MEDIA in the UK 2008
Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle, received MEDIA Selective Scheme funding in 2008 Š Celador Films Ltd / Channel 4 Television Corporation
Contents
Looking For Eric,
Hunger,
directed by Ken Loach, received MEDIA Automatic Scheme funding in 2008
directed by Steve McQueen, received MEDIA Automatic Scheme funding in 2008
Foreword Introduction
4 5
Distribution and exhibition Theatrical distribution Online distribution Exhibition
6 10 10
Production companies Development i2i Audiovisual TV Broadcasting Interactive and games
12 14 15 15
Skills development Film students Professional training
16 17
Promotion and festivals Film festivals Access to Markets Promotional events Film Sales Support
18 19 20 21
Beyond Europe
22
03
Foreword
With this publication MEDIA Desk UK celebrates the success of UK companies, films, and the talent behind them in accessing support from the European Union’s MEDIA Programme in 2008. 2008 marks another €14 million of solid investment from Europe into UK companies and UK films. In total 149 UK companies were supported to the level of €8 million. The beneficiaries are producers, operators in interactive and new media, distributors, sales agents, VoD operators, film schools, professional training providers, and organisers of festivals and promotional events.
04
For the first time Film London’s Production Finance Market joins the family of MEDIA-funded European industry events, while four UK Screen Academies deliver international training programmes with fellow films schools in Europe. A further €6 million was invested in the European distribution of 39 UK films. These include Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, Steve McQueen’s Hunger and Ken Loach’s Looking for Eric. MEDIA once again played its role in bringing European films into the UK – a traditionally difficult market for foreign language films. 2008 was a good year for European releases
with Gomorrah, The Class and Waltz with Bashir enjoying major box office success for their MEDIA-supported UK releases. In 2008 MEDIA Desk UK assisted over 200 applicants in their efforts to obtain MEDIA funding and we proudly congratulate the successful companies for their contribution to building a strong, competitive European audiovisual industry. Agnieszka Moody Director, MEDIA Desk UK
Introduction
A total of 17 films selected for the Cannes International Film Festival in 2009 were supported by MEDIA in 2008, sharing over €3 million between them. They ranged from works by Europe’s finest established directors, including Pedro Almodóvar (Broken Embraces), Ken Loach (Looking for Eric) and Marco Bellocchio (Vincere), to works by new, emerging talent such as Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank) and Gaspar Noé (Irreversible and Enter the Void). The Palme d’Or went to Michael Haneke for his feature film White Ribbon, making 2009 the fifth consecutive year that a MEDIAsupported film received this award (The Class won it in 2008, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days in 2007, The Wind that Shakes the Barley in 2006, and The Child in 2005). But MEDIA is not only about the glamour of the red carpet at Cannes. It invests in professional training and supports the development and international distribution of various categories of audiovisual projects, including creative documentary and animation. MEDIA also increases audiences for European film by supporting festivals and investing in the development of digital technologies that enable new ways of accessing content. The MEDIA Programme has been supporting the European audiovisual industry for nearly twenty years. Now, with an expanded remit for collaboration outside Europe, it continues to further enhance the position of European screen industries worldwide.
(Left to right) Kierston Wareing, Harry Treadaway, Michael Fassbender and director Andrea Arnold at the premiere of MEDIA-funded Fish Tank during the 62nd Cannes International Film Festival (Photo by Michael Buckner at Getty Images)
05
Distribution and exhibition
Theatrical distribution
Film
Award (€)
Becoming Jane
3,000
Happy-Go-Lucky
MEDIA devotes more than half of its annual €100 million budget to helping European films secure international release. This is achieved through three funding schemes: Selective, Automatic and Sales Agents. UK films funded through the Selective Scheme In 2008, several UK films had their European releases boosted by the MEDIA Selective Scheme. This resulted in a greater number of prints, more generous marketing campaigns and ultimately larger audiences. The Academy Award-winning Slumdog Millionaire received €636,500 for distribution in 16 territories, and Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky received €581,000 for distribution in 19 territories.
