28/11/2012 - The 10th German-French Rendez-Vous begins in Berlin

The German-French Rendez-Vous is to be held for the 10th time from November 28-29 at the Humboldt-Carré in Berlin. This annual gathering is organised by the German-French Rendez-Vous Association, in collaboration with Unifrance and German Films, to promote both industries and stimulate exchanges between more than 300 hand-picked German and French film experts. It consists of a co-production market as well as various panels. The Ministries of Culture of both countries will be represented by their heads, Bernd Neumann and Aurélie Filipetti respectively.

The participants will debate the following issues - the Cinema Communication of the European Commission on public support of the cinema and the audiovisual industry ; film education in Germany and France ; the role of broadcasters in the financing of feature films ; new approaches of theatrical distribution ; the current developments regarding intellectual property rights.

Speakers include Éric Garandeau, Chairman of the French CNC (Centre national de la cinématographie), Frédéric Bereyziat, Head of International Affairs at the CNC, Margret Albers, Director of the German Children's Media Festival Golden Sparrow, FFA Board member Peter Dinges and Pascal Rogard, who heads the SACD (Société des auteurs et compositeurs dramatiques).

The co-production market – during which 22 selected German and French projects will be pitched – is taking place on the second day of the conference. The producers attached to these projects will get to present them thoroughly at one-to-one meetings.

2012 is a jubilee year for the German-French friendship: the Rendez-Vous as well as the training programme Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris are both celebrating their 10th anniversaries. This edition of the Rendez-Vous is also part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Elysée Agreement, which will include a German-French Year and a plethora of events.