Berlin

Another buzzing edition comes to a close at the European Film Market 2024 and one of its main locations, the Gropius Bau © EFM 2024 / Angela Regenbrecht

Big Crowds and High-Turnover Deals at the First Film Fair of the Year – The European Film Market 2024 Sets New Records

A record number of over 12,000 trade visitors from 143 countries means the European Film Market at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, which ended yesterday, can draw a remarkable balance after a week of market activities. More than 614 exhibiting companies and institutions from 69 countries presented at the Gropius Bau and Marriott Hotel. The number of exhibitors thus rose once again. The number of buyers remains high at 1,263. 664 films were shown in 1029 screenings, including 536 market premieres. Producers also introduced an additional 660 new film projects on the Producers & Project Pages, arranging a large number of meetings in search of international partners.

“From day one, it was apparent that the European Film Market 2024, the first trade fair event of the year and also the first after last year’s industry strikes in the USA, was very well-attended and extremely busy. The market participants’ meeting schedules were filled to capacity. Many high-turnover deals were being reported every day,” said EFM Director Dennis Ruh. “The large number of participants in the conference programme, especially in those programme components focusing on AI, indicated that we certainly have our finger on the pulse in terms of relevant topics, and that there is a huge need for knowledge transfer and learning in the film and media industry to prepare us for future technological and economic change processes. Over the last seven days, Berlin has been the place to be for the international industry!”

The EFM again secured its position as a driving force for the global film industry at the start of this year. The relevance of the topics discussed at the EFM Industry Sessions, such as artificial intelligence, resilience, archive production, developments in distribution and exploitation chains, was reflected in the highly-frequented Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation Berlin, which was used as a new conference and networking location for the second year running. New partner events such as AfroBerlin and the Entertainment Finance Forum were also fully utilized and strongly visible. The new Gropius Dome venue was used extensively for networking events, parties and lunches.

Encouraging continual growth and learning, the EFM Industry Sessions were a popular offer again in 2024. Promoting a “growth mindset” when looking to the horizon of the film and media landscape, presentations and talks focused on developments and concerns around hot topics like AI, distribution trends and strategies in the post-Covid era, and accessibility, and inclusion in the industry. Experts debated ideas and exchanged knowledge on the mentioned topics and several other ongoing and up-to-the-minute themes like sustainability, leadership, remuneration transparency, and the exploration of new business strategies. In addition to the conference programme, various roundtables and workshops were held, including two think tanks on vertical integration in the European film industry and a deep dive into AI in series and film from creative, legal, and educational angles. Innovation, adaptation, and successfully navigating waves of change as well as shifting, unpredictable markets were discussed in all the EFM Industry Sessions and formats. For good measure and balance, attendees could take a break from the blast of meetings and information to meditate in the tech- and work-free “Room of Stillness” at the Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation, a renewal of the EFM theme of mental health introduced in 2020.

The Berlinale Series Market, taking place centered this year at CinemaxX on Potsdamer Platz and the Gropius Bau, featured talks, showcases and screenings dedicated to high-quality audiovisual series content. The programme covered budget shifts, social responsibility, and the complexity of developing globally understandable punchlines in comedies. There was particularly high demand for international showcases, presenting series productions from different countries, as well as the screenings of the curated series Berlinale Series Market Selects.

Italy was this year’s “Country in Focus”. Italian filmmakers could not only present themselves at the Italian Pavilion on the ground floor of the Gropius Bau; they also took the opportunity to find out about the range of filmmaking and funding opportunities in Italy, and to find partners and network at discussions, pitches, talks and screenings or at the Berlinale Co-Production Market. 

Participants with a (online) Market Badge can watch the conference programme of the EFM Industry Sessions as VOD until the end of June. A selection of the films presented at the market are also available as a stream until March 31.