Editor

More than 450 representatives of the film industry from France and Germany met in Versailles from November 22 to 24, 2007. For the first time this year, the „German-French Film Rendez-Vous" association invited a guest country to the event: twenty producers from Russia took part in the discussions and pitched their new projects.

There was a big response to the subject of the opening panel, „New financing possibilities and co-productions", from the participants in the hall of the Palais de Congrès in Versailles. Apart from the presentation of the DFFF, the discussion also centred on the financing costs for film production and the role of banks.

Two other very topical issues were digital cinema projections and the developments in the field of VoD. Another very popular item on the agenda was the pitching by producers from Germany, France and Russia of a total of 27 new projects.

Late in the afternoon on November 23, nine German and nine French actors had the opportunity to introduce themselves to the delegates. Apart from showing extracts from current films, August Diehl, Alexander Fehling, Martina Gedeck, Fabian Hinrichs, Sibel Kekilli, Anneke Kim Sarnau, Hinnerk Schoenemann, Joerdis Triebel and Sebastian Urzendowsky had the chance to introduce themselves with a few personal words to the audience and their French colleagues Georges Babluani, Nicolas Cazalé, Jennifer Decker, Valérie Donzelli, Mylène Jampanoi, Adrien Jolivet, Aϊssa Maϊga, Alysson Paradis and Melvil Poupaud.

The same evening, the State Minister for Culture and Media Bernd Neumann was made a „Commandeur dans l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres" by his French colleague Christine Albanel. The ceremony was followed by a gala dinner in the Grand Trianon.

At a members' assembly of the association on Saturday morning, the administrative board was confirmed for the next electorial period. Apart from the association president Margaret Menegoz, the board comprises Kirsten Niehuus (vice-president), Peter Sehr (vice-president) and Yves Marmion (treasurer). Also confirmed were Peter Dinges as a representative of FFA, Alfred Huermer as a representative of German Films as well as the Foreign Office (France) and CNC.

The 5th German-French Film Rendez-Vous was supported by: CNC, FFA, German Films, Unifrance, Arte, Conseil régional Ile de France, Chateau de Versailles, Commission du Film Ile de France, Rhone Alpes Cinéma, CRRAV Nord Pas-de-Calais, région PACA, the French Embassy in Berlin, FFF Bayern, Filmfoerderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen, MDM, MFG Baden-Wuerttemberg, ARRI and the Goethe Institut.

The 6th German-French Film Rendez-Vous will take place in Hamburg from November 20 to 22, 2008.