Impulses in the discourse on film festivals

Ensuring the basic supply of film culture, not only during the cinema closures, was a central task of the festival sector during the two pandemic years 2020/2021, a time in which access to and reception of film culture were completely rethought. At a panel organized by AG Filmfestival in cooperation with FILMFEST MÜNCHEN, film and festival participants explored which developments could sustainably support the film industry.

As a forum for filmmaking in Germany, the German Film Academy reflects on the current situation of film and cinema as a place from a creative, social and economic perspective. In discussion with selected actors about burning issues as well as current challenges , they collectively seek forward-looking impulses.

This question was the focus of two closed workshops organized by AG DOK as part of DOK Leipzig Industry in October 2020. Representatives of various trades formulated their wishes for film festivals and made some concrete demands. The central result is that festivals are unanimously seen as a relevant part of the evaluation of documentary films by representatives of distribution, sales, production, promotion as well as by filmmakers and cinema operators

Rarely have crisis situations brought to light such different positions as the pandemic in the field of the film and cinema industry. During the opening conference of the Week of Criticism on the occasion of the Berlinale, the tension between a new beginning with unlimited fantasies of progress and an upholding and rethinking of lived routines up to activism was examined more closely by means of lectures and panels.

In light of the reflections we initiated last year on the different alternatives that festivals have chosen to undertake under corona-times (namely festivals going online, cancellations, and postponements), we aim this year to gather some prestigious festival representatives alongside further market players to consider what happened in the past 12 months, what kind of decisions were made, and which effects they had. The Festival Directors of major festivals of the beginning of 2021 – i.e. Sundance Film Festival and the Berlinale – will meet with important sales and distribution representatives in order to understand the role of festivals in today’s market strategies.

This discussion with Screen International editor Matt Mueller; reviews editor Fionnuala Halligan; Premier PR director of film Jonathan Rutter; and Torino Film Lab’s Savina Neirotti explores what attending the Venice Film Festival is like as an industry delegate; which films are making an impression this year; and how coverage of the event has been impacted by Covid-19 restrictions.

Hosted by Screen International’s Americas editor Jeremy Kay Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) co-heads Cameron Bailey (artistic director) and Joana Vicente (executive director), and Diana Sanchez (senior director, film), talk about programming in a tumultuous year, choosing venues, collaborating with Venice, Telluride, and New York Film Festival, Black Lives Matter, and offer a sneak peek of the industry conference, and sales and talent development initiatives.  Further apects can be found here:
https://www.screendaily.com/news/screendaily-talks-tiff-heads-to-discuss-staging-this-years-festival/5152360.article

Already on 10.04.2020 the Meeting Point – Vilnius & Creative Europe Desk Lithuania organized in cooperation with CPH:DOX an online discussion called The Challenge of Realising a Digital Festival During the Coronavirus Pandemic. The aim was to shed some light on the uncertain future of festivals with regard to the behavior of European funding.

Anders formulieren: Thus, on the one hand, the the challenges of realising a digital festival during the coronavirus pandemic had to be presented, and on the other hand, the European Commission had to be given space to present its form of support.

While on the one hand they serve the diverse and fragmented interests of an interested audience, on the other they are criticized by the industry and the press for their programmatic focus, their signature, their forms of presentation. Looking ahead to the 70th Berlinale, Academy President and filmmaker Jeanine Meerapfel discussed new ideas and future developments with the artistic directors of major international film festivals. Her guests are Carlo Chatrian (Berlin), Karel Och (Karlovy Vary) and Eva Sangiorgi (Vienna). Moderated by Andreas Kilb.