11/02/2003 - Culture Ministers at the festival yesterday underline importance of closer collaboration between their film industries

Read our Special - Berlinale 2003

Jean-Jacques Aillagon and Christina Weiss, the respective ministers for culture of France and Germany had a meeting on 10 February at the Berlinale. The issues under discussion included the importance of reinforcing collaboration between the two countries’ respective film industries and the ministers then took part in a work-session organised by the Franco-German Film Academy.
Based on an idea by Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schröder, the Academy was set up in 1999 to increase and improve contacts between the two countries film industries especially with regards to training and production. Since its inception, the Academy has supported the production of 12 films.
The French participants at the conference included Jeanne Moreau, Daniel Toscan du Plantier, the president of Unifrance and Alain Auclaire, the head of Fémis, the French Superior School for Sound and Pictures. Also taking part were Margaret Menegoz, a producer with Les Films du Losange and the president of the National Film Centre - (CNC) Commission, Alain Rozanes (ADR Productions) and David Kessler, the director general of the CNC.

(Translated from French)