WARSAW: FNE has teamed up with the Brussels based team of the International Union of Cinemas (UNIC) to bring you regular updates on EU cinema policies that impact all industry professionals across Europe. Click here for FNE UNIC EU Cinema Policy Update.
TALLINN: Memory of Water, the adaptation of the eponymous bestseller by Emmi Itäranta, is currently shooting near Tallinn. The film directed by Saara Saarela is a Finnish/Estonian/German/Norwegian coproduction with a budget of 3.5 m EUR.
COVID-19 - EU response
29/07: Readout of the meeting between European Commission President von der Leyen, European Parliament President Sassoli and German Chancellor Merkel (rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union) – European Commission
27/07: Coronavirus: Commission launches call for innovative response and recovery partnerships between EU regions – European Commission
The aim of the call is to help regions catch the opportunities emerging from the crisis, develop resilience and build on green and digital transformation for the recovery of the most affected sectors, such as health and tourism.
23/07: EU long-term budget deal must be improved for Parliament to accept it – European Parliament
The recovery fund is a “historic move”, but long-term EU priorities such as the Green Deal and the Digital Agenda are put at risk, MEPs say.
21/07: European Council conclusions, 17-21 July 2020 – Council of the EU
On 21 July 2020, the European Council adopted conclusions on the recovery plan and multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027.
23/07: "This is historic. We renewed our marriage vows for 30 years. Europe is there, strong, standing tall" . Report by President Charles Michel at the European Parliament on the Special European Council of 17-21 July 2020 – Council of the EU
21/07: EU summit compromise: positive step for recovery, inadequate in the long-term – European Parliament
Commenting on the conclusions of the 17-21 July EU summit, EP negotiators welcome the recovery fund but warn that their agreement to the long-term EU budget cannot be taken for granted.
24/07: Four days, four nights: A look back on the special meeting of the European Council in July 2020 – EU 2020 DE
The first meeting in person of the Heads of State and Government of the EU since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic turned into a negotiating marathon. Instead of running two days as originally planned, the special meeting of the European Council lasted four days and nights, from 17 to 21 July.
22/07: REACT-EU: Council agrees on its partial negotiating position – Council of the EU
The EU is providing additional funding and flexibility in the use of the structural funds to help member states' recovery efforts following the COVID-19 outbreak.
Conference on the future of Europe
28/07: Senior MEP urges Member States to ensure that delayed Conference on Future of Europe starts in September – The Parliament Magazine
Mairead McGuinness, a Vice-President of Parliament, wants the Council to draw up its position on the planned conference “as soon as possible.”
EU State aid decisions
27/07: State aid: Commission approves € 866 million Czech scheme to support businesses affected by coronavirus outbreak – European Commission
23/07: State aid: Commission approves €2.6 billion Polish scheme to support companies affected by coronavirus outbreak – European Commission
Recent studies
EAO - Copyright licensing rules in the European Union - August 2020MUSO - Has the displaced cinema audience become the new piracy audience? – June 2020
Events
31 August: European Parliament CULT Committee meeting
1 September: European Parliament ITRE Committee meeting
2 September: European Parliament IMCO Committee meeting
2 September: European Parliament JURI Committee meeting
8 September: Digital Services Act consultation deadline
10 September: Copyright Article 17 consultation deadline
14 September: European Parliament Plenary session, Strasbourg
17 September: European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) advisory board video-conference
GDYNIA: The 45th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia will take place from 8 to 12 December 2020. Among the new events at the festival will be the launch of a third competition section for micro-budget films.
BRUSSELS: The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC) has issued a statement urging support for a ‘cinema first’ strategy and warns that new content must be released in cinemas first and observe a significant theatrical window, both elements being essential for the survival of the European cinema industry after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brussels: 5 August 2020 – The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC), the body representing cinema trade associations and operators across 38 European territories, has issued the following statement:
As European cinema operators finally emerge from a period of extended closure due to the COVID-19 outbreak and work hard to welcome audiences back, the focus of the entire industry must be on ensuring that recovery can happen and that audiences return to enjoy the unique experience of watching films on the big screen.
While many on the distribution side have indicated that ‘we are all in this together’, recent events make it clearer than ever that this sentiment must be backed by actions as well as words.
Specifically, new content must be released in cinemas first and observe a significant theatrical window, both elements being essential for the survival and health of every part of the European (and indeed global) cinema industry.
A ‘cinema first’ strategy for film releases – accompanied by a significant period of theatrical exclusivity – is a proven business model, and crucial for ensuring that audiences can enjoy a diverse range of films. This system was the foundation for a record-breaking 2019, with 1.34 billion admissions and €8.7 billion earned at the box office in Europe alone.
The entire sector faces unprecedented challenges. More than ever, decisions across the industry need to be made with a long-term perspective. If our studio partners oblige cinemas to wait until the sector emerges from the crisis in the U.S. before supplying new content, it will prove too late for many European cinemas and their dedicated workforce.
All who depend on the success of the film industry should commit to ensuring the future health of the whole sector. By doing so, they will ensure that the wider film industry and European cinemas – from one-screen independents to art-houses and multiplexes – will recover and return from this crisis stronger and more resilient than ever.
About UNIC
The Union Internationale des Cinémas/International Union of Cinemas (UNIC) represents the interests of cinema trade associations and cinema operators covering 38 countries in Europe and neighbouring regions.
FNE has teamed up with Bucharest-based Film in Frames to bring you in depth news and reviews about the Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF).
Click HERE for the review of Deerskin by Quentin Dupieux.
TARTU: Thirteen feature films and four documentaries will screen at the 15th Tartu Love Film Festival aka Tartuff from 10 to 15 August 2020. For the first time in the history of the festival organised by the team at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival most of the films will also be available online.
Anca Mitran, the General Director of the Romanian Film Centre, spoke to Romania’s Films In Frame about why is so difficult to change the Film Law and other hot topics in the Romanian film industry.
PULA: The 67th Pula Film Festival , which was earlier called off a few days before it was due to start on 18 July 2020, will eventually take place from 29 August to 4 September 2020 within strict measures to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.
