Statement by the AG Filmfestival on the attacks on film festivals as a result of the Israel-Palestine conflict 

Since November 1, unknown activists via a blog of the so called international film community have been severely criticizing Lars Henrik Gass, the director of the Oberhausen Short Film Festival, and now also Orwa Nyrabia, the director of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, must face far-reaching accusations in connection with the Israel-Palestine conflict, the AG Filmfestival has now published a statement (first published by Artechock). „The AG Filmfestival stands

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„the public interest is not what the public is interested in“ – two studies ask for more depth and diversity

Last week, the presentation of a study by the MaLisa Foundation showed that the audience of all major German television channels (ARD, ZDF, RTL, SAT1/PRO7) would like to see a more differentiated and well-founded engagement with the issues of our time. Now the European Audiovisual Observatory provides detailed insights at the European level into what the European audience wants and expects from all platforms, including broadcasting and online. Even if

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Screenwriters‘ strike ends after 148 days, actors‘ strike continues

Yesterday the strike of the screenwriters in Hollywood ended, while the colleagues of the actors‘ union SAG-AFTRA continue to strike and consequently the wheel of the US-American productions still stands in wide parts. It is not yet clear what the consequences of this shortage of film work will be aswell for film festivals. At the heart of the agreement are significant fee increases for authors, the ban on using AI

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Climate balance of the Filmkunstmesse Leipzig shows its carbon footprint: 68,462.19 kg

For the first time, the Filmkunstmesse Leipzig commissioned KlimAktiv gGmbH to prepare a climate balance sheet to determine the carbon footprint: Basis of the calculation for the 5-day event at which 81 films were presented in 170 screenings and 7 panels and 7 seminars with 42 panelists and speakers were organized for almost 1,100 trade visitors. Some key values thus resulted from 4,977 m² of cinema, 2,031 m² of event

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Insights into the new FFG at the 23rd Filmkunstmesse Leipzig

Once again this year, the Filmkunstmesse Leipzig was not only a select showcase for new arthouse productions, but presented everything from film industry trends to the latest cultural policy decisions. Special insights were offered by the discussion around the key points of the upcoming amendment of the FFG. The recording is available here in German under the name Politisches Panel: Reform der kulturellen Filmförderung – Wie weit fliegt der „Große

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Facts – Figures – Data of the Arthouse Cinema in Germany

Cinema development in the first half of 2023 and new results on cinema reach in the total population aged 0 and over, presented by Norina Lin-Hi (Head of Market Research and Statistics FFA).Current market developments from Comscore / Effects of the Barbenheimer phenomenon / International observations and outlook, presented by Bernd Zickert (Managing Director) and Johanna Herfter (Comscore)recording in German

State Secretary for Culture Arne Braun is lobbying the federal government on behalf of film festivals

In a letter to the federal government, the Baden-Württemberg State Secretary points out the importance of film festivals and emphasizes „Film festivals do valuable work. Even outside the metropolises, they are important actors for the presentation of artistically sophisticated films and the mediation of international film culture and film education. Reliable funding for film festivals, as announced in the coalition agreement of the federal government, would thus also be a

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Explorer Konferenz #4 on Oct 6 in Hamburg, impulse Sept 5 online

The one-day programme is dedicated to key aspects and the future of producing for cinema, streaming and TV and presents strategies and pioneering approaches in the 12 thematic areas like Opportunities In Using AI In The Creative Process, The Impact Of Diversity, From Podcast to Screen. Further information here.An impression can be gained from the online impulse speech by Thomas Kornmaier on AI Story Prompting – From idea to concept

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Launch of the 10th Nostradamus Report „Everything changes at once“

Presented by media analyst and author Johanna Koljonen at the Marché du Film in Cannes, the Nostradamus Report 2023 once again presents the key developments of the film and TV sector as part of the screen industry and provides an outlook on the key trends that, like the new AI-assisted production technologies, accompany and fuel the ongoing disruptive change. Against a backdrop of market consolidation, inflation and recession, the report

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Federal Film Funding in Germany still lacking Film Festivals

The german working group AG FilmFestival demands that the film festival sector be taken into account in the current amendment of the FilmFörderGesetz FFG: Still in the coalition agreement of the „Ampel“ government it was stated „…we reliably fund film festivals…“. In the eight-point program presented by Claudia Roth, Commissioner for Culture and Media of the Federal Republic of Germany, there is not a single mention of film festivals. The

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