21/10/2002 - The 16th edition of the International Cinema and Television Festival, on in Rome, will address the issue of the hopes for the future of the nine candidate EU candidate countries

The 16th edition of the International Cinema and Television Festival opened in style when the premiere of Pascal Morelli’s Corto Maltese opened the three-day event called Eurovisions, dedicated to Europe’s audiovisual market and its technological, cultural and economic development and transformation.
Created by a group of European audiovisual operators, Eurovisions is promoted by the cultural association of the same name that is coordinated by Bernard Miyet, who will succeed Luciana Castellina as the new president. Standing side by side, they welcomed speakers and guests to the Academy of France in Rome’s Villa dei Medici, where a variety of meetings about political, economic and legislative consequences of “Extending Audiovisual Europe” (this year’s key issue) were held on from 20 to 21 October.
A comparative study of public television service in Central and Eastern Europe was discussed as was the economic future and forecast for the audiovisual industries of EU membership candidate countries. On 22 October a conference will be held in the Conference Room of the Italian Parliament where the main issues under discussion will be the economic potential of the film industries of Central and Eastern Europe and how they compare to those of Western Europe.
Those participating include Enzo Cheli and Giuseppe Sangiorgi, respectively the president and commissioner of Italy’s Communications Authority, Michèle Cotta, the president of French satellite television, ABSat, Karol Jakubowicz, head of strategic planning for Polish television TVP as well as Michel Fanten, the president of the European Council’s permanent committee for cross-border television. Also taking part is the French minister for Culture and Communications, Gaetano Stucchi of Eurovisions and Jean-Noël Dibie, the delegate from the international development section of France TV (France Télévision).
The programme of the International Cinema and Television festival is a rich one that includes entertaining collateral events to the main debates, like the Italian premieres of Pierre Boutron’s Mademoiselle Else, Ken Loach’s Sweet Sixteen and Manuél Gutierrez Aragòn’s El caballero Don Quijotte.

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For ulterior information:

- A comparative analysis by the European Audiovisual Observatory on Public funding for the European film industry and companies financial situation;
- A report about European television production;
- A report on the distribution of Central and East European films in the European Union.