FNE VISEGRAD Country Focus: Impact of the financial crisis on Polish film
FNE Visegrad Prix 26-11-2009While the global financial crisis is affecting film production, 2009 is shaping up to be a record year for Polish distribution, with over 31.5 m admissions to date.
In 2008 total admissions were 34.1 m, with a significant increase in December.The effects of the crisis on film production are expected to be felt in 2010.
"Undoubtedly there has been a decrease of funds for film production from private entities." Anna Godzisz, the official spokesperson for the Polish Film Institute (www.pisf.pl) told FNE.
Polish public broadcaster Telewizja Polska S.A. (http://www.tvp.pl/) has reduced its film production budget drastically from a planned 27m PLN to about 5m PLN.
In 2009 as producers faced budget problems, as PISF can only finance up to 50% of the production (maximum of 6 million PLN for coproduction projects). PISF has by increasing the average amount of its grants per production. The average grant for a feature film in 2009 was 2.6 m PLN, while in 2008 it was 2.1 million PLN.
The Czech Republic has seen big budget foreign productions mostly dry up in 2009 following a long decline. In 2003, Hollywood and European filmmakers spent more than 5 bilion crowns in the Czech Republic. In 2008, the amount of the foreign investments dropped to only CZK 700 million as Hollywood production move to Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and even the Ukraine driven away by the Czech Republic's lack of tax incentives.
In numerous European countries and American states, Hollywood filmmakers can expect a rebate of up to 20% of every euro spent in that territory.
"We love the Czech Republic for its exteriors and its filmmakers. But the problem of tax incentives becomes more and more important for every big Hollywood production, including Narnia," Mark Johnson, executive producer of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, said to FNE last year. Walt Disney´s $200 million smash hit by director Andrew Adamson, shot and produced in New Zealand, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic in 2007-2008, was one of the last big budget Hollywood productions shot in Czech Republic. The third part of the Narnia series is not coming back to Czech Republic.
In late October, the Czech approved a proposal for a tax incentive system in 2010, with a rebate of up to 20% of the amount spent in the country. The Czech Ministry of Culture (ww.mkcr.cz) has budgeted 400 million CZK for rebates in 2010 which is awaiting final approval and could go into effect as soon as January 2010.
THE EUROPEAN INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL 2010 ANNOUNCES EARLY SUBMISSION DEADLINE CLOSING
Festivals 04-12-2009Filmmakers are invited to submit now through http://www.ecufilmfestival.com/
FNE VISEGRAD FORUM: Slovakia transitions from Audiovisual program to Audiovisual Fund
FNE Visegrad Prix 01-12-2009In 2009 the Slovak film industry saw one of its most relevant transitions: the creation of an independent audiovisual funding body.
On November 5, 2008, Act 516/2008 Coll. on the Audiovisual Fund and the Amendment of Certain Acts was adopted, which went into effect on January 1, 2009.
In practical terms, it meant that the six-year-old Audiovisual programme at the Ministry of Culture which granted the film subsidies was ending. " The Ministry of Culture will be from now on just one of the supporters. It takes hands off the new fund, since the fund will be an independent institution," said Anton Škreko, the director of Audiovisual programme at the Ministry of Culture.
During the year-long transition phase, the grant system has functioned under different conditions - the nine member grant commission assessed projects from only single round over two sessions, meaning that in 2008 it assessed projects from two rounds in four sessions.
Nataša Slavikova, the general director at the department of Media, Audiovision and Copyright states that 4,179,450 Euro was granted this year to 104 projects out of 170 that applied for the grants. In 2008, 4,271,626 Euro was granted. From January 1, 2010 the subsidies will be granted by the Audiovisual Fund.
The two largest grants went to the films Visible World (410,000 Euro), and Cherrie Boy (380 000 Euro), both produced by JMB Film and TV production (http://www.jmbfilm.sk/).
The new Audiovisual Fund has six committees officially announced on November 25.
The Audiovisual Fund accepts applications beginning November 30, 2009. Deadlines are 15.12.2009, 1.3.2010 and 1.9.2010.
The website http://www.avf.sk/ is under construction. Information can be found at the website of the Ministry of Culture, http://www.filmneweurope.com/www.culture.gov.sk.
While commercial Slovak television, led by CME's Markiza TV, has seen a dramatic downturn in advertising revenues due to the global economic crisis, the Slovak film industry has so far been unaffected.
Subsidies from Audiovisual programme at the Ministry of Culture were comparable to 2008 (4.3 million Euro in 2008 and 4.2 million Euro in 2008). Banks have been cautious in extending credit generally. Zuzana Mistrikova, executive vice-president of the Slovak Film Academy told FNE, "Except for Bathory, banks are not lending money to film producers at all."
Alexandra Strelkova, director of the National Film Centre, told FNE, "Bank credits for film companies are not standard in the Slovak film industry."
However Mistrikova sees the influence of the financial crisis looming in 2010. "The first contributions from television broadcasters, cable operators, cinema entrepreneurs and film distributors to the new AudioVisual Fund will be in 2010. Revenue from TV advertising has decreased because of the financial crisis so their contributions to the fund will not probably reach the levels expected a year ago," Mistrikova said.