581,000
My Enemy's Enemy
12,000
Slumdog Millionaire
636,500
The Broken
186,000 1,418,500
€1,418,500 Total MEDIA Selective Scheme funding awarded to UK films in 2008
Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle, received MEDIA Selective Scheme funding in 2008 © Celador Films Ltd / Channel 4 Television Corporation
The Broken, directed by Sean Ellis, received MEDIA Selective Scheme funding in 2008
Happy-Go-Lucky directed by Mike Leigh, received MEDIA Selective Scheme funding in 2008
06
UK distributors funded through the Selective Scheme UK distributors brought a range of European films to British screens with MEDIA funding that totalled €817,000. 2008 was a particularly successful year, with MEDIA-supported films including The Class, Gomorrah, Waltz with Bashir and Il Divo achieving considerable box office results.
Distribution company
Film
Award (€)
UK box office revenue to date (£)
Artificial Eye
Birdwatchers
50,000
2009 release
Il Divo
55,000
354,295
Mid-August Lunch
25,000
2009 release
O’Horten
40,000
46,738
Revanche
25,000
2009 release
The Class Waltz with Bashir
Gomorrah, directed by Matteo Garrone, received MEDIA Selective Scheme funding in 2008
879,508 703,760 Release TBC
Atlantic Film Distributors
Involuntary
19,000
ICA Films
Delta
10,000
6,281
Metrodome Distribution
The First Day of the Rest of your Life
77,000
2009 release
New Wave Films
The Christmas Tale
50,000
64,352
Lorna's Silence
40,000
35,420
Tricks
20,000
2009 release
Gomorrah
75,000
944,511
Waltz with Bashir, directed by Ari Folman, received MEDIA Selective Scheme funding in 2008
75,000 125,000
Optimum Releasing
Paris Revolver Entertainment
Just Another Love Story
Soda Pictures
Home
70,00
144,396
25,000
2009 release
36,000
2009 release
817,000
3,179,261
€817,000 Total MEDIA Selective Scheme funding awarded to UK distributors in 2008
07
Distribution and exhibition
UK films funded through the Automatic Scheme The MEDIA Automatic Scheme rewards distributors for the box office success of non-national* European films. Recipients can use funding from this scheme to invest in minimum guarantees or to subsidise the release costs of new non-national acquisitions. 34 UK films shared a total of €4,633,044 from the 2008 MEDIA Automatic Scheme. The highest awards were granted to The Secret of Moonacre, which received €702,644, Looking for Eric, awarded €526,931 and The Duchess, awarded €368,229. MEDIA support is essential for us at Optimum. To use the example of Gomorrah: We applied for the Selective Scheme which helped us increase the number of copies released, and the film went on to make nearly £1 million in box office revenue. This will now result in a healthy reward when we report on these admissions in 2009 to get our Automatic Scheme funding. 200,000 admissions in 2008 should get us nearly €100,000 further investment from MEDIA. It is reassuring that MEDIA seems to be achieving two great aims: Helping distributors with less commercial films with limited audiences, and rewarding box office success. Danny Perkins, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Optimum Releasing
Film A Bunch of Amateurs Atonement Boy A Brideshead Revisted Control Cracks Dorian Gray
Total MEDIA Automatic Scheme funding awarded to UK films in 2008
08
37,304 15,395 119,010 11,200 53,830 15,600
Franklyn
242,571
Genova
15,926
Hallam Foe Happy-Go-Lucky
15,836 145,560
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
25,855
Hunger
86,181
It's a Free World
14,244
Looking for Eric
526,931
Nightwatching Red Road
9,624 26,809 3,506
Slumdog Millionaire
200,000
Son of Rambow
356,683
St. Trinian's
203,083
The Bank Job
218,239
The Boat that Rocked
213,436
The Descent 2 The Duchess The Escapist
36,621 368,229 3,017
The Meerkats
198,017
The Secret of Moonacre
702,644
The Tournament This is England Turtle: The Incredible Journey
* A film that originates from a territory different from that of the distributor.
53,091 304,168
Easy Virtue
Mrs Ratcliffe's Revolution
Ken Loach’s films are largely financed with the support of regular European partners. BIM Distribuzione, our co-producer on Looking for Eric, and French distributor Diaphana could only afford to contribute to the film so generously thanks to the support from MEDIA’s Automatic Scheme. I think it is brilliant that MEDIA encourages distributors across Europe to invest in films this way. Rebecca O’Brien, Producer, Sixteen Films
10,288 335,084
Earth Five Minutes of Heaven
€4,633,044
Award (€)
24,632 7,430 33,000 4,633,044
€528,189 Total MEDIA Automatic Scheme funding awarded to UK distributors in 2008
On the basis of these admissions they were allocated the following awards in 2008: Distributor
Award (€)
Artificial Eye
123,796
Cinefile
145
Dogwoof
4,314
Metrodome Distribution
134,924
Optimum Releasing
UK distributors funded through the Automatic Scheme Every year distributors across Europe report to MEDIA about the cinema admissions to European non-national films that they have released in the previous year. These admissions are the basis for the calculation of MEDIA Automatic Scheme grants. The funding can be used to pay for minimum guarantees and release costs of non-national European films. UK distributors reported €1.2 million worth of admissions to non-national European films in 2007.
