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2012
- New Preparatory Action on Circulation of European films
The European Parliament has adopted a budget of EUR 2 million for a first year of a Preparatory Action "Circulation of European films in the digital era". The Commission has published a call for proposals in the Official Journal on 30 March 2012 with a closing date for applications of 6 September 2012. The Guidelines and application file are now available.
More information:Preparatory Action on circulation of European films
- New action on Circulation of European works
The European Parliament has adopted a budget of EUR 2 million for a first year of a Preparatory Action "Circulation of European films in the digital era". The Commission has published a call for proposals in the Official Journal on 30 March 2012 with a closing date for applications of 6 September 2012.
More information:Preparatory action on circulation of European works
- State aid: Commission consults on future film support rules
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the state aid criteria it proposes to use to assess Member States' film support schemes in future.

MEDIA Mundus: Commission's €5 million boost for international film projects
Some 35 film-related projects are to receive a total of €5 million in funding from the MEDIA Mundus programme – the European Union's international cooperation and exchange programme for the audiovisual industry
Press release (13/03/2012)

Open Call for Expression of Interest: Are you working on audience development with an EU grant?
The Commission is organising a conference on audience development in autumn 2012 and is looking for good examples from projects supported by the Culture and Media programmes.
Current and former beneficiaries who have an essential and built in audience development component in their projects and who are interested in presenting their projects are invited to fill out the project template attached and submit it by 9 March 2012
More information

Tribute to Claude Miller, Président d'Europa Cinémas
Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, has paid tribute to French film director Claude Miller who died in Paris last night, aged 70. He was the President of the Europa Cinemas network, founded in 1992 with funding from the EU MEDIA programme, which promotes the screening of European films.
Asghar Farhadi – first winner of the EU MEDIA prize, 65th Cannes Film Festival
Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, will award the first EU MEDIA prize to the Iranian director Asghar Farhadi on Sunday, 20 May 2012 at the Cannes Film Festival.
Asghar Farhadi, known in Europe and throughout the world for his films “About Elly” (which won a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2009) and “A Separation” (which won a Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2011 and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012), and the producer Alexandre Mallet-Guy (Memento Films Production) will be awarded the EU MEDIA prize for their new project which will be filmed in France in French next autumn.

Learn about interactive webdocumentaries; experience, create and develop them
The Belgium MEDIA desk-Vlaanderen is organising an international event : conference, exhibition and two practive labs.
Are documentaries by definition one-way messages from screen to audience? Or can they be broader, more interactive and crossplatform? Do you have a concrete idea for an interactive webdocumentary? Do you consider collaborating in one?
Conference – April 30, Leuven (B)
More info + Programme
Exhibition – April 28-May 5, Leuven (B)
XO DOX Creative Lab – May 1, Leuven (B)
XO DOX Development Lab – May 30-June 1, Ghent (B)

Europeans at Hong Kong's FILMART 2012
23 films from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Sweden, France, Italy, Spain and Romania to be shown during the Filmart.
For the fourth year in a row, with the financial support of the EU's MEDIA Programme, European Film Promotion (EFP) is awarding Film Sales Support (FSS) to sales agents for the marketing of European films at Hong Kong's most important film trade fair, the FILMART, which runs from 19 to 22 March. Cash incentives totalling €62,200 for promotional and marketing tools are given to 16 different sales agents who are coming to Hong Kong to meet with buyers from the region. 23 films from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Sweden, France, Italy, Spain and Romania, yet unsold to Hong Kong and many Asian countries, are benefitting from FSS.
Most of the supported companies are registered with EFP's umbrella booth which has been in operation at the FILMART since last year. This year, 14 companies are under EFP's umbrella. Newcomers include sales outfit action concept from Germany, Film Factory Entertainment from Spain, Film Europe Media Company from the Slovak Republic, HanWay from the UK, LevelK from Denmark and m-appeal world sales from Germany.
More info (13/03/2012)

European films 'The Artist' and 'The Iron Lady' scoop seven Oscars
European Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou has welcomed the major success of European films at last night's 84th Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood. 'The Artist' was crowned with five Oscars and 'The Iron Lady' with two. This year, nine nominated films received support from the European Union's MEDIA programme for cinema.

Major successes for EU-backed films at Berlinale International Film Festival
Two films supported by the European Union's MEDIA programme have been honoured at the closing ceremony of the Berlinale International Film Festival.

Read all the news about the 2012 Belinale !
See the dedicated page

Two films supported by the European Union's MEDIA programme have been honoured at the closing ceremony of the Berlinale International Film Festival.
See the Press release

Six European cities to participate in Young Audience Day screenings and vote
European Film Academy turns to the Young Audience with a new award.
To celebrate this year’s 25th European Film Awards, the European Film Academy (EFA) and EFA Productions launch a new award for a film addressed to the young audience: The European Film Academy Young Audience Award. On the Young Audience Film Day on 10 June, three films nominated by EFA will be screened to a young audience (10 – 13 year-olds) in Amsterdam, Belgrade, Copenhagen, Erfurt, Stockholm and Turin. And it is the young audience that will act as a jury and vote for the winner right after the screenings. The presentation of the award will take place on the same day in Erfurt.
The 25th EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS
'Creative Europe' at Berlinale Film Festival
Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, will present the Commission's proposal for the new 'Creative Europe' programme at the Berlinale International Film Festival on 11/12 February. The Commission has proposed a budget of €1.8 billion over the 2014-2020 period for Creative Europe; of this, more than €900 million would be allocated to its 'MEDIA' arm, which supports the European film industry and the audiovisual sector.
See the Press release

MEDIA and the Césars awards
More than half of the nominated films for this years ceremony has been given support by the MEDIA programme. The event will take place on Friday 24 February in Paris.
See the list of 21 MEDIA supported films

