17/05/2006

The 47th Cannes Film Market opens today under the best possible auspices and an ever-increasing number of participants (+8%), with 8,694 companies registered so far from 86 countries, according to the latest figures released to Cineuropa. "2006 should be a good year as the economic environment in the film world is not as sluggish as in recent years, and no country is in crisis. The focus will be on Asia, which has the biggest increase in attendance", said Jérôme Paillard, director of the Cannes Market.

With a 23% rise, Asia is now the second most important territory represented at the market in terms of attendees (16%), just after the US (17%) but ahead of France (14%) and the UK (13%). According to Paillard, another favourable trend is the 50% increase in attendance from new EU members, from 150 in 2005 to 300 this year. “This is a strong sign of the development of those countries’ film industries”, he added. The number of registered companies has now reached 3,484 and the total number of exhibitors, 400.

The novelty this year will be the four new screening rooms on the first floor of the Gray d’Albion Hotel, with holding capacities ranging from 30-90 seats, in addition to the existing screening facilities at the Palais, the Riviera and the cinemas in town (Arcades, Olympia and Star). “It is really a re-organization of the screening rooms because the total number of screens, 30, will remain the same”, stressed Paillard. In total, 1,500 screenings of 4,471 films from 69 countries will be offered to approximately 1,600 buyers, with US films representing the biggest volume of available product (26%), followed by French and UK films (16% and 12%, respectively).