28/10/2003

Following the creation of French-German Film Academy in 1999, on the wishes of Chancellor Gerard Schröder and President Jacques Chirac, there’s a meeting between the culture ministers from the two countries, Christine Weiss and Jean-Jacques Aillagon, in Lyons on November 3 and 4, 2003. Their work will be focused on a project to introduce more consistent collaboration between the two countries in the cinematographic sphere, and the creation of a wider framework of reciprocal research.

The meeting takes place every year and aims to offer filmmakers the opportunity of closer links with the institutions of the partner countries, as well as the chance to debate current developments in the European film world and look at ways of improving cooperation between France and Germany. This year’s summit will focus on the following themes: European cinema starting from the French-German collaboration; the development of funding; the future of film production in France and Germany and an overview of the cinematographic exchange between the two countries. At the end of the event, from November 4 – 8, the Lumière Institute will be putting on a festival of German cinema, organised by Export-Union. The programme will feature works that were shown at the Festival of German cinema held in Paris between October 15 and 21, 2003.

The "Das Deutsch-Französiches Filmakademie - Les rendez-vous franco-allemands du cinema" association will be overseeing the themes to be discussed at the meeting. It’s president Brigitte Sauzay, who is also the Chancellor’s councillor for French-German relations, will be present, as will Margaret Menegoz (president of Unifrance and a producer with Losanna based Les Films) and Peter Sehr (director and producer with P'Artisan). The event is being sponsored by Filmförderungsanstalt, Export-Union, FFF- Bayern, Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württenberg, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Filmstiftung NRW, the French National Film Centre (CNC), Arte France, Unifrance, the Rhône-Alpes region, the city of Lyons and the French ambassador in Berlin.

(Translated from Italian)