2009 IFFS Europe Opening Keynote Presentations

Marco Müller
Director
Venice International Film Festival

Wieland Speck
Director of Panorama
Berlin International Film Festival

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

8:30 am Registration Opens

9:15 am Opening Remarks by Conference Chair

9:30 am - 10:30 am Dynamic Programming

Year round programming, migrating content to the web and extending audience reach are all critical programming issues. Once your festival has the content how can you get it out there in a way that compliments your existing program? Discover key considerations and factors to consider when expanding your program.

Invited Speakers:

Moderator: Henri Behar, Press Correspondent, Cannes Film Festival

Laurent Crouzeix, Int'l Selection Committee, Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival
Aude Hesbert, Festival Director, Paris Cinema International Film Festival
Jacques Dubrulle, Managing Director, Flanders International Film Festival
Gyda Myklebust, New Nordic Films Director, The Norwegian Int'l Film Festival

10:30 am - 11:00 am Opening Keynote Presentation

Since 1980, he has worked as a film critic and historian, creating and directing several series of books on the cinema for a number of publishers, has personally curated some monographic publications and has regularly written essays and articles on cinema. Since 1978, his new role as "festival maker" has progressively established itself. From 1989 to 1991, he was director of the Rotterdam International Film Festival, and in that context created the Huub Bals Fund and the Coproduction Workshop (now called "Cinemart Projects"); these were two instruments that were to play an important role in Europe and elsewhere to ensure financial and "cultural" support for independent films from the South and East.

From 1991 to 2000, he directed the Locarno International Film Festival renewing the criteria for the programming from the roots up: alongside the numerous "discoveries" of directors who subsequently became famous. Between 1998 and 2002, he worked as director of the Film and Video Department of Fabrica, where he tackled the training of new film and video-makers. Since April 2004, he has been the Director of the Cinema section of the Venice Biennale Foundation and the Director of the Venice International Film Festival.

Mr. Müller will draw upon his vast experience and rich understanding of film and art to share his perspective on film festivals and global cinema.

Marco Müller
Director
Venice International Film Festival

11:00 am - 11:15 am Morning Networking Break

11:15 am - 12:15 pm Creating Value for Festival Sponsors & Supporters

Wondering how you can ink more sponsorships, sign multi-year deals or just trying to solidify your selling strategy? If you answered yes to any of these questions your festival can't afford to miss this panel. Hear proven strategies to target, pitch, contact and retain sponsors year after year.

Invited Speakers:

Francesco di Cesare, Sponsorship Director, Venice International Film Festival
Despina Mouzaki, Director, Thessaloniki Film Festival
Arnaud Pasquali, Head of Media Promotion, MEDIA
Karl Spoerri, Director of Content, Zurich Film Festival

12:15 pm - 1:45 pm Break for Lunch with Living Groups

For the first time ever this year you'll have the opportunity to meet with your conference 'Living Group'. Groups will be lead by an IFFS Alumni and grouped together so that starting on day one you have the chance to meet new contacts and maximize your conference experience.

1:45 pm - 2:45 pm Measuring Success: Where to Set the Bar?

There are so many different definitions of success and "bigness." There are film festivals that attract hundreds of thousands of people, and yet are not on the mainstream radar, and festivals which show only a few dozen films that are world famous. This session will address considerations and metrics for success including: number of films, number of acquisitions, celebrities, size of audience, longevity, number of impressions and reach? Most notably, these different metrics have differing relevance to the constituents served by festivals - audiences, filmmakers, sponsors, media, film industry etc. Hear from different festivals on how they approach benchmarking and defining success.

Invited Speakers:

Emina Ganic, Executive Director, Sarajevo Film Festival
Sandra Hebron, Artistic Director, BFI London Film Festival
Prune Engler, Festival Director, La Rochelle Int'l Film Festival
Andreas Strohl, Festival Director, Munich Film Festival

2:45 pm - 3:45 pm A New Media Experience

Social networking and digital media: what tools are out there and how can your festival leverage these assets? Don't miss this cutting edge panel discussion addressing the latest tools that can help propel your festival forward.

Invited Speakers:

Moderator: Bruno Chatelin, COO, Filmfestivals.com

Git Scheynius, Festival Director, Stockholm Int'l Film Festival
Monique Ruinen, Project Manager, Cinekid Festival
Kate Burns, Managing Director, Bebo.com

3:45 pm - 4:00 pm Afternoon Networking Break

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm The Unconference

An unconference is a meeting where the participants drive the activity. There's no set agenda, no set presentations but a discussion that people leave and join as they see fit.

