With the Birmingham European Audiovisual Conference just round the corner in April 1998, Jacques Delmoly, EC head of unit, responsible for the Media programme, met with industry professionals in Berlin on Monday to make what he termed "the first global assessment of Media's film distribution" - confirming central debating points for the conference and beyond - towards Media 2's mid-term review later this year.
This, in Media terms, is to seize the proverbial bull by the horns. Over 1998, Media 2 will invest $20 million (Ecu18.5 million) in European film distribution. From 1996, under its selective film distribution process, Media has supported 643 campaigns for 110 European non-national films
"The global assessment was quite positive," Delmoly told Moving Pictures. "The selective system appears to be working quite well with three times the budget of Media 1."
Two main issues were raised, said Delmoly: stricter investment guidelines; and the ratio between selective and automatic systems.
But no, distributors did not want stricter guidelines on whether to invest in minimum guarantees, P&A or production. And the "unanimous view" at the meeting, said Distribution Intermediary Organisation head of office John Dick, was that the current balance between discretionary ("selective") and automatic aid is "more or less correct".
"It was very positive," concluded Delmoly. The general feeling among distribbers polled by Moving Pictures at Berlin was that Media Distribution aid could make or break a deal, especially for distribution of more difficult films in smaller countries.
The road ahead could now be slightly rockier, however. But this, ironically, could play to Media 2's advantage.
The current preparation of the Birmingham Audiovisual Conference seems to have split opinions: one source at the Cine-Center called them "fairly disastrous"; another "absolutely disastrous". Both reckoned, however, that the Conference could get it right on the night.
The Conference is aimed to act as an open forum for debate: its conclusions will be taken into account by the Commission but do not dictate, say, its mid-term policy review of Media 2. The Commission may well argue that, regarding Distribution's automatic aid, until more long-term data is available regarding the effect of the investment process, it is simply too early to judge its results.
What the Birmingham Audiovisual Conference may run up, however, is a good head of of polemic about the Media 2 programme. A higher profile for what Media 2 has achieved, even gained this way, might prove an ironic bonus. John Hopewell
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