Cineuropa met with the director of Paris-based distribution outfit Swift, founded in 1992. Via its subsidiary Equation the outfit has released a number of high-quality auteur films directed by Susanne Bier, Brillante Mendoza, Andrea Arnold, Pedro Costa, Christoffer Boe, Pernille Fischer Christensen, Anders Morgenthaler, Jessica Hausner and Götz Spielmann. Selected by European Film Promotion as part of European Distributors: Up Next! at the San Sebastian Film Festival (September 17-25, 2010), Didier Costet speaks about his business and the market.

Cineuropa: What are your major areas of focus?
Didier Costet: We have three distribution activities (cinema, TV and video) and we are also active in production. On the cinema side, our main area of activity is auteur film, whereas for TV and video, we work on all film genres. We release about four films a year. I enjoy working on highly specialised films and ones that are different in terms of plot. We have thus distributed Andrea Arnold's debut film Red Road and also worked a lot with Scandinavian titles, especially with Susanne Bier whose new film In a Better World we are planning to release.

How do you analyse the change in the public?
The French audience today is unfortunately a little unreceptive to auteur films that deal with tough subjects that are attracting fewer and fewer viewers from year to year. For example, Mendoza's film wh... >> more

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European Distributors Up Next! 2010

Cineuropa: What is the ideal film in your opinion?
Bea Cuttat: First of all, an ideal film must be one we like completely and unconditionally. We are also constantly on the look-out for new directors, with a view to becoming their long-term partners. For us, it's very important to look for and find films with a very personal style, which bowl us over, excite us and have lasting appeal for "hardened" buyers like us. We look for films which we absolutely want for our line-up, which we're prepared to fight to buy.

Lastly, we work for long weeks with and for the film on its release, and it's quite simply a joy to still find the film fantastic on the umpteenth viewing and to enjoy talking with the press, exhibitors and audience!

What is your film acquisition policy?
We try to find out very early on about offers from sales companies, so we're well prepared for the viewings. We look for the "ideal" films I talked about earlier, but you have to be able to pay for them. We have to set ourselves a limit and stick to it.

Where and how do you buy your films?
We buy foreign films at festivals, primarily at Berlin and Cannes. Thanks to our constructive relationship with sales companies, we're also able to view a certain number of films between festivals. Our good relations with producers and directors also mean we're often lucky enough to be able to buy films quite ear... >> more

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European Distributors Up Next! 2010

Founded in late 2007, today Bolero Film is one of the youngest distribution companies operating in Italy, and one of the most attentive to Italian and European independent cinema.

What did becoming head of acquisitions and marketing in Bolero Film mean for you?
Although it's a relatively new distributor, Bolero Film immediately made its presence felt on the market with films that won great public and critical acclaim, such as The Visitor and Let the Right One In. Thus, becoming part of a company that is very competitive on the market, headed by two people with years of experience like Mario Fiorito and Leandro Pesci, was a huge challenge for me and allowed for, among other things, a concentration of energies on successful Italian films as well, including Ten Winters.

How is independent distribution doing in Italy today?
Independent distribution is going through a difficult period characterized by a strong presence of US blockbusters, which is also due to the proliferation of multiplexes at the expense of urban cinemas. This marks a radical change in consumption from cinemagoers, who simply try to fill their free time and whose choice of which movie to see is therefore not very well-informed.

What have been Bolero's biggest hits? And what will the future bring?
The biggest hits have been The Visitor and Let the Right One In... >> more

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Interview with Line Daugbjerg Christensen - ØST for Paradis

by Annika Pham

Based in Århus, Denmark's second largest city, Øst for Paradis (for East of Eden, the first film that was screened in the cinema) is both a four screen arthouse cinema and a distribution company, importing around 15 quality titles a year. We spoke to Line Daugbjerg Christensen, who took over the running of the company in 2007 after her father Ole Bjørn Christensen.

