Commissioner Oettinger responds to the call of European filmmakers

68th  Festival de Cannes

On Sunday 17 May, European Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger, in charge of the Digital Economy and Society, and renowned filmmakers such as Michel Hazanavicius and Costa-Gavras, will hold a press point to discuss how to promote European cinema in the digital era. Commissioner Oettinger will respond to the call of European filmmakers published on 9 April in which they asked for a better circulation of European works and the protection of copyright - see also the opinion piece by Commissioner Oettinger in Le Monde on 14 May / his blog.

Following this meeting, as from 15.00, Commissioner Oettinger will participate in a forum with European young talents, along with Abderrahmane Sissako and Joachim Trier who have both been supported by the European programme Creative Europe-MEDIA. This event will take place on the Terrasse du Festival as well.

Ahead of this forum, Commissioner Oettinger said: “I am looking forward to discussing with this new generation which represents the future of cinema in Europe. I want to tell them that it is they for whom we want to create the right conditions in Europe to support creators, to make art accessible to the public and to put cultural diversity at the heart of our digital age.”

Also to be noted (full agenda of Commissioner Oettinger in Cannes can be consulted here – for live updates, you can follow @GOettingerEU)

Sunday 17 May

10.00-13.00: Speech at the conference organised by the French Ministry of Culture "The future of copyright in Europe: culture and digital single market".

Monday 18 May

15.00-15.15: Opening of the conference "The moving image: connecting European films to a global audience".

Did you know?

• The European Commission adopted its Digital Single Market Strategy on 6 May. The aim is to help Europeans make the most of digital opportunities – see what it means for the creative sector.
• 25 films supported by the EU – Creative Europe-MEDIA programme – have been selected for the Cannes Festival this year, it is more than ever. Almost half of them are competing for the prestigious Palme d’Or, such as Dheepan by Jacques Audiard or Youth by Paolo Sorrentino. See the list.

• The Cannes Festival hosts the European Film Forum, a discussion platform for all audiovisual stakeholders that the European Commission has initiated to maintain a continuous dialogue with the sector on new challenges, business models, European and national funding schemes, etc.