European Film Promotion celebrates its 15th anniversary - the network unites now 33 member countries
European Film Promotion (EFP) was founded 15 years ago. In 1997 ten European promotion and export organisations joined forces during the Berlin International Film Festival, to demonstrate the wealth of films from various individual countries and to bring them onto the screen for audiences around the globe.
A network was built up and it has grown continuously. More and more countries from the new united Europe petitioned to join. Today, EFP has expanded to include 32 individual organisations representing 33 European countries - and EFP is still the only umbrella organisation of its kind promoting European cinema and its talent worldwide, supported right from the start by the MEDIA Programme of the European Union and the EFP member organisations.
Find out more about EFP's history and European cinema in the spotlight in their book
More information on European Film Promotion at: www.efp-online.com
3 Golden Globes to The Artist by Michel Hazanavicus
The French black-and-white silent film, The Artist, by Michel Hazanavicus won 3 Golden Globes: best comedy, best actor in a comedy (Jean Dujardin) and best music.
This is only the start and hopefully a sneak preview to new awards during the coming BAFTA and OSCAR ceremonies!
See all nominations and winners
Funding

SØRFOND - Norwegian South Film Fund, targeting filmproductions from developing countries is up and running with NOK 4 million being granted for support in 2012.
Established in a co-operation between The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture SØRFOND will support filmproductions from eligible countries on the OECD DAC-list. Maximum support for one project is euro 135.000. SØRFOND requires that a Norwegian co-producer is confirmed at the point of applying for support. The Norwegian Film Institute and the Oslo Films From the South Festival will jointly be in charge of the administration of SØRFOND.
Deadline for application is February 15.
More information www.sorfond.com
Press release
2011

A new online data base designed to bring closer the MEDIA Programme of the European Union to professionals and citizens offering information of the MEDIA supported movies.
The MFDB project started in 2009 and has more than 800 movie titles. It covers more than 40 film festivals and markets, 35 national awards and offers more than 500 movie trailers and 2,500 images. Information about over 600 companies (production and distribution companies) over 32 countries is accessible.
One step towards the European cinema data accessibility
The information related to the results of the MEDIA Programme is publicly accessible from the existent archives of every call, published on the official MEDIA Programme website and sent to all the Antenna via EACEA.It is possible to look for the information in an easy and comprehensive way, and it states the talent involved, the audio visual resources of every film or even a link to the production company website.
The MFDB is a MEDIA Antena Catalunya initiative made possible thanks to the MEDIA Programme of the European Union and the Catalan Institute of the Cultural Industries of the Catalonian Government.
MFDB is available at http://www.mfdb.eu

Ten actors chosen as SHOOTING STARS 2012 - Europe's best young actors
Young, talented, European. The ten actors chosen as SHOOTING STARS 2012 - Europe's best young actors are all of this and even more: With their outstanding work in feature films they have proven themselves ready to expand their film careers beyond their home countries to the world's screens.
SHOOTING STARS is part of EFP's annual programme that is financially supported by the MEDIA Programme of the European Union and the participating EFP member organisations.
The SHOOTING STARS 2012 announced by European Film Promotion: France: Adèle Haenel (House of Tolerance), Germany: Anna Maria Mühe (November Child), Iceland: Hilmar Gudjónsson (Either Way), Ireland: Antonia Campbell-Hughes (The Other Side of Sleep), Italy: Isabella Ragonese (The First Assignment), Poland: Jakub Gierszał (Suicide Room), Romania: Ana Ularu (Outbound), Sweden: Bill Skarsgård (Simple Simon), Switzerland: Max Hubacher (The Foster Boy), UK: Riz Ahmed (Four Lions)

MEDIA-backed films triumph at 2011 European Oscars
6 films supported by the European Union's MEDIA programme for cinema were among those honoured at the 2011 European Film Awards in Berlin on 3 December. Melancholia received the award for best European film. In the other main award categories, Susanne Bier was named as best European Director, Colin Firth as best European Actor, and Tilda Swinton as best European Actress. In addition, The King's Speech received the People’s Choice Award for Best European Film and Stephen Frears was honoured with the European Film Academy's lifetime achievement award. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne took the award for European Scriptwriter.

"Les neiges du Kilimandjaro" wins 2011 LUX film prize
The winner of the 2011 LUX film Prize is "Les neiges du Kilimandjaro" by French director Robert Guédiguian. European Parliament's President Jerzy Buzek presented the prize to the film's producer, Marc Bordure. The film questions the injustices of today's societies and their political and trade union conflicts, and makes a plea for tolerance.
The other two finalists were "Attenberg" (Greece) by Athina Rachel Tsangari and "Play", (Sweden-France-Denmark).
Presenting the prize, Parliament's President Buzek said "The European Parliament's LUX film prize serves as a reminder that what unites us is stronger than what divides us. It reminds us that the values, freedoms and indeed self-criticisms we share, are worth fighting for. It also reminds us that European movies have nothing to envy non-European productions."
The film has received Distribution support from MEDIA.
More info: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/en/headlines/content/20111006FCS28448/2/html/Les-neiges-du-Kilimandjaro-wins-2011-LUX-film-prize
trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEis0smAb7c
UK film industry celebrates 20 years of the MEDIA Programme
A new video clip produced by the UK MEDIA DESK features clips from iconic MEDIA-supported films and interviews with key film industry figures including Ken Loach, Mike Leigh, Rebecca O'Brien, Alison Owen, Jeremy Thomas and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Enjoy !
http://www.youtube.com/user/MEDIADeskUK

The European Film Academy announced today the nominations for the coming 24th European Film Awards.
At the Seville European Film Festival the European Film Academy and EFA Productions announced the nominations for the European Film Awards 2011. The more than 2,500 EFA Members will now vote for the winners which will be presented during the awards ceremony on 3 December in Berlin.
The European Film awards are supported by MEDIA.
The 24th EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS: Berlin, 3 December 2011
The nominees are...

