NEWS

November 22, 2011

The Three Musketeers

On October 21 the international coproduction The Three Musketeers directed by Paul W.S. Anderson starts in US theaters. Two-thirds of the 3D remake based on Alexandre Dumas' novel were shot on original locations in Bavaria: Bamberg, Würzburg, Pommersfelden, Burghausen, Herrenchiemsee, Schleißheim and Munich. It is the most complex on-location-production which has taken place in Bavaria so far. Historical sceneries, which are usually shut for movie shots, were now available for the film production due to exemplary teamwork of the Film Commission Bavaria, the Location Network Bavaria and the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes.

The three musketeers – Bavarian scenery as a movie star

November 14, 2011

EUFCN news at the Cinema & Video magazine 10/2011

In Italian language only

EUFCN news at the Cinema & Video magazine 10/2011

September 27, 2011

EUFCN News September 2011

Please find below the latest news from the Board.

 
UPCOMING EVENTS:
·         Conference on Cinema and Tourism, September 28th - 29th - Barcelos, Portugal
·         MIPCOM, October 3rd - 6th 2011– Cannes, France
·         TIFFCOM, October 24th - 26th 2011– Tokyo, Japan
·         American Film Market, November 2nd - 9th 2011 – Santa Monica, California, USA
·         EUFCN General Assembly, December 1st -2nd 2011, Brussels
·         Berlinale Co-Production Market, February 12th -14th 2012 – Berlin, Germany
·         RACCONTI # 1 script lab: Application Deadline is November 15th, 2011
REVIEW:
·         8.   AFCI Cineposium 2011, September 13th - 14th - Enghien les Bains, France
·         9.   Mixed Reality Scandinavia 2011, September 15th - 16th - Ystad, Sweden
·         10. EUFCN Umbrella Booth at AFCI Locations 2011 June 4-5, 2011
NEWS:
·         11. Location Flanders Grant
·         12. Cooperation between European Producers Club and Russian Cinema Fund
·         13. Film Shoots Up 13% In Seville Compared With 2010 

Dowload the September Newsletter

September 26, 2011

The Südtirol • Alto Adige Script Lab - Applications by November 15th, 2011

RACCONTI # 1 is a script lab sponsored by the BLS Südtirol · Alto Adige. Racconti is designed to help committed screenwriters develop a treatment that is ready to submit for funding, attract a producer to their project, and build long-term creative partnerships that are, ideally, cross-cultural. 

Application Deadline is November 15th, 2011.
 
Further dates:
Script Lab: January 26th - 29th, 2012
Residency: A six-week period sometime between January and December 2012
Online Follow-Up: February / March 2012
Pitch: Mid-April 2012
Development: April to September 2012
Application Deadline for Development Funding from BLS: September 2012
 
For further information please see www.bls.info/en/newsroom/racconti-1

 

August 31, 2011

EUFCN news at the Cinema & Video magazine

In Italian language only

EUFCN news at the Cinema & Video magazine 8/2011

June 6, 2011

EUFCN Umbrella Booth at AFCI Locations 2011

EUFCN together with its member film commissions Krakow Film Commission, Location Austria and Film Commission Torino Piemonte, has attended the AFCI Locations Trade Show and the Producers Guild of America's Third Annual Produced By Conference. The Brussels Film Office was present through their broschures at the EUFCN umbrella booth too. The event took place June 4-5, 2011 at the Walt Disney Studio lot.

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) and the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) announced today that more than 2,200 people attended the third annual Produced by Conference (PBC) in conjunction with the AFCI Locations Show. For the first time, the 2011 PBC brought acclaimed producers and industry veterans along with hundreds of film commissions together to interact with an astonishing number of participants - more than double the number of attendees from last year’s PBC. With speakers like Harvey Weinstein, Lawrence Gordon, Kevin Smith, Mark Gordon, Darren Star, Robert Greenblatt, Tim Gibbons and many more, over 100 masters of their craft shared their expertise. In addition to panel sessions and conversations, attendees were delighted with the interaction with over 300 film commissions from around the globe.

June 17, 2011

Mixed Reality Scandinavia 2011 - Location based storytelling

15 - 16 September 2011

„Mixed Reality Scandinavia” is a conference about film tourism and destination development. The conference will take place in Ystad, southern Sweden, 15-16 September 2011.

In September 2011 it is time for Mixed Reality Scandinavia, an action packed conference about film tourism and destination development! This years´s theme is location based storytelling and we have gathered a very well spoken and knowledgeable group of people that will show you how to connect stories with destinations. The film critic, lecturer and journalist Orvar Säfström leads the conference and will also share his thoughts on film tourism and location based storytelling.

