15/02/2018 - BERLIN 2018: As the EFM kicks off, its director, Matthijs Wouter Knol, lifts the lid on new trends and changes in the industry

(© Juliane Eirich/EFM)

As the 30^th-anniversary edition of the European Film Market (15-23 February) gets under way in Berlin, director Matthijs Wouter Knol takes a look back at what has been accomplished at the EFM, but also what the future might look like for the industry. By offering different platforms within the market and bringing together players from various industries, the EFM will help film professionals to navigate the marketplace. Furthermore, the EFM provides an outlook on new trends and technologies, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and what’s happening to VR.

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Cineuropa: How does the EFM reflect new financing and distribution models for the industry?
Matthijs Wouter Knol: We are having a Canadian year at the EFM, and together with Canadian professionals, we have a chance to shed light on a few new developments that look like they’ll make a difference in the future. Apart from a solid sales market, the EFM strives to be an event where we can indicate which new trends are coming up and which new changes are appearing on the horizon. That the industry is changing rapidly is nothing new. The way to find out what changes in financing, theatrical release strategies or streaming deal options mean for individual sales agents, distributors and producers is what a modern market can help with. That’s why we want to offer market visitors the opportunity to explore these new business models, and connect to peers who can help them adapt or transform their businesses. The development and revamping of market platforms within the EFM helps visitors to navigate and find what they are looking for. The DocSalon is a good example: the documentary film industry has played an important role over the past decade at the EFM, and in our anniversary year, we’ve revamped the platform and fine-tuned the programme, also linking it to the EDN’s Media and Society project. Something similar can be discovered at the EFM Producers Hub. We joined forces with ACE and the Berlinale Co-Production Market and offer producers a daily networking and cutting-edge conference programme that will keep producers on the edge of their seats and introduce them to new European financing schemes, new distribution support models, and interesting developments in markets like India and North America. And with Canada in focus at this year’s EFM, we benefit from Telefilm Canada’s experience in using blockchain technology for the financing of film projects, recoupment or smart contracts, and that will save time and effort and help to make the industry a fairer place for everyone involved.

What kinds of possibilities are coming up for films thanks to digital innovations?
In 2015, the EFM started actively linking start-up entrepreneurs with established film companies. Forward-thinking firms such as Archer Gray, based in New York and run by visionaries like Amy Nauiokas and Anne Carey, found this out from the beginning and scouted start-ups that they invested in, linking capital to new ideas from the film world. Amy Nauiokas will open EFM Horizon, our innovation platform where we promote and highlight this new way of doing business. There is a growing number of digital possibilities for films to be distributed and to reach audiences worldwide in cinemas, for starters, and also in many other ways that don’t necessarily have to be detrimental to a theatrical release, but can actually support it. At EFM Startups, ten companies from Berlin, Europe and Canada are being presented and matched with market visitors. Creative Europe MEDIA has also increased its presence at our platforms: at EFM Horizon, it is hosting a session that connects technology companies with audiovisual content distributors. Many of them work in parallel, as it’s a competitive business – but an exchange about mutual challenges hardly takes place. Learning from mistakes made by sharing them also happens at EFM Horizon; we don’t believe in having only success stories.

What kinds of initiatives is the EFM offering at its anniversary edition?
The EFM is celebrating its 30^th anniversary this year. For the birthday edition, we wanted to be sure to offer EFM participants an optimised infrastructure and the best service possible. We follow in the footsteps of Beki Probst, who, with the strong support of Dieter Kosslick, has built up the EFM from 1988 onwards to make it one of the most important business events in the film industry. We aim to hang on to this excellent reputation and prepare the EFM for the future ahead. We have upcycled and revamped various platforms such as the aforementioned DocSalon and the EFM Producers Hub, and extended the EFM Horizon programme to five days. Two recent additions to the EFM, initiated by Dieter Kosslick as well, are the Drama Series Days and the Berlinale Africa Hub. They’ve turned into concentrated market platforms of their own and look better than ever this year. At the tender age of 30, the EFM is full of energy, and we’re ready for what lies ahead.

EFM Horizon has expanded its programme this year. How can films benefit from technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence?
With new media formats like VR at the moment, I feel that blockchain technology and the possibilities that artificial intelligence will bring to our daily lives will also affect the way we do business, and the way we will choose films to fund or to buy and sell in the future. Even though it’s not being embraced by the mainstream at all, I think blockchain offers the chance to rethink how systems are working and to consider whether the new options are the ones that work for the film industry. Blockchain offers ways to distribute revenues differently, to work with smart contracts. This affects, for example, people in the industry who are facing extra challenges and who are not always in the strongest position to start with – I’m talking about women in many countries, talent entering the industry without a long track record but with good films, or also when it comes to securing intellectual property rights of indigenous peoples, for instance. Blockchain financing systems combined with artificial intelligence (IBM Watson is just one example) helps institutions or individuals to provide first-stage funding or control rights. EFM Horizon has dedicated a whole day of its programme to delving deeper into this and discussing it with experts.

We started EFM Horizon last year because we realised the need for a platform where people could dive into what the future will bring and how a changing society already affects the business. We collaborate with interesting partners: the Frankfurt Book Fair and its progressive Arts+ programme showcases best practices from the publishing world and artificial intelligence, which can show us what will happen with film audiences in the near future. The Propellor Film Tech Hub, co-initiated by the EFM last year, continues with a talk session featuring Glen Basner, whose Film Nation, located right next to the EFM Horizon venue, has chosen interesting strategies over the past few years. McKinsey has been working with the EFM for many years and is hosting a session bringing together top-notch producers looking towards the next decade (Producers 2020). Virtual reality has a solid place in our programme as well: we show content in the VR Cinema at the Marriott, the VR NOW Summit presents the movers and shakers from the VR industry, such as the innovative New York-based LittlStar platform for VR content, and the new VRNEXT Investors Club links capital to creatives. Some strong formats are still going strong, but we have changed their setup: the EFM Industry Debates, presented by IFA, have been refreshed under the EFM Horizon umbrella. One of the debates will focus on “Diversity in the Film Industry”: what do we want our industry to look like in the near future, and how will it benefit us, also economically, when we start doing that from today onwards?

Where do you place the focus of the EFM, which keeps growing in terms of participants, formats and possibilities?
The focus of the European Film Market is clearly on film. With all of the growth that we have been experiencing in the past few years, we have always created platforms with a clear interface with film. For instance, the Drama Series Days in the EFM programme focuses on high-end drama series with a cinematic approach to production and storytelling. EFM Horizon opens up to new technologies and other industries, but always considers how the film industry can benefit from all the changes and developments in other fields. In short, we are growing, but the focus stays very firmly on film. A growing market like ours needs to make sure that it understands the needs of its visitors, and ensure they can easily navigate it.