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MEDIA's magnificent seven compete for Palme d'Or
Thirteen films supported by the European Union's MEDIA programme for
cinema will be on the big screen at the 66th Cannes International Film Festival
(15-26 May), including seven films in competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or
(see Annex 1).
Among them is Le Passé by Asghar Farhadi, who was the winner of last
year's European Union Prix MEDIA for the best new film project.
Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture,
Multilingualism and Youth, will present the 2013 EU Prix MEDIA to Danish
director Thomas Vinterberg during the 'European Rendezvous' on Sunday 19 May
(See IP/13/419).
"I am delighted that European films selected for funding from the MEDIA
programme are once again in the spotlight at the Cannes Film Festival.
MEDIA stands for a strong European film industry and for cultural
diversity. It will continue to support our most talented film-makers as part of
the new Creative Europe programme.
Our films have a very strong record in competition at Cannes and I am
sure that this year will be no exception," said Androulla Vassiliou.
In addition to the seven films in competition as part of the Official
Selection, there are four MEDIA films in the Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des
réalisateurs), one in Un Certain Regard and one in The Critics' Week (La Semaine
de la Critique), which aims to discover new talents (see Annex 1).
Nine out of the past 12 Palme d'Or winners have received support from
the MEDIA programme, including Michael Haneke's Amour last year (see Annex 2).
Background
Since 1991, MEDIA (acronym for 'Mesures pour encourager le
développement de l´industrie audiovisuelle' – Measures to encourage the
development of the audiovisual industry) has invested € 1.6 billion in film
development, distribution, training and innovation with the aim of increasing
the diversity and international competitiveness of the European film and
audiovisual industry.
Under the MEDIA programme 2007-2013, € 755 million is being invested in
European film-making.
Around half of the budget is allocated to distributors who show films
made outside their home country, 20% is for the development of new film
projects, and the remainder supports marketing and training.
Production companies selected for funding from MEDIA receive a subsidy
of € 50 000 on average.
European Rendezvous in Cannes
The annual European Rendezvous at Cannes will take place on 19-20 May.
The Rendezvous is the main focus of events linked to the MEDIA
programme and an opportunity for Commissioner Vassiliou to meet film
professionals and policy-makers.
The Commissioner will address a seminar on strengthening the cultural
exception, hosted by the French national film institute (CNC, centre national du
cinéma et de l'image animée) at 10am on 20 May, followed by a European
Commission roundtable on cinema and other forms of art (10:30-noon).
Creative Europe – the future of the MEDIA programme
2014 marks the start of a new era for MEDIA as part of the 'Creative
Europe' programme.
The new programme will continue to provide grants to support film
development, training and distribution, as well as launching a new loan
guarantee fund aimed at making it easier for the cultural and creative sectors
to access finance.
Creative Europe is expected to have an overall budget of around € 1.3
billion in 2014-2020, an increase of nearly 9% compared with the existing MEDIA
and Culture programmes.