With the aim of increasing the wider distribution of non-domestic European films, European Film Promotion (EFP) and the San Sebastian International Film Festival are to launch the initiative “European Distributors: Up Next!” which is scheduled to take place on September 26, 2008 during the festival. The first edition of the programme is focused on distributors from Central and Eastern European countries. Ten up-and-coming European distributors supporting independent European cinema and selected by EFP members and the San Sebastian festival will be invited to the festival to discuss further possibilities of theatrical distribution on a European level.

The majority of European films do not find distribution outside of their home territories and are often limited to a national release. With “European Distributors: Up Next!”, within the framework of the San Sebastian International Film Festival and its Sales Office, the distributors will be offered networking opportunities and a platform for their particular concerns.
Financial backing comes from the MEDIA Programme of the European Union and the involved member countries. As a media partner the international trade magazine Variety will highlight the invited distributors, detailing their contribution to independent cinema.

Furthermore “European Distributors: Up Next!” will join activities in San Sebastian organized by Europa Distribution. “We are very pleased to join with the prestigious San Sebastian International Film Festival to be able to offer a support programme to risk-taking independent distributors from Europe”, says Renate Rose, EFP managing director: “Observing market forces now for several years, EFP felt a need to pick up on the problematic and intractable question of distribution in a new, profiled European initiative.” EFP's most recent programme to date, “Picture Europe! The Best of European Cinema”, already addresses this issue.

Mikel Olaciregui, director of the San Sebastian International Film Festival also welcomes the joint initiative: “The San Sebastian Film Festival has always supported European cinema. It's an opportunity for us to join EFP in order to host an event which aims to contribute to an improvement of the circulation of European films within Europe and to create networks between emerging distributors from Central and Eastern Europe and their counterparts: sales agents, producers.”

Selected “European Distributors: Up Next!” 2008

The EFP member organizations associated with the initiative are:
National Film Center Bulgaria, Czech Film Center, Baltic Films (Estonian Film Foundation/ National Film Center of Latvia/ Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania), Magyar Filmunió, Polish Film Institute, Romanian Film Promotion, Slovak Film Institute, Slovenian Film Fund.

Contact

EFP is supported by the MEDIA Programme of the European Union and its member organisations. In addition, promotion and PR activities are backed by the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC). ”European Distributors: Up Next!” moreover is supported by the San Sebastian International Film Festival and by Variety. The Hamburg-based office is financially supported by the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Department for Culture, Sports and Media of the City of Hamburg.

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