Interview with Tobias Lehmann, Managing Director of Alamode Film, Germany

By Jesús Silva   Tobias Lehmann, Managing Director of Alamode Film, discusses the role of independent distributors, the particularities of releasing arthouse films in Germany and the effects of the COVID pandemic on their business. Once a paradise for home entertainment, the German market is becoming more competitive while increasingly relying on theatrical revenues. Distributors…

Interview with Stefan Bradea, Co-founder and International Acquisitions Manager of Bad Unicorn, Romania

By Joachim Soudan   We talked to Stefan Bradea of Bad Unicorn about the particularities of distributing Independent films in Romania and the impact of the Covid on the market. The small number of dedicated arthouse cinemas makes it necessary for independent films to compete with commercial films and seduce the multiplexes audience. As for…

Interview with Marek Bień, Gutek Film, Poland

By Joachim Soudan   Marek Bień, describes for us the situation of the Polish market for independent film distribution, which has seen a very impressive growth the past ten years. After the lockdown, the market showed its strength by getting back on his feet: but Poland now faces the second wave of the pandemic, and…

Interview with Alaa Karkouti, CEO and Co-founder of MAD Solutions, Egypt

By Joachim Soudan   We talked with Alaa Karkouti, CEO and Co-founder of MAD Solutions and Co-founder of the Arab Cinema Center (ACC), and he told us about some aspects of the Egyptian market and the Arab world: the necessity to join forces in a landscape with no support from the states, the need of…

Interview with Hans König, Head of Distribution of Polyfilm, Austria

By Jesús Silva   We spoke to Hans König, Head of Distribution at Polyfilm, who shared with us some of the main traits of the Austrian market for independent film distribution, such as the strong connection with Germany and the necessity to rely almost exclusively on theatrical distribution. In order to tackle the effects of…

Interview with Régine Vial, Head of Distribution at Les Films du Losange, France

By Jesús Silva   We caught up with Régine Vial, Head of Distribution at French outfit Les Films du Losange, to discuss the history of the company and the situation of the market in times of pandemic. Despite the enormous effort made by French independent distributors, who managed to keep a constant stream of releases…

Interview with Michael Stejskal, Managing Director of FilmLaden, Austria

By Frances Harvey   We spoke to FilmLaden’s Managing Director, Michael Stejskal, about the complexities of the Austrian market. Whilst the cinemas have re-opened after lockdown, there is still a threat of a second wave and an uncertain future.   Could you describe FilmLaden’s editorial policy?  Our last year’s programme is a good example: We…