European Stars flock to Berlin for European Film Awards
The 24th European Film Awards returned to Berlin on 3 December. An impressive line-up of European filmmakers joined by German actresses and actors as well as other colleagues presented the individual awards.
The 1,000 guests – winners, nominees and EFA Members – gathered at the Tempodrom where German comedy star Anke Engelke lead through the evening as the show’s host. Among the guests this year: the German State Minister for Culture and the Media Bernd Neumann, the Austrian Minister for Education, Arts and Culture Claudia Schmied, EFA President Wim Wenders and the recipients of the honorary awards Stephen Frears and Mads Mikkelsen.
The 24th EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS: Berlin, 3 December 2011
Press release

12 Academy Award entries from Europe presented in Los Angeles
European Film Promotion (EFP) presents 12 films from across Europe submitted for consideration as Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming Academy Awards in Los Angeles. The screenings of films seeking US distribution take place during the American Film Market (AFM), from 2-9 November, at the Wilshire Screening Room in Beverly Hills. The aim is to give these entries maximum exposure during this decisive time in Los Angeles and to attract the kind of awards season attention which often leads to wide international distribution.
The screening series is supported by the MEDIA Programme of the European Union and the respective EFP member organisations.
This year, a total of 63 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 84th Academy Awards. The nominations for the shortlist, which rises another buzz, will be announced on January 24.
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26 MEDIA-funded films at the BFI London Film Festival
This year's BFI London Film Festival line-up features 26 films from across Europe that have been funded by the MEDIA Programme. The 2011 selection includes the latest offerings from Roman Polanski and Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.
As part of MEDIA's 20th anniversary celebrations the MEDIA Programme is also hosting a Gala Screening of Nanni Moretti's award-winning comedy Habemus Papam (We Have a Pope) on Tuesday 25 October.
The Director of DG EAC, M. Vladimir Sucha, Aviva Silver and the MEDIA desk UK will attend.
Press release: MEDIA Gala screeing

The full list of MEDIA-funded films screening at the 55th BFI London Film Festival.
More information on the BFI London film Festival.

EUROPEAN DAY IN ROME celebrating MEDIA 20 YEARS OF PASSION
During the International Rome Film Festival (27/10 - 4/11) the MEDIA Desk Italia, The Business Street and Antenna MEDIA Torino in collaboration with Mibac – Direzione Generale Cinema, and Istituto Luce - Cinecittà will celebrate the MEDIA Programme's 20th anniversary on, Saturday, 29 October 2011 from 11 a.m. in Hotel Bernini Bristol / Conference Room 1st floor, with a one-day in-depth conference on the European Audiovisual Industry focusing on the opportunities offered by the new technologies and future European financing schemes.
After the welcome of Nicola Borrelli, General Director of DG Cinema-Mibac, and Roberto Cicutto, CEO of Istituto Luce Cinecittà and Director of The Business Street and after the presentation of the Day by Giuseppe Massaro (MEDIA Desk Italia) and Silvia Sandrone (Antenna MEDIA Torino), the meeting will start with the first session “Understanding the Digital Cinema Roll-Out in Europe”.
The afternoon will be entirely dedicated to the present and future of the MEDIA Programme. The European Commission will adopt a proposal for a new “Creative Europe” framework programme before the end of the year. It will cover the new MEDIA Programme 2014-2020 along with other actions in favour of cultural and creative industries. Isabella Tessaro, representative of MEDIA Unit, DG EAC - European Commission, will present the main features of this new framework.For futher information please see programme


"Justice for Sale" by Ilse & Femke Van Velzen (The Netherlands) will participate at the 24th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam(IDFA)/MEDIA International support
The filmmakers Ilse & Femke Van Velzen participated with Justice for Sale at the Greenhouse 2010 program on the theme of racism & human rights. In November 2010 the filmmakers pitched their project at IDFA's pitching forum. The film is supported by Ikon TV the Netherlands, Tribeca Gucci Fund, the Sundance Documentary Fund and the Dutch Film fund.
Justice for Sale tells the captivating story of innocent people wrongly accused and sentenced to long prison term. Wealthy people buying their way out and corrupt judges in a failing judicial system. The filmmakers follows a courages young human rights lawyer who fights impunity to end corruption in Congo's judicial system.
Justice for Sale will be competing at the Dutch Documentary competition.
The filmmakers Ilse & Femke Van Velzen participated at the Greenhouse 2010 program supported by the EU in the framework of Media International.

Angry Birds, Ubisoft and "A Monster in Paris" at Cartoon Feature (17-19 Oct, Munich)
At Cartoon Feature, key speakers will share their expertise on the latest developments of the feature-length animation market:
- Winning partnerships with the game industry: Rovio Entertainment (Angry Birds) and Ubisoft Motion Pictures
- Finding new ways of financing: co-producing with Germany, crowdfunding, MEDIA production guarantee fund, the new web actors…
- Distribution and marketing strategies: Gebeka Films, Telepool
- How to develop the best story for your film
- Films under 5M EUR and the emergence of adult oriented movies
- Learn from experience! 5 case studies (“A Monster in Paris”, “The Rabbi’s Cat”, “Wrinkles”, “Marco Macaco”, “Moon Man”)
Cartoon Feature is organised with the support of MEDIA and Bayerische Staatskanzlei.
For more info on the event: http://www.cartoon-media.eu/MASTERS/fea_programme.php
Through the European Film Promotion, MEDIA supports European films at Busan International Film Festival (South Korea)
The European Film Promotion (EFP) is now in the 14th year of a consistent and strong partnership with this innovative Busan cinema platform which is known as largest and arguably most important film festival in Asia.
In close cooperation with the festival, EFP introduces directors, actors and producers with new films from across Europe during the first and busiest weekend, organises various presentations and networking opportunities, and offers exclusive press interviews with the artists. Financial support for the EFP activities in Busan comes from the MEDIA programme of the European Union and the participating EFP member organisations.
This year, 80 films out of a total of 307 screened at the Busan IFF in the various festival sections are coming from Europe. With the support of the EFP network, 20 films will be presented by their directors and actors in person, with four of them competing for the Flash Forward Award, a special spotlight on young non-Asian directors
More info: http://www.efp-online.com/
MEDIA Mundus project TIES THAT BIND will hold its workshop during the Busan International Film Festival/Asian Project Market
The second TIES THAT BIND workshop will take place from October 10 - 13, 2011. TIES THAT BIND brings together five producers with feature projects from Asia and five from Europe. During the two workshops they work together with 'state of the art' experts from both continents on script development, co-production between Asia and Europe, financing in the two regions, legal aspects of co-production, marketing, pitching and promotion, and meet with decision makers during both sessions.
The second TIES THAT BIND workshop in Busan will offer in-depth insight into audiovisual market and operating conditions, legal frameworks, financing, sales, distribution and exhibition practices in Asia and Europe, it will provide opportunities for networking between the participants and their companies to create medium and long term co-financing and co-production relationships and it will enable the access to a network of producers, markets, festivals and decision makers during the Asian Project Market meetings.
More information:
www.tiesthatbind.eu,
www.asianfilmmarket.orgSan Sebastian International Film Festival (September, 16-24)
5 MEDIA supported films take main awards in San Sebastian Film Festival
The following films supported by MEDIA was awarded at the International Film Festival of San Sebastian :- Golden Shell award for the Best film
"Los pasos dobles" by Isaki Lacuesta (Spain) - Silver Shell award for Best actress
María León, "La Voz dormida " by Benito Zambrano (Spain) - Best photography award
"Happy end" by Björn Runge (Sweden) - Best European film award
"Et maintenant on va où?" By Nadine Labaki (France) - Audience award
"The artist" by Michel Hazanavicius (France)
More information: www.sansebastianfestival.com- Golden Shell award for the Best film

