A consortium of 39 European companies plans to showcase and market European films at the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) segment of the Busan International Film Festival through a joint initiative named Europe! Umbrella. This initiative is a collaboration involving EFP and Unifrance. While 32 of these firms will be physically present at the event, seven will participate remotely.
Europe! Umbrella has been a recurrent participant at ACFM for several years. This time, to bolster the presence of European cinema in the East Asian market, EFP is offering exclusive Film Sales Support (FSS) to ten sales agencies to enhance their promotional activities online and offline. The beneficiaries of this support are Alpha Violet, Fandango, Film Factory Entertainment, Films Boutique, Indie Sales, Kinology, Latido Films, LevelK, Pulsar Content, and TrustNordisk.
The festival will feature a diverse array of European films, including The Beast by Bertrand Bonello from Kinology (a French-Canadian production), and The Peasants by D.K. and Hugh Welchman from Poland (distributed by New Europe Film Sales). Other noteworthy films are An Endless Sunday by Alain Parroni (distributed by Fandango), and Denmark’s contribution The Promised Land by Nikolaj Arcel (distributed by TrustNordisk).
A special event, named the Europe! The cocktail party will be held during the festival, offering a platform for European filmmakers to personally introduce their films. Renowned directors like Bertrand Bonello and Luc Besson, along with various producers and actors, are expected to grace the occasion.
This year’s Busan International Film Festival will spotlight films from both established and up-and-coming directors. Examples of works by the latter group include Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry, An Endless Sunday, and The Peasants. Importantly, over 15 films selected for screening at the festival are the result of collaborative projects between Asian and European countries, highlighting the festival’s role in fostering partnerships between the two regions.
Seo Seunghee, a programmer at the festival, underscored the significance of having a mix of films from both seasoned and novice directors. Jo Mühlberger, EFP’s Deputy Managing Director, also expressed delight at the substantial representation of European films at the festival, recognizing it as a vital platform for promoting European films internationally.
The Europe! Umbrella and FSS initiatives are backed by various European film promotional institutes, along with support from Creative Europe MEDIA of the European Union. Financial backing is also provided by German Films and ICAA (Spain). Source
Also Read Bad reviews for Exorcist: Believer after $400 million rights investment.