91,055
Pathé Distribution
95,962
Pathé Scope
37,548
Soda Pictures
40,445 528,189
Funding for UK sales agents The Sales Agents scheme allocates €1 million a year and is linked to an agent’s performance in selling European films. The funding awarded depends on the amount of cinema admissions generated by the films sold in the previous calendar year. The funding can be used for acquisitions (sales guarantees) as well as the promotion and marketing costs of non-national European films. Five UK sales companies took advantage of this scheme in 2008, sharing €229,774 of MEDIA investment.
The Class, directed by Laurent Cantet, is distributed by MEDIAsupported Artificial Eye
Sales agent
Award (€)
ContentFilm International
64,212
HanWay Films
63,491
High Point Films & Television
25,000
Taskovski Films
30,253
The Works
46,818 229,774
Genova, directed by Michael Winterbottom, is sold by the MEDIA-funded company HanWay Films
€229,774 Total MEDIA Sales Agents funding awarded to UK sales agents in 2008
09
Distribution and exhibition
Online distribution
Exhibition
Since 2007, MEDIA has been supporting online content distribution via the VoD/DCD scheme, which funds video-on-demand services and the digital delivery of film to cinemas. In 2008, €6 million was invested in 18 platforms that offered European content on demand to audiences worldwide. One UK VoD operator successfully secured MEDIA VoD/DCD funding: MercuryMedia was awarded €200,000 for the documentary platform www.joiningthedocs.tv.
Europa Cinemas is a MEDIA-funded network of cinemas which screen significantly more European films, and in particular non-national European films, than most cinemas. The average percentage of European programming in Europa Cinemas is 58%. The network has become a trusted brand that clearly signposts access to European cinema for filmgoers.
Company
Project
MercuryMedia
joiningthedocs.tv
Award (€) 200,000 200,000
There are 45 member cinemas in the UK, and between them they shared €771,000 in 2008, including €130,000 for digital screenings. UK member cinemas include the Curzon Mayfair in London, the Cornerhouse in Manchester, and the Glasgow Film Theatre. Recipient 45 cinemas in the UK
Award (€) 771,000 771,000
€200,000 Total MEDIA VoD/DCD scheme funding awarded to UK services in 2008
10
The mainstay of exhibition at Curzon Soho is European film. Londoners expect this cinema to show the best and most challenging European films, especially as these films are difficult to find elsewhere. The financial support we receive from Europa Cinemas allows us a more diverse programme. Being part of the international network is also very beneficial to us and the latest addition of funding for digital screenings is very welcome. Rob Kenny, Operations Director, Curzon Cinemas
€771,000 Total MEDIA funding awarded to UK Europa Cinemas members in 2008
UK cinemas in the Europa Cinemas network Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge • Barbican Cinema, London • BFI Southbank, London • Broadway Cinema, Nottingham • Cameo, Edinburgh • Chapter, Cardiff • Chichester Cinema at New Park, Chichester • Ciné Lumière, London • Cinema City, Norwich Cornerhouse, Manchester • Curzon Mayfair, London • Curzon Soho, London • DCA Cinema, Dundee • Derby Quad Cinema, Derby • Duke of Cornerhouse, Manchester
Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle Upon Tyne © Sally Ann Norman, 2008
York’s Picturehouse, Brighton • Eden Court Theatre, Inverness • Filmhouse, Edinburgh • Forum Cinema, Northampton • Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow • Hollywood Cinema, Ipswich • Hull Screen Cinema, Hull • Hyde Park Picturehouse, Leeds • ICA Cinema, London • Light House, Wolverhampton • Ludlow Assembly Rooms, Ludlow • Phoenix Arts, Leicester • Phoenix Cinema, London • Phoenix Picturehouse, Oxford Picturehouse at FACT, Liverpool • Pictureville, Bradford • Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast • Renoir, London • Richmond Filmhouse, Richmond Rio Cinema, London • Saffron Screen, Saffron Walden • Showroom, Sheffield • Stoke Film Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent • Strode Film Theatre,
Picturehouse at FACT, Liverpool Ciné Lumière, London
Somerset • The Barn Cinema, Dartington • The Belmont Picturehouse, Aberdeen • The Gate, London • Tricycle Cinema, London • Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle upon Tyne • Waterman Arts Centre, Brentford Watershed Media Centre, Bristol
Watershed Media Centre, Bristol
Duke of York’s Picturehouse, Brighton
11
Production companies
Development
€2,240,956
In 2008, UK production companies secured €2,240,956 worth of MEDIA Development Funding.
