Virtually each year similar criticisms of the European Film Market are articulated.  Thus the decline of must-have productions  is deplored,  the low level of business, the” lack of heat” (Screen International),  the costs of attending the EFM and  the timing of the market. Presumably, the EFM is too close to the important other important film markets, the American Film Market in November and the Cannes film market in May. 

Undoubtedly it is expensive to attend the European Film Market. If you pre-register the market badge runs 300 euros and an additional 125 euros are due for access to the Berlinale.  More is charged for registering through January 7 or during the market. Minimum expense for a market stand is 3780 euros and for a room at the Marriott Hotel 8000. Screening amounts to 450 euros an hour if you have a stand and 1,350 if you do not, with charges going up for the last two days of the market.

Besting these critiques Beki Probst guided the expansion of the European Film Market since she assumed direction in 1988.

EFM has adapted to the rapidly changing film and now increasingly television sectors.  A larger number of buyers and firms were present this year which serve the non-traditional internet and VOD distribution segments as well sellers with productions made for TV. 

Over the last years the EFM has gone totally digital. In 2014 EFM had 39 screening venues and only one film was received in the traditional 35mm format. Overall 95% of the 2500 screenings at the EFM and the festival used the digital format. The conversion was expensive, thus higher fees were plausible.  Each year more media professionals and companies attend the market.  In 2014 EFM there was an increase in virtually all areas: the number of stands (167), exhibitors (487),   buyers (1468), and EFM participants (8436).  

784 films were shown in 1109 screenings, including 574 premieres.

The EFM success is prompted by several factors. 

Overall there is specifically in non-Western territories a continued expansion of the visual media market. Thus in the 2014 EFM there was a noticeable increase of companies from countries in Latin America and Asia with emerging or growing film industries.  The internet and digitization has facilitated the constant creation of new distribution platforms meeting the growing needs of consumers. The EFM serves each year as the first large film market and has retained its particular interest for festival programmers and distributors working in the art house and independent film sectors.  With the traditional EFM sidebar selection of 50 films from Sundance, buyers who could not attend Sundance films were able to sample them.  What also supports the EFM is the Berlinale as the largest public film festival permitting buyers to test the audience reaction to some of the films they offer in the market.  EFM films that are part of the film festival generate additional attention for potential buyers.  New EFM components added to the attraction. For registered market participants the “Talent Market Hub”, a stand for professional distribution talents presented screenings of film projects from the Berlinale talent project labs and “Catch-up-Screenings” provided a curated selection of films from the concurrent Berlinale film fest. Lastly, the EFM also gets traction since any financial surplus it generates serves to support the Berlinale.
Long-term prospects of the European Film Market seem excellent. Its client base is expanding, film industries in Asian and Latin American countries continue to grow as does the world wide appetite for feature films and documentaries.  The EFM assures access to new productions as this year’s 574 premieres reflect and provides a well-functioning framework for efficient business transactions.

Claus Mueller
filmexchange@gmail.com.