Editor

European Film Promotion (EFP), the umbrella organisation for the promotion and marketing of European film in and outside of Europe presents its new scheme, Film Sales Support (FSS), for the benefit of European films screened at selected international film festivals in 2004.

FSS which is supported by MEDIA Plus is in its pilot phase and therefore limited to one year only for the time being. The scheme is also backed by the Department for Culture of the City of Hamburg, the German Federal Department for Culture and the Media, the British Council and the UK Film Council.

FSS offers sales agents or producers of European films financial incentives to actively promote and sell their films at the following festivals in 2004: the Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival (14-25 April), the Moscow International Film Festival( 18-27 June), the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival (23 September - 7 October) and the Pusan International Film Festival (7-15 October). The choice reflects the result of a recent inquiry to the industry by EFP and integrates new important film markets in Latin America, Asia and Eastern Europe. All of these festivals screen a good proportion of European films and have incredibly dedicated audiences.

FSS supports 50% of promotional and marketing costs for participating films, such as expenses for various press and public relation activities, travel costs for professionals involved in the film, or the production of a subtitled print, if necessary. In short, measures to boost the performance of the film and enhance its visibility in certain territories. It is therefore vital that the producer or sales agent accompanies his or her film to the festival to ensure an efficient marketing. EFP will take this into account when selecting beneficiaries for FSS. It will also give priority to films coming from countries with small production capacities.

FSS reserves a small sum of €40.000 for each selected festival. This amount is equally divided through the number of applicant countries participating in the festival.
EFP's member organisations, and appointed national contacts will award the beneficiaries and decide which films to include per country. The minimum support per film per festival is €1500 and the maximum €5000.

The project will collaborate with Europa Cinemas whose p& a support for non-European distributors represents vital follow-up measures and will pave the way for effective sales in the territories of the selected festivals. The Istituto Internazionale per il Cinema e L'audiovisivo dei Paesi Latini in Rome supplements FSS activities in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro by, for example, organising roundtables for European sales agents and Latin American distributors during the festivals.