13th Europa Cinemas Conference - Paris
European Cinemas Adapt to the All-Digital Era

Christine Albanel, Minister of Culture and Communication, welcomed to Paris, on behalf of the French presidency of the European Union, more than 500 European professionals who had taken up Europa Cinemas' invitation to attend its 13th Annual Conference. Exhibitors, distributors, research groups, experts and equipment suppliers from 40 countries came together over 3 days to discuss the future for film theatres at a time when the transition to digital projection is taking place and competition is arising from other methods of film distribution, in the era of multiple platforms and the Internet.
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PRESS REVIEW
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REPORT OF THE DEBATES
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PRESS RELEASE:

European Cinemas Adapt to the All-Digital Era
Pdf - Doc
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WORKSHOPS AND PRESENTATIONS
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PROGRAMME: 

English - French
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PICTURES TO DOWNLOAD (From Top, ©Antoine Legond):

- Peter Dinges, Véronique Cayla, Claude Miller, Christophe Forax, Claude-Eric Poiroux
- Gilles Lipovetsky, Claude-Eric Poiroux
- Laurent Creton
- Europa Cinemas Awards Ceremony: Claude-Eric Poiroux, Eoin Hayes
(access CINEMA), Neil Connolly (Light House Cinema), Jeanne Moreau, Maretta Dillon (Light House Cinema), Martin Soukup (mairie de Hradec Kralové), Leos Kucera (Kino Central), Radu Mihaileanu, Annette Bleichenbacher & This Brunner (Arthouse Cinemas), Claude Miller
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NEWSLETTER
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A number of representatives of European towns, cities and regions expressed their intention of supporting cinemas that are currently taking the risk and equipping themselves with digital technology, with a view to guaranteeing the diversity of the offering, both in terms of films and venues.

All the participants agreed that the funds used to finance the transition will initially come from exhibitors from cinemas themselves, specifically in the form of the contribution made by distributors to cinemas' investments on the basis of the VPF (Virtual Print Fee). A number of distributors who were present provided examples of film releases in the two different formats and declared that they were willing to get involved and work side by side with cinemas within the framework of independent groupings.

However, this system has its limits: numerous cinemas, in particular those with just one screen, do not have sufficient resources to finance this substantial investment on their own.

Various draft economic models were therefore presented that combine private investment with public cofinancing, as is the case in Germany, Norway and Poland.

It therefore seems that numerous financing models, whether public or private, are being developed in many different countries. However, the European dimension has not been overlooked. The Commission has proposed that organisations such as the EIB (European Investment Bank) could offer supplementary mechanisms to finance the transition to digital of those European cinemas that do not generate sufficient revenues to access the VPF.

Today, digital projection is proving all the more attractive to exhibitors as they are already having to adapt the activities they offer and their marketing to new information and communication technologies, primarily the Internet. At the Conference experiences of all kinds were shared, an indication of the creativity shown by the network's exhibitors when it comes to making their cinemas places of sharing and discovery, places that are attractive to young audiences, who are major users of small-screen devices and the Internet.

The strength of this network lies in its cohesion in the service of European cinema. This dimension was underlined by Claude Miller, who congratulated exhibitors on their commitment in working alongside producers and directors, the main beneficiaries of their endeavours to develop loyalty amongst a wide audience.

The Conference concluded by considering the prospects of opening up the network on an international level, in particular in Asia and Latin America, within the framework of the future MEDIA MUNDUS programme of the European Union.
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