21/12/2005

"Cinemas must be guaranteed exclusive distribution for at least four months and contemporary European release dates, in order to beat piracy," requested Paolo Protti, president of ANEC (Film Exhibitors’ Association), at the conference entitled "Cinema & telefonia. Incontro o scontro?" < ["Cinema and Telephones: For or Against?] held in Rome, which brought together exhibitors, distributors and telephone companies after the controversy stirred by The Interpreter, which was blocked by exhibitors in protest over the 3 Italia’s choice to distribute the film on cell phones.

"We are not opposed to new media,” said Protti. “But a film seen on the big screen is something entirely different from that which can pass on cell phone screens. Furthermore, it’s not true that a film’s cinematic run is over after just ten days, as some telephone company representatives claim. Yet, above all, the reinforcement on the market of new media is fostering the idea of ‘cinema without cinema’, that is, outside cinemas. However, without [an exclusive release] window of at least four months for cinemas, they would lose 50% of their earnings, as a recent US study shows. This would force numerous cinemas to close and would offer no guarantees that the other means of distributions, from video to TV to cell phones, would know how to pick up this very significant loss. Therefore, in order to continue to survive, cinema needs rules that assure the correct management of the product, beginning with cinemas, which, moreover, must at least be allowed to set contemporary release dates throughout Europe in order to beat the other great danger posed by piracy."

The need for distribution rules was also backed by Paolo Pozzi, president of UNIDIM, the Association of Film Distributors, while Dina Ravera of H3G stated that her group pays close attention to the needs of the film market.

(Translated from Italian)