27/09/2006

"Not a market but a new way of doing business" is how organisers of the International Rome Film Festival describe The Business Street, a space created for industry professionals that will take place during the festival weekend of October 14-16.

"Business Street will not be a market like MIFED, but a place in which Italian and international professionals will be able to exchange opinions and, naturally, conduct business", explain event directors Sylvain Auzou and Diamara Parodi. "It was preciously the decision not to organise another MIFED that has compelled people to sign up for the project with enthusiasm".

The street in question will be Via Veneto, a historical name for cinema, where buyers and sellers will be able to meet at the Hotel Excelsior and the Fiamma, Barberini and Moderno Warner Village cinemas. There are approximately 520 accredited participants as of today, of which 20 percent are Italian. "We would like to give special thanks to Adriana Chiesa, who expressed her support to us”, said Auzou and Parodi.

Nine digital projection theatres have been set up at the Excelsior, along with 30 video libraries and a broadband Internet point. There will be approximately 100 films shown during the three days of Business Street, which will be screened in the eight theatres of the three cinemas. “There are few films,” continue the organisers, “because this is our first edition and we are aware of not being able to compete with Cannes, Berlin, or the American Film Market, which beings just two weeks after".

Scheduled conferences during the event are: on October 16, "Il gusto degli altri" (lit. “Other People’s Tastes”), organised by API (Independent Directors and Producers; on October 17, Financial Forum on production financing; and “German Day", on the relationship between the Italian and German film industries.

(Translated from Italian)