Cineuropa: How have you concentrated your energy since joining the company and what were the major challenges you were faced with?
Line Daugbjerg Christensen: I think that the mayor challenge for an arthouse cinema is always survival. In our city there are three other big cinemas in competition, and they struggle to get their part of the audience as well. I have to make sure that the films that have up-market potential and artistic value end up showing in our cinema. This is a lot of work!
Apart from this, I've concentrated on bringing our 30-year-old cinema into this millennium. That means, on the one hand, a new website and online booking, mailing lists etc. And, on the other, renewing the way people think of the cinema: working with the audience, creating events with cafés and restaurants in the area, making themes with food and films, doing very early morning shows with coffee and croissants, playing music instead of movies on Sundays. In other words, challenging the frames and content of the cinema – with great success! A lot of people now co... >> more

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Interview with Marie Booberg and Katrina Mathsson - Folkets Bio

by Annika Pham - Cineuropa.org

Founded in 1973, Folkets Bio has played a key role in establishing European auteurs in Sweden, including François Truffaut and Federico Fellini, and continues to this day to bring Swedish audiences some of the world's top emerging and established filmmakers, such as Michael Haneke and Aki Kaurismäki. With its arthouse cinema chain, Folkets Bio provides an essential platform for quality films and is at the forefront of digital cinema conversion. In Stockholm, Cineuropa spoke to the company's head of acquisitions, Marie Booberg, and Katrina Mathsson, head of marketing and distribution.

Cineuropa: What is your current position on the arthouse market and how have you been able to stay in business for so long?
Marie Booberg: It's really thanks to our own cinemas. We have 15 venues. The closure of our competitor Triangle Film opened up some space in the market for us, both on the acquisitions and distribution side. Today, we're the biggest of the smallest distributors. Last year was really good and the first six months of 2010 were also very good. According to statistics from the Swedish Film Institute, we had 96,000 admissions in the first half of 2010, NonStop Entertainment had 59,000, and Noble 62,000.

How many Swedish and non-Swedish films do you have in your line up?
MB: We have around 15 foreign and half a dozen Scandinavian films. We try to follow auteurs such as Aki Kaurismäki, the Dardenne... >> more

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Interview with René Wolf - Eye Film Institute

by Boyd van Hoeij - Cineuropa.org

"Even arthouse audiences go more and more for feel-good movies"

René Wolf is the head of acquisitions at EYE Film Institute Netherlands, formerly Filmmuseum (the Dutch cinémathèque).

Cineuropa: How would you describe the position of EYE as a distributor in the Netherlands?
René Wolf: The Eye Film Institute is an archive, exhibitor and distributor in one. We have a collection of about 35,000 titles from the early days of cinema till the present. Distribution is an important tool to make sure that this collection has it's own face. Since there's no legal deposit in our country, except for Dutch movies made with government support, we depend on what distributors and producers give us. Preservation, restoration, acquisition and distribution give us the possibility to have the collection develop in such a way that it distinguishes itself from foreign archives. By buying classic films, we sometimes fill in gaps or strengthen already strong points.
With new films we do more or less the same: We buy titles of important directors but also try to discover new talent. Our position is foremost supplementary. A lot, 75 to 80 percent of what we distribute, wouldn't have a theatrical release without our support. We don't want to compete with other distributors: if they want to release a title, we can redirect our attention to other films that otherwise wouldn't be released.

What, if anything, has... >> more

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Interview with Pedro Borges - Midas Filmes

by Vitor Pinto - Cineuropa.org

Mida's touch

Founded by Pedro Borges in 2006, Midas Filmes has managed to create a niche for itself within the small panorama of Portugal's film distributors. Not everything Midas touches turns to gold, but in only four years the company has successfully contributed to an increase in film supply on the Portuguese market and has definitely confirmed its good reputation among local film lovers.

Cineuropa: What led to the creation of a new distribution company in 2006, despite the generally complicated atmosphere that characterized back then and still now the Portuguese film industry?
Pedro Borges: Midas Filmes was created in July 2006, after a project in which I had been involved for over 15 years bankrupt. It was important back then, and still is today, to defend cinema and the great films that continue to be made. We knew from its very start that Midas would not exclusively focus on distribution. We wanted to reach all the sectors of the industry, as we have been doing since. Releasing films is quite addictive once you start doing it. You can't really refrain yourself from doing it and it certainly compensates for the difficulties of the country in which you work.

