kovacs (Hungary). Representatives from the Swedish Film Institute, UK Film Council, as well as the Romanian, Cypriot, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Czech and Finnish Culture Ministries will also attend.

Other participants include Bianca Taal (Hubert Bals Fund), Amra Baksic (Cine Link Sarajevo), Fernando Lara (director of the ICAA, here representing the Ibermédia programme), Jacques Toubon (Eurimages), Aviva Silver (Media Programme), Michel Reilhac (Arte France Cinéma), Vicenzo Bugno (World Film Fund), Claude-Eric Poiroux (Europa Cinemas) and the heads of Europa Distribution, EAVE, ACE, The Producers’ Club, the SACD, the FERA and Cine-Regio.

Producers taking part in the event include France’s Emilie George, Jacques Bidou and Philippe Avril, Spain’s Anton Reixa (Filmax), Croatia’s Cedomir Kolar, the UK’s Mark Cosgrove and Germany’s Roman Paul. The following distributors will also attend: Le Pacte, CTV International and Pierre Grise.

Finally, several filmmakers will put in an appearance, including Nadine Labaki, Rity Pahn, Abderrahmane Sissako and Mahamat Saleh Haroun (who is also president of Fonds Sud). US actor Danny Glover will be a special guest at the event.

(Translated from French)