Don't miss this guided open forum to engage your colleagues and gain insight to the most pressing issues you and your festival are facing. This session will provide attendees an opportunity to both, ask questions and get answers on specific issues facing their film festival. Come prepared to engage one another and share pearls of wisdom that have been learned over the years.

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Meet with Living Groups & Cocktail Reception

You won't want to miss this year's opening cocktail reception. More networking and additional meeting time with your Living Group will make this reception time well spent.

7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Dinner with Strangers

Dinner with Strangers is a unique program at this year's summit that will allow attendees a unique and fun opportunity to meet and dine with festival colleagues from all over Europe.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

9:30 am Registration Opens

10:00 am - 10:15am Opening Remarks by Conference Chair

10:15 am - 10:45 am Keynote Presentation

Wieland Speck
Director of Panorama
Berlin International Film Festival

10:45 am - 11:15 am Festivals: Distribution Evolution or Revolution?

Current distribution models are evolving faster than ever as studio business models evolve and new organizations crop up. As the independent film ‘distribution revolution' marches forward where do we go from here? This panel will shed light on where film festivals fit in today and in the years to come. Walk away with insight on how current challenges mean new opportunities.

11:15 am - 11:45 am Screening the Future of Film Festivals

Film festivals are in a period of transition and turmoil. New distribution opportunities challenge festivals' programming practices, industry shifts encourage closer cooperation between industry professionals and festival organizers and the trend towards an increasingly participatory culture is redefining audience engagement with cinema. In this presentation Marijke de Valck, professor in Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam and expert on film festivals, will put the current transformations in a cultural historical perspective. Looking at the origins of film festivals, their dynamic development and key characteristics she will explain why film festivals have been so successful. Learn more about specific festival strengths and how these will continue to influence film festivals in the future.

Dr. Marijke de Valck
Professor & Author
University of Amsterdam

11:45 am - 1:30 pm Lunch Break with Living Group

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm The Workshop of Workshops

Developing unique programs to set your festival apart and educate the filmmaker can be a key component to any festival. What can and should you do to properly enhance the filmmaker experience? Hear from established fests how year after year they continue to create an exceptional filmmaker experience.

Invited Speakers:

Eva Rotter, Managing Director, International Film Festival Vienna
Heather Croall, Festival Director, Sheffield Doc/Fest
Ginnie Atkinson, Managing Director, Edinburgh Int'l Film Festival

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Building a Culture of Community Outreach

Community involvement is a vital component of any successful film festival. Partnering with other local organizations, working with schools, education outreach programs are just a few of the ways that festivals can engage and support its community. This accomplished group of panelists will discuss how their festivals give back to community resulting in better attendance and increased support.

Invited Speakers:

Chrystele Bazin, VP of Programming, Festival Silhouette
Monique Ruinen, Project Manager, Cinekid Festival
Tor Fosse, Festival Director, Bergen Int'l Film Festival
Linde Frohlich, Artistic Director, Nordic Film Days Lubeck

3:30 pm - 3:45 pm Afternoon Networking Break

3:45 pm - 4:45 pm Festival Marketing Strategies

Marketing your film festival is one of the greatest challenges film festivals face. You can program the greatest festival but if audiences, filmmakers and other interested parties don't know about it this could be your last! Hear from this experienced group of professionals and engage in Q&A shedding light on successful marketing and PR strategies that work.

Invited Speakers:

Moderator: Henri Behar, Press Correspondent, Cannes Film Festival

Jean-Francois Rettig, Festival Director, Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin
Maria Prado, Management Collaborator, San Sebastian Film Festival
Lisa Lazure, VP Int'l Public Relations, DDA Public Relations
Daniela Koetz, Program Manager, Int'l Film Festival Mannheim

4:45 pm - 5:30 pm The Unconference Part II

An unconference is a meeting where the participants drive the activity. There's no set agenda, no set presentations, but a discussion that people leave and join as they see fit.

Don't miss this guided open forum to engage your colleagues and gain insight to the most pressing issues you and your festival are facing. This session will provide attendees an opportunity to both, ask questions and get answers on specific issues facing their film festival. Come prepared to engage one another and share pearls of wisdom that have been learned over the years.
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Closing Networking Reception

INFO and Registration 
USE THE CODE fest21
*Schedule subject to change.