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Mika Siltala • Distributor

"We had invitation screenings for bee-keepers and environmental groups"

- In the context of its partnership with Europa distribution, Cineuropa has interviewed some European distributors, in order to know how the film has been distributed throughout Europe.

In the context of its partnership with Europa distribution, Cineuropa has interviewed some European distributors, in order to know how the film has been distributed throughout Europe.

Why did you decide to distribute More than honey?

Cinema Mondo has successfully distributed several nature and eco-minded documentaries (March of The Penguins, The Cove…) so it was natural to track the same type of themes and find this. Also, our colleagues from the home-country of More than honey were telling about it early on, enthusiastically.

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Did you choose it more for its message or rather for its special visual feature?

For the successful combination of these two elements

How did you plan the release of More than honey?

By using the skills we have developed in more than 20 years in this business.

What were the decision criteria for the release dates?

Finland release was Friday 26th April. It is spring, people are looking at their gardens, minding about these themes… press is even more-than-usual eco-minded this time of the year, especially after our long winter, all are happy about nature coming out of hibernation, you know, spring, bees and flowers... classical combo!

What were your goals for this film? Have these goals been achieved?

Our goals are somewhere between our previous great documentaries, we expect to run long through summer, and to continue in special situations for years to come.

What was the film release budget? How do you plan this?

P&A about €23,000; release is DCP [digital] only, no dubbing, as in Finland we do not have a big tradition of dubbing – remember Finland is a country of 5 million people – we plan budgets with grim realism. Also, the successful visit by Markus Imhoof made a great impact on the media (coverage rolling out right now).

 What kind of audience did you target and why?

We had invitation screenings for bee-keepers and environmental groups, more-than-usual press screenings, widening the way out of our usual ´cultural´ box, this goes to consumer programmes and gardening magazines. All in all, we see good potential for cross-over.

Did you change the poster or the trailer for the campaign in your country? Did the name of the movie change?

There was no reason to change.

Did you undertake a campaign on social networks?

Yes.

Did you use dubbing voice in Finnish and if so what was the process to choose the voice?

No dub for theatrical (sometimes we dub for DVDs and TV, final decision pending).

Do you often distribute documentaries? Did you get reviews about the movie from beekeepers?

We usually release, say two documentaries per year. In January 2013 it was Searching for Sugarman, now Honey in April, and next Luc Jacquet’s Once Upon a Forest in January 2014.

Bee-keepers are enthusiastic!

Source: Mika Siltala, Cinema Mondo, Finland

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