What are your main criteria in picking a film for your line-up? What kind of titles do you tend to favour?
Like everybody else, we want to release the world's best films, although that's not always possible. And we want to release films that a... >> more

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Interview with Ivana Košuličová - Cinemart

by Theodore Schwinke - Cineuropa.org

Risk makes it interesting

Czech distributor CinemArt has been active in the local market since 1995, specializing in European and independent films. The company played a key role in introducing Czech audiences to such auteurs as Aki Kaurismaki and Fridrik Thór Fridriksson. CinemArt is also a key partner in local productions. Head of acquisitions Ivana Košuličová explains her company's role.

Cineuropa: What do local audiences expect from a European film?
Ivana Košuličová: I wish I knew that answer myself. It's always a mystery which film will connect with the audience. In general I think a film has to touch viewers with its humor, mood and theme. For example, many Scandinavian films are very close to the Czech sense of humour. In the end, a film can be even more successful here than in its country of origin because it clicks with the audience. Czechs especially love black humour, which made the Norwegian film The Art of Negative Thinking an unexpected arthouse hit out in Czech cinemas.

Your recent releases include Mammoth, Let the Right One In and Desert Flower. Tell us a little about your strategy.
All three films you just mentioned have been quite special for us. We usually distribute European dramas or tragicomedies with no world famous actors in a cast. Suddenly, we had genre film with Let the Right One In, a big-name cast in Mammoth with Gael García Bernal... >> more

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Interview with Laurent Dutoit - Agora Films

by Françoise Deriaz, Anna Percival - Cineuropa.org

Founded in 1999, Agora Films distributes about a dozen films per year. Managing director Laurent Dutoit maintains high standards in a trilingual market that has to adapt to the pace of its French, German and Italian neighbours.

Cineuropa: What is your film acquisition policy?
Laurent Dutoit: We buy the films we like and want to promote among Swiss audiences. We don't practise a "big hits" policy and we don't gamble the company's viability on a film. We're cautious. We need one or two well-performing titles per year to pay our overheads, but every time we've bought films which didn't really bowl us over but which we thought would be a big success, we've been mistaken.
Our biggest hit of all time, Nicolas Philibert's To Be and To Have, is, however, a fine example. We loved it straightaway and, taking more of an activist than commercial approach, we decided to back it, thinking we'd attract between 2,000-2,500 viewers. The film garnered 140,000 admissions. Surprises like these make a distributor's job interesting.

What is your ideal film?
For me, my ideal film is one I want to see again when I leave the cinema and one that makes me feel something. I'm open to all genres, and I don't pay much attention to the often questionable distinction between auteur and mainstream films. What matters is the quality of the end result.

Where and how do you buy films?
At festivals, mostly. Whether films a... >> more

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Interview with Roman Gutek - Gutek Film

by Dorota Hartwich - Cineuropa.org

Roman Gutek has worked as a committed distributor of auteur films in Poland for almost 20 years. He founded Gutek Film in 1994 and in 2001 created the Era New Horizons Festival, which has become the most important film event in Poland. Also managing director of the Muranow arthouse cinema in Warsaw (named Best Cinema of the Europa Cinemas Network in 2004), Gutek is spearheading another breakthrough with the launch in October of a new initiative in Wroclaw: the American Film Festival.

Cineuropa: From the end of the 1980s, while distribution was still a monopoly in Poland, at the Warsaw festival you programmed films by directors unknown in your country. Over the following years, you gave Polish audiences the chance to discover Almodóvar, Wenders, Jarman, Jarmusch, von Trier and many others. Is your work today at Gutek Film easier or more difficult than it was at that time?
Roman Gutek:As you've pointed out, I'm loyal to auteur cinema. My name and that of the company are very much associated with this type of cinema. Since Gutek Film was set up in 1994, we've distributed around 300 films and attracted nine million viewers. I must admit I feel some satisfaction at this because we've managed to win the confidence of audiences.
Obviously the work is very different today. At that time, there was a wider audience and the current number of viewers for this type of film has fallen by at least 50%. In the past, there were fewer titl... >> more

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Interview with Nicolaine den Breejen - Cinemien

by Boyd van Hoeij - Cineuropa.org

Nicolaine den Breejen is the founder and CEO of Cinemien, one of the Low Countries' most prolific arthouse distributors..