3 MEDIA supported films got prizes at Venice Film festival
Coppa Volpi for Best Actor
Michael Fassbender in the film Shame by Steve McQueen (United Kingdom)
Osella for the Best Cinematography
Robbie Ryan for the film Wuthering Heights by Andrea Arnold (United Kingdom)
Osella for Best Screenplay
Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou for the film Alpis (Alps) by Yorgos Lanthimos (Grecia)
More information: Cineuropa
55 European films receive marketing support for Toronto Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival, which runs from 8 - 18 September is renowned for its spotlight on new European cinema. This year, more than 135 films from across Europe out of a total of 339 either have their World or North American premiere at the festival. Toronto is top of the list for European Film Promotion's (EFP) Film Sales Support (FSS) which helps European sales agents and some producers without an agent to sell to North America and the rest of the world. It is a record year with 55 films from 18 European countries to receive FSS.
FSS has been supported by the MEDIA Programme of the European Union since 2004 and is an important initiative to encourage the visibility of European films outside of Europe.
More information: European Film Promotion
Cartoon Forum Polska, 13-16 September 2011, Sopot (Poland)
250 buyers, 700 participants will be present at the Cartoon Forum in Poland.
All major European broadcasters, distributors and investors will attend the next Cartoon Forum in Sopot (13-16 September), including France Télévisions, BBC, CANAL+, Cartoon Network, Super RTL, Disney Channels, Rai, RTVE, WDR, M6, MTV, Nickelodeon, NRK, SVT, TVC, TF1, ZDF, Lagardère Active (Canal J, Gulli)... and many others.
They will be able to spot the best TV shows amongst the 66 animation projects to be pitched.
The Cartoon Forum is neither a fair nor a festival, but rather a European co-production forum for TV and new platforms animation - with the support of MEDIA.
More information: http://www.cartoon-media.be/Venice : 68. Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica
Until 10 September the Venice International Film Festival will show the best of European and world cinema. MEDIA is again well presented with over 15 supported films in the different sections.
Official Festival website
News via Cineuropa2nd Games Summit in Antwerp, Belgium
On Friday September 30 2011, MEDIA Desk Belgium – Flemish Community is hosting the second Games Summit. This games conference takes place at Villanella’s beautiful Studio in Antwerp, Belgium. Partners of this event are Antwerp European Youth Capital, DADIU, EGDF, IBBT, iDROPS, MAD Faculty, MEDIA Desk Denmark, MEDIA Desk Germany, MediaNet Vlaanderen, SACD/Scam, VAF and Villanella.
A 4 day workshop on "CROSS OVER PLAY 2 - business & development LAB" will also be organised from Monday 26 till Thursday 29th September 2011.
Registration and more info:
www.gamessummit.eu or www.mediadesk-vlaanderen.euCommissioner Androulla Vassiliou pays tribute to "Zorba the Greek" film director
- 64th Film Festival Locarno from 3 to 13 August 2011
During the film festival, the MEDIA programme is supporting the European Producers club, who is organising a Co-production forum, 6 August. The event consists of an afternoon session of prearranged, individual meetings. Producers of the projects selected have the opportunity to make up to ten important new contacts for their current and/or future projects based on their needs (coproducers, sales agents, distributors, etc.) European Producers Club (EPC ) is an association of some 50 independent film producers from 20 countries across Europe, which acts as a think tank and a lobby, and works to promote international film co-production.
On 6 August in Locarno, Europa Distribution organises a distribution workshop on recent and future films and forums to broaden the debate on concrete themes relating to distribution topics also with the support of the MEDIA programme.
Europa Distribution is a European association of more than 100 leading independent distributors from 25 different European countries, whose overriding objective is to improve the circulation of European films and the competitiveness of European distribution by reinforcing information exchange and distributor cooperation. Its workshops complement a European intranet – the CIDINET database – which provides information ahead of the release of a film. For the first time in 2011, Europa Distribution will organise “miniworkshops” for the staff of distribution companies.
- 68th Venice Film Festival from 31 August to 10 September 2011.
During the festival the CICAE (Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d'Art et d'Essai) will hold a training session with the support of the MEDIA programme.
The training programme, called “Action + Management” aims at developing skills for managing art house cinemas. The idea is to reinforce the competitiveness of European art house cinemas and improve the European film market share within Europe. The training will be a 10-day workshop to be held in San Servolo Island, Venice (IT) from August 31 to September 8, 2011, addressed to 80 cinema exhibitors.
More informaton - An Italian tour for MEDIA Production Guarantee Fund representatives
On the 27th June in Rome and on the 28th in Milan, Florence Avilés (IFCIC) and Monica Carretero (SGR Audiovisual) will present the MEDIA Production Guarantee Fund to Italian producers and bankers. More than two hundred professionals are already registered for both presentations. The event is organised by MEDIA Desk Italia and Antenna MEDIA Torino in cooperation with Cinecittà Luce, The Business Street, Apil, Lombardia Region and the Municipality of Milan. Info: www.media-italia.eu - State aid: Commission consults on support to film sector
The European Commission has launched a public consultation as the first step of a review of the criteria used to apply EU state aid rules to Member States' financial support for making and distributing films. The current Cinema Communication is 10 years old. The Commission has published an issues paper identifying areas for reflection, such as competing to attract major film productions using state aid, and supporting activities other than production. The Commission invites interested parties to submit their comments by 30 September 2011.http://ec.europa.eu/competition/consultations/2011_state_aid_films/index_en.html - European films in Brussels
The Brussels Film festival is taken place from 22 to 29 June with the support of the MEDIA programme.
Over 40 selected films will be shown over the week., mainly 1st or 2nd film of European directors. Open air screenings will also take place and for the professionals there will be conferences, debates, cinema lessons. www.brff.be - Quinzaine des réalisateurs…. in Brussels!
After a successful Cannes edition in May, the Quinzaine des réalisateurs is in Brussels to show a selection of the films from Cannes.
Cinema Arenberg is hosting the screenings from 23 to 28 June.
MEDIA was proud this year to have supported 5 films in the selection 2011. - Evens Prize for Media Education 2011: Apply for nomination! (25/02/2011)
- MEDIA Initial Training conference (9/02/2011)
- Public Hearing to discuss the FUTURE of the MEDIAs on 18 March 2011 in Brussels (11/02/2011)
- The MEDIA Production Guarantee Fund (12/01/2011)
- Press release: European Commission launches € 8 million cinema loan guarantee fund (12/01/2011)