Among our speakers is Annamari Thorell, Gotland’s marketing director for many years and also guide, traveling producer and entrepreneur. Her expertise includes knowledge about how to let visitors follow a real or fictive person or event from books or films, so called “footprint tourism”.

Christopher Sandberg, founder of The Company P, is dedicated to the exploration of human interaction and how to engage participants in new forms of entertainment. In collaboration with Tim Kring (creator of the TV-series Heroes) he produced the transmedia project “The Conspiracy for Good” and together with SVT (Swedish television) the participatory drama “Truth about Marika”. Christopher has much to tell us about participatory drama.

Ulf Wilhelmsson, university lector in hypermedia at The University of Skövde, focuses his research on computer games, spatiality and interaction. Since 2002 he has been a big part of founding and managing academic courses in computer game development and has contributed to the establishment of a new exciting project for Karlsborg Tourism.

To learn more about the event please visit official website.

 
June 10, 2011

EuFCN presence at IFF Cannes 2011 very successful

The EUFCN had a desk throughout the festival at the Greek Pavilion, generously hosted by the Greek Film Centre. EUFCN members used the booth as a meeting point. The EUFCN informed about its activities and handed out 1.500 copies of the fourth edition of the Member's Directory. Special emphasis was put on informing about shooting in Finnish Lapland.

Together with Seville External Promotion Association the EUFCN invited for a reception at the Czech Republic - Slovak Republic Pavilion on Monday, May 16th. This was the second reception in Cannes organized by EUFCN, and it was very well attended. Nearly 400 film professionals from all over the world came to celebrate together with film commissioners from all over Europe. Especially film producers and film directors attended the event, as well as journalists.

The reception was co-hosted by BLS Südtirol-Alto Adige, Film Commission Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Film Commission Norway, Film Commission Torino Piemonte, Finnish Lapland Film Commission, German Film Commissions, Krakow Film Commission, On Location: Austria, Sevilla Film Office and generously sponsored by BOLLO.

The annual internal Cannes Member Meeting took place on Monday, May 16th at the Belgian Pavilion. Over 40 members discussed urgent and current matters of the network and the industry.

The European Film Commissions Network (EUFCN) is currently representing 80 Member Film Commissions from 23 European countries.

May 3, 2011

EUFCN News May 2011

Please find below the latest news

EUFCN News May 2011

April 11, 2011

EUFCN news at the Cinema & Video magazine

In Italian language only

EUFCN in Cinema & Video, March-April 2011

February 9, 2011

EuFCN at Berlinale 2011

The European Film Commissions Network (EuFCN) is currently representing 79 members from 24 European countries. Those interested in learning more about EuFCN are invited to stop by and visit the representatives of the EuFCN at the MEDIA Programme's umbrella stand at the European Film Market, Martin-Gropius-Bau.

The EuFCN also invites for a reception at Opernpalais Unter den Linden on Monday, 14 February 2011, 6:00-8:00pm. The event is co-hosted by following member film commissions: BLS Südtirol-Alto Adige, Film Commission Norway, Film Commission Roma & Lazio, Film France, Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein Film Commission, Krakow Film Commission, Location Austria, Location Flanders, nordmedia Film Commission (member of NSSP) and Swedish Lapland Film Commission.

A short note for all EuFCN members:
Our annual Berlinale meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 15th from 11:00-16:00 at the following address: Embassy of the Czech Republic (Botschaft der Tschechischen Republik), Wilhelmstr. 44, 10117 Berlin

February 4, 2011

EUFCN News February 2011

Please find below the latest news

EUFCN News February 2011

December 5, 2010

EuFCN members gathered in Brussels

Representatives of EuFCN's 78 member commissions from 24 countries gathered in the Belgian capital for the annual EuFCN general assembly, where they elected a new board of directors.

Friday's agenda included a training session on the specifics of 3D filmmaking. 3D specialist Philippe Delbary explained the technological aspects of 3D and how it is used globally. Sebastian Cramer of Screen Plane GmbH described the work flow of 3D projects.

EuFCN members attended to business Saturday morning, when they approved the group's budget for 2011, discussed marketing, promotion and other joint activities for the coming year. Members also chose a new board of directors. Bohrer, of Location Austria, remains president. Members elected Patrick Lamassoure, of Film France, as the new EuFCN general secretary and Truls Kontny, of Film Commission Norway, treasurer. Other board members include Elsa Martínez, Spain Film Commission; Anja Metzger, FFF Film Commission Bayern; Christiane Scholz, Film Commission Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein; and Giuliana Tessera, Film Commission Torino Piemonte.

