14/11/2011

Tunis, in the pioneering country of the “Arab Spring”, will be the location for the first Regional Conference of the Euromed Audiovisual III Programme, organised by the European Commission, on November 14 and 15.

The conference will bring together some 200 professionals and national authorities in charge of cinema and audiovisual from the 9 partner countries. The Conference has been conceived to focus on and address the following three main themes:

1. Presentation of the Euromed Audiovisual III Programme activities scheduled for the next three years and collection of as many opinions and recommendations as possible from audiovisual professionals in the partner countries.
2. Analysis of the cooperation activities between Europe and Southern Mediterranean countries and those between Southern countries. The conference will also explore possible links and cooperation with the Gulf countries.
3. In-depth discussion and common reflection, through the support and delivery of case studies and best practices, on the priorities of the Euromed Audiovisual III Programme: creation of a regional coproduction fund, role of television in the funding and promotion of audiovisual works…

Participants include Nouri Bouzid, winner of two Golden Tanit at the Carthage Cinema Days, Khaled El Hagar, one of the most prolific Egyptian filmmakers, author of many successful movies, Tunisian filmmaker Amine Chiboub, author of the remarkable short movie Obession, Fares Helou, one of the most important Syrian cinema and television stars, and two Libyan filmmakers: Mohamad Makhlouf and Salah Ghuwedr. Several thematic panels will be organised during the conference: a workshop on distribution, exploitation and video-on-demand, moderated by Menem Richa (Euromed Audiovisuel coordinator, Eurimages and MAEE), in the presence of Hyam Saliby, Gaby Khoury, Mohamed Layadi, Habib Bel Hadi, Pierre-Alexandre Labelle and Enrico Chiesa; a debate on co-productions, in the presence of several Arab and European film funds representatives: Dora Bouchoucha, Chair of the Fonds Sud, Henning Camre, Chair of Screen Institute Beirut, Souad Houssein responsible of the cinema sector at the Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie, Alia Arasoughly, Director of the Fund Shashat. Robert-Hans Eisenhauer, pioneer of the Franco-German television ARTE, will be moderating a panel on the role of television in film funding. Other professionals of note include Gian Luca Farinelli, Director of the Bologna Cinema Archive, one of the most important in the world, Charlotte Appelgren, General Secretary of Cine-Regio, André Lange, Responsible of the Information Department at the European Audiovisual Observatory and Andrea Rocco from the network of European Film Commissions. Fathi Kharrat, Tunisian Cinema and Art Director, Mokhtar Rassaa, General Director of the Tunisian television and Adrianus Koetsenruijter, Head of Delegation in Tunisia, will open the conference.

The conference will close on the 15th of November with a panel on the “new wave” of Arab cinema. Several filmmakers from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Tunisia, will talk about the recent events that transformed the Arab world and the way in which these events might influence cinema.

“In a framework of radical changes affecting the countries of the southern shore of the Mediterranean, cinema and audiovisual can play an essential role in favouring democracy and critical openness of the civil society to pluralism”, declared Marcus Cornaro, Director in charge of the Neighbourhood Policy for the European Commission’s Directorate-General EuropeAid. “This is the reason why the European Union is committed to strengthen the audiovisual industries of Southern Mediterranean countries”, he concluded.

Euromed Audiovisual in its 3rd phase has a budget of 11M€ over 3 years (2011-2013) and funds seven projects aimed at developing the film and audiovisual sector in the 9 South Mediterranean countries. Euromed Audiovisual aims at enhancing sustainable transfer of knowledge and best practices through a wide set of trainings, capacity building of both professionals and national authorities and networking activities.