19/10/2007

The Dijon Film Meetings got underway yesterday with the meeting of the organisers of the ARP (Civil Society of Authors-Directors-Producers) and today gain further momentum with the conferences and their top-level panels (see article). The even is an opportunity to review in-depth the most crucial issues affecting the future of the film the audiovisual industries, and has brought together the most influential representatives of the French film industry.

Presided by Radu Mihaileanu and piloted by Michel Gomez, the 2007 Meetings especially welcome the leaders of professional organisations closely associated with the cinema (including APC, UPF, API, FNCF, SPI, Ficam, SACD and SRF); numerous producers such as Marie Masmonteil (Elzévir), Frédérique Dumas Zajdela (Studio 37), Pierre Kubel (Loma Nasha) and François Margolin (Margo films); and filmmakers (Fabien Onteniente, Cécile Telerman, Philippe Le Guay, Gérard Krawczyk, Jeanne Labrune, Alanté Kavaite).

Institutions are also taking part with, among others, the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC – National Centre of Cinematography), the UK Film Council and Eurimages. Financial bodies and sponsors (such as Cofiloisirs, Neuflize Obc and IFCIC) are also participating, as is the Europa Cinemas network, Telecom and Internet operators (Orange, Dailymotion) and the managers of technical industries (Quinta Industries, Eclair, Mikros Image, Thomson, Alcatel, Sonovision, Télétota, Doremi, Panavision, Transpalux).

The television industry will be represented by, among others, Manuel Alduy (Canal +), Pierre Heros (France 2 Cinéma), Philippe Bony (M6 Films), Romain Bremond (TF1 Film Production) and Patrice Duhamel (France Télévisions).

Americans having made the journey to the Burgundy capital include Patrick Grüter (Walt Disney Company) and representatives of the MPAA and IFTA in Europe, as well as of the directors and screenwriters guilds.

As for the Europeans, they came in large numbers in the wake of the FERA (Federation of European Film Directors) and include Romanian filmmakers Corneliu Porumboiu and Mircea Muresian, their compatriot producer Daniel Burlac; and directors Andreas Hoessli and Jris Bischof (Switzerland), Ger Poppelaars and Martijn Mewe (Netherlands), Lars Berg and Elisabeth Sjaastad (Norway), Peter Carpentier (Germany), John Crome (UK), Lefteris Danikas (Greece), György Gém and Mihaly Kerenyi (Hungary), Trish Mc Adam, Birch Hamilton and Gillett Sinead (Ireland), Gytis Luksas (Lithuania), Saara Saarela (Finland) and Sandra Anne Piras and Birgitte Staermose (Denmark).

(Translated from French)