Total MEDIA Development funding awarded to UK producers in 2008
Slate Funding Several established film and television companies won significant bids to support slates of projects, including the Recorded Picture Company, MentornMedia and Michael Winterbottom’s Revolution Films. Smaller UK production companies also received substantial MEDIA Slate funding, including VeryMuchSo Productions, Third Films and Borderline Productions. Production company
Award (€)
Borderline Productions
138,172
Ecosse Films
130,000
MentornMedia
190,000
Recorded Picture Company
190,000
Revolution Films
190,000
Third Films
135,816
Tigerlily Films
124,370
VeryMuchSo Productions
70,000 1,168,358
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We are a European film company and as such we need to principally rely on sources within Europe. Development is a necessary and difficult moment in a film's life, and the support we receive from MEDIA enables us to address important new film subjects with European filmmakers. Jeremy Thomas, Film Producer and Founder of the Recorded Picture Company
VeryMuchSo is a small, Sheffield-based independent production company with big international ambitions. MEDIA funding allowed us to build on our reputation for making ambitious feature docs (The Game of their Lives, A State of Mind, Crossing the Line) and increase the company’s focus on development. MEDIA has had a positive impact on the company and its future, both creatively and financially, and thanks to its support VeryMuchSo has built a solid platform for sustaining investment in development. MEDIA has provided a sound basis for the production of future projects as well as the continued growth of the company. Dan Gordon, Producer/Director, VeryMuchSo Productions
Single Project Funding The 2008 Single Project Funding scheme saw a diverse group of successful UK applicants, including those from the animation, documentary and drama sectors. The 26 companies funded included Chris Curling’s company, Zephyr Films, who are working on a family Christmas film entitled Dickens, and Bigger Pictures, who are developing the kung-fu thriller Glendragon. The Bungalow Town Productions documentary The City, directed by Marc Issacs and produced by Rachel Wexler, also received funding. Other MEDIA Development Funding recipients included: Rise Films, who are developing Inside a Muslim School, and Diverse Production with the documentary Mrs Mandela. Animation projects that received funding included Acamar Films’ Bing Bunny, the Brothers McLeod project The Isle of Spagg, and the Illuminated Film Company’s Anna Spud.
Production company
Project
Acamar Films
Bing Bunny
Award (€) 60,000
Barzo/Studio of the North Productions
The Baby and Fly Pie
24,970
Bigger Pictures
Glendragon
60,000
Borough Film
Costa Rica
60,000
Bungalow Town Productions
The City
20,000
Cross Street Films
Sex, Death and the Gods
48,766
Cyclops Vision
Babes of Baghdad
60,000
Diverse Production
Mrs Mandela
56,269
Endboard Productions
Mind the Gap
25,000
February Films
Charlie Pepper
25,000
Flying Scotsman Films
Renegade
60,000
Hungry Hamsters
Hungry Hamsters
60,000
IFF Films
The Rabbit Catchers
60,000
Illuminations
Lost Utopias
39,595
Mindful Films
Waynedance
25,000
Mortal Coil Media
Lunik IX
19,742
Pesky Productions
Dodo is Go!