Calls are now open to the participation of Bosnia and Herzegovina!
Bosnia and Herzegowina is expected to become a member of the MEDIA 2007 programme soon. Professionals from Bosnia and Herzegowina can now submit their proposals under open calls, the selection of proposals however will be conditional on the finalisation of the negotiation process.
More information
- The following MEDIA calls are currently open. You can find information on each call under each sector.
- Producer's support
Development - Single project - next deadline: 25 November 2011
Development - Slate Funding - next deadline: 25 November 2011
Development - Interactive Projects - next deadline: 25 November 2011
TV Broadcasting - next deadline: 16 December 2011
Access to finance I2I - next deadline : 6/1/2012
Distribution
Selective Scheme - next deadline: 1 December 2011
Promotion
Audiovisual lFestivals - next deadline: 30 April 2012
- Producer's support
- Continuous Training call for proposals EACEA 07/2011
- Initial Training call for proposals EACEA 02/2011
- Call for Proposals EACEA/27/2010 i2i AUDIOVISUAL
- Call for Proposals 34/2010: Promotion/ Access to markets
- Call for Proposals EACEA29/2010: THE "SELECTIVE" SCHEME 2011
- Commissioner Vassiliou salutes winners at Cannes Film Festival
Androulla Vassiliou congratulates Palme d'Or winner Terence Malick, for his film "The Tree of life" and the major success of EU-backed films at Cannes.
Several MEDIA-supported films were among the winners.
In the official competition, "Le gamin au vélo" (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne) received the Grand Prix.
Kirsten Dunst was awarded Best Actress for her role in Melancholia (Lars Von Trier).
In the Quinzaine des réalisateurs – the parallel competition – 3 out of 4 prizes went to MEDIA-supported films:- "Les géants" (Bouli Lanners) received the Art Cinema Award and the SACD prize.
- "Play" (Ruben Östlund) collected the Séance "Coup de Coeur" award.
"Le Havre" (Aki Kaurismäki) won the International Critics Award from the International federation of Film Critics. Meeting of International, National and Regional Film Funds
The MEDIA Programme organised a meeting of international, national and regional film funds during the Cannes Film Festival. The meeting was a follow-up from last year's successful film fund meeting which was held in relation to the Rendez-Vous Européen at the Cannes film festival. Two topics were discussed:
- Future MEDIA Programme and complementarities with international, national and regional film funds and;
- The MEDIA Production Guarantee Fund and new EU Financial instruments. How can they strengthen the European audiovisual industry and what are the possible opportunities for film funds?"
Representatives from film funds and European financial institutions attended the meeting which included constructive and fruitful discussions, providing valuable input in the context of the preparation for the new MEDIA Programme. The funds were in favour of continuing such meetings in the future.
- The European Pavilion in Cannes
The Marché du Film taking place at the Cannes' Festival is the world biggest film market where the international film industry meet, discover, trade, negotiate, buy, and sell… At the film market, the MEDIA Programme hosts some 200 selected European film and audiovisual professionals- reflecting the diversity of the European offer- in a 400 sq.m. ombrella pavilion: the EU MEDIA Stands. The professionals have access to all the required facilities enabling them to maximize the business opportunities available for them in Cannes.
Marché du film - "European Rendezvous" :
On 16 May takes place the annual "European Rendezvous" at the Cannes Film Festival celebrating the 20th anniversary of the European Commission's MEDIA programme for cinema. Commissioner for Culture Androulla Vassiliou and Gilles Jacob, President of the Festival host the event with 20 European film directors, including Costa-Gavras, Théo Angelopoulos, Radu Mihaileanu and Jaco Van Dormael. They discuss the MEDIA fund's achievements and the future of film-making in Europe. (16/05/2011)
- MEDIA European Talent Prize
Sunday 15 May, Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth awarded the MEDIA European Talent Prize to scriptwriters Virág Zomborácz (Hungary) and Hanna Sköld (Sweden) for their film scripts 'Afterlife' and 'Granny's Dancing on the Table'. The annual prize is awarded to the best film project supported by the European Union's MEDIA fund for cinema; experts rate the scripts on their potential to reach a pan-European audience. This year two projects received the same number of points so the prize is shared. (16/05/2011)
- Press release: Cannes Film Festival celebrates 20 years of MEDIA programme
- 20 MEDIA-films in Cannes
- The Official Selection is out!
The future of the MEDIA Programme
- Testimonial: The future of the MEDIA programme (05/04/2011)
- EU funding for cinema: Barroso and Vassiliou pledge on future MEDIA programme (17/03/2011)
- The future of the MEDIA programme
(25/03/2011) - Statement by José Manuel Barroso, EC President on the MEDIA programme (07/03/2011)
- Report

on the results from the Public Consultation on the future of MEDIA after 2013. - Public contributions following the consultation
- MEDIA Training&Networks 2011 guide (9/02/2011)
2010
- MEDIA in de prizes! Commissioner Vassiliou salutes MEDIA triumph at European Oscars, Polanski film takes 6 awards (05/12/2010)
- European Parliament's 2010 LUX Cinema Prize goes to "Die Fremde" by Feo Aladağ (Germany/MEDIA film) (24/11/2010)
- LONG LIVE EUROPEAN CINEMA! Claudia Landsberger accepted with gratitude the Seville Festival’s Industry Award for "being convinced that any European film can cross borders"
- Call for proposals EACEA/27/2010 i2i AUDIOVISUAL
- Nominations for the 23rd European Film Awards: The full list here! (06/11/2010)
- Film Festival: Commissioner Vassiliou salutes European winners at the International Rome Film Festival (06/11/2010)
- San Sebastian Film Festival: 2 films co-funded by the European Union's MEDIA programme "Neds" by Peter Mullan (2 awards) and "Home for Christmas" by Bent Hamer were among those honoured at the closing ceremony on 25 September.
- Shaping the Future of Cinema, European Rendez-vous,
17 may 2010 – Festival de Cannes

- Press release 25/05/2010 Film Festival: Vassiliou salutes European winners at Cannes
- Press release 12/05/2010 'European Rendez-vous' at Cannes International Film Festival
- Programme MEDIA Information Day: Cannes 17th May 2010
- 20 films with MEDIA support selected in Cannes 2010
-
17
films supported by the MEDIA Programme have been selected for the
60th Berlin International Film Festival - Launch of the new MEDIA Programme video clip at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival!
- 15. 02. 2010 MEDIA
Information Day: Berlin 15 February 2010

- Public hearing on Cinema and European identities: Wim Wenders appeals for "learning to read films"
- Results of the Public Consultation on Digital Cinema
- Call for Proposals 34/2010: Promotion/ Access to markets
- Call for proposals EACEA29/2010: THE "SELECTIVE" SCHEME 2011
- Call for proposals Preparatory action MEDIA International 2010
- Call for proposals EACEA 02/2010: Initial training
- Call for proposals EACEA 01/2010: Continuous training
- B-Brussels:
MEDIA production guarantee fund: Notice of a call for expressions of interest - 2010/S 1-000123

- MEDIA supports 18 VOD/DCD platforms
(14/12/2010) - MEDIA supports 271 releases of European films
(14/12/2010) - 1,5 million for 5 pilot projects
(14/12/2010) - Eform available for the selective Scheme
- Call for proposals EACEA 06/2010 support for sales agents
- See the FAQ of the Distribution sector for the selected
projects in the Beneficiaries' Zone!
Automatic support
Selective scheme
- Publication of Training Guide 2010 second edition
- Publication of Markets & Networks Guide 2010
- Training & networks in Europe Guide - 2010 Edition
2009
- MEDIA again at Cannes Film Festival
- 07. 5. 2009
MEDIA Information Day: Cannes 15th May 2009

- MEDIA
films again at Cannes Film Festival

- 19. 02. 2009 Press Release Seven EU-funded films nominated for Oscars
-
18
films supported by the MEDIA programme
have been selected for the
59th Berlin International Film Festival - 16.01. 2009 MEDIA
Information Day: Berlin 9 February 2009

- 16. 10. 2009 Press release: Public Consultation on Digital Cinema
- 16. 10. 2009 Public Consultation on Digital Cinema
- 03. 11. 2009 Call for proposals EACEA/20/2009: MEDIA support for the development of drama, animation and creative documentary - single projects
- 01/10/2009: Call for proposals EACEA 19/2009: Distribution - Selective support
- 25. 09. 2009 Call for proposals 23/2009: Audiovisual festivals
- 09. 06. 2009 EACEA 24/2009 Promotion/Access to Markets Deadline: 7/8/2009
- 05. 06. 2009 EACEA 04/2009 Training Deadline: 7/8/2009
- 15. 05. 2009 EACEA 02/2009 Video on Demand & Digital Cinema Distribution Deadline: 15/7/2009
- 15. 05. 2009 EACEA 01/2009 Pilot Projects Deadline: 15/7/2009
- 09. 02. 2009 Call for proposals Preparatory Action MEDIA International 2009 Deadline: 02/06/2009
- 09. 02. 2009 Call for proposals EACEA 36/08 Training Deadline: 27/03/2009
- 04. 11. 2009 Decision No 1041/2009/EC
of the European Parliament and of the Council
of 21 October 2009 establishing an audiovisual cooperation programme with professionals from third countries
(MEDIA Mundus)

- 18. 09. 2009 Press Release Europe's cinema goes global: 40 international film cooperation projects benefit from EU support of €5 million
- 13.01. 2009 European Entrepreneurship Video Award 2009 Deadline: 31/03/2009
- 09.01. 2009 Press Release MEDIA MUNDUS
2008
- 14. 05. 2008 MEDIA again at Cannes Film Festival
- 25. 02. 2008 EU-funded film “The Counterfeiters” (Austria/ Germany) wins
Oscar. Press Release

-

- 13 films, supported by the MEDIA programme,
have been selected for the 58th Berlin International Film Festival
- 08. 1. 2008 MEDIA
Information Day: Berlin 11 February 2008