Cineuropa: How would you describe the position of Cinemien in the Netherlands, and ABC-Cinemien in the Benelux?
Nicolaine den Breejen: ABC-Cinemien is one of the oldest independent arthouse distributors in the Netherlands. We have our own video label called homescreen and we do our own TV and VOD sales. Two years ago we changed our company structure and instead of Cinemien in the Netherlands and ABC Distribution in Belgium and Luxemburg, we are now ABC Theatrical Distribution in the Netherlands, though the trade name remains Cinemien, and ABC Distribution in Belgium and Luxemburg. Both companies are daughters of the ABC Holding BV.
Being one of the oldest distributors with over 35 years of experience has the big advantage of having a huge network, having created a lot of goodwill and, of course, having a big catalogue. We are therefore a very healthy company with a steady market share in the Benelux.

What characterises a typical Cinemien title?
Having recently released A Prophet, Inferno, Lebanon, Vincere and Gordos, you could say that a typical ABC-Cinemien release is an auteur film of great quality, both in terms of cinematography and contents, and a film with a contemporary urgency. Our films are released as widely as possible, which is easier to do in the Netherlands, with its huge ... >> more

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Interview with Milazim Salihu - Genci/Kino ABC

by Vladan Petkovic - Cineuropa.org

Distributor-exhibitor Genci, based in Pristina, Kosovo, is the first such company in the territory, and so far the only one actually functioning. Since it took over a city-owned company in 1999, although not yet completely privatized, it has distributed a number of European films, most recently Lorna's Silence, Revolutionary Road and Albanian titles Us And Lenin and Lindje, Perendim, Lindje.

Their upcoming films include Veljko Bulajic's Libertas (Croatia), Kirill Serebrenikov's Russian film Yuri's Day and Serbian director Srdjan Karanovic's European co-production Besa.

Cineuropa: What is the state of distribution and exhibition in Kosovo?
Milazim Salihu: It's disastrous. Nothing functions properly, although a film law was established in 2005. There is a Kosovo Film Centre, with a modest budget of €400,000 (funds for one feature film, four documentaries and three fiction shorts). But none of this helps because exhibition is destroyed and there are no more cinemas in Kosovo, except our two in Pristina.
The main problem is that none of the cinemas have been privatized yet and the old companies are not working, so we don't have a real exhibition network. Genci took over the former city-owned exhibition company Nikola Tesla in 1999, and we work under Kosovo's Privatization Agency.

How many distributors are there and h... >> more

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Interview with Mario Fiorito - Bolero Film

by Gabriele Barcaro - Cineuropa.org

Cineuropa: What led to you to create a new distribution company?
Mario Fiorito: Bolero came about as an initiative by a group of friends and professionals working in the industry, with the initial goal of offering a "service" to those films we felt had commercial potential but were unable to find an outlet on the market. Since we had several cinemas, both in Rome and elsewhere in Italy, we could guarantee their release. The turning point came with the first film we acquired, The Visitor. It exceeded all our expectations, and led to more continuous, important acquisitions. We are now present at the top markets and festivals, including Berlin, Sundance, Cannes and Venice.

What elements influenced the definition of your line-up?
We want quality product that is first and foremost compatible with our cinemas, and also has some kind of commercial appeal. We have a network of distributors and local agents that allows for widespread penetration across the territory, even with "niche" films, or in any case those not exactly for multiplexes. Of course, there are exceptions, such as Cell 211, which we're releasing on April 16 and which is in great demand by multiplexes. Its great critical acclaim and the huge success it had it Spain - at the Goyas it destroyed rivals such as Amenabar and Almodóvar - have created a lot of buzz.

Do you have a stronger release planned for the film? What marketing strategies do you... >> more

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Interview with Eric Lagesse - Pyramide

by Fabien Lemercier - Cineuropa.org

Founded in 1989, Pyramide is a distribution, production and international sales company. This triple expertise gives managing director Eric Lagesse an enlightened point of view on the changes to the profession of independent distributor.

