18 MEDIA-supported films in the spotlight at Cannes Film Festival

This year's Cannes Film Festival as well as its parallel competitions, La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs and Semaine de la Critique, will feature eighteen films co-financed by MEDIA, the EU's support programme for the European audiovisual industry.



4 MEDIA-supported films will be competing this year to win the Palme d'Or: Dogman by Matteo Garrone (France, Italy co-production), Girls of the Sun/Les filles du soleil by Eva Husson (France, Belgium, Georgia, and Switzerland co-production), Lazzaro Felice/Happy as Lazzaro by Alice Rohrwacher (Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany co-production) and Cold War by Pawel Pawlikowski (Poland, France, UK co-production).

 

Fourteen other MEDIA-supported films will be featured in other festival selections. On Monday 14 May, Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, will open the European Film Forum (EFF), which will focus on the power of networks and of collaboration to raise the profile of European productions ('Teaming Up for Wider Audiences').

 

Before the event, the Commissioner said, "The Cannes Festival is dedicated to freedom of artistic expression, which is at the heart of our democracy. I am very proud to be presenting the priorities of the MEDIA programme. Since 1991, it has supported the creation and distribution of European films. I am coming to Cannes to present a strong message from a Commission that has proposed to take even more action in future in support of a European model for cinema founded on freedom, diversity and cross-border collaborations that serve citizens."

 

As part of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 and the Commission's #Digital4Culture strategy, the Commissioner will take part in a round table discussion on promoting and accessing Europe's cinema heritage. She will also host a lunch debate on the topic 'Women in Audiovisual' with MEPs, filmmakers, and industry representatives. The European Film Forum will be preceded by a conference titled ' Be creative, talk to the bank' that will showcase the initial results of the European guarantee facility for the cultural and creative sector.



Download European Film Forum full programme