60,000
Redwave Films
Bel Ami
25,000
Rise Films
Inside a Muslim School
24,947
Té Papa Films
Three Minutes to Midnight
25,000
The Brothers McLeod
The Isle of Spagg
51,193
The Christmas TV and Film Company
We Need to Talk about Matthew
12,117
The Illuminated Film Company
Anna Spud
60,000
The Wonderland Cinema
Children of the Revolution
25,000
Utah Films
Aftermath
25,000
Zephyr Films
Dickens
60,000 1,072,598
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Production companies
i2i Audiovisual UK producers successfully applied to the MEDIA i2i Audiovisual scheme to help with the costs of financing their film projects. Film & Music Entertainment’s feature-length documentary Turtle: The Incredible Journey received substantial MEDIA support, as did the feature film Unmade Beds. The production companies Box TV and Parallax were also successful in their applications. Production company
Project
Award (€)
Box TV
Affinity
50,000
Film & Music Entertainment
Turtle: The Incredible Journey
42,523
Parallax
I Know You Know
41,623
Three Pillows Films
Unmade Beds
50,000 184,146
14
€184,146 Total MEDIA i2i Audiovisual scheme funding awarded to UK producers in 2008
Turtle: The Incredible Journey, produced by Film & Music Entertainment, received MEDIA i2i Audiovisual funding in 2008
Unmade Beds,
Producing an international feature documentary was an incredible experience for us at Film & Music Entertainment. As a truly European co-production between the UK, Germany and Austria, Turtle: The Incredible Journey required sturdy financial engineering and fine-tuning throughout its long production period. i2i Audiovisual provided us with assistance in structuring the financing. The MEDIA money came at the crucial point in the production process and helped us bear the burden of the financing costs incurred from discounting German, Austrian, Swiss, Spanish and Portuguese pre-sales. The result is a wonderful film which has already started to attract a wide, international audience. Mike Downey, Founder of Film & Music Entertainment
directed by Alexis Dos Santos, received MEDIA i2i Audiovisual funding in 2008
TV Broadcasting
Interactive and games
MEDIA also helps to produce television programmes for international distribution. In 2008, UK TV producers received nearly €2 million to co-finance international drama, documentary and animation programmes. These included the award-winning director Eugene Jarecki’s new project Ghetto, Welsh animation company Calon TV’s Igam Ogam, and Brook Lapping’s Turning China Upside Down. Production company
Project
B.L.T.V
Brave New Artworld
Brook Lapping
Turning China Upside Down
100,000
Calon TV
Igam Ogam
268,000
Charlotte Street Films
Ghetto
115,000
Diverse Production
Mrs. Mandela
200,000
Mike Young Productions
Chloe’s Closet
300,000
October Films
The Glorious 7th Cavalry
Seventh Art Productions
The Boy Mir
The Foundation TV Productions
Waybuloo
Tigerlily Films
Naples 43-48
Touchpaper Television
Human
€1,914,000 Total MEDIA TV Broadcasting funding awarded to UK producers in 2008
Award (€) 70,000
45,000 48,000 350,000 1,914,000
Developer
Project
1bit Garden
The Great Builder
Award (€)
AirPlay
Super Yum Yum
Fuse Games
Haunted House Party
Mark Grindle Associates
Wildlife
10,000
Rebellion
Fugitive
100,000
Shimmer Productions
R&J
95,536 54,600 100,000
25,000 385,136
Igam Ogam, produced by Calon TV, received MEDIA TV Broadcasting funding in 2008
68,000 350,000
MEDIA's most recent scheme helps to develop innovative audiovisual interactive programmes with strong narrative elements. In 2008, nearly €400,000 was invested in six UK interactive media companies, including AirPlay, Mark Grindle Associates and Fuse Games.
€385,136 Total MEDIA Interactive Projects funding awarded to UK companies in 2008
Super Yum Yum, developed by AirPlay, received MEDIA Interactive Projects funding in 2008
15
Skills development
Film students MEDIA recognises the vital role that training plays in the film industry, and annually invests €1.6 million to encourage networking and shared projects among students of various European film schools. In 2008, the Initial Training scheme was warmly embraced by UK Screen Academies who became leading partners in three MEDIAsupported European consortia. Organisation
Training scheme
Edinburgh Napier University
Engage
London Film School
A Fistful of Euros
Award (€)
National Film and Television School Passion to Market
150,000
Passion to Market Passion to Market is led by the National Film and Television School in partnership with France’s La Fémis and the Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School. In 2008, Passion to Market offered graduates the chance to take part in international trade events including Rotterdam’s CineMart, Berlin’s European Film Market and MIPCOM in Cannes, all of which were underpinned by a programme of lectures from established industry professionals including Stewart Till and Duncan Kenworthy.
55,488 190,000 395,488
€395,488 Total MEDIA Initial Training funding invested in UK projects in 2008
16
Film is truly an international business. Providing film professionals with an international focus right at the start of their careers is vital. Passion to Market prepares outstanding graduates from Europe's leading film schools and helps them better understand the worldwide film industry. Film is a competitive business but I'm pleased that the programme is already enabling its participants to enjoy real success. Stewart Till, CBE, Deputy Chair, Skillset
Participants at Passion to Market 2008
Engage Engage is an initiative for writers, directors and producers, and is open to European final year film students and recent graduates. It is run by the Screen Academy Scotland at Edinburgh Napier University in partnership with the Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Ireland, the Baltic Film and Media School in Estonia, and the University of Art and Design in Finland. A Fistful of Euros Led by the London Film School in partnership with the University of Drama, Film and Television in Hungary, La Fémis in France and The National Film School in Denmark, A Fistful of Euros is a showcase, conference and graduate training workshop focusing on sharing the best ideas in low-budget filmmaking across Europe.
EAVE received MEDIA Training funding in 2008
Professional training MEDIA supports approximately forty international professional training programmes every year, all of which prepare European professionals to work internationally. UK participation in these courses is very high, with 200 people taking advantage of them every year. Courses include ACE Producers, Media Business School and EAVE.
Media Business School received MEDIA Training funding in 2008
The UK training provider Performing Arts Lab secured €100,000 of funding in 2008 for their course in screenplay writing for children’s programmes, Pygmalion Plus. Organisation
Training scheme
Performing Arts Lab
Pygmalion Plus
Award (€) 100,000 100,000
Participants at Engage in 2008
€100,000 Total MEDIA Vocational Training funding invested in UK courses in 2008
17
Promotion and festivals
Film festivals
€88,696 Total MEDIA funding invested in UK festivals in 2008
By annually awarding approximately €3.5 million of funding to festivals devoted to showcasing European audiovisual content, MEDIA helps to encourage audiences for European film. The funded festivals take place all over Europe and the UK examples include Sheffield Doc / Fest, the Leeds International Film Festival, and the Showcomotion Young People’s Film Festival. Organisation
Festival
Award (€)
Diamond Bullet Films European Independent Film Festival
15,000
Leeds City Council
Leeds International Film Festival
35,000
Sheffield Doc/Fest
Sheffield Doc/Fest
26,269
Sheffield Media & Exhibition Centre
Showcomotion Young People's Film Festival and Showcomotion Children's Media Conference 12,427 88,696
18
Young audiences are essential for the future of cinema. In a fast-moving, digital world with a wealth of entertainment options literally at our fingertips, developing the audiences for film is extremely important. We are happy to welcome MEDIA as a supporter of our mission. Kathy Loizou, Director, Showcomotion Young People’s Film Festival
Participants at Showcomotion Young People’s Film Festival in 2008
Access to Markets €2.5 million is invested annually in the MEDIA Access to Markets scheme, which aims to improve European professionals’ access to industry events. The support can take various forms, for example the MEDIA Stand, which offers its services on a shared basis at major film markets in Berlin and Cannes. MEDIA also co-finances several specialist markets, including Cartoon Forum, the Amsterdam Forum for Co-financing of Documentaries and CineMart in Rotterdam. In 2008, two UK organisations received grants to organise promotional initiatives. These were MeetMarket, an industry networking event that runs alongside Sheffield Doc/Fest, and, for the first time, Production Finance Market, held in London during the Times BFI London Film Festival. Organisation
Event
Film London
Production Finance Market
Sheffield Doc/Fest
MeetMarket
Award (€) 47,767
€135,718
Participants at Cartoon Forum, 2008
Total MEDIA Access to Markets funding invested in UK events in 2008
Film London launched the annual Production Finance Market in October 2007 in a bid to bring commercial film financiers together with independent producers, and to encourage filmmakers to engage more directly with the 'hard' end of the market. This year, on the back of a successful application to MEDIA’s Access to Markets fund, Film London is now in a position to fully realise the Production Finance Market’s European potential. MEDIA support provides Film London with the unique role of exposing European producers to commercial film finance. Angus Finney, Production Finance Market Project Manager, Film London
The MEDIA Stand and meeting area at MIPTV 2008 in Cannes, France
87,951 135,718
19
Promotion and festivals
Promotional events The MEDIA Access to Markets scheme also funds European Film Promotion (EFP), an umbrella organisation that facilitates working relationships between Europe’s national film promotion organisations. EFP organises many events, including the European Film Awards, Shooting Stars (a showcase of Europe’s acting talent at the Berlin International Film Festival, and Producers on the Move, held at the Cannes International Film Festival.
Cannes 2008 was a great experience. There was a lot of buzz around Hunger throughout the festival and in the end we were all thrilled to win the Camera d’Or. The Producers on the Move programme enhanced this experience further by offering us access to valuable industry contacts as well as attention from the international press. Laura Hastings-Smith, Producer, Hunger (and the UK’s 2008 Producer on the Move) Hunger director Steve McQueen accepts the European Discovery award at the 2008 European Film Awards
Recipients of Shooting Star Awards on stage at the Berlinale-Palast in 2008 © Eric Vernazobres
20
Film Sales Support Another EFP scheme, Film Sales Support, enables producers and sales agents to promote their films at key festivals and markets around the world. The Sundance Film Festival in the USA and the Pusan International Film Festival in South Korea are just two of the festivals that have been focused on in the past.
Production company
Film
Event
Celluloid Dreams
Better Things
Sundance Film Festival
Award (â‚Ź) 3,609
Ealing Studios
Easy Virtue
Toronto Film Festival
5,000
Ealing Studios
The Other Man
Toronto Film Festival
5,000
Fandango Portobello Sales
A Perfect Day
Toronto Film Festival
5,000
Gaumont
The Broken
Sundance Film Festival
5,000
Goalpost Film
The Escapist
Sundance Film Festival
5,000
HanWay Films
Genova
Toronto Film Festival
5,000
Intandem Films
Sounds Like Teen Spirit
Toronto Film Festival
5,000
Salt
Donkey Punch
Sundance Film Festival
5,000
The Works
Unspoken
Toronto Film Festival
5,000
Velvet Octopus
The Secret of Moonacre
Toronto Film Festival
5,000 53,609
â‚Ź53,609 Total EFP Film Sales Support funding invested in UK companies and films in 2008
Donkey Punch,
Better Things,
directed by Oliver Blackburn, was supported by Film Sales Support in 2008
directed by Duane Hopkins, was supported by Film Sales Support in 2008
A festival launch is a costly business, so the EFP contribution was warmly received. It meant we were able to bring an additional two young cast members from Donkey Punch to Sundance. And despite rumours to the contrary, the form-filling was extremely painless. Samantha Horley, Managing Director, Salt
21
Beyond Europe
In 2008, the first round of MEDIA International funding was made available. €2 million was awarded to 18 initiatives, each of which encourages Europe’s audiovisual industry to collaborate with international partners. UK-based training provider Pygmalion was one of the
€30,000
selected initiatives with the EIMAGES course, which offers development, financing and marketing workshops for industry professionals from Europe, India, Lebanon and Indonesia. Other initiatives available to UK professionals include EAVE Puentes, a co-production workshop Organisation
Project
Pygmalion
EIMAGES
between European and Latin American producers, and Transatlantic Partners, a series of workshops for European and Canadian producers.
Award (€) 30,000 30,000
Total MEDIA International funding invested in UK initiatives in 2008
Participants at the EAVE Puentes co-production workshop in Buenos Aires, Argentina
22
MEDIA in the UK 2008 is a MEDIA Desk UK publication. MEDIA Desk UK is an information and promotion office of the MEDIA Programme in the UK. It is hosted and co-funded by the UK Film Council. Together with the Antennae in Glasgow and Cardiff it provides information, advice and services about the MEDIA Programme. The MEDIA Programme is an initiative of the European Union and has three main aims • to strengthen the competitiveness of the European film, TV and new media industries;
• to increase international circulation of European audiovisual product; • and to preserve and enhance European cultural diversity. To achieve these aims MEDIA support is targeted at five priority areas: training, development, distribution, promotion and digital technologies. MEDIA 2007, the fourth round of the MEDIA Programme, began in January 2007 and will run up to December 2013. It has a budget of €755m.
For more information, please contact: MEDIA Desk UK Agnieszka Moody c/o UK Film Council 10 Little Portland Street London W1W 7JG Tel: 020 7861 7511 Email: england@mediadeskuk.eu
MEDIA Antenna Scotland Emma Valentine c/o Scottish Screen 249 West George Street Glasgow G2 4QE Tel: 0141 302 1776/7 Email: scotland@mediadeskuk.eu
www.mediadeskuk.eu
MEDIA Antenna Wales Judy Wasdell c/o Creative Industries 33-35 West Bute Street Cardiff CF10 5LH Tel: 029 2043 6112 Email: wales@mediadeskuk.eu