01/04/2003

French film producer, Marie Masmonteil (Elzevir Films) was re-elected to the presidency of France’s Indepdent Producers’ Guild - SPI with a 12-month mandate.
The SPI is the only professional organisation that represents all French independent production activities (feature-length and short films, as well as TV) and its membership is made up of 330 independent producers.

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The feature film sector is made up of 80 producers, all of whom made a major contribution to French film production in 2002 and were behind 75 per cent of all first films, 66 per cent of the French films that were selected for Cannes, 33 per cent of all French production for that year, and 20 per cent of all domestic-title attendance in France was for films produced by SPI members. The most notable titles being L’Auberge Espagnole, Etre et Avoir, 8 Women [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Marie-Jo et ses deux amours. Heavyweight titles that entitle the SPI to stand on the first line of defence of the interests of French cinema. The guild made tabled three demands for 2003 : re-direction of funds to support independent production; reform of the audiovisual rights market in order to relaunch the SOFICAS (by decentralising TV sales companies and regulating broadcasters’ acquisitions and programming schedules) and a redefinition of the independent nature of films ( prior to the draft agreement presented by the producer and not after as is the current practice at the CSA and at TV networks).

In order to ensure that these requests are properly dealt with and met, the SPI appointed Patrick Sobelman (Agat Films) to the vice-presidency of the feature film college. He succeeds Alain Rocca (Les Productions Lazennec). Emmanuel Priou (Bonne Pioche Productions) remains at the helm of the college that deals with matters televisual.

(Translated from French)