29/01/2008

Just a few days away from the annual European Film Market (February 7-17) – one of the top three rendezvous for international film sellers and buyers, held alongside the Berlinale – market director Beki Probst, who has been running the show since 1988, talked to Cineuropa about this year’s event.

Cineuropa: How do the 2008 EFM total exhibitors/companies figures compare to last year’s?
Beki Probst: As of January 23, we have 430 companies from 51 countries. Of these, 343 are in the Martin-Gropius-Bar (MGB), including 159 under the MEDIA umbrella, and 51 in the EFM Exhibitor Offices. In comparison, in 2007, we had 259 companies from 46 countries (not counting the MEDIA sub-companies).

How do you accommodate everybody’s demands?
This growth was already planned for the next five years, when we moved into the MGB in 2006. But we are already above what we had planned. To deal with that, you have to find solutions. Two years ago, we found the Exhibitor Offices. Next year, we won’t have these premises because the building has been rented. However, we do have a solution for the EFM’s second location in 2009, which will offer better conditions. We will announce it very soon. Our aim is to keep the market concentrated and close to the cinemas (31 screening facilities) and the festival. Of course, everybody’s dream is to have one big exhibition centre in Postdamer Platz for the EFM, but we can’t fulfil this dream. Let’s not forget that there are also 60 offices in different hotels.

Which countries are most represented?
We always have a large attendance from Europe (Germany of course, France, the UK). Because of the date change of the American Film Market, we now have greater participation from the US and from Asia, in particular Japan. We also have new companies from Macedonia, Romania, Chile, New Zealand and Malta.

The core clientele are buyers (790 from 53 countries) and exhibitors/sellers. Producers come if they have new projects and want to discuss financing.

What do you think of the increasing number of smaller regional markets with pitching sessions for new projects?
I’m not sure what the real use is for those pitching sessions for two reasons. First of all, I just don’t think there are enough films for all those markets. Secondly, true professionals need time in their offices, and every new trip means extra costs.

You have organized many interesting events this year: Straight from Sundance, Latin American Works in Progress, Books and Berlin, and industry debates focusing on digital distribution. Could you briefly tell us why you chose those specific events/debates?
Straight from Sundance has been around several years. A few years ago, I had a discussion with Geoffrey Gilmore (co-director of the Sundance Film Festival) and we said: “Why not organise something together since Berlin is right after Sundance?” This year, we have 50 films from Sundance with “freshness guaranteed”. Most of them have sales agents, but two or three don’t.

Latin American Works in Progress was started by my colleague Karen Arikian. A hundred works in progress from Latin America were submitted but only 11 have been selected. Books at Berlinale and the collaboration with the Frankfurt Book Fair is Dieter Kosslick’s idea. Today, our film industry really lacks good scriptwriters, which is why the current strike from US screenwriters is having such a huge impact on the industry. Many production companies try to make remakes, but they are rarely successful. Material based on books is another way to access good stories. So we thought that combining the Book Fair with the EFM was a very good idea.

Lastly, the debates on digital distribution are organised by our main sponsor, Arts Alliance Media. Today, people are wondering what the future will be with digital distribution and we want to address this issue at length.