65. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (5. - 15. Februar 2015)
Photo left to right: Matthijs Wouter Knol (EFM), Cornelia Hammelmann (DFFF), Monika Grütters (BKM),
Mariette Rissenbeek (German Films), Beki Probst (EFM), Frank Völkert (FFA)
Copyright: Juliane Eirich
 

This Friday morning, Monika Grütters - Germany’s Minister of State and Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media - visited the European Film Market (EFM) of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival in the Martin-Gropius-Bau. Together with EFM President Beki Probst and EFM Director Matthijs Wouter Knol, Minister of State Monika Grütters toured the trade fair for an hour and spoke with various EFM exhibitors, including German Films, The Dutch Film Connection (Eye International) and Unifrance. She also took a look at the booth of the Initiative Berlinale Talents Market Hub. Held from February 5 to 13, the EFM is the film industry’s first major international event of the year.

Minister of State Monika Grütters emphasised after her tour: “The EFM is one of the world’s most important platforms for trading film rights and audiovisual content. While the Berlinale, the largest audience festival in the world, attracts several hundred thousand movie-goers each year, the EFM is for thousands of international participants the pulsating marketplace of the film industry. Moreover, the latest developments in the media world are now reflected at the EFM in a number of new offers. This year for the first time the fair is open to sophisticated, high-quality drama series, which have become one of the most influential genres of contemporary media culture and are particularly popular with young people. Significant is also the interest in start-ups focusing on film and moving image content. These companies may now engage here in targeted networking with the international film industry. In Germany’s start-up capital Berlin, an innovative offer that promises much in the future.”

The European Film Market of the Berlin International Film Festival is one of the industry’s three largest film markets worldwide. It is held at two exhibition venues, the Martin-Gropius-Bau (MGB) and the Marriott Hotel at Potsdamer Platz. At the EFM, a vital hub for film producers, distributors, buyers and production agents, the film industry comes together to trade on a grand scale for the first time each year. In 2015, more than 8,000 accredited professionals from almost 100 countries are expected to attend the EFM on nine market days. Some 750 films will be shown in over 1,000 screenings in 38 theatres, more than 500 of them are market premieres.

“We're especially excited about the focus on the serial narrative and the series premieres in Berlinale Special programme at Haus der Berliner Festspiele. It's indicative of the market's openness to quality television,” comments Festival Director Dieter Kosslick.

Press Office
February 6, 2015

As pdf-file download on our website:
http://www.berlinale.de/media/pdf_word/pm_1/65_berlinale/76_PressRelease_Gruetters_visits_EFM_6_2_2015.pdf

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