The 3rd Franco-Spanish Film Meetings in Paris

20 JANUARY 2010

The 3rd Franco-Spanish Film Meetings took place in Paris, January 12 and 13, 2010.

Around 150 professionals from both sides of the Pyrenees got together to discuss the industry's current situation and the mutual desire to bring French and Spanish cinema closer to each other.

Eighteen months after the previous Franco-Spanish Film Meetings were held in Madrid, Antoine De Clermont-Tonnerre (Unifrance President), Véronique Cayla ( President of the CNC - Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée) and Ignasi Guardans* (CEO of the ICCA), presented the issues addressed by these meetings between film professionals from both countries.

After an introduction focusing on the French and Spanish markets, Ignasi Guardans presented the new Spanish film law and the "orden Ministerial" that implements said law. The question of pirating and legally downloadable product then followed and both countries presented their respective positions with regard to this problem, that is to say the Hadopi law in France and the Intellectual Property Commission in Spain.

Speakers then discussed the evolution of film funding, the consequences of the economic crisis on production, and the possibility of seeing certain telecommunications operators playing a increasingly important role in production.

The second day allowed participants to assess the state of Franco-Spanish coproduction. Both countries demonstrated a strong desire to encourage coproductions and establish more consistent legislation.

Everyone then attended the presentation of the Ibermedia and Fonds Sud programs,both of which offer significant funding for coproducers.

The afternoon focused on the coproduction market for Spanish and French projects.

France and Spain have strong ties that perhaps don't yet manifest themselves in the industry. This is why it's important to plan and set about establishing, in a clear and informative way, production agreements, which could, as was suggested, follow the example of the Franco-German Agreement. A proposition of a Coproduction Agreement Monitoring Committee, steered by the CNC and ICAA, was evoked and brought the meetings to a close.