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71 BERLINALE
TH
EUROPEAN FILM MARKET

BERLIN

© LIA DARJES/EFM GOES © JULIAN EEIRICH/EFM
VIRTUAL

“This year’s online market follows

the physical market”

The Berlinale and the EFM were supposed to be the first physical events of the post-pandemic era.
The virus decided otherwise, forcing the organizers to switch online from March 1 to 5 for
professionals, before considering a physical version of the festival from June 9 to 20 under the name

Summer Special. Only one thing is certain: there will be Bears awarded this year. ■ VINCENT LE LEURCH

Dennis Ruh, EFM Director, tells be taken into consideration. I started talking to many
Vincent Le Leurch how the Berlin sales agents, buyers, distributors, producers, etc. from BERLINALE
beginning of last March, when I was still with German
market had to consider every Films. During the first lockdown, festivals and markets
alternatives to adapt itself like Cannes’ Marché du Film had to move online. Despite 2021:
to the sanitary situation. many difficulties and challenges, most perceived a virtual A TWO-STAGE EVENT
market as efficient with packed meeting schedules, online
screenings, virtual market booths and with interesting As previously announced,
“the 71st Berlinale has developed a new version
How did you first set the EFM up this year? go-to conference programs – all of this combined with for 2021 and is pleased to be able to hold
When I started as EFM Director last September we were no travel cost and travel time. Having said that, we are the festival for the industry and the public.
still convinced that it would be possible to offer a hybrid well aware that an online market can never replace the The industry platforms European Film Market,
version of the EFM with a combination of online and personal face-to-face experience of a physical one. After Berlinale Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents
physical events alongside a more or less regular physi- all, film business is a people’s business. At the same time, and the World Cinema Fund will kick off from
cal festival. With the pandemic situation tightening, and the intense examination of digital options also opens up March 1 to 5 with an online offer. From June 9
with the health and well-being of our participants being a space for new possibilities and ideas. to 20, there will be a summer event with
our top priority, it became clear that this year everything numerous film screenings for the public
audiences – in cinemas as well as open air”.
had to be different. Independent from the EFM happe- Have you ever thought of cancelling EFM
ning physically, in a hybrid way or virtually, we always this year at one point?
aimed to offer our participants the best market experience With the second lockdown in Germany in November and
possible. There were many aspects to consider and to with its elongation in December, of course the situation Industry Sessions, which are centred on current, up-to-
needed to be reconsidered whether the planned hybrid date topics. These online sessions include various busi-
version would actually be working and, most of all, if it ness-focused events reaching from ten forward-looking
Dennis Ruh, would be safe. As already mentioned, the health and well- EFM startups pitching their innovative tools for solving
EFM Director. being of the festival and market participants have always industry challenges, to expert talks for sharing valuable
been a major priority and was weighed heavily into the experiences, thoughts and analysis, networking formats
decision being taken. So the question that needed to be and EFM roundtables as well as Mix & Mingle sessions.
asked was: what could be the alternative? Cancelling? The programme is round up by short formats such as
Postponing? Going entirely online? If you are looking at presenting marketing hacks to digitise the business. Addi-
the film industry’s worldwide mechanisms and mode of tionally, the EFM presents a new initiative called EFM
operation, the international film markets’ dates are fixed Goes Global that makes films from the official Berlinale
dates in the industry’s calendar: the EFM as one of the selection available for physical viewing in movie theatres
largest markets worldwide is happening at the beginning of non-European key territories. Four selected market hubs
of the year, followed by Cannes, Venice and the AFM present screenings: Tokyo, Melbourne, São Paulo and
– only to name a few. The buyers, distributors, platforms, Mexico City – all cities with a high density of national
broadcasters are used to it and, more importantly, depend distribution companies.
on the output and the supply of content for their respective Even if everything is different and, in many ways, challen-
outlet. If we had moved the market to a later point in time, ging this year, I am looking forward to this year’s EFM.
the whole rhythm would have been disrupted. And the Everyone is working hard on offering an exciting, effi-
need for the EFM in its role as one of the biggest film cient and rewarding market experience. And hopefully
markets in the first quarter of the year was expressed by next year, we will be able to bring together the best from
all partners and market participants I’ve talked to. both worlds: the digital and physical. ❖
Could you detail the structure of the virtual EFM? “The intense examination of digital
The structure of this year’s online market basically follows options also opens up a space for new
the physical one: we have exhibitors with their virtual possibilities and ideas.”
booths and their online market screenings, and we offer
© EFM an extensive online conference programme, our EFM suite page 18

N° 3954 du 26 février 2021