Cineuropa: What is Pyramide Distribution's acquisitions policy?
Eric Lagesse: We follow our instinct and choose our favourites. When we like a film, we try to buy it. Our slate includes mainly auteurs, from the very particular like Nuri Bilge Ceylan, for example, to more popular auteurs like Stephan Elliot and Fatih Akin. At least 70% of our acquisitions are made on the basis of the script.
Nowadays, it's obvious that the big projects tend to be monopolised by very large companies. Increasingly, our work is about discovering new auteurs. A young producer approaches independent distributors like Pyramide in order to find backing that will then enable him to go knock on the doors of television companies and other financial partners. Half our line-up is often composed of debut films. But if we don't feel passionate about a project, we stop, because for three months we carry all the energy and motivation, the film, its director and producer.

Has the recent crisis in international sales been advantageous to independent distributors?
The crisis suffered by sellers is unfortunately an audience crisis. It's a chain reaction: buyers have become more cautious with regard to risk-ta... >> more

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Interview with Kate Gerova - (Soda Pictures, UK)

by Valerio Caruso - Cineuropa.org

Cineuropa met with Kate Gerova at Cartoon Movie 2010 in Lyon, to ask her about the state of distribution in the UK.

Cineuropa: What is the situation for independent distributors in the UK?
Kate Gerova: Independent distribution in the UK it is quite tough. There are a lot of films released every week, so it's quite a crowd in the market. Like in other countries, the self studio product is still dominant. Nevertheless, I think, at least in London and in the major cities around UK, you have a vibrant independent scene, where independent and European films can still do quite well.
The distributors need to put in place some smart marketing campaign and address to the right cinemas. There is definitely an audience still for independent and European cinema, but it is very difficult when you are releasing films in the UK to make your film distinctive and stand out. Advertising and marketing a film is quite expensive, so it's quite hard to recoup the cost of the money that the distributor spent.

What were some recent European successes in the UK?
Over the last couple of years, recent successes have been, for example, A Prophet, The White Ribbon and Waltz with Bashir.

How... >> more

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Ivo Andrle - (Aerofilms, Czech Republic)

by Theodore Schwinke - Cineuropa.org

Aerofilms distributes 10 European and independent films a year, both to arthouse and multiplex cinemas. They acquire films at major festivals such as Berlin and Cannes and are increasingly interested in projects at script stage. The company's roots are in exhibition, however, and Aerofilms operates three cinemas in Prague. "The important thing is the link to the theaters. It all came from there," says Ivo Andrle, director of acquisitions.

Cineuropa: What made you decide to expand beyond exhibition?
Ivo Andrle: When we started managing Kino Aero in 1998, we began organizing foreign film weeks and showing films that didn't have Czech distributors, so we learned how to buy rights and acquire prints. We enjoyed strong cooperation with the Association of Czech Film Clubs and learned a lot from them, and from Gutek Film in Poland. When we started operating Kino Světozor in 2004, we realized that there was room for another distributor in the local market. We knew our audiences and knew they were interested in films that were not always available through the Czech distributors. In 2005 we found an angel investor and started buying films for distribution.

Who is your audience?
For smaller arthouse films they are typically 16 - 40 years old, live in large cities, are university-educated and interested in art. But we also present digital broadcasts from the New York Metropolitan Opera, and those audiences... >> more

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Stephan De Potter ( Cineart, Belgium) • Distributor

by Aurore Engelen for Cineuropa

Cinéart: Defending auteur cinema

Cinéart-Cinélibre was founded in Belgium in 1975. In 2008, Cinéart spread its activities to Holland, and thus became a leading player in Benelux. Stephan De Potter talked to Cineuropa about the company’s positioning, and the challenges of a market undergoing radical changes.

Cineuropa: Can you tell us about Cineart?
Stephan De Potter: Cinéart was founded 35 years ago. We focus in particular on auteur cinema in the broadest sense, with the aim of discovering new talents, whom we follow over the years, like Michael Haneke, the Dardenne brothers and Emir Kusturica. We will soon release Warwick Thornton’s Samson and Delilah (Cannes Camera d’Or 2009), and Léa Fehner’s Silent Voices. Having opened offices in Holland two years ago, we have become a general player on the Benelux market, covering theatrical as well as video distribution, television and VoD for the 26 million inhabitants in the region. In the first half of 2010, we will launch a VoD platform, The Auteurs, focusing on quality films. We also actively work with VoD stakeholders on the Belgian market.
Moreover, we were one of the first independent distributors to launch into di... >> more