02/12/2003

After two days of discussions in Turin, the conference about the European regional investment funds for the audiovisual sector, organised by Antenna Media, ended in Brussels on November 26. There were more than 300 participants representing 16 European countries at the meeting, showing the importance of the regional role in the film industry. Even if cultural diversity makes it more difficult to circulate works, the strength of European cinema is equally high. Bearing this in mind, the regional funds assume an even greater importance in the defence of the identity, traditions and language of the regions.

The participants agreed that actions of this type have to:
- Support the creation or the strengthening of locally based companies that are able to compete on a European and worldwide scale;

- Integrate the regional TV channels and public TV networks in this process;

- Remember that the real weakness of the European audiovisual industry is basically in it’s weak distribution capacity and not in its production;

- Avoid all situations that could lead to a mere increase in the number of films, caused by the multiplicity of funds, and concentrate more on improving the quality of works and their public appeal.

Out of the many examples discussed, there were four particular cases that were highlighted thanks to their cultural and economic success: - a model based on a television service that aims to broadcast themes of cultural identity on a national, regional and local level, acting as a sort of catalyst between the regional funds, audiovisual producers and the public;

- a collaboration between the various regions through investment funds, to share the knowledge and working models in fields like marketing, promotion and exports;

- a co-ordination of audiovisual policies, recognised as being equally important as the strategic policies in the industry;

- the creation of new regional funds, with a philosophy to make money from an investment, with more private capital involved.

During the last few years, the regional funds haven’t just developed local talent but have also shown themselves to be crucial to the European audiovisual market. Around 50% of the works filmed in Europe have been financed by the schemes, creating many jobs and at the same time encouraging cultural diversity. This contribution should be considered by the European institutions when drawing up future audiovisual policies, and more specifically the next MEDIA Programme and the change to the TV Without Frontiers Directive.

(Translated from French)