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| The EFM goes European |
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Opening today (Thursday 10 February) for the last time at the Cine-Center before next year's move to the Debis Atrium at Potsdamer Platz, the European Film Market of the Berlin International Film Festival has gone seriously Continental. About 60 per cent of the productions on offer are from European countries. "European cinema definitely seems to be on the up," said market director Beki Probst. "As a service structure, the market reflects current trends of the industry. The representation from (among others) Austria, France, The Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain and the UK suggests a strong European push of feature film production. . "Eastern and Central European countries have also returned to the market in numbers. But at the same time, the presence of US independents and Asian companies emphasise the international perspective of the market. And the buyers are in place, too, with acquisition executives from the American majors' foreign and classics divisions. "For a couple of years we have tried to reduce the number of short films and productions presented in the market on video or 16mm," she added. "This year we are close to jackpot, with 320 feature-length titles out of a total of 352. Accordingly our theatres are running to full capacity, with only a couple of late-evening slots available. We have even had to find more screens." Besides Studio 1-10 in the Cine-Center, screenings are programmed at the Kammerspiele A and B, as well as Kino 5, 8 and 9 in the Zoopalast and the Royal 4 at the Europa Center. By invading additional office space at the Cine-Center, the market has found space to accommodate 55 stands and 115 companies from 33 nations. 12 newcomers to the stand area include Good Machine International, Alliance Atlantis and Cowboy Booking International, from the US; Studio Babelsberg, Berlin Brandenburg Film Commission, from Germany; Bulgaria's Boyana Film, Bulgarian national TV and a joint appearance by Russia's Mosfilm, Gorky Film Studio and Lenfilm. In collaboration with the American Film Market (25 February to 5 March), the EFM organises shipments of prints from Berlin to LA at discount rates, without late-arrival penalty. By yesterday, 19 companies had registered 61 prints to go &endash; 21 more than last year. The number of participants at the market is now in excess of 1,400. "They all have different expectations for their visit to Berlin, and sometimes they forget that we do not make the films," Probst said. "We just try to give them the best international launch possible." Jørn Rossing Jensen |