Editor

43 European Films get Film Sales Support for promotional activities

For the second time, Film Sales Support (FSS), European Film Promotion’s (EFP) support initiative for European sales agents, is assisting with the promotion and marketing of European films at the Toronto International Film Festival (7-16 September 2006). Toronto is the event at which FSS supports the most films. 30 different sales agents and production companies handling 43 feature films, including two documentaries and one animation film, are benefiting from the financial help, designed to broaden sales agents’ marketing campaigns at the festival. The grant covers up to 50 per cent of the costs for the production of promotional material and publicity and expenses for the attendance of talent, with a maximum cap of 5,000 € per film per festival. FSS which is supported by the Media Programme of the European Union, presents a further stepping stone on the way to promote European films outside of Europe, in particular in North and South America as well as South Asia.
(for detailed list of supported films, please see below)

Films from 14 European countries are amongst those receiving support in Toronto this year. Many of them are celebrating their world premieres such as, The Art of Crying (Peter Schønau Fog), Prague (Ole Christian Madsen), Jade Warrior (Antti-Jussi Annila), U (Gregoire Solotareff & Serge Elissalde), 7 Years (Jean-Pascal Hattu), The Colonel (Laurent Herbiet), I Am The Other Woman (Margarethe von Trotta), Primo Levi’s Journey (Davide Ferrario), Waiter (Alex van Warmerdam), The Abandoned (Nacho Cerdá), The Magic Flute (Kenneth Branagh), Cashback (Sean Ellis) and This is England (Shane Meadows).

The Dutch-German-UK co-production, Black Book by Paul Verhoeven and the French film, My Best Friend by Patrice Leconte are set for Gala presentations.

From Iceland to Greece and Hungary, FSS is supporting the diversity of European cinema at one of the most important festival platforms for international sales. The films are represented by such companies as Nordisk, Celluloid Dreams, Bavaria International, Pyramide, Wild Bunch, Trust Film Sales, Sogepaq, Gaumont and The Works.

Production companies promoting their films themselves are Graal from Greece (The Wake), Pegasus Pictures from Iceland (Thicker Than Water), Benecé Produccions from Spain (August Days) and Lone Star Productions from the UK (The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema).

Previous festivals at which FSS was available for sales agents with films in the festivals, were Sundance 2006, Mar del Plata 2006, Buenos Aires 2006 and Shanghai 2006. Rio 2006 and Pusan 2006 are festivals next in the pipeline.

In addition to offering FSS, EFP, returning for the tenth year to Toronto, will be part of a newly expanded European group in the Festival’s Sales and Industry Office in the Sutton Place Hotel. The EFP stand provides a convenient meeting point for the participating members, displays and distributes promotional material.

Contact
Susanne Davis
Project Manager FSS
(davis@efp-online.com)

Beneficiaries of Film Sales Support (FSS) in Toronto 2006:

AB Svensk Filmindustri (Sweden)
THE ART OF CRYING (KUNSTEN AT GRÆDE I KOR) by Peter Schønau Fog, Denmark 2006

Adriana Chiesa Enterprises (Italy)
PRIMO LEVI’S JOURNEY (LA STRADA DI LEVI) by Davide Ferrario, Italy 2006

Bavaria Film International (Germany)
SLUMMING by Michael Glawogger, Austria, Switzerland 2006
SUMMER 04 (SOMMER O4 AN DER SCHLEI) by Stefan Krohmer, Germany 2006
THE BOTHERSOME MAN (DEN BRYSOMME MANNEN) by Jens Lien, Norway/Iceland 2006

Benecé Produccions (Spain)
AUGUST DAYS (DIES D’AGOST) by Marc Recha, Spain 2006

Beta Cinema (Germany)
Four Minutes (Vier Minuten) by Chris Kraus, Germany 2006
Winter Journey (Winterreise) by Hans Steinbichler, Germany 2005

Celluloid Dreams (France)
The Magic Flute by Kenneth Branagh, UK 2006
U by Grégoire Solotareff & Serge Elissalde, France 2006

Celsius Entertainment (UK)
Paris je t’aime by various directors, France 2006

ContentFilm International (UK)
Black Book (Zwartboek) by Paul Verhoeven, The Netherlands/Germany/UK 2006

Filmax International (Sogedasa) (Spain)
The abandoned (Los Abandonados) by Nacho Cerdá, Spain/UK 2005

Fortissimo Films (The Netherlands)
Taxidermia by György Pálfi, Hungary/Austria/France, 2006
Waiter (Ober) by Alex van Warmerdam, The Netherlands/Belgium 2006

Gaumont (France)
Cashback by Sean Ellis, UK 2005

Gemini Films (France)
A few days in September (Quelques jours en septembre) by Santiago Amigorena, France/Italy 2006

Graal (Greece)
The wake (Agripnia) by Niko Grammatikos, Greece 2005

Independent Film Sales (UK)
London to Brighton by Paul Andrew Williams, UK 2006

Les Films du Losange (France)
Bamako by Abderrahmane Sissako, France/Mali/USA 2006

Lone Star Productions (UK)
The pervert’s guide to Cinema by Sophie Fiennes, UK/Austria/The Netherlands 2006

Madragoa Filmes (Portugal)
Trance (Transe) by Teresa Villaverde, Portugal/France/Italy/Russia 2006

Memento Films International (France)
Colossal Youth (Juventude em marcha) by Pedro Costa, Portugal/France/Switzerland 2006

Nordisk Film International Sales (Denmark)
Ghosts of Cité Soleil by Asger Leth, Denmark/USA 2006
Reprise by Joachim Trier, Norway 2005

Onoma International (France)
White Palms (Fehér Tenyér) by Szabolcs Hajdu, Hungary 2006

Pathé Distribution (France)
The Colonel (Mon colonel) by Laurent Herbiet, France/Belgium 2006

Pegasus Pictures (Iceland)
Thicker Than Water (Blódbönd) by Árni Ólafur Ásgeirsson, Iceland/Denmark/Germany 2006

Pyramide International (France)
7 Years (7 ans) by Jean-Pascal Hattu, France 2006
Dry Season (Daratt) by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, France/Tschad/Belgium 2006
The Untouchable (L’intouchable) by Benoit Jacquot, France 2006
Transylvania by Tony Gatlif, France 2005

Rezo Films International (France)
Jade Warrior (Jade Soturi) by Antti-Jussi Annila, Finland/The Netherlands/Latvia/China 2005

Sogepaq (Spain)
Dark Blue Almost Black (Azul Oscuro Casi Negro) by Daniel Sanchez Arevalo, Spain 2006

Studio Canal (France)
I am the other woman (Ich bin die Andere) by Margarethe von Trotta, Germany 2006
The Match Factory (Germany)
Lights in the Dusk (Laitakaupungin valot) by Aki Kaurismäki, Finland/France/Germany 2006

The Works International (UK)
This is England by Shane Meadows, UK 2006

Trust Film Sales (Denmark)
Falkenberg Farewell (Farväl Falkenberg) by Jesper Ganslandt, Sweden 2006
Prague (Prag) by Ole Christian Madsen, Denmark 2006

Wild Bunch (France)
A crime (Un crime) by Manuel Pradal, France 2006
Man of my life (L’homme de sa vie) by Zabou Breitman, France/Italy 2006
My best friend (Mon meilleur ami) by Patrice Leconte, France 2006