FINAL COMMUNIQUE SALES OFFICE 2006
500 m2 in the heart of the Kursaal Convention Centre

The 54th edition of the Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival opened a new Sales Office to serve the needs of film industry professionals, buyers and sellers. The new venue covers 500 m2 of office space in the heart of the Kursaal Convention Centre designed to facilitate contacts and meetings, and provide areas for viewing films and displaying promotional material for films that are either finished or in production.

The Sales Office would like to thank the following organisations for their collaboration: the MEDIA Plus Programme of the European Union, EGEDA (Body for the Management of Audiovisual Producers Rights), ICEX (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade).), Madrid Film Commission, Cinema Do Brasil and Jaman.

ATTENDANCE

• 1,225 guests accredited by the Sales Office (1,104 in 2005)
• 717 companies (679 in 2005)
• 53 countries
• 2,092 visits to the Sales Office during the ten days of the Festival (950 in 2005)
• Some fifty scheduled work meetings between professionals
  

FILM LIBRARY

• The film library has implemented a system for digitizing films in thirteen screens which has notably improved the image quality.
• 166 films available
• 1,438 total viewings (800 in 2005)
• The most popular films were:
  1. Proibido Proibir (Brazil, Zabaltegi): 42 viewings
  2. Vete de mí (Spain, Official Section): 32 viewings
  3. Ghosts (United Kingdom, Official Section): 28 viewings
  4. Meteoro (Brazil, Horizontes): 27 viewings
  5. Rabia (Chile, Horizontes): 25 viewings
  6. Fair Play (France, Zabaltegi): 24 viewings
  7. Azuloscurocasinegro (Spain, Horizontes): 24 viewings
  8. El rey de San Gregorio (Chile/Switzerland, Horizontes): 24 viewings
  9. Forever (Netherlands, Official Section): 23 viewings
  10. Emma’s Glück/ Emma’s Bliss (Germany, Zabaltegi): 22 viewings

• Throughout the Festival, dialy “Newsflashes” kept the public informed of what the media had to report about selected films from the different sections of the Festival.
• The Festival magazine gave a detailed account of the situation of cinema in the eight countries represented in the different sections of the Festival: Africa, Chile, Spain, United States, Philippines, Mexico, Singapore and Switzerland.
• The Festival’s official website posted daily information related to the Sales Office.

ACTIVITIES

• Three feature films in post-production:
  • L’autre moitié du ciel by Kalthoum Bornaz (Tunisia)
  • Ne restent dans l’oued que ses galets by Jean-Pierre Lledo (Algeria / France)
  • Vivantes by Saïd Ould-Khelifa (Algeria)
• Three projects:
  • Entre parenthèses by ICAM Falah y Mohamed Chrif-Tribak (Morocco)
  • Les larmes d’argent by Mourad Boucif (Morocco / Belgium)
  • Mascarades by Lyes Salem (Algeria / France)
• Presentation of the Catalogue of Audiovisual Works of Andalusia
• Dialogue between African, European and Latin American filmmakers and professionals: specific initiatives to enhance film circulation.

Awards:

• The Moroccan project “Entre parenthèses” by Hicham Falah and Mohamed Chrif-Tribak will receive technical advice supervised by Mikros Image to help the directors choose the appropriate filming format.
• The Algerian project “Mascarades” by Lyes Salem will have its screenplay read by professional actors (to be decided upon with the director) at the next Amiens Film Festival (from 10th-19th November 2006).).
• The Tunisian film “L’Autre moitié du ciel” by Khaltoum Bornaz will receive:
  • Kinescoping (digital to 35 mm film transfer) provided by Swiss Effects and Kodak Suisse.
  • €15,000 in services provided by the Mactari mixing auditorium in Paris.
  • French subtitling provided by Titra Film.
• The Algerian film “Ne restent dans l’Oued que ses galets” by Jean-Pierre Lledo will receive:
  • Kinescoping (digital to 35 mm film transfer) provided by Mikros Images, backed by €15,000 from the CNC (Centre National de la Cinématographie). These two awards are complementary due to the exceptional length of the film.
  • A 35 mm copy offered jointly by the Amiens and Fribourg Festivals, again due to the exceptional length of the film.
  • A post-production service provided by the CCM (Centre Cinématographique Marocain), to be established jointly by the director and CCM representatives.

