News archive / News detail
11.04.2005
INTERNATIONAL GUESTS AT THE PANEL OF UPCOMING CZECH FILMS IN PILSEN
INTERNATIONAL GUESTS AT THE PANEL OF UPCOMING CZECH FILMS IN PILSENCzech Film Center has secured the participation of many
representatives of international film festivals and distributors
Press Release
Prague, 11 April 2005 – The fourth PANEL OF PLANNED FILM PROJECTS will take place at the 18th annual Finále Plzeň film festival between April 25 – May 1 2005. The panel will be held on Friday, April 29th at 10:30 a.m. in Měšťanská beseda in Pilsen, Jana Černík, director of Czech Film Center (CFC), announced at a press conference today.
As in years past, the panel will present Czech feature films in various phases of production, with some presentations including a trailer or short cut. In the last two years, documentaries were presented alongside feature-length films at the panel. “After consulting with IDF we decided to separate the documentaries and to present them in the autumn, prior to the International Documentary Film Festival in Jihlava,“ says Jana Černík.
The following representatives of the most important European film festivals have promised to participate in this year’s panel: Joel Chapron, delegate of the IFF Cannes for Eastern Europe, Anna Hoffmann, program co-ordinator of the FORUM section at IFF Berlin, Sergio Germani, delegate of IFF Venice for Eastern Europe, Tiziana Finzi, program coordinator of the IFF Locarno and Robert Richter, delegate of the IFF San Sebastian pro for Eastern Europe. Besides the representatives of festivals, CFC, in cooperation with Finále Plzeň, has also secured the participation of foreign distributors and international sales agents, which, says Jana Černík, should help new Czech projects move beyond the Czech market’s borders even in the pre-production phase.
“The presentation of projects during Finále Plzeň is a great market. It’s a wonderful opportunity to hook up partners who can easily begin working together and elevate Czech projects to the international level,” says the Austrian co-producer of Želary, Danny Krausz (Dor Film), who will participate in the panel for the second time this year. “I had heard of the plans for Želary before I went to Pilsen for my first meeting with producer Ondřej Trojan. That meeting resulted in the effective co-production with Austria and the film’s box-office success. In 2004, Želary contributed to increasing the attendance of Austrian film-goers at films from the participating countries. Before that, no Czech film had received the kind of attention Želary did. When such contacts are further developed a supported by both parties, financial benefits come into play. The festival in Pilsen has an international audience, which is strengthening its standing on the international scene. Moreover, when new laws supporting cinematography take effect and start helping my Czech colleagues, there will be nothing to stop us from building even more productive cooperation between our two countries in the future.”
As in the past, a bilingual brochure (Czech, English) will be published to accompany the panel. This year’s brochure will include information on 55 planned projects. Once the panel is over, the brochure will be made available for downloading on http://www.filmcenter.cz. This year’s panel will be moderated by Tomáš Baldýnský.
In preparation for the Pilsen panel, Czech Film Center in cooperation with Media Desk CR is organizing a workshop called Communication in the Film Industry, which will be held in Prague on April 16-17. The workshop will be run by Sibylle Kurz, a lecturer from the training program Eave. During the seminar the participants will acquire the basic skills needed to present their projects to the international market, enabling them to clarify their current standing and create an effective strategy for securing additional financing or co-production and international distribution for their projects.
Contact for further information: Jana Černík, 724329949, , Markéta Šantrochová, 724329948, , Renata Elhenická, 602935760, .
