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INDUSTRY Europe

Cultural tests a cause for concern

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On May 21 at Cannes, European national film agencies adopted a common declaration on the new European cultural agenda. While congratulating the fact that the European Commission recently insisted on the necessity of finding "the right balance between diverse legitimate public objectives, in particular the promotion of cultural diversity", agencies supported by Cine-Regio (European network of regional film funds) and by the Capital Regions for Cinema (CRC) alliance are nevertheless concerned by certain directions given by the European Commission regarding the authorisation of state funding to cinema, in particular by the widespread introduction of cultural tests.

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By "the automatic introduction of cultural tests, the Commission will end up adopting a too restrictive and simplistic approach to culture and cinema," the agencies believe. These tests, founded on a points system, create for the first time a difference between what are termed "cultural" films (that may receive public funding) and other films. These tests were introduced at the request of the European Commission by a number of countries, including the UK.

Moreover, agencies and regional bodies point out the Commission’s critical attitude regarding the clauses of certain spending schemes, while European film industry professionals agree on the vital role of these schemes in maintaining a delicate balance between film industry structures and public and private financing.

List of signatories:

EFAD
Österreichisches Filminstitut (Austria)
Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Communauté française (Belgium)
Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds (Belgium)
National Film Centre (Bulgaria)
Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture (Cyprus)
Czech Film Chamber (Czech Republic)
Danish Film Institute (Denmark)
Estonian Film Foundation (Estonia)
Filmförderungsanstalt (Germany)
Greek Film Centre (Greece)
Finnish Film Foundation (Finland)
Centre National de la Cinématographie (France)
National Film Office (Hungary)
Irish Film Board (Ireland)
Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali - Direzione Generale per il Cinema (Italy)
National Film Centre (Latvia)
Ministry of Culture - Department for Arts (Lithuania)
Film Fund Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
Maltese Film Commission (Malta)
Nederlands Fonds v.d. Film (the Netherlands)
Ministry of Culture - Department for Cinema (Poland)
Instituto do Cinema Audiovisual e Multimedia (Portugal)
Centrul National al Cinematografiei (Romania)
Instituto de la Cinematografia y de las Artes Audiovisuales (Spain)
Ministry of Culture - Department for Cinema (Slovakia)
National Film Foundation (Slovenia)
Swedish Film Institut (Sweden)
UK Film Council (UK)

Cine-Regio, European Network of Regional Film Funds
Centre Images, France
City of Belgrade Film Fund, Serbia
Consejería de Cultura Andalusia, Spain
Consorcio Audiovisual de Galicia, Spain
CRRAV – Région Nord Pas de Calais, France
Film I Skåne, Sweden
Film I Väst, Sweden
FilmCamp, Norway
Filmfonds –Vienna, Auatria
FilmFyn, Denmark
Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Filmförderung Hamburg, Germany
Filmkraft Rogaland, Norway
Filmpool Nord, Sweden
Filmstiftung NRW, Germany
Institut Català de les Indústries Culturals, Spain
IVAC La Filmoteca, Spain
Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Germany
PACA - Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France
POEM, Finland
Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, France
Rotterdam Film Fund, Netherlands
Salento Film Fund, Italy
Screen South, UK
Southern Transdanubia Film Fund, Hongrie
Wallimage, Belgique
West Danish Film Fund, Denmark
Zürcher Filmstiftung, Switzerland

Capital Regions of Cinema
Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg GmbH
Commission du Film d’Ile de France
Madrid Film Commission
Rome Lazio Film Commission

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(Translated from French)

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