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First Regional Conference
EUROMED AUDIOVISUAL II PROGRAMME
BERLIN
10-11 February 2007
Kalkscheune
Johannisstrasse 2 – 10117 Berlin Mitte
An event not to be missed! The first Regional Conference
of the Euromed Audiovisual II Programme is to be held in
parallel with the Berlin International Film Festival
between 10-11 February 2007 (see attached conference
programme). Euromed Audiovisual II is a programme of the
European Commission launched in 2006 for the development
of cooperation between the European Union and 10
Mediterranean partners (namely Algeria, the Palestinian
Authority, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco,
Syria, Tunisia and Turkey) in the field of cinema and
audiovisual works.
With a budget of 15 million euro over three years, the
Programme supports 12 selected projects that cover a
series of initiatives targeting a wide range of
audiovisual and film industry professionals and spanning
the entire process of film development, promotion,
exhibition and distribution. The projects provide vital
opportunities for training, networking and knowledge
transfer as well as facilitating the exchange of ideas
and best practices.
The Berlin Conference proceedings will be opened on 10
February at 9.30am by Dieter Kosslick, Director of the
Berlin International Film Festival, and by Carla Montesi,
Head of Unit, South Mediterranean/Near and Middle East
within the European Commission’s EuropeAid Cooperation
Office.
The Conference will provide an opportunity to take stock
of the achievements of the Programme to date: more than
280 emerging professionals from all the 10 MEDA
countries have participated in training activities, and
around 50,000 spectators were registered thanks to 320
screenings of European and Mediterranean films in Cairo,
Alexandria, Beirut, Amman, Antalya, Paris, Rotterdam,
Der Haag, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Seville and Stockholm,
together with the vital boost given to the distribution
and exhibition of films from the region by the Euromed
Cinema project, which supported some 40
Euro-Mediterranean films.
The two days of the conference will provide an
opportunity to also discuss on topics such as “Financing
and markets: can southern films be financed on the
market?” and “Creating a market in the South”, with
representatives from the San Sebastian, Thessalonica,
Istanbul and Damascus International Film Festivals and
others in attendance, as well as to focus on “The film
industry in the South of the Mediterranean” and analyse
different production and co-production support systems
with representatives from Eurimages, Israel Film Fund,
the French CNC and the Moroccan Film Centre.
Leading figures of the northern and southern
Mediterranean cinema world have been invited to attend
the Berlin Conference, including Karl Baumgartner,
founder of the German production and distribution
company Pandora, the Belgian producer Hubert Toint, the
Israeli film director Amos Gitai, the Palestinian film
director Michel Khleifi, the Tunisian film director
Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud, and Luciana Castellina, former
president of Italia Cinema (the organisation in charge
of the promotion of European cinema abroad).
The Euromed Audiovisual Regional Conference will be
preceded by another important event: a workshop
dedicated to the “Fight against piracy”, to be held on
8-9 February also in Berlin. Mediterranean Audiovisual
authorities coming from all the 10 MEDA countries
together with the European officials and experts will
gather with the aim of identifying the most effective
strategies to encourage the development of a legal
market in audiovisual works in Mediterranean countries.
The annual Berlin International Film Festival is not
only the German city’s largest cultural event but one of
the most important dates on the international film
industry’s calendar. Every year, more than 19,000 film
professionals from 120 countries, including 3,800
journalists, are accredited for the Festival which
attracts by far the largest audience of any film
festival in the world.
ENDS
Contact:
Milojka Saule, Communications Expert
Euromed Audiovisual Technical Assistance
Tel: +39 349 31 79 765
e-mail:
saule@euromedaudiovisuel.net
http://www.euromedaudiovisuel.net |
