13/01/2010

A positive sign for world buyers and sellers who are getting ready for their first film market of the year, Beki Probst, director of the European Film Market (EFM), has announced stable attendance figures for this year’s event, to be held parallel to the 60th Berlinale (February 11-21).

According to provisional data provided by the EFM last week, 913 buyers are expected this year (compared to 878 in 2009), and 398 companies have booked an office (slightly down from last year’s 408). The demand has been particularly high from traditional exhibitors, but also from new companies. Exhibitors from 48 countries (mostly from the US, France, the UK and Germany) will welcome world buyers at the historical Martin-Gropius-Bau building as well as the Marriott Hotel in Potsdamer Platz.

As usual, special initiatives will be held during the nine-day market, such as the EFM Industry Debates on February 12-14, organized with Commerzbank, in cooperation with trade magazines Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Screen International. The documentary networking platform Meet The Docs will again be organized in cooperation with the European Documentary Network (EDN), and the new EFM Lounge at the Martin-Gropius-Bau will host the daily Meet The Distributors sessions.

For the fifth time, publishers and literary agents will be present under the Frankfurt Book Fair umbrella to present selective literary materials as part of the Books At Berlinale initiative, and US independent films that premiered at Sundance will also screen in Berlin as part of the Straight From Sundance film series.