17/09/2024 - Around 40 independent distributors will participate in the network's closed workshop for members at the festival, from 23 to 25 September

For the 72nd edition of the San Sebastián International Film Festival, Europa Distribution will continue its long-standing and successful partnership with the Basque festival organising another interesting workshop. This year, around 40 independent distributors of the ED network will partake in an exclusive three-day workshop centred on audiences, marketing and collaboration, including with the international sales sector. As every year, distributors will also engage in a variety of industry activities and screenings organised by the festival.

The closed workshop will be split into three days, starting on Monday September 23 with a marketing workshop covering two case studies. Elise Van Marcke (The Searchers, Belgium) will introduce methods on leveraging AI for Box office prediction and marketing activities and Nikolaj Mathies (Vievo Media, Denmark) will present how fan-made content can influence the promotion of the films, and how to use it effectively. On Tuesday 24 September, after a short presentation about the Cinando collaborative database and how it can be useful to access information on releases across territories, Europa Distribution will hold a working session where fellow distributors from all over Europe and beyond will discuss their experiences with film acquisition, distribution and promotion. Importantly, they will focus on brainstorming ways to enhance relationships with sales agents for more sustainable and efficient ways to reach audiences. Subsequently on Wednesday 25 September, Europa Distribution and Europa International join forces to hold a working session between distributors and sales agents dedicated to the collaboration and cooperation between these two sectors.

In light of the partnership between Europa Distribution and the San Sebastian International Film Festival, distributors participating will also attend festival and industry activities, such as meetings, Work in Progress Screenings from both Europe and Latin America and the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum.

Europa Distribution will continue to organise networking events for distributors and other film professionals, and discuss the unique challenges of promoting and publishing European independent films. The network’s next events will be in partnership with EFM in Berlin on 12-18 February 2025 and with Cartoon Movie from 4-7 March 2025. Europa Distribution has also launched the most recent editions of EDMentorShe, its Mentorship Programme and Distributors on the Move, its Exchange Programme.