The afternoon was dedicated to sharing experiences with film tourism. Stefan Roesch, author of the book The Experiences of Film Location Tourists, spoke about cooperating with the tourism industry, designing tourism marketing campaigns, and developing tourism products. Thomas Fuchs of CineTirol presented a case study on film tourism in Tirol, and Piluca Querol of the Andalucia Film Commission introduced her book Movie Tourism: A New Promotional Strategy.

The Brussels meeting was organized by EuFCN and Annette Katz, the Brussels film commissioner. Facilities and hospitality were provided by Philippe Close and the Brussels Film Office.

Press Release Brussels 2010

October 28, 2010

EuFCN at Seville International Location Expo 2010

11-13 November 2010

Seville International Locations Expo (SILE) is the European film location trade fair and is attended by film commissions/offices from all around the world, as well as by film studios, audio-visual producers, production and locations managers, and many other audio-visual professionals.

The European Film Commissions Network (EuFCN), currently representing 76 members from 21 European countries, will also be present at SILE. Those interested in learning more about EuFCN are invited to stop by and visit the representatives of the EuFCN at the stand No. 13.

More information on SILE 2010.

Preliminary program/SILE Events

October 22, 2010

Shah Rukh Khan filming DON-2 in Berlin

Press release by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg

Berlin, October 22, 2010 – Big hype at the press conference at the FriedrichstadtPalast announcing the DON-2 film shoot in Berlin! Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan, the German actor Florian Lukas and Indian superstars Priyanka Chopra and Boman Irani present the project, together with the director Farhan Akhtar, producer Ritesh Sidhwani, German co-producer Mathias Schwerbrock and the German catalysts of the project, Medienboard CEO Kirsten Niehuus, visitBerlin CEO Burkhard Kieker and Berlin Partner CEO René Gurka.

For about 50 days the Bollywood blockbuster DON-2 is being shot in prominent locations throughout Berlin. Among the highlights are the Berlin Cathedral, the Gendarmenmarkt, the Olympic Stadium and the East Side Gallery.

For the full version of the press release and further information please check www.medienboard.de.

June 30, 2010

Film Commissions: The time of synergies

The article in the Italian magazine Cinema & Video presents examples of synergies between various film commissions in Europe. The examples show that film commissions from different territories, rather than compete with each other, try to work together and strengthen their position through networks.

You can view the article, in Italian only, here:

EUFCN news at the Cinema & Video magazine 10/2011

EUFCN news at the Cinema & Video magazine 8/2011

EUFCN in Cinema & Video, June 2010

May 12, 2010

EUFCN News May 2010

Please find below the latest news from the Board.

EUFCN News May 2010

Mai 25, 2010

EuFCN at IFF Cannes 2010

The European Film Commissions Network (EuFCN) was present also at the this year’s edition of the Marché du Film.

Those interested in learning more about EuFCN were invited to stop by and visit the representatives of the EuFCN at the Belgian Pavilion No. 137 at the Village International.

The annual Cannes meeting of the EuFCN members took place on Friday, 14 May, at the Belgian Pavilion. A part of the meeting was dedicated to the voting on a new version of the bylaws.

EuFCN in cooperation with Seville International Locations Expo (SILE) and Seville European Film Festival (SEFF) organized a reception which took place on Monday, 17 May, and was hosted at the Czech Republic-Slovak Republic Pavilion.

May 20, 2010

KORDA - Database on public funding

KORDA is a database on public funding for the film and audiovisual sector in Europe. It is compiled and managed by the European Audiovisual Observatory.

KORDA aims to cover almost all of the active public funding bodies in the European countries that are members of the European Audiovisual Observatory.

This is a considerable task and rather than waiting to reach 100% coverage it was decided to make the database public once coverage has reached an acceptable level. As a result, in May 2010 when the database goes live, the number of funds covered in individual countries will be variable. Funds and information on their support programmes will continue to be added during 2010.

March 1, 2010

Steven Soderbergh filming in Barcelona

The Barcelona-Catalunya Film Commission collaborates on Steven Soderbergh’s last film which is beeing shot in Barcelona.

 
The last week of February was the date chosen by the American director Steven Soderbergh to land in Barcelona with his last film, thriller Knockout, to shoot some scenes with A-list stars such as Antonio Banderas, Ewan McGregor and Channing Tatum, as well as the film’s leading lady, the professional wrestler Gina Carano.
 
Knockout is a spy and suspense thriller about a special agent (Carano) who fights against her own company when she finds out she has been betrayed.
 
For more information, please see the press release.

Steven Soderbergh filming in Barcelona

February 24, 2010

The Experiences of Film Location Tourists

Within the last decade film-induced tourism has gained increasing attention from academics and the industry alike. While most research has focused on the tourism-inducing effects of film productions, not much has been written about the film location tourists themselves. 

 
This book examines the on-site experiences of these tourists by drawing from various disciplines, including geography, sociology and psychology. The author accompanied tourists to film locations from "The Lord of the Rings", "Star Wars" and "The Sound of Music" and conducted extensive on-site research with them. The results show that only by understanding the needs and wants of film location tourists can film be utilised as a successful and sustainable instrument within strategic destination marketing portfolios.
 
Author Biography: Stefan Roesch has worked in the tourism industry for over ten years and is currently a senior consultant for a market research and tourism consulting institute. He is also a freelance consultant in film tourism, an area he has been researching for over 5 years. As part of his doctoral thesis, Stefan undertook fieldwork research on several case studies, including The Lord of the Rings in New Zealand, Star Wars in Tunisia and The Sound of Music in Austria. He regularly speaks at international conferences and advises the industry on how to utilise film for marketing strategies.
 
Order your copy of the book here.
September 14, 2009

Film & Tourism - Marseille, June 2009

Please find bellow the summary of the very interesting conference on film and tourism held in Marseille in June 2009.

Marseilles Summary Record by Atout France and Film France

November, 14 2008

EuFCN will extend its activities in 2009

The European Film Commissions Network today held its general meeting at the Sevilla European Film Festival, thanks to the hospitality of the Andalucia Film Commission. This young association, created in 2007, observes a fast growing activity and now gathers 64 film commissions based in 21 European countries.

In an effort to raise filmmakers’ awareness about film commissions’ services and allow its members to participate in important film related events, the EUFCN has already created European presence in international film markets such as the Cannes Film Festival, the Monaco international forum of cinema and literature and the Tokyo TIFFCOM.

 
The 2009 program will target main world film events such as the Berlinale and the Cannes Film Fest, and allow members to develop European cooperation in the field of co-production and global promotion of the film industry.
 
“There is still a lot to be done when it comes to make the producers and the filmmakers assess the wide range of free services they can get from film commissioners”, says Patrick Lamassoure, EUFCN general secretary. “Considering the increasing number of feature films and TV shows built as European co-productions, European film commissioners often feel they are partners rather than competitors.”
 
May 24, 2008

Dealing with Indian productions

Set in one of the very last days of the festival, the sharing experience session about Indian shoots nevertheless gathered 7 European film commissioners. Some of them have already dealt with Indian films; some wanted to know more about these productions.

Common issues noted by several members were the Schengen visas, sometimes difficult to obtain for the Indian crew, as well as the time factor: Indians don’t feel the same urge of planning we Europeans do. Other topics discussed were their demands in term of food, and the need to hire line producers who are especially knowledgeable of all the cultural differences.

Several attending film commissioners agreed it could be useful for EuFCN members to share information about the best tools and contacts available to check the background of the producers contacting us, which is not easy: There are at least six different movie industries in India, each shooting in its language, sometimes several producers’ organizations which often don't have a directory website.

In conclusion, we all agreed that the “How to deal with India” issue is definitively worth a session during the next EuFCN conference.

May 22, 2008

Film and Tourism

If someone was still wondering if and why it’s useful to join an association like EUFCN, the experience-sharing session about co-operation of film commissions and tourism boards held in Cannes on May 19th, should have convinced them. 

The expert-testimonial invited to attend the session was Richard Bower who is in charge of movie & tourism relationships at the Marseille Chamber of Commerce.

Relationships between tourism and the film (or audiovisual at large) industry provide great challenges as well as opportunities. The anecdotic evidence of the advantages, in touristic terms, of a TV or film productions which are under way in a certain place, is well-known. Media attention is often focused on the shooting and the stars involved. Local politicians (often the same who support the film commissions) enjoy the visibility and added business which the filming brings for their communities. The problems are basically about how to maximize the benefits of movie-induced tourism and how to minimize the disadvantages. Richard Bower has focused on the skills and know-how required to take advantage of the opportunities offered by movies to the tourism industry.

 
Many colleagues from different parts of Europe (around 20 film commissions have attended the session) have brought very interesting experiences to the meeting, from South Sweden experimental project on “screen tourism” to the training activities in Bavaria involving many local officers from the tourism promotion sector.
Very lively discussions were related to themes ranging from data collecting to the relationship of film commissions with the public and private sectors. A “hot issue” indeed, as confirmed by the announcement of a new initiative: an international “Screen Tourism Conference” organized by the Marseille Chamber of Commerce in fall 2008. Many EUFCN members will likely attend.

 

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