2009 IFFS Europe Opening Keynote Presentation

Marco Müller
Director
Venice International Film Festival

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

8:30 am Registration Opens

9:15 am Opening Remarks by Conference Chair

Christian Gaines
Director of Festivals
Withoutabox, a division of IMDb

9:30 am - 10:30 am Dynamic Programming

Year round programming, migrating content to the web and extending audience reach are all critical programming issues. Once your festival has the content how can you get it out there in a way that compliments your existing program? Discover key considerations and factors to consider when expanding your program.

Moderator: Waco Hoover, President & Co-Founder, International Film Festival Summit

Laurent Crouzeix, Int'l Selection Committee, Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival
Aude Hesbert, Festival Director, Paris Cinema International Film Festival
Shannon O'Donoghue, Director, Banff Mountain Film Festival

10:30 am - 11:00 am Opening Keynote Presentation

Since 1980, he has worked as a film critic and historian, creating and directing several series of books on the cinema for a number of publishers, has personally curated some monographic publications and has regularly written essays and articles on cinema. Since 1978, his new role as "festival maker" has progressively established itself. From 1989 to 1991, he was director of the Rotterdam International Film Festival, and in that context created the Huub Bals Fund and the Coproduction Workshop (now called "Cinemart Projects"); these were two instruments that were to play an important role in Europe and elsewhere to ensure financial and "cultural" support for independent films from the South and East.

From 1991 to 2000, he directed the Locarno International Film Festival renewing the criteria for the programming from the roots up: alongside the numerous "discoveries" of directors who subsequently became famous. Between 1998 and 2002, he worked as director of the Film and Video Department of Fabrica, where he tackled the training of new film and video-makers. Since April 2004, he has been the Director of the Cinema section of the Venice Biennale Foundation and the Director of the Venice International Film Festival.

Mr. Müller will draw upon his vast experience and rich understanding of film and art to share his perspective on film festivals and global cinema.

Marco Müller
Director
Venice International Film Festival

11:00 am - 11:15 am Morning Networking Break

11:15 am - 12:15 pm Creating Value for Festival Sponsors & Supporters

Wondering how you can ink more sponsorships, sign multi-year deals or just trying to solidify your selling strategy? If you answered yes to any of these questions your festival can't afford to miss this panel. Hear proven strategies to target, pitch, contact and retain sponsors year after year.

Moderator: Yoram Allon, Publisher, International Film Guide

Francesco di Cesare, Sponsorship Director, Venice International Film Festival
Karl Spoerri, Director of Content, Zurich Film Festival

12:15 pm - 1:45 pm Break for Lunch with Living Groups

For the first time ever this year you'll have the opportunity to meet with your conference 'Living Group'. Groups will be lead by an IFFS Alumni and grouped together so that starting on day one you have the chance to meet new contacts and maximize your conference experience.

1:45 pm - 2:45 pm Measuring Success: Where to Set the Bar?

There are so many different definitions of success and "bigness." There are film festivals that attract hundreds of thousands of people, and yet are not on the mainstream radar, and festivals which show only a few dozen films that are world famous. This session will address considerations and metrics for success including: number of films, number of acquisitions, celebrities, size of audience, longevity, number of impressions and reach? Most notably, these different metrics have differing relevance to the constituents served by festivals - audiences, filmmakers, sponsors, media, film industry etc. Hear from different festivals on how they approach benchmarking and defining success.

Moderator: Christian Gaines, Director of Festivals, Withoutabox, a division of IMDb

Emina Ganic, Executive Director, Sarajevo Film Festival
Sandra Hebron, Artistic Director, BFI London Film Festival
Prune Engler, Festival Director, La Rochelle Int'l Film Festival
Andreas Strohl, Festival Director, Munich Film Festival

2:45 pm - 3:45 pm A New Media Experience

Social networking and digital media: what tools are out there and how can your festival leverage these assets? Don't miss this cutting edge panel discussion addressing the latest tools that can help propel your festival forward.

Moderator: Bruno Chatelin, COO, Filmfestivals.com

Git Scheynius, Festival Director, Stockholm Int'l Film Festival
Kate Burns, Managing Director, Bebo.com
Anthony Zameczkowski, Strategic Partnerships Manager, You Tube, EMEA

3:45 pm - 4:00 pm Afternoon Networking Break

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm The Unconference

An unconference is a meeting where the participants drive the activity. There's no set agenda, no set presentations but a discussion that people leave and join as they see fit.

Don't miss this guided open forum to engage your colleagues and gain insight to the most pressing issues you and your festival are facing. This session will provide attendees an opportunity to both, ask questions and get answers on specific issues facing their film festival. Come prepared to engage one another and share pearls of wisdom that have been learned over the years.