Slovaks have cut back their spending generally in 2009 but surprisingly the Slovak box office experienced a very good year. During the first seven months there were 2.35 million admissions compared with 1.75 million for the same period in 2008, a 34% increase, according to the Slovak Union of Distributors (http://www.ufd.sk/). Among the box office hits was the Slovak film Soul at Peace, which premiered in January and had 115,000 admissions.
The so called "Bathory effect" caused an increased interest in Slovak films that result in notably higher attendance than in the past.
Contact information:
UFD SR
tel.: +421 (0)2 4914 0030 - 36, fax: +421 (0)2 4445 0651, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Ing. Ivan Sollár (chairman)
Audiovisual Fund:
For the past nine year, Prague's Institute of Documentary Film has been reaching out to CEE documentary directors and producers, promoting and enabling the rise of documentary films from across the region.
The IDF (http://www.docuinter.net/) encompasses four main areas of activities:
Ex Oriente is a workshop for selected producers and directors to help them develop and pitch their projects in forums dedicated to documentary films. The workshop takes place over the course of one year, as tutors work with filmmakers in three intense workshops, culminating in their presentation at the East European Forum.
East European Forum is a pitching session that takes place within the framework of the Jihlava documentary film festival at the end of October. Commissioning editors from stations across Europe and North America and beyond respond to the pitches and meet with filmmakers in one-to-one sessions.
East Silver is a market of documentary films from across Central and Eastern Europe, taking place at the Jihlava festival. East Silver extablished its own awards -- the Silver Eye -- for the first time in 2009, which were chosen and announced at the closing ceremony in Jihlava. Filmmakers attending Jihlava are invited to special breakfast meetings with representatives of several European national industries. Films are presented in a catalog distributed at festivals, and are made available to industry professionals via a video library.
Docu Talents from th East is a presentations of nine new completed documentaries held during the Karlovy Vary Film Festival for festival programmers and industry professionals.
In addition, IDF sends select filmmakers to pitching forums held in Leipzig and Amsterdam, where they have a chance to attend workshops or pitch films. The Institute also hosts a panel and catalog of upcoming Czech documentaries.
The IDF is run by a team of six dedicated Czech women, led by IDF DirectorAndrea Prenghyová.
Contact information:
Institute of Documentary Film
Školská 12110 00
Praha 1, Czech Republic
Phone:+420 224 214 858
Fax:+420 224 214 858
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media to support the 8th Berlinale Talent Campus 2010
Actress Kerry Fox to mentor the new Talent Actors Stage
The Czech Republic has seen big budget foreign productions mostly dry up in 2009 following a long decline. In 2003, Hollywood and European filmmakers spent more than 5 bilion crowns in the Czech Republic. In 2008, the amount of the foreign investments dropped to only CZK 700 million as Hollywood production move to Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and even the Ukraine driven away by the Czech Republic's lack of tax incentives.
In numerous European countries and American states, Hollywood filmmakers can expect a rebate of up to 20% of every euro spent in that territory.
"We love the Czech Republic for its exteriors and its filmmakers. But the problem of tax incentives becomes more and more important for every big Hollywood production, including Narnia," Mark Johnson, executive producer of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, said to FNE last year. Walt Disney´s $200 million smash hit by director Andrew Adamson, shot and produced in New Zealand, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic in 2007-2008, was one of the last big budget Hollywood productions shot in Czech Republic. The third part of the Narnia series is not coming back to Czech Republic.
In late October, the Czech approved a proposal for a tax incentive system in 2010, with a rebate of up to 20% of the amount spent in the country. The Czech Ministry of Culture (ww.mkcr.cz) has budgeted 400 million CZK for rebates in 2010 which is awaiting final approval and could go into effect as soon as January 2010.
On average 20-25 Czech full length feature films are released in Czech cinemas, most are supported by grants from the Czech Ministry of Culture´s State fund for support and development of cinematography. In 2009 support for film production and distribution was CZK 222.6 m about the same as in 2008.
Protector, the big-budget war drama and Oscar entry by director Marek Najbrt and produced by Negativ company (www.negativ.cz), received one of the largest grants: 16 m CZK for its 65m CZK budget.
Lidice the 70m CZK second war drama now in production, by director Alice Nellis and produced by Bioscop (www.bioscop.cz), received a grant of 20m CZK.
In 2009 several animation features were produced. Fimfarum 3 by directors Vlasta Pospíšilová, Kristina Dufková and David Súkup which received a 5m CZK grant, and The Little Fishgirl by director Jan Balej, that received a record 10m CZK grant for animation. Both movies are produced by Maur film (www.maurfilm.cz).
Among the most successful Czech films in 2009 were Czech comedies, such as Grapes 2 by director Vlad Lanné and production company Bioscop with 300,000 admissions after five weeks and You Kiss like God by director Marie Poledňáková and produced by Falcon (www.falcon.cz), with 950,000 admissions.
