16/09/2003 - The producers Chris Burdza and Christoph Thoke talk about their experiences and how they view the future of European cinema, and the potential of digital technology

The producers Chris Burdza and Christoph Thoke talk about their experiences and give their opinion about the future of European cinema, and the potential of digital technology

Chris Burdza - Vega Studio (PL)
"At the heart of the success of European cinema are the individuals, the original stories they can tell. If a person has good stories, that have never been told or heard elsewhere, they have to bring them to the attention of the whole world. Culture is our most powerful weapon".

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Digital
"I saw 20 kids gathered around a camera weighing 39 pounds, and my dream is to see 4 people around a camera weighing 9 pounds. Digital is the future for cinema, it’s a help to young filmmakers who want to make a good quality film at half the normal cost.
"In Poland a lot of people think of digital as something to do with phones. There are two digital TV channels, but the national TV networks are very bureaucratic, with a huge number of staff, and they aren’t able to make the most of the possibilities that digital offers.
Digital is the future".

Christoph Thoke - Thoke Moebius Filmcompany (DE)
"The weapon in the armoury of European cinema is to do as many co-productions as possible. We’re currently working on a European co-production, and our ideal scenario is to have a foundation based on a network of collaborators".

Digital
"As a producer I can say that digital is extremely useful for international co-productions, we use it in many different ways, it cuts costs and produces good results. Unfortunately it’s still not exploited very much in the German home market, it is only used in exceptional cases.
But, things are changing.…"