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm 
Cocktail Reception
Hosted By:

You won't want to miss this year's opening cocktail reception. More networking and additional meeting time with your peers and colleagues will make this reception time well spent.

8:00 pm - 9:30 pm Dinner with Strangers

Dinner with Strangers is a unique program at this year's summit that will allow attendees a unique and fun opportunity to meet and dine with festival colleagues from all over Europe.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

9:30 am Registration Opens

10:00 am - 10:15am Opening Remarks by Conference Chair

10:15 am - 10:45 am Presentation: Research & Choices: Festival Selection and Programming

Frédéric Maire
Artistic Director
Locarno International Film Festival

Throughout its 62 year history, the Locarno International Film Festival has occupied a unique position in the landscape of the major film festivals. Every August, around 180,000 cinema-goers, 1,100 journalists, and 3,400 professionals converge on the small Swiss-Italian town of Locarno, right in the heart of Europe, which becomes the world capital of auteur cinema of eleven days.

During the day, a demanding selection of fearlessly radical films charting new trends in independent film initiates a journey of discovery of countries where film if fizzing, opens up to filmmakers who would struggle to find their voices heard elsewhere, offers opportunities to see both the first flashes of brillance from talented young filmmakers and the challenges that established filmmakers continue to set themselves. Then, at nightfall, before an audience of 8,000 people, the famous open-air screenings in the extraordinary setting of the Piazza Grande are celebratory and magical occasions for all audiences.

This rich and bold programming mix mirrors the Locarno audience itself: diverse, open-minded, curious, keen for all kinds of experience; a knowledgeable audience, with whom filmmakers, actors and producers can develop a real dialogue.

Just as Locarno as carved out its own unique and extraordinary role in the global festival scene all fests regardless of size and history strive to do the same. Don't miss this highly informative session which will address the dynamic and unique approach that Locarno's Artistic Director has applied to selection and programming.

10:45 am - 11:00 am Subtitling: Why Great Subtitles Will Enhance your Festival's Reputation & Audience Appreciation

This presentation will identify critical aspects of festival subtitling ensuring accessability for your audience and international guests. You'll walk away with a greater understanding of subtitling options, role in audience perception, film quality, and additional complexities to consider.

Federico Spoletti
Managing Director
Sub-ti

11:00 am - 11:15 am Morning Break

11:15 am - 11:45 am Screening the Future of Film Festivals

Film festivals are in a period of transition and turmoil. New distribution opportunities challenge festivals' programming practices, industry shifts encourage closer cooperation between industry professionals and festival organizers and the trend towards an increasingly participatory culture is redefining audience engagement with cinema. In this presentation Marijke de Valck, professor in Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam and expert on film festivals, will put the current transformations in a cultural historical perspective. Looking at the origins of film festivals, their dynamic development and key characteristics she will explain why film festivals have been so successful. Learn more about specific festival strengths and how these will continue to influence film festivals in the future.

Dr. Marijke de Valck
Professor & Author
University of Amsterdam

11:45 am - 1:45 pm Lunch Break with Living Group

1:45 pm - 2:45 pm The Workshop of Workshops

Developing unique programs to set your festival apart and educate the filmmaker can be a key component to any festival. What can and should you do to properly enhance the filmmaker experience? Hear from established fests how year after year they continue to create an exceptional filmmaker experience.

Moderator: Phyllis Mollet, Consultant, International Film Industry

Despina Mouzaki, Director, Thessaloniki Film Festival
Heather Croall, Festival Director, Sheffield Doc/Fest
Ginnie Atkinson, Managing Director, Edinburgh Int'l Film Festival

2:45 pm - 3:45 pm Building a Culture of Community Outreach

Community involvement is a vital component of any successful film festival. Partnering with other local organizations, working with schools, education outreach programs are just a few of the ways that festivals can engage and support its community. This accomplished group of panelists will discuss how their festivals give back to community resulting in better attendance and increased support.

Chrystele Bazin, VP of Programming, Festival Silhouette
Monique Ruinen, Project Manager, Cinekid Festival 

3:45 pm - 4:00 pm Afternoon Networking Break

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm The Unconference Part II

An unconference is a meeting where the participants drive the activity. There's no set agenda, no set presentations, but a discussion that people leave and join as they see fit.

Don't miss this guided open forum to engage your colleagues and gain insight to the most pressing issues you and your festival are facing. This session will provide attendees an opportunity to both, ask questions and get answers on specific issues facing their film festival. Come prepared to engage one another and share pearls of wisdom that have been learned over the years.

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Closing Networking Reception