Filmmakers from Southeast Europe join forces in Cannes!
The Croatian Audiovisual Centre has the pleasure of announcing a new initiative to set up an umbrella regional pavilion space to present and promote cinema from Southeastern Europe at leading international film markets. The initiative, first unveiled during a regional forum on the state of cinema in Southeastern Europe held at the 2009 Sarajevo Film Festival, is now ready to go live. Eight countries in the region are currently preparing for a joint and co-ordinated presentation at the prestigious Cannes Film Market, which will take place during the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia, as well as Cyprus, will join forces to present their cinematic output to the rest of the filmmaking community under the umbrella of the Southeastern European Regional Pavilion.
Of the eight countries showcasing films at the regional pavilion for Southeastern Europe at this year’s Cannes Film Market, three have never before had a national presence at the Film Market. It is hoped that cooperation between countries with a wealth of filmmaking experience and newer entrants with fresh ideas will boost the promotion of films from across the region and allow all participants to benefit from a higher profile and pooled resources. A brochure highlighting films from the participating countries has already been published and planning is currently underway for an ambitious programme of shared promotional campaigns.
The regional umbrella pavilion will serve a dual purpose: as a shared common space playing host to eight separate information points – one for each participating country – and as a meeting place where filmmakers from Southeastern Europe can come together, meet their peers from other countries, conduct meetings and present their projects during the Cannes Film Market.
The regional cinema networking initiative is rapidly gaining momentum. Filmmakers from the eight countries represented by the regional pavilion for Southeastern Europe are confident that this practical expression of the European idea of regionalizing the art and business of filmmaking will benefit them all.
