Marketeers are in for a big surprise when they arrive in Cannes this year. The Marché International du Film (MIF) has undergone a few changes that should turn it into a more user-friendly event. And, if it's up to new director Jérôme Paillard, we ain't seen nothing yet. Christian De Schutter reports. In the six months that Jérôme Paillard has been with the MIF organisation, the new market director has already shown that he isn't just a man of words. Appointed in November following market head Michel Bonnet's sudden death last March, Paillard is a former producer and general manager of Daniel Toscan du Plantier's Erato Film. He therefore came to the job more than aware of the problems and grumbles that have always accompanied the market event.
Most of the changes he promised while attending the European Film Market (EFM) and the American Film Market (AFM) earlier this year will be put into practice by the time the market starts. And there's more to come: He wants to give the world's biggest market a sense of identity, a sense of cohesion, as well as a sense of direction.
Recognising the importance, and the economic implications, for a film to be selected for Cannes, Paillard says that the festival should also be fully aware of how important the market is in attracting such a large number of professionals to Cannes. "We recently commissioned a survey from a market research agency. It won't just measure the level of business at Cannes, or observe changes in the popularity of genres, but will also look at how we could make MIF more user-friendly."
As a result, Paillard worked on the 'principle of equality' Cannes is introducing this year, giving all registered market delegates full festival accreditation. "I want delegates to be treated like fully-fledged festivaliers. It's important for them to see the films selected for the festival. That's why there's only one type of pass that will give access to the festival. Given the limited availability of seats, this is a matter which is far more complicated than one would think. But we guarantee that there will be a number of invites reserved for each of the festival screenings."
One of the first decisions Paillard took was to try, as he calls it, to "officialise" the market activities taking place outside the Palais des Festivals. "This year's market will be for all professionals," he stresses. "Including those that are doing business in the hotels."
The four big hotels in Cannes - the Carlton, the Majestic, the Martinez and the Noga Hilton - are now part of the market. It's a sign that MIF has given up its ideal to re-unite all players under one roof - the last thing Paillard wants to achieve. "The festival building is too small, the ceilings are too low, there's no room. It's not bad that these companies have moved out."
In that context, Paillard also welcomes plans for a major refurbishment of the festival building. "The space it will create would allow us to develop new zones in the International Village." The market director hopes that the increasing popularity of the Village, and the creation of more space through the refurbishment of the Palais, will make it possible to regroup all major national and regional film commissions, including the Scandinavians and the Germans, in the International Village.
It will take time, Paillard realises, to get things changed. To help the process, he has plans to improve the flow of information provided to buyers and sellers.A first initiative is the Press Club breakfast sessions at the Business Club of the Festival building. "These daily get-togethers will allow journalists to discover an important aspect of the film business."
A new service is called MIF-Line: a constantly updated database of professionals attending Cannes and where they can be reached. "Through a personal code, all MIF participants have got exclusive access to this unique database." Related to the MIF-Line is a special courier service that takes care of documents and invitations that have to be distributed. Nick Roddick, Moving Pictures' first editor who is still a regular contributor to the title, will be in charge of the new MIF Communication Service which, throughout the duration of the market, will distribute press releases on the event's business side.
Finally, the MIF Guide has also undergone a significant facelift. "It will be a handy tool, containing information on the companies attending, their key personnel, and their product. With 2,500 professionals and more than 1,000 films included, we hope it will become some sort of 'bible' of world cinema."For the future, Paillard believes that there's an important role for Cannes in developing a co-productions platform. A first step is the inclusion of film projects in the MIF Guide. "It would be wrong to ignore projects, as these will also be on sale in Cannes.
I believe that this is a new area for us to define our role. We should develop an initiative to bring together co-producers, not just from Europe but from around the world." So far, reactions from most professionals to the new MIF régime have been positive. "Two weeks prior to the opening, we've already registered 2,630 participants - which is double the number of last year - 812 companies, 1,143 buyers and 1,050 films. For the first time in years, there will be a strong Chinese delegation, also having a stand at the market. I sense a real enthusiasm in terms of the new orientations the market has taken."
