The European Film Market (EFM, 13-19 February) has announced the recipient of its first-ever Distributor Award: Huub Roelvink, the founder and managing director of Cherry Pickers Film Distribution, based in the Netherlands (read our interview from 2020). The award, which comes with a €7,500 cash prize sponsored by Fintage House, a global leader in music, film and TV rights management, will be presented during the EFM Kick-Off event on 12 February.

This new accolade aims to spotlight the vital role of European arthouse distributors, whose contributions to the cultural and societal fabric of cinema often go unrecognised. Tanja Meissner, director of Berlinale Pro*, highlighted the importance of this initiative: “While awards mostly go to filmmakers and producers, films only truly exist once they’re distributed and reach their intended audiences. We often discuss the importance of fostering cultural exchange by upholding diversity and showing different perspectives, and cinema has a really powerful role to play in that. Arthouse distributors contribute not only culturally, but also economically and politically, by reinforcing the foundation of European democracy.”

Fintage House’s COO, Vaucia Pahlad, echoed this sentiment, emphasising the behind-the-scenes efforts made by distributors: “Distributors quietly champion this effort, sifting through countless productions to deliver the right stories to the right audiences. By sponsoring the Distributor Award, we celebrate the hard work, resilience and vision that go into bridging the gap between filmmakers and audiences globally.”

A jury composed of industry experts – Leila Hamid (CEO, X-Verleih AG), Nathalie Jeung (head of Sales, Kinology) and Kim Foss (CEO, Camera Film) – selected Roelvink for his innovative and dedicated approach to film distribution. Their statement reads: “Huub Roelvink might be working in one of the most thriving territories of them all, but that also means harsh competition for content – with steeper prices than in many other territories. In his approach to curation, Huub demonstrates a careful balance of passion and pragmatism. He evaluates films based on their artistic merit and their potential to engage viewers, understanding that successful distribution requires both quality content and audience appeal. Huub embodies the spirit of innovation and dedication that this award honours. His tireless efforts to elevate international cinema in the Netherlands make him a true ambassador for the art of film.”

Cherry Pickers Film Distribution, under Roelvink’s leadership, releases 12 to 15 titles in the Benelux annually. Recent films in its line-up include My Favourite Cake [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
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scheda film] and September Says [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ariane Labed
scheda film]. Before founding Cherry Pickers in 2016, Roelvink served as managing director of Imagine Filmdistributie Netherlands and founded Cinema Delicatessen, a distributor specialising in documentaries. His extensive background in cinema programming and management includes roles at Kriterion cinema in Amsterdam and arthouse cinema LUX in Nijmegen. Roelvink holds a master’s degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Amsterdam.

The introduction of the EFM Distributor Award underscores the EFM’s commitment to recognising all facets of the film industry – from creation to distribution – and highlights the indispensable role that distributors play in ensuring films reach diverse audiences across the globe.