06/09/2006

With the exception of a few surprising instances, such as The Bear or the recent The March of the Penguins [+see also:
trailer
film profile], in the past few years, the US has been an almost impenetrable territory. For what reason? What are the strategies for distributing European cinema more widely?

This was the topic of discussion Tuesday afternoon at the Venice Film Festival during the “European Films in the United States” conference, moderated by UK critic Peter Cowie, whose participants included Nick Vivarelli (Variety), Molly Haskell (New York Observer), Jonathan Rosembaum (The Chicago Reader), Richard Corliss (Time Magazine), Italian producer Riccardo Tozzi (Cattleya) and Dan Glickman (president of MPAA).

Corliss offered a rapid history of European films in the US, emphasising that during the golden era of Italian cinema, European films had particular appeal, especially because they took greater risks. Furthermore, many of these films – such as, for example, Felllini’s La dolce vita – were dubbed and there was also a broader market thanks to a large number of immigrants who made up cinema-going audiences in the US.

With regard to the role of festivals, several speakers spoke on the fact that, ironically in the US, considering the small percentage of filmgoers that see European films, festivals can even be an alternative to distribution, rather than a launching pad.

Glickman specified that, in the future, digital screenings and home video will be a method for greater distribution. Vivarelli agreed, stating that “with many different kinds of cinemas, the offer can be more varied and even niche films can find greater space”.

Jonathan Rosembaum of the Chicago Reader, however, invited attendees to view the matter from a different prospective: In today’s world, in the global era, does it still make sense to speak of European films in the US?

(Translated from Italian)