FILMS IN PROGRESS 10

Sponsored by the Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival and Rencontres Cinémas d’Amérique Latine in Toulouse, Films in Progress is geared toward Latin American and Spanish feature length films in the post-production stage.

184 participants, 124 entities, 18 countries.

Programme

• A Vía Lactea, Lina Chamie (Brazil)
• A casa de Alice, Chico Teixeira (Brazil)
• El cielo elegido, V íctor González (Argentina)
• Fiestapatria, Luis R. Vera (Chile / Perú)
• Párpados azules, Ernesto Contreras (México)
• Una novia errante, Ana Katz (Argentina)

Awards

• Industry Award to Films in Progress: EXA, Molinare, Technicolor, No Problem Sonido, Kodak, Titra Film and Mediapro will complete post-production Una novia errante by Ana Katz (Argentina)
• Casa de América Award for Aid to the Post-production of Latin American Films, carrying a cash prize of €9,000 euros gross, was awarded to A Vía Lactea by Lina Chamie (Brazil)
• CICAE Award of the International Confederation of Art Cinemas went to A casa de Alice by Chico Teixeira (Brazil)
• TVE Award for the acquisition of broadcasting rights for Spain and Andorra went to Fiestapatria by Luis Vera Vargas (Chile-Peru) and A casa de Alice by Chico Teixeira (Brazil).

CINEMA AND REGIONS IN EUROPE DAY

• 2nd Trans-Pyrenean Co-production Forum, organised by IBAIA (the Basque Independent Audiovisual Production Company Association) in coordination with the Sales Office. Presentation of six projects and six fiction/animation projects. The event was rounded off with a meeting of the minds between the people responsible for audiovisual matters in the regions comprising the Working Community of the Pyrenees (Aquitaine, Andorra, Aragón, Catalonia Euskadi, Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi Pyrénées and Navarre). 74 participants, 54 entities.
• Discover “Bentornato Signor Gai”, an unknown screenplay, conceived, written and dialogued in the 30s by Federico Fellini.
• Meeting with Jan Vandierendonck, Executive Secretary of Eurimages.
• Meeting with Luciana Castellina, European Personality of the Year.

• Informative meeting of the Media Programme for European distributors.
• Informative meeting about the aid programme offered by Euromed Cinémas.
• Work meeting with Europa Cinémas and Latin American distributors.
• AECI work meetings with African and Latin American professionals in the framework of Cinema in Motion 2.
• Work meetings of the Cinema do Brasil delegation.
• European Producers Club. Presentation of projects.
• Meeting of Audiovisuals S.G.R. (mutual guarantee society) and ARIBSAN (Latin American ISAN register agency).
• Les Rencontres. Meeting of the Association of European Cities and Regions for Culture.
• Meeting of the Spain Film Commission.
• Spanish–French co-production lunch organised by the Commission du Films de l’Ile de France and the Madrid Film Commission.
• Independent distribution and censorship in the United States. Panel: Philippe Diaz (Cinema Libre), Shari Frilot (Sundance Film Festival), Peter Scarlet (Tribeca Film Festival), Edouard Waintrop (Libération), Javier Angulo (Cinemania) and Massimo Saidel (Latido Films).
• 4th International meeting of Film Schools:
  • “Speed Meetings” sponsored by the First Team foundation.
  • Debate “Film and acting students: separated by a camera?”

• European Films Crossing Borders and Mediterranean Films Crossing Borders. Intensive training programme specialising on international audiovisual distribution and promotion.
• Annual meeting of the Raíces programme.
• Meeting of the European Film Agency Directors (EFAD) of the 25 European Union member countries.

• Press conference with the FAPAE
• Day of Andalusian Audiovisuals
• “Films in Progress, from 1 to 10”, followed by the screening of “Historias mínimas” at the FNAC Forum.
• Presentation of the Filmad and Animadrid organising committee.
• Presentation of the association DreamAgo
• Presentation of the International Sahara Film Festival.
• Presentation of the company Ubik Visual Effects
• Sales Office and Cinema do Brasil welcome cocktail.
• Films in Progress 10.
• 5th International Film School Meeting welcome cocktail.

