17/11/2013 - 2013 has been a successful year for the industry section of the Rome Film Festival: +30% in international professionals, +15% in buyers for a total of 779 participants from 49 countries

2013 has been without a doubt a successful year for The Business Street, the industry section of the Rome International Film Festival, which comes to a close today. Attendance figures have not only been maintained but are in fact increasing: +10% in general accreditations, +30% in international professionals, +15% in buyers for a total of 779 participants (including 218 buyers, 91 sales agents and 232 producers) from 49 different countries.

The Business Street, coordinated by Massimo Saidel, Francesca Palleschi and Markus Duffner, has confirmed its status as a consolidated event. Cineuropa has talked to Palleschi and Duffner at the splendid Bernini Terrace about the 8th edition, the nature of the section and their plans for the future.

What is your assesment of the recently closed 2013 edition of The Business Street?
We believe this was one of the best editions of the Business Street: the terrace was bustling with long term participants as well as newcomers, the number of buyers increased and everybody seemed pleased. The industry debates we organized were highly attended. The Creative Europe presentation, organized in cooperation with Media Desk Italia, was a great success, with more than 230 attendees. The panel on the Day-and-Date and Video on Demand (organized in cooperation with WCP Media Services, Zètema|Casa del Cinema and Media Consulting Group) introduced new visions on current topic and triggered an exciting debate among the speakers and the audience. TBS' diverse market model has confirmed itself to be a valid alternative to the Film Industry scenario.

Which were the main additions to the 2013 edition? Do you think they have worked?
Logistically speaking, bringing the two branches of the market, TBS and NCN, under the same roof - at the Hotel Bernini Bristol - and concentrating the market screenings at the Cinema Barberini, right in front of the Hotel, proved to be a successful choice. More and more sales agents and distributors like to track new films from the earlier stages of development and are interested in meeting the NCN selected directors. Such a unique venue allows everybody to schedule meetings and screenings without wasting time and rushing from one place to another. For this same reason, we decided to have the screenings only at the Cinema Barberini. The videolibrary, organized with our long-term sponsor Rai Trade, was available at the Hotel's lower level. Therefore everything was really at hand and easy to reach. The "Re-make it" section, this edition's new entry, created in cooperation with Filmsharks Int'l, has been looked at with great interest and it's something we want to work on and improve for future editions.

How would you define The Business Street?
We’d like TBS to be thought of as a home by the industry participants; an efficient platform for the promotion and discovery of quality products worldwide. Our informal and flexible structure allows us to swiftly adjust to the needs of professionals, and to the trends of an industry that moves and changes constantly.

Which are the main aspects you would like to improve for upcoming editions of TBS?
We want to strengthen the line-up of market screenings, and further benefit from the flexible formula of TBS previously mentioned, which so far has allowed us to keep up with the latest trends, and understand what needs to be done to keep the Business Street effective and pleasant for our participants. We already have some ideas on new initiatives, but it is still early to give out any details. We definitely want to expand and improve the "Re-make it" initiative, focusing on the different strategies of remake rights negotiations, and on what opportunities these can create in Europe.