INSTITUTIONS / LEGISLATION Europe
Federation of Film Academies Europe launched
by Cineuropa
- The European Film Academy and film academies of 20 countries have formalised their relationships, after having collaborated since 2006 through the Film Academy Network Europe
On 11 July, the European Film Academy and film academies of 20 countries gathered in Luxembourg, founding the Federation of Film Academies Europe (FACE), a pan-European film body, officially registered in Luxembourg.
The federation emerged from a desire to formalise the relationships between these academies, which have been collaborating since 2006 through the Film Academy Network Europe (organised by the European Film Academy), which as of today ceases to exist. Members of this network - all of which are bodies presenting their respective national or regional film awards and the European Film Awards – have been meeting regularly in order to share insights and developments, and to develop ideas for joint activities to promote European cinema, join efforts to integrate diversity, inclusion and sustainability into their work, and to strengthen collaboration on film education and audience development within Europe.
The founding members of the federation are: the Austrian Film Academy, the Belarusian Independent Film Academy, the André Delvaux Academy, the Catalan Film Academy, the Czech Film and Television Academy, the Danish Film Academy, the German Film Academy, the Hellenic Film Academy, the Icelandic Film and Television Academy, the Israel Academy of Film and Television, the Italian Academy of Cinema, the Luxembourg Film Academy, the Dutch Academy for Film, the Norwegian Film Academy, the Polish Film Academy, the Portuguese Academy of Cinema, the Slovak Film and Television Academy, the Spanish Academy of Cinematic Arts and Sciences, the Swiss Film Academy, the Ukrainian Film Academy and the European Film Academy itself.
The board composition is Austrian Film Academy CEO Katharina Albrecht (deputy chair), Catalan Film Academy director Laia Aubia (secretary), Dutch Academy for Film director Jenny Booms, Portuguese Academy of Cinema director Diogo Camões, Danish Film Academy's Jacob Neiiendam (treasurer), Luxembourg Film Academy president Yann Tonnar (chair), and European Film Academy CEO and director Matthijs Wouter Knol.
The new structure will allow the academies joint and more concerted actions on the European and international stage. This will include lobbying with European and national policy makers, in order to ensure that European cinema continues to be regarded both as an important cultural asset and as a substantial economic factor; as well as film education, membership engagement and film heritage projects, in which sustainability, diversity and inclusion are key elements. With all members of the European film academies, the new Federation brings together around 20,000 people.
“As a network of film academies, we have grown over the past 18 years. More and more, and especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed how much we have in common and how beneficial it is for all of us to share experiences and join forces," says Matthijs Wouter Knol, board member of the new federation and CEO and director of the European Film Academy. “It is exciting to now embark on this new chapter by establishing a Federation. Revitalising collaboration in Europe is essential in times in which the relevance of cultural policy and support for European cinema are openly questioned.”
Yann Tonnar, president of the Luxembourg Film Academy and chair of the Federation board, states: “The Federation is a circle of cultural solidarity, stretching across the continent, uniting our diverse and unique voices in cinema, to be heard and seen wherever needed. Luxembourg is honoured to be the home base of this inspiring new Federation.”
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