Claus Mueller:   You noted several years ago that too many films are produced.   At the changing market panel I mentioned the overproduction issue because some panelists seem to encourage more production though there is hardly a market for all these films. What do you think accounts for this problem? Beki Probst:   One reason they are producing so much is that there has been a reduction in the cost of making a film.  Frankly speaking, though...

Virtually each year similar criticisms of the European Film Market are articulated.  Thus the decline of must-have productions  is deplored,  the low level of business, the” lack of heat” (Screen International),  the costs of attending the EFM and  the timing of the market. Presumably, the EFM is too close to the important other important film markets, the American Film Market in November and the Cannes film market in May.  Undoubtedly it is expensiv...

Friday, February 9----As the hooplah from last evening's Gala Opening Night has died down, it is now time for the Berlinale to get serious about the business of international film. After several days of preparation, the European Film Market opens this morning, shattering previous records of attendance, exhibition booths and films to be screened. With the changes in the industry calendar of the past few years, the EFM has become an indispensable place for sellers to hawk their wares and for buy...