Digital co-ordination
At a time when the digital domain touches all aspects of the film industry (production, broadcast, exhibition), the use of this technology is becoming, more and more, a burning question for those involved in Culture. During its annual reunion the Coordination for European Festivals tackles the debate head-on, dedicating an entire day to the subject in Brussels this weekend.
After various presentations of digital technologies and talks on their position in Europe by specialist companies such as XDC, an off-shoot of the group EVS (providing equipment aimed at exhibitors and digital programming for distributors), Joe Dreier of Hollywood Classic (preservation of film heritage by digitisation) and Le Studio L'Equipe (specialist post-production company), Gwendal Auffret, director of Avanti Digital in Paris, underlines the essential challenge today in Europe: the creation of a lobby allowing exhibitors and distributors to present their points of view.
Under the leadership of b>Georges Bollon, President for Coordination, and also of the Clermont Ferrand Short Film Festival (FR), who has just been re-elected as head of Coordination, others have intervened to give their support and enthusiasm. And it was Clermont Ferrand who choose to use the benefits of the internet to create ShortFilmDepot, a genuine tool for festivals which allows filmmakers to submit their films and to the follow their journey through the festivals concerned. For his part, Jean Marie Barbe, director of Lussas General Professions in Documentary (FR), was involved in the creation of a documentary database, which has currently 13000 films, an almost artisanal dedication to keeping film libraries, and it also allows for the distribution of these libraries through intermediaries. Similarly, Kees Ryninks, presented CinemaNet, an initiative, linked also to documentaries, which has created a digital network broadcasting in various European cinemas.
After a day of rich in information, it appears to be, from what we can gather, a cultural challenge in which the festivals, as an interface between the work and the public, have a vital role to play.
(Translated from French)
Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.
