ROTTERDAM 2012 ‘The concept still works’
CineMart is the most venerable of co-production markets and remains an invaluable resource and hub for international producers looking for partners and finance. Geoffrey Macnab reports
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FFR’s CineMart is the oldest co-pro- duction market on the block and one of the most resilient. There may have
been a suspicion among some that it has been losing its connection to the mainstream market in recent years, but it is not one shared by the producers of the 465 international projects submit- ted to the 2012 event. The selection committee whittled
this list down to 36 projects, hoping to emulate the commercial, arthouse and critical impact of CineMart success sto- ries such as Samuel Maoz’s Lebanon, Ruben Ostlund’s Involuntary and Pablo Trapero’s Lion’s Den. As ever, the range of fi lms looking for
fi nance is huge. At the top of the budget scale is Lost Rooms, the new $7.7m (¤6m) 3D feature from Alexei Popogrebsky, the director of the Silver Bear-winning How I Ended This Sum- mer. The project, made through Rus-
‘We talk to a lot of industry professionals. We listen to them and know what
their needs are’ Jacobine van der Vloed, CineMart
sia’s Koktebel Film Company, already has half of its budget in place. Another substantial project is Athina
Rachel Tsangari’s $5.2m (¤4m) Dun- charon which is being put together as a Greece-France-Germany co-production and is being sold by The Match Factory, which is also co-producing. Of the English-language projects,
Kelly Reichardt’s $2.9m (¤2.3m) eco- logical thriller Night Moves is one of the most interesting being showcased. “It is a strong year, in that we have
these kind of names, but the list also shows a lot of new and upcoming tal- ent,” says Jacobine van der Vloed, senior co-ordinator CineMart, of the blend of big names and newcomers. “We always try to fi nd a balance in that.” At a time of ferocious budget cuts
across Europe in public and broad- caster funding for fi lm, the signifi cance of CineMart is higher than ever. “We at CineMart talk a lot to industry professionals,” notes van der Vloed. “We listen to them and to what their needs are.”
Europe’s leading sales companies, including Wild Bunch, Fortissimo, MK2, The Works, The Match Factory and Elle Driver are CineMart regulars. European broadcasters ZDF and ARTE will be present; new this year is the attendance of Channel 4, among others. “We have two projects from the UK, two from the US, and even two from Greece and two from Spain. Last year, we didn’t have any projects from those regions,” says van der Vloed of the international sweep of the event. “The concept still works.”
She suggests that one of CineMart’s secrets is lis- tening and responding
to industry
demands. “They need it to find new talent and also to catch up
Lion’s Den won acclaim in Rotterdam ■ 8 International Film Festival Rotterdam January 2012
with each other. A market such as Rotterdam is differ-
Lebanon, one of CineMart’s success stories
www.screendaily.com ALSO AT CINEMART
Around 75 producers will be taking part in The Rotterdam Lab. Set up in 2001, this event runs alongside CineMart and is a hothouse for emerging talent. It is both a networking and a training event that aims to give its participants a primer on everything from structuring co-productions to the intricacies of international sales and distribution. This year, digital distributor Under The Milky Way is sharing its expertise with Lab attendees. There are fi ve projects in
CineMart from Boost!, the initiative set up with IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund and The Binger Film Lab to support fi lms from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe on the journey from development to production. This year, CineMart has set up
the ‘dark room’, a private screening facility for sales agents, distributors and producers to show works in progress and fi nished works.
ent from a normal sales market like AFM or Berlin. Over there, they have to sell their fi lms. In Rotterdam, they are also here to scout for new projects and new talent. That’s what Rotterdam and CineMart have been known for.”
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