By Jesús Silva We talked to our member Eduardo Escudero, one of the founders of Spanish distributor A Contracorriente Films, about their catalogue, the situation of the Spanish market and the future of the sector after the pandemic. What is your editorial policy? The name A Contracorriente Films (“against the current”) has always been…
Interviews from Distributors
Interview with Tom Abell, founder of UK distributor Peccadillo Picture
by Frances Harvey We talked to our member Tom Abell, founder of UK distributor Peccadillo Pictures, about the UK distribution landscape, the company’s upcoming titles, and past successes. How did you start in film distribution? I was originally a videotape editor back in the 80s. I did a lot of work for studios on…
Focus on Film Distribution in Israel. Interview with Daniel Melamed
by Isabella Weber We caught up with our member Daniel Melamed, CEO and partner of the distribution company New Cinema to discuss about the state of independent film distribution in Israel. How does one end up being a distributor? What are the films that conquer the hearths of the Israeli audience and where are…
Mad Solutions to promote arthouse cinema in the Arab world. Interview with Alaa Karkouti
by Isabella Weber Venturing beyond European borders, Europa Distribution is expanding its focus on local independent film distribution to take you, thanks to the help of our member MAD Solutions, on a journey to the Arab countries. MAD: One company, five branches, one hundred projects MAD Solutions was founded in 2010 as a distribution…
Focus on Iceland: Bíó Paradís and the challenges of releasing independent cinema
by Birgit Heidsiek The “Seven Year Itch” turns out well for the Bíó Paradís, a cinema and distribution company in Iceland that is showing European arthouse films and U.S. independents. With “Moonlight”, the distributor released for the first time a movie that was also booked by other exhibitors in Reykjavík. “We are releasing the…
European Distribution : Focus on Portugal
by Ernesto Leotta In the fast changing, unpredictable audiovisual world of today, running a successful distribution company can be quite a challenge. When you live in Portugal – where one “big fish” controls the quasi-totality of the “little pond”, and has its “fins” in the exhibition field – it becomes an everyday struggle. However, little…
European Distribution: Focus on France
by Claire La Combe Is the French ecosystem broken? We’ve been hearing a lot of worried professionals about the state of the French films market lately…Concentration of entries in major circuits, overexposure of certain films, faster rotation of films on screens, higher promotion costs, with some art-house films which don’t even reach exhibition. Cases of…
European Distribution : Focus on Czech Republic and Slovakia
by Isabella Weber Moving towards East, Europa Distribution’s enquire on the current state of indie film distribution continues; after Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain it is time for Czech Republic and Slovakia to unveil their distribution scenario. Two Countries, One Market? Up until 1992, Czech Republic and Slovakia were united in…
European Distribution: Focus on the Netherlands
by Claire La Combe Whenever the film market of the Netherlands is mentioned, it is very often associated with its neighbour Belgium, as part of the “2nd rank markets” – those who fully participate in the general trend of the EU film Market, without being a dramatic player. Indeed, in terms of trends, it gently…
FNE Distributor of the Month: Robert Berberih, Continental Film, Croatia
FNE together with Europa Distribution is launching a new chapter of the Distributor of the Month section. This time we focus on new strategies in film distribution and the importance of domestic film festivals in releasing new titles. We will also be looking at what distributors can do in order to prevent piracy. This month…