• Anica
• Cinema do Brasil
• Egeda
• Jaman
• Madrid Film Commission
• Media
• Films in Progress 10
• 5th International Film School Meeting

SPONSORS:

PROFESSIONAL AGENDA AT THE FESTIVAL

SPONSORS:

• Europe, Cinema and Regions
  
  
• Luciana Castellina, European Personality of the Year Award
  Thursday, 28th September 2006

Numerous activities will underline the peculiar European aspect of the 54th San Sebastian International Film Festival, while stressing its condition of privileged meeting place for moviemakers and professionals from different continents.

In collaboration with the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, the Festival will continue to highlight the important part played in film projects born in Europe by non-state public institutions and entities.


The European rendezvous planned for this year’s Festival include:

• On Saturday 23rd, the Executive Agency of the Media Programme will hold an information meeting for independent European distributors.
• On Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th, the European and Mediterranean Films Crossing Borders workshops will give their training sessions.
• On Sunday 24th, the European Producers’ Club will organise work sessions.
• On Monday 25th, the European Film Agencies Directors (EFAD) will hold a general meeting for participants from the 25 countries in the European Union.
• On Tuesday 26th, a Meeting between regional heads of culture from the continent will examine regional public support of independent European cinema.
• Also on Tuesday 26th, the Commission du Film d’Ile-de-France and the Madrid Film Commission will hold their traditional French-Spanish co-production lunch.

On Thursday, 28th September, Europe Day, the Sales Office will propose an activity programme closing with presentation of the European Personality of the Year Award to Luciana Castellina.

Ex-Eurodeputy for the Italian Radical Party and ex-Chairwoman of the Commission for Culture and Media of the European Parliament, Luciana Castellina will be the personality acclaimed by the Festival this year for her demanding, untiring work in favour of the development of European cinema while respecting its diversity as a source of creative wealth.

The San Sebastian International Film Festival reserves this yearly award for a personality standing out for having given a decisive boost to European cinema from different areas not always known to the public.

The first of these awards went in 2004 to European Commissioner Viviane Reding and the second was shared in 2005 by Claude Miller and Claude-Eric Poiroux, President and Director General of Europa Cinémas.

The programme for Thursday 28th will include the following rendezvous:

• II Trans-Pyrenean Coproduction Forum. Presentation of documentary and feature projects. This event will be rounded off with the joint reflection of those responsible for audiovisual matters in the regions comprising the Working Community of the Pyrenees (CTP).
• Discover “Bentornato Signor Gai”, a screenplay conceived, written and dialogued in the 30s by the great Federico Fellini. Daniele Nerenzi will reveal the content (based on action, comedy and tragedy) of this unknown screenplay that hasn’t aged despite it’s advancing years.
• Meeting with Jan Vandierendonck, Executive Secretary of Eurimages.
• Meeting with Luciana Castellina, European Personality of the Year.

PROGRAMME

Thursday 28th September
Kursaal Centre – Sales Office (main room)

For further information: www.sansebastianfestival.com
Contact: salesoffice@sansebastianfestival.com

Luciana Castellina,
European Personality of the Year Award
Thursday, 28th September 2006

Born in Rome on 9th August 1929, she is a Law graduate and journalist, Deputy in the Italian and European Parliaments (1976-1999). At the European Parliament she was Chairwoman of the European Commission on Culture and Media, of the External Economic Relations Committee and Vice-President of the Delegation to South America. She was the President of Italia Cinema, the agency for the international promotion of Italian cinema, from 1998 until 2002.

She is currently President of the Viareggio European Film Festival, Honorary President of “cineuropa.org”, an online publication in four languages on European cinema, coordinator of the Scientific Committee of the Istituto Luce-Città della scienza Documentary School (Naples), member of the Board of Directors of the Vittorio Gassman Foundation and of other cultural foundations, and member of the UCCA (Unione Circoli del Cinema dell’Arci) presidency. She is resident lecturer at the University of Pisa Faculty of Philosophy and Arts, Department of Communication Sciences.