- Public Consultation AUDIOVISUAL COOPERATION PROGRAMME "MEDIA MUNDUS" Deadline: 15/6/2008
- 20. 11. 2008 Call for
proposals EACEA 28/08 - i2i
audiovisual
Deadlines: 02/02/2009 and 07/07/2009 - 19. 11. 2008 Open call for tenders - Reference No
EACEA/2008/03
Framework contract for the organisation of events and promotional actions in the field of audiovisual, education and culture. Deadline: 14/01/2009 - 01. 10. 2008 Call for proposals EACEA 22/08 Distribution - Selective Support - Deadlines: 1/12/2008, 1/4/2009 and 1/7/2009
- 12. 09. 2008 Call for proposals EACEA 18/08 Festivals
- 04. 04. 2008 Call for proposals Preparatory Action MEDIA International - Deadline: 13/6/2008
- 16. 01. 2008 Call for proposals EACEA/03/2008 Training. Deadline: 14/3/2008
- 02. 09. 2008 EACEA 24/2008 Support for the development of drama, animation and creative documentary - Single projects
- 02. 09. 2008 EACEA 24/2008 Support for the development - Slate funding and Slate funding 2nd stage
- 02. 09. 2008 EACEA 25/2008 Support for the development of on and off-line interactive works
- 25. 08. 2008 EACEA 20/2008 Support for television broadcasting of European audiovisual works
- 22. 08. 2008 EACEA 19/2008 Promotion / Access to Markets Deadline: 21/11/2008
- 10. 06. 2008 Press Release MEDIA MUNDUS: Commission considers global film cooperation programme
- 14. 05. 2008 EACEA 12/2008 Promotion outside MEDIA countries Deadline: 9/7/2008
- 14. 05. 2008 EACEA 11/2008 Promotion / Access to Markets Deadline: 4/7/2008
- 08. 05. 2008 EACEA 09/2008 Pilot Projects Deadline: 7/7/2008
- 08. 05. 2008 EACEA 08/2008 Video on Demand & Digital Cinema Distribution Deadline: 14/7/2008
2007
- EU Ministers commit to a vibrant European audiovisual sector without frontiers at Cannes
- 11 EU-supported MEDIA films on show at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival
- 08. 5. 2007
MEDIA
Information Day: Cannes 23rd May 2007

