Film development and distribution - and, more specifically, the opportunities presented by new forms of digital media - will be at the heart of 2019’s Fantastic Film Forum, the sidebar of the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival (29 October – 3 November) devoted to fantastic film and genre cinema professionals. Following the glowing response to last year’s edition, the initiative is continuing to grow, now offering a three-day programme – covering 29, 30 and 31 October – packed full of specialist meetings, networking events and high level, professional development workshops. It’s a well-structured and coherent line-up which aims to explore the tools now available to filmmakers for developing, funding and, most importantly, selling their audiovisual projects.

The training programme of the Fantastic Film Forum has been organised in accordance with four interconnected steps in the filmmaking journey: there will be two theoretical-practical workshops on the development and promotion of audiovisual projects, one session focusing on the nature of modern-day distribution and the opportunities it presents, and, last but not least, an open day where strategies, opportunities and success stories will all be examined, providing attendees with a space to put expertise gained from the workshops into practice. Access to the Fantastic Film Forum is reserved to those in possession of Sci-Fi Pro accreditation, which can be obtained online.

The event kicks off on Tuesday 29 October with the workshop intitled “From Film Conception to Distribution: A journey through development strategies, financing and audience creation”, led by Claudia Tosi, a director and a producer at Movimenta (her latest film I Had a Dream [+lire aussi :
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interview : Claudia Tosi
fiche film] won the Golden Dove for Best International Documentary Feature at DokLeipzig 2018 and is in the running for next year’s Best Documentary Oscar). This intensive workshop will look at how best to develop funding strategies, how to fortify projects by addressing their weaknesses and foregrounding their strengths, how to create an audience and how to make the most of the opportunities presented by new digital tools in relation to theatrical distribution.

The following day, Wednesday 20 October, will see three meetings unfold, offering attendees a 360-degree view of distribution in the digital age, taking in theatrical distribution, VOD and Global Cinema. Featuring among the guests is Todd Brown, a seasoned expert in distribution mechanisms, a director and a producer, not to mention the head of international acquisitions at XYZ Films, which has sold over 200 films in the past 10 years and is one of Netflix’s go-to companies.

In the afternoon, a workshop will examine how best to develop and finance international co-productions - from the writing of the screenplay through to the film’s premiere - and will include practical exercises. The tutor will be Dario Vecchiato, Head of Acquisitions at Gapbusters, a Belgian production house dedicated to the delivery of high-budget, international co-productions.

Thursday 31 October will consist of an open day held for all those in possession of Sci-Fi PRO accreditation, but also for the Festival’s professional guests. In the intensive line-up for this event are meetings, masterclasses, a networking lunch and a B2B session to strengthen and broaden any experience gained and contacts made. The aim here is to create a space in which attendees can compare notes and evolve, but which can also act as a platform for the promotion and diffusion of film, whether fantastic film or otherwise. Likewise on the agenda are topics relating to the distribution and sale of audiovisual works, with an emphasis on the opportunities and production trends observed in the world of fantastic film today. Confirmed speakers - in addition to the aforementioned Todd Brown and Dario Vecchiato - include Timo Vuorensola, director of Iron Sky [+lire aussi :
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interview : Tero Kaukomaa
interview : Timo Vuorensola
interview : Timo Vuorensola
fiche film] and Iron Sky: The Coming Race [+lire aussi :
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interview : Timo Vuorensola
fiche film] (Finland), who will talk about crowdsourcing and digital opportunities; Irish producer Brendan McCarthy, on the theme of international co-production, and; Iseult Mac Call, in charge of TV Acquisitions at RAI Cinema (Italy), on how to promote and sell a film from the buyer’s perspective.