31/08/2006

The new film industry will be the focus of four debates at the Rencontres Cinématographiques de Dijon (Dijon Cinema Meetings, October 26-29) organised by ARP (Association of Authors, Directors and Producers), which will be presided over by Costa Gavras.

After 15 years at Beaune (see news July 5, 2006), the Dijon event will be attended by over 400 professionals from Europe and the US, and will open on Friday, October 27, with the theme Economic Necessities and Creative Freedom.

The discussion will explore the growing complexity of the film industry, including the expanding role of television in film financing in Europe, concentration on the means of production, increase in the cost of films, inflation in release expenses and prints, multiplication of the means of consumption and the growing trend of seeking short-term profitability that threatens the artistic dimension by encouraging standardisation, repetition and the fear of risk-taking and inventiveness.

On Saturday, October 28, there will be a discussion on Does the development of video on demand in Europe mark the beginning of the upheaval of film distribution means? and What are the rules in the new cinema industry?. The debates will address the issue of the impact of VOD (video on demand) within the context of film distribution and financing, as well as the consequences of the entry of telecommunications operators in the audiovisual sector.

Lastly, the panel on the morning of Sunday, October 29, will be devoted to the issue of What’s new in technology? Defining high definition, quite a vast subject encompassing the release of new generation DVDs, the manufacturing chain and the cost of films made in 35 mm or digital, the various means of distribution (DVD, VOD, TNT, Satellite, TV on mobile phones), content protection and eventual aesthetic constraints for film and audiovisual creation.

(Translated from French)