2nd worksession 2015

2nd EUROPA INTERNATIONAL ROUNDTABLE ON FESTIVALS, MARRAKECH 2015

Introduction
A film need a stamp to travel, and the festival are really important for the sales agents’ business and international strategies. Festivals help to get films recognition providing stamp of differentiation and raising awareness. Thanks to Le Public System Cinema and the Marrakech Film Festival, Europa International, the European organization for sales agents, sets up the 2nd edition of a work session on festivals, to continue the discussion engaged 2 years ago, to find some solutions, and to create a closer working relationship between the 2 main actors in the industry, the sales agents and the festivals. 

Moderated by Sten-Kristian Saluveer, Industry Director @ Tallinn Film Festival (Estonia)

Submitting a film

1. Common entry form
Striking a balance between the two sides, sales agents and festivals: What are the needs on behalf of the sales agents? What are the minimum requirements from the festivals (metadata, credits, possibility to deliver screeners, media image, and so forth)? What are the steps in the process?

2. Regulations
– Standards versions: To which degree regulations differ across the festivals? Except for premiere status is there any reason for diversified general regulations? What kind of obligations shall regulations entail in the case of cancelled screenings and reimbursements in the case of broken DPCs and other technical errors (as well as force majeure) that fall out of the jurisdiction of the sales agents and festivals?
– Unifying premiere status: How to track the premiere status and what’s the classification i.e. is a world premiere the first premiere in the native country or an international festival premiere?

3. Material
– New types of sending: DCP, Backup copies, BluRay, HD digital archives without physical material, Use of non physical material (Smartjog or Aspera): Will be sales agents ready to provide a HD quality alternative to KDM DCP? Can agreements regulate and secure screenings of non KDM DCPs? Trust versus technical security?
– Traffic: Negotiation of the transportation costs, Returning material, Ingestion of the film before the start of the festival
– Subtitling: Who will create the subtitling (festivals and/or sales agents)? Who will pay? What is the access to the subtitles? What is the interest of festivals to hand over local subtitles if there is no financial agreement on this?

4. Screening fees
– Differentiation between AAA festivals and other festivals
– Beneficiaries, from the producer to the sales agents

Promoting a film

1. Talents invitation
– Relationships between festivals & directors / producers, festivals & sales agents: Festivals’ strategy versus sales agents’ strategy

– Invitations regulations: Accommodation and transportation costs

2. Box Office
Systematic feedbacks on the experience of the film at the festival and requested material: Pics of the screenings, public reaction, material used, critics, attendance audience and buyers list, tickets box office, etc.

Distributing a film

1. Distribution
– New rules, new challenges, new actors
– Day-and-date: How to handle same day online screenings? Is this possible at all (such as Venice online / MUBI online)?
– Festivals distribution labels
– Festivals touring i.e. to buy the film for distribution but they won’t distribute the film regularly but they will tour the film in the country

2. Online platforms
– Use and state of play of the online platforms
– Identification of platforms, Making films available on industry platforms such as Festival Scope, Cinando, etc
– Follow up – any easier process via online or other method?
– Impact of big platforms such as Netflix?
– Online premieres versus real festivals

Conclusions
Next steps

Guests
Karel Och, Festival Director @ Karlovy Vary Film Festival (Czech republic)
Marit Kapla, Head of Programming & VoD @ Göteborg Film Festival (Sweden)
Jacob Neiiendam, Festival Director @ CPH PIX (Denmark)
Laura Talsma, Intl PR @ Rotterdam International Film Festival (Netherlands)
Arnaud Denoual, Post Production Sales Manager @ Ymagis (France)

Speakers’ presentations:
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STREAMING PLATFORM DRAKEN FILM
PRESENTATION OF FBO: FESTIVAL BOX OFFICE

Agenda Minute