15/11/2006

The crisis of the traditional economic model of film production could be partly solved as analysed by the experts from panel 4 with the incoming of investment funds and of new categories of investors in the film industry. According to Vincent Grimond (FR –Exception Wild Bunch) the need for financing the production could be filled by contributions in equity and investments in specialized financial vehicles (slates) if the market could obtain the necessary tools to help the financial decision (financial databases, modelling capacity, benchmarking). These tools proved their effectiveness as showed by Roy Salter (USA – The Salter Group) but certain traditional investors (Marino Cucca, IT - Banca Nazionale del Lavoro) still doubt their adaptability to the European economic framework which does not reach the critical mass. In these conditions, a European guarantee mechanism (Laurent Vallet, FR - IFCIC) guaranteed by national and Community resources could be useful for the sector.

Finally the representatives of the European public funds insisted during panel 5 on the dynamic role of the public intervention. At the regional level, as showed by Giulia Rodano (IT – Lazio District), the action of the Region develops in a broad register supporting both the companies and the activities. At the national level Henning Camre (DK – Danish Film Institute) analysed the needs of the public policy without which a great part of the European cinema would not exist any more. Anyway, this analysis did not forget the limits and the risks of a massive public intervention. Aviva Silver (Head of Unit of the MEDIA Program) finally exposed the logics of professional, cultural and political synergies, which are the basis of the Community action complementary with the actions undertaken by the Member States.
In panel 3 the two guest speakers have been discussing for collaboration existing between American and European professionals. Richard Fox (USA – Warner Bros) showed how a Hollywood studio could support co-development of European creation by respecting the language, the talents, and production facilities of the different countries for films which can benefit from the expertise and the means of the studios. According to Fox, “if films fail locally, nobody wins”. The speakers of this conference showed a great confidence in the future of cinema as a specific expression of the culture (Michel Reilhac, FR - ARTE). If cinema is not in crisis, its mode of production in full change must be the object of a specific attention not only at a political or legislative level but in any case innovating in order to preserve its future.

The complete recording of these debates in mp3 format is available on line on www.mediacg.tv

Author: Alain Modot, VP Media Consulting Group for Cinema.Festa Internazionale di Roma, Cinecittà Holding and Media Consulting Group