MEDIA
supported films win Oscars. Press
Release:
"The Lives of Others" triumphs at the Oscars
- Press Releases:
EU-supported films "top of the bill" at Berlin Film Festival 2007
MEDIA 2007: €755 million boost for Europe's film industry - 57th Berlin International Film Festival - 17 films, supported by the MEDIA programme, have been selected for showing
- The Berlinale Talent Campus - summit of the most talented up-and-coming film-makers - is supported by MEDIA programme
- European Film Promotion will present young, up-and-coming actors as SHOOTING STARS at Berlinale
-
The
European Film Awards Ceremony was held in Warsaw on 02. 12. 2006. Many
films with MEDIA support were among the winners. About 1,500 professionals
attended the European celebration of cinema at a ceremony. The most coveted
award of the evening, the European Film 2006, went to The Lives of Others (Das
Leben der Anderen) by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (On the photo
director with producers: Max Wiedemann, Quirin Berg, Photos by PAP.) However,
with two awards more the grand winner at the ceremony was Pedro Almodóvar’s
Volver.
- 26. 4. 2007 Workshop presenting the preliminary results of the study "Economic and cultural impact, notably on co-productions, of territorialisation clauses of state aids schemes for films and audiovisual productions". Registration for workshop Friday 6 July 2007, Brussels
- 21. 12. 2007 Call for proposals EACEA 28/07: Distribution - Selective Support - Deadlines: 1/4/2008, 1/7/2008
- 1. 12. 2007 Call for proposals EACEA 27/07: Distribution - Automatic Support - Deadline: 30/4/2008
- 20. 11. 2007 Call for proposals EACEA 29/07: i2i Audiovisual - Deadlines: 14/1/2008 and 7/7/2008
- 7. 11. 2007 Call for proposals EACEA 19/2007: Funding for television broadcasting of European audiovisual works - Deadlines: 22/02/2008 (1st deadline), 13/6/2008 (2nd deadline).
- 4. 9. 2007 Call for proposals EACEA/24/2007 - Support for the
transnational distribution of European films -
Support to the international Sales Agents of European cinema films - deadline 15/11/2007 - 1. 9. 2007 Call for proposals EACEA/17/07 Support for the
development of
interactive works - 15/11/2007 (1st deadline),
15/4/2008 (2nd deadline) - 1. 9. 2007 Call for proposals EACEA/16/07 Support for the
development of production projects — Fiction, Creative Documentaries and
Animation. Single Projects, Slate Funding - 15/11/2007 (1st deadline), 15/4/2008 (2nd deadline) - 24. 8. 2007 Call for proposals EACEA 18/2007:
Audiovisual festivals
Deadlines: 15/10/2007: for projects which start between 1st May 2008 and 31st October 2008
30/04/2008: for projects which start between 1st November 2008 and 30th April 2009 - 22. 5. 2007 Call for Proposals — EACEA 11/07 i2i Audiovisual - deadline: 6/07/2007, for projects that start between 1.1. 2007 and 30.6. 2007.
- 15. 5. 2007 Call for Proposals EACEA 15/07 :
« Promotion outside MEDIA
countries »
Deadline: 29/06/2007 for projects taking place between 1.1. 2008 to 31. 12. 2008. - 15. 5. 2007 Call for Proposals EACEA 14/07: « Promotion / Access to Markets » Deadlines: 29/06/2007 for annual projects 2008 and projects starting between the 1.1. 2008 and 31. 5. 2008. 07/12/2007 for projects taking place between 1.6. 2008 to 31. 12. 2008.
- 13. 4. 2007 Call for Proposals EACEA 13/2007:
Video on Demand and
Digital Cinema Distribution. Deadline: 09/07/2007
FAQ –
Frequently Asked Questions - 12. 4. 2007 Call for proposals 10/2007: Training. Deadline: 02/07/2007
- 03. 4. 2007 Call for proposals EACEA 12/2007: Support for pilot projects. Deadline: 02/07/2007
- 02. 4. 2007 Call for proposals EACEA 09/2007: Audiovisual festivals. Deadline: 11/05/2007 for events to be held between 01.11.2007 and 30.04.2008
- 30.3.2007 Call for proposals EACEA 06/2007: Funding for television broadcasting of European audiovisual works - Deadlines: 01/06/2007 and 02/11/2007
- 7.3. 2007 Call for proposals EACEA 05/2007: Support for the transnational distribution of European films and the networking of European cinema distribution companies - System of 'automatic' support. Deadlines: Generation - 30/04/2007, Reinvestment - 1/10/2008.
- 7.3. 2007 Call for proposals EACEA/04/2007:
Support for the transnational distribution of European films and the
networking of European cinema distribution companies -
System of 'selective'
support. Deadlines 16/04/2007, 10/07/2007, 1/12/2007
- 9. 1. 2007 Call for proposals EACEA 18/2006 - Training - Deadline: 9/3/2007
- 5. 1. 2007 Call for proposals — EACEA 16/06 Support for the
development of production projects
Deadline for the submission of applications for MEDIA New Talent: 12/02/2007
Deadline for the submission of applications for single project and slate funding: 16/4/2007 - 4. 1. 2007 Call for Proposals EACEA 13/06 —
i2i Audiovisual
Deadline for the submission of applications: 2/2/2007
- MEDIA 2007 factsheet
- MEDIA PROGRAMME video clips in broadcast quality
2006
- The Cannes International Film festival culminated on 28 May with the
selection
of
the European film, "The Wind that shakes the Barley" by Ken Loach, for
the Palme d'Or at this year’s festival. The Grand Prize went to "Flandres",
by Bruno Dumont, and the "Best actress" award was awarded collectively
to Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Duenas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana
Cobo and Chus Lampreave for their roles in "Volver" by Pedro Almodóvar,
who won the "Best screenplay" award. hese films were developed or
distributed with support from the European Union's MEDIA programme, in
what has proved to be a remarkably successful year for European
filmmakers.
The Wind That Shakes the Barley" is set during the Irish War of Independence (1919-21) and the Irish Civil War of 1922-23. The title refers to a line from a song by 19th century author Robert Dwyer Joyce. This film was shot in various towns within County Cork during 2005, including Bandon, from where, on August 22, 1922, Michael Collins set off on the journey that ended with his death at the hands of Anti-Treaty IRA irregulars at Beal na Bláth, about 8 miles away. Press release 25. 5. 2006The Wind that shakes the Barley
Cannes 2006 "European films go global" 23.5. 2006
23 May 2006 At a meeting convened by Viviane Reding, member of the European Commission responsible for the Information Society and Media, and Gilles Jacob, President of the Cannes Festival, the European audiovisual ministers of the European Union present at Cannes, together with the European Commissioner adopted a declaration in which they identify a certain number of needs and actions to be put in place.
-
23 May 2006 At the Cannes Film Festival, major representatives of the film and content industry, of Internet service providers and of telecom operators from the EU and the U.S. endorsed on 23 May the European Film Online Charter that they had jointly developed under the auspices of the European Commission. This Charter – the first of its kind in the world – identifies the preconditions for enabling content and infrastructure providers to make film online services a commercial success. The Charter will serve as reference for future commercial agreements as well as for a broader Content Online policy of the European Commission. Mrs. Reding with French Minister of Culture
- Europe Day at Cannes: Slovenian director Blaž Kutin wins “New Talent” award
- 04.05.2006 PRESS RELEASE : Europe’s films more successful than ever at Cannes Film Festival 2006
- 06.03.2006 "March of the
Penguins" wins in Hollywood
10.02.2006 Media stand at the EFM in Berlin
- During the European Film Market (a MEDIA supported event) in Berlin the MEDIA programme organised an umbrella stand for over 100 independent European producers and distributors. This year the market took place in the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin. On Friday 10 February the Chancellor Angela Merkel paid a visit to our stand and was received by Aviva Silver, HoU C6 and Constantin Daskalakis, HoU MEDIA unit in the EACEA Agency.
- 06.02.2006 MEDIA and the Oscar nominations
23 May 2006 In the presence of Culture and Audiovisual Ministers from the EU Member States, the President of the Cannes Festival, cinema professionals and technologists meeting to celebrate Europe Day 2006 at the International Cannes Film Festival, Blaž Kutin, Slovenian scriptwriter and director received on 22 May the “New talent in the European Union” award from Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media.
- 01. 12. 2006 Call for Proposals EACEA/11/06 : “Access to Markets and European Audiovisual Festivals Networks” Deadline for submission of Proposals: 15th January, 2007
- 24. 11. 2006 Decision No 1718/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 November 2006 concerning the implementation of a programme of support for the European audiovisual sector (MEDIA 2007)
- 09. 11. 2006 SALES AGENTS: Call for proposals 07/2006 - Support for the transnational distribution of European films - Support to the international Sales Agents of European Cinematographic films - deadline 22 December 2006
- 08. 11. 2006 VIDEO/DVD: Following a Commission decision on 31 October 2006, the Call for proposals 14-2005: Support for the transnational distribution of European films and audiovisual works on VHS/DVD has been cancelled. The decision has been deemed necessary due to severe budgetary constraints for MEDIA 2007 that prevents any allocation of funds for the generation under the Video automatic support scheme.
- Call for Proposals 05/2006 - Support for Audiovisual festivals (Deadline 1. 12. 2006)
- Call for Proposals 12/2005 - Support for the transnational distribution of European films and the networking of European cinema distribution companies - System of 'selective' support (Deadline 1. 12. 2006)
- 09. 11. 2006 SALES AGENTS: Call for proposals 07/2006 - Support for the transnational distribution of European films - Support to the international Sales Agents of European Cinematographic films - deadline 22 December 2006
- 24.10.2006: The Common Position on MEDIA 2007 approved by the European Parliament
- From 1. 1. 2007 Romania is becoming a member in MEDIA programme. Projects from Romania are allowed to participate in all MEDIA calls currently open, but which will be evaluated and financed in 2007.
- European Charter for Film Online endorsed by major industry players 23 May 2006