Film Sales Support for the first time for European films at Mexico’s International Film Festival of Guadalajara (22-30 March 2007)

It is the first year in which European Film Promotion will participate in the Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara by offering Film Sales Support (FSS) for the promotion of four European films screening at the festival. FSS is funded by the MEDIA Programme of the European Union with a remit to help increase the visibility of European films outside of Europe. FSS awards grants of up to €5.000 to European sales agents or producers towards promotional campaigns. The grants cover 50% of costs related to the production of marketing material, public relations activities and the production of a subtitled print.

The FSS supported films are mainly screening in the festival’s Puntos Cardinales Section, such as the Swiss film, Fraulein (Andrea Štaka), Nina’s Heavenly Delights (Pratibha Parmar) and Scandalous! (Álvaro Begines). The music documentary Nömads TX (Raul de la Fuente) will be shown in the Iberoamerican Documentary Section. The main characters of this special film, Harkaitz Martinez Vicente, and the co-director, Igor Otxoa, will be playing the “txalaparta”, a unique musical instrument, at the screening to accompany the film as part of a live performance.

By incorporating Guadalajara into FSS, EFP pays tribute to its focus on Latin America and the vast potential Mexican market for European film as well as the festival’s new direction towards programming more European movies and taking a more international stance under the leadership of festival director Jorge Sánchez. In collaboration with San Sebastian, Guadalajara initiated a new section by the name of “Tendencias Europa: San Sebastián-Guadalajara”, a package of eight films from various European countries, which were shown

at San Sebastian in September 2006 and are now travelling to Guadalajara. In conjunction with the Berlin International Film Festival, Guadalajara is also presenting “Magnum in Motion”, films by and about the famous Magnum photographers, such as Eve Arnold, Jean Gaumy and Inge Morath, to name a few.

Alongside the festival, the 5th Ibero-American Film Market is taking place from 23 to 29 March with the supported companies Media Luna (Germany), Sogepaq (Spain), Txalp.art (Spain) and Fortissmo (The Netherlands) registered, amongst other companies from Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Venezuela and the US. Sales agents, producers and buyers from all over the world will gather at the market to do business, with a special focus on Ibero-American films. In partnership with the Producers Network and the Cannes Marché du Film, a series of breakfast meetings on specific topics are being set up for foreign and Mexican professionals as well.

On 25th March, EFP and Europa Cinemas are part of Distribudores con Visión, Visionary Distributors, a panel presentation inviting a group of European and Latin American companies to reveal their distribution strategies for films beyond national borders.

List of supported films and companies at Guadalajara 2007:

Fortissimo Film Sales (The Netherlands)
NINA’S HEAVENLY DELIGHTS by Pratibha Parmar, UK 2006

Media Luna (Germany)
FRAULEIN (DAS FRÄULEIN) by Andrea Štaka, Switzerland, Germany 2006

Sogepaq (Spain)
SCANDALOUS! (POR QUE SE FROTAN LAS PATITAS?) by Álvaro Begines, Spain 2006

Txalap.art (Spain)
NÖMADS TX (NÖMADAK.TX) by Raul de la Fuente, Spain 2006