Europa Film Festivals & Europa International Memorandum Signing
Théo Lionel, Miriam Allen, Alexis Juncosa, Ewa Bojanowska
Signing of Memorandum of Understanding and Guide of Good Practices between sales agents and festivals – July 8th, Galway Film Fair
https://www.cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/427615/
Europa International, the European organisation for international film sales agents, and Europa Film Festivals, a network of 12 European festivals, have developed a guide aimed at defining functions and good practices to strengthen the relationship between sales and festivals. After several years of close collaboration, the two networks proudly present the Guide of Good Practices and the Memorandum of Understanding to improve relations between sales agents and festivals. This set of documents has been created with comments and observations from the field from festival programmers and managers. It is thought to help to share good practices and simple tools to ensure transparent and stress-free work relations.
“Sales and festivals are working together on a daily basis, but sometimes a lack of communication may lead to stressful situations. The idea behind the documents was to smoothen the relationship between partners. We need each other, and it is always better when we have a common ground of understanding!” says Alexis Juncosa, artistic director of the Luxembourg City Film Festival and at the start of the project.
From the sales perspective, these documents will give festival managers a ready-made and efficient tool to train junior staff and have a reference for working with festivals from all over the world.
ABOUT EUROPA INTERNATIONAL
Established in 2011 during the Berlin Film Festival, Europa International is the European network for sales agents aiming at raising awareness of a sales agent’s job and important position within the film ecosystem. The idea was to have a new face for this profession, representing an essential segment of the European audiovisual sector. Europa International is a non-profit organisation committed to the European world sales agents and providing backup to its members on the international marketplace, from sales through to distribution, as well as on the international film festival circuit. Its objective is to provide a community service by creating a network of European sales agents to represent the profession and defend its general interests. In addition, Europa International intends to share its members’ broad experience to prepare the film industry’s future efficiently. Its aim is to improve and increase European films’ international distribution and circulation inside and outside Europe.
Members: Autlook, Bac Films, Be For Films, Best Friend Forever, Charades, Coccinelle film sales, Coproduction Office, EastWest Filmdistribution, Elle Driver, Ellipsis Media International, Fandango, Film Constellation, Film Republic, Film Seekers France, Film.UA, Films Boutique, Fortissimo Films, Gaumont, HanWay Films, llmatic film group, Intramovies, Kinology, Le Pacte, Les Films du Losange, LevelK, LuxBox, Memento International, Minerva Pictures, MK2 Films, New Europe Film Sales, Pathé International, Picture Tree International, Playtime, Pluto Film, Pyramide International,Rai Com, Rocket Science, Summerside Media, TF1 Studio, The Match Factory, The Party Film Sales, The Yellow Affair, Totem Films, True Colours, TrustNordisk, Urban Sales, Wild Bunch International.
ABOUT EUROPA FILM FESTIVALS
Europa Film Festivals was borne out of a Galway Capital of Culture 2020 project named ‘Peripheral Visions’. The network first met at a conference during the Galway Film Fleadh in 2017 and laid the foundation for a sustainable structure for independent European festivals. The EFF members subsequently held meetings in 2018/2019 at the Galway Film Fleadh. The network’s primary purpose is to formalise a system for sharing information, strategies and culture amongst festivals representing a strong voice in Europe. It will shape and develop common positions and perspectives on key issues, resources, business models, best practices and information exchange infrastructures to support members in the emerging film ecosystem, providing a unique opportunity to strengthen film festivals. Miriam Allen (CEO of Galway Film Fleadh) was voted chair of the network, and a charter was drafted outlining cooperation initiatives. Alexis Juncosa (AD Luxfilmfest) was voted as chair in March 2022.
Members: Athens International Film Festival, Belfast Film Festival, CINEMANIA FILM FESTIVAL, Festival International du Film Indépendant de Bordeaux, Galway Film Fleadh, Geneva International Film Festival, Gijon International Film Festival, Filmfest Hamburg, Luxembourg City Film Festival, Midnight Sun Film Festival, Noordelijk Film Festival, Reykjavik International Film Festival.
One of the primary resolutions set by Europa Film Festivals was to formulate a ‘Memorandum of Understanding, which are guidelines for terms of good practice between film festivals and sales agents. This Guide of Good Practices was first announced at Cannes’s Marché du Film (Festival Hub) conference on May 23rd, 2022. During the panel titled Strengthening Our Industry Core: A Conversation Between Sales and Festivals, the four panellists (Ewa Bojanowska, Marketing & Festivals Manager at New Europe Film Sales, Grégoire Graesslin -Marketing & Festivals at Kinology, Anaïs Emery – General Director and Artistic Director at Geneva International Film Festival & Geneva Digital Market, and Alexis Juncosa -Artistic Director at Luxembourg City Film Festival) presented a work-in-progress document of the Guide of Good Practices.
The Memorandum of Understanding and the Guide of Good Practices will be available from on the Europa International website (www.europa-international.org), from August on the Europa Film festivals website (www.europafilmfestivals.eu) and upon request (info@luxfilmfest.lu)