KVIFF Film Industry Office aimed this year, as well as last year, to help with its services and activities the film professionals from all over the world to familiarize themselves with new films, to acquire new contacts, and to meet their colleagues from other companies. In the course of the 39th KVIFF 686 producers, distributors, sales agents, representatives of festivals, film institutions, and service organizations used the services of the office and they came from 361 companies from 41 countries (compared with last year there were 344 people from 204 companies). Representatives of 79 film festivals, 29 sales companies, 51 distribution companies and of 82 production companies were present at this year’s KVIFF. Apart from the most represented country, which was the Czech Republic (103 companies), there were most companies from Germany (40), the U.S.A. (28), Great Britain (20) and France (18). Australia, Iceland, Japan, Korea, Israel and others had their representatives at the festival too.
From all the companies represented let us name these: Adriana Chiesa Enterprises, AFI Fest, Bavaria Film Int., Berlin IFF, Cannes IFF, Cannes Marché du Film, Celluloid Dreams, Fortissimo Film Sales, HBO Films London, Hollywood Classics, Intercinema-Art Agency, MGM Pictures, Miramax Films, Pathé International, Pusan IFF, Shochiku, Telefilm Canada, Toronto IFF, Warner Bros. Pictures Int.
Besides traditional events, in which film professionals could take part (everyday industry meetings, press & industry screenings and the like), 9 closed industry screenings of new films (mostly Czech) that had recently had or will have their premieres soon and were not part of the festival’s official program were carried out. Producers and distributors introduced to the foreign sales agents, distributors and representatives of the festival films such as: Horem pádem (Up and Down), Non Plus Ultras, Vaterland, Žralok v hlavě (Shark in the Head), Tatínek (Daddy) and others. Film professionals had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with chances of distributing Czech films in the U.S.A. (American distributor Neil Friedman’s presentation); with new digital technologies for filmmakers, producers and distributors; with MEDIA desk Czech Republic activities; with the new training program North by Northwest – East of Eden; with new project catalogue launched by Moonstone company, which contributes to supporting European directors’ and script writers’ development etc.

James Reid