EFA Director Marion Döring talks about upcoming projects
A FOCUS ON NETWORKING
EFA Director Marion Döring talks about upcoming projects
Looking back at the 25th European Film Awards – do you see these as the end of an era?
To me, anniversaries never feel like the end of something. On the contrary, and especially in the case of EFA, they always mark the beginning of something. That is probably because of the fact that Europe and our film culture and industry are constantly changing - whether this has to do with politics, economy, with technological developments, or with developments in our societies. We have to respond to these, therefore I have always experienced our work as a constant re-positioning and evaluation of where we are, where we want to get, and how to achieve this. Our first board meeting in 2013 right now before the beginning of the Berlinale will again seriously evaluate the European Film Awards, the selection, nomination and awarding procedures, and their presentation in the ceremony. Does the ceremony, its format and content, reflect our times? Do we lend support to those films that need it the most? Does the younger generation of filmmakers - who are the future of cinema - feel represented by what we do? I’m pretty sure that we can expect inspiring, controversial but also very constructive discussions at the board meeting.
Talking about the young generation of filmmakers – what will be the focus of your activities addressed to them this year?
Well, first of all we will again use the Berlinale as a platform for meeting both established and up and coming filmmakers and we are very happy about the long and fruitful co-operation with Dieter Kosslick and his team. For the 13th time we will present here in Berlin - as one of a cycle of 15 European film festivals - a European short film with a nomination for the 2013 European Film Awards. And on 12 February we are partners in a panel at the Berlinale Talent Campus, THE SHORT FILM GALAXY, which will bring young filmmakers together with representatives of some of the most prolific short film festivals in Europe, all of them partners in the short film initiative of the European Film Academy. [See below for details]
A SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY is a small but very efficient gathering the European Film Academy has been organising for 19 years for young filmmakers from Europe. Last year, you even went as far as India to bring European and Indian filmmakers together. Where will A SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY be held this year?
In a wonderful place in Serbia where one of the most unconventional and hospitable festivals I ever attended takes place: Palic. And – like last year – in 2013 we will again hold two editions of A SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY. After the great success of the first meeting for young European film critics organised in co-operation with the film festival in Wroclaw/Poland last year both partners have decided to offer the critics this opportunity again.
And when can we expect the next EFA Master Class?
Thanks to the support by the European Union’s MEDIA Programme we are now in a position to offer a master class not only every second but every year, which is fantastic news because the participants of former EFA Master Classes have always expressed how much they enjoyed and benefitted from these continuous training courses and how much they wish for us to offer more such opportunities. Led by internationally successful filmmakers who dedicate one week to an intensive training of young talent from all over Europe, these courses concentrate on the practical side of learning, with at least half of the time spent on hands-on training. While the 2012 EFA Master Class focused on THE SOUND OF THE IMAGE this year’s master class will be dedicated to animation film. The workshop, supported by the MEDIA Programme and MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg, will take place at a true centre of European animation filmmaking, in Ludwigsburg/Germany, where we will join forces with the Ludwigsburg Film Academy. We will soon release further information on the tutor, the date and the application details.
In 2012, the European Film Academy and EFA Productions launched the Young Audience Award which was presented simultaneously in six European cities on 10 June. Where are you with the preparations for the second edition?
We have fixed the date for this year’s Young Audience Film Day which will be Sunday, 5 May. There are some new partners joining the initiative to host the screenings and debates in their cities – London (British Film Institute), Isola (Slovenia Film Centre & Media Desk Slovenia), Sofia (Sofia International Film Festival) and Wroclaw (New Horizons International Film Festival).
Is it difficult to get all these partners on board?
Not so much, I am glad to say that everybody we talked to about this new initiative reacted in a very positive way! Of course, in these economically difficult times, not everybody is able to participate but there is a lot of interest and now, in our second year, some new partners approached us because they are themselves active in the field of young audience programmes. Networking is, indeed, very much the focus of our work – there is the short film festivals network with 15 festivals co-operating with EFA and each nominating a short film for the European Film Awards; and exceeding that, the network of more than 30 festivals in Europe and beyond which screen the nominated shorts; there is the network of partners and cities participating in the EFA Young Audience Award; there is the Film Academies Network FAN of Europe, meeting every year at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and bringing together around 15 national film academies and EFA.
