18/11/2003

A series of wide-ranging challenges and a lasting political, economic, technological and artistic convergence that brings with it the risk of being completely destroyed. These were the starting points for the Beaune Cinema meetings, organised by ARP. The filmmaker Alain Corneau, as president of this 13th edition of the event, immediately got to the heart of the matter when the debate ensued, with the many professionals attending the discussions. Because the horizons for cinema in France go well beyond the arguments linked to film funding or the distribution “controversy”. There are currently two important questions that have simultaneously led to a re-think about the role of cinema over the next ten years: the enlargement of the European Union in 2004, with 8 out of the ten countries set to join coming from the East, and the digital revolution facing cinema operators.
In the light of these changes, which are the cause of both concern and also an unexplored potential that is still difficult to quantify, the French professionals concentrated more on the current transitional phase.
What is the current state of the film industries in the Eastern European countries? Will they manage to make a positive contribution to the culture of Europe? What is the state of play for cinema operators in the development of the digital sphere? How can Europe exploit the opportunities coming from this new technology, and avoid the risk that it becomes the dominated by Hollywood, a type of terminator of mainstream audiovisual products? These are some of the many points for reflection that will have a bearing on decisions to be now, and which can have a crucial influence on the future.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)