News archive / News detail
18.02.2005
Berlinale as a Contact Market for the Czech Film Industry
Press releaseBerlinale as a Contact Market for the Czech Film Industry
Berlin, 18 February 2005 – The Czech Film Center’s presentation at the 55th annual film festival in Berlin comes to an end today. Here, at the European Film Market (EFM), Czech Film Center’s stand has represented the domestic cinematography and film industry for the third year in a row. Czech film productions were introduced to the foreign public chiefly through the new catalogue and DVD, Czech Film 2004.
This year the stand was built on the film market’s existing location for the last time. Next year EFM will move to a new, larger space at the Walter-Gropius-Bau Museum, located opposite the Berlinale Co-production Market building.
Also participating in the presentation at European Film Market for the second year in a row was Film Commission (FC). FC director Ludmila Claussová introduced for the first time abroad the commission’s new website, http://www.filmcommission.cz, which was designed to promote the Czech Republic as an attractive location for foreign film productions. As part of her promotional work at the market in Berlin, Claussová also attended a conference, European Film Commissions Network. “The conference confirmed that in order to keep our country competitive in providing services to foreign productions, having a Czech Film Commission is essential. Our next move will be to publish a Production Guide, which we will introduce at IFF Cannes and which has already piqued the interest of many in here in Berlin.”
This year’s Czech Shooting Star, Jan Budař, who presented himself to the international press and film professionals for three days in Berlin, returned to Prague with a good feeling: “Thanks to CFC I was able to take part in the Shooting Star events, which is a great opportunity for actors because you get to meet all kinds of people who cast, direct and produce films, and thus increase your chances of appearing in various foreign films.” For more information, see http://www.efp-online.com.
The now traditional panel discussion Talking Czech Film took place on Monday, February 14th, 2005 and was moderated by some famous contemporary Czech film personalities. Alice Nellis, Saša Gedeon, Jan Budař and Bőrkur Gunnarsson met at the Czech Center in Berlin for a round-table on Telling, Writing, Visualizing: Czech Writers, Directors on Contemporary Story Telling. Journalists and film professionals both attended this very lively discussion.
The second co-production market in Berlin was attended by producers Monika Kristlová and Ivana Vrbíková from Dawson: “The co-production market exceeded our expectations. We’re leaving with a great feeling about our meetings, and we hope our new contacts will only get deeper. We’re most thrilled by the fact that the substance of our project has caught the interest of foreign partners.”
Talent Campus is a project that enables famous film personalities and young, up-and-coming producers and filmmakers to network and share their experiences in the industry. Attending from the Czech Republic was up-and-coming Czech actress Anna Synková: “For me the highlight was the lecture and subsequent discussion with Brazilian director Walter Salles (Central Station, Brazil 1998) and cameraman Christopher Doyle (Rabbit-Proof Fence, Australia 2002). Hearing what casting agents had to say about working with actors was very beneficial, too.”
Kontakt:
Jana Černík, GSM: +420 724 329 949, email:
Markéta Šantrochová: GSM: +420 724 329 948, email:
Ludmila Claussová: GMS: +420 724 329 956, email:
