Rome Means Business

The first Rome International Film Festival didn't just draw out the film fans. In town for a long weekend of events were international film business delegates attending the market section of the festival. Players from far and wide had a mostly positive response to the number of initiatives at the festival, which included a popular buyers' terrace at the Bernini Hotel and a so-called business street at the Excelsior Hotel on the Via Veneto.

"I had a meeting arranged with one producer and met forty while I was waiting," it doesn't get much better than that, said Philipe Bober of the Co-Production Office."

"Rome is my favourite city. It's been a great event so far, and the Bernini is fabulous," added Nicole Mackey of Fortissimo Films.

Beyond the terrace, marketeers were able to attend a number of conferences and special events. There were also several parties offering further opportunities to make meet and greet.

"It's been really good," said Helena Mackenzie of the U.K.'s Film Forum. "We invite the Rome team over to London and they have invited us back here. It's been a very useful event."

"It's also necessary," added Bober. "Since MIFED was killed there is no major film market in Europe. It's ridiculus that all the Europeans have to go all the way to Los Angeles for the AFM."

One Italian distributor complained that there were not enough respresentatives from anywhere beyond France, which, represents a huge portion of international arthouse movies that such an event attracts.

"What's really good is that it's intimate enough to have really good meetings with people,' said Claudia Landsberger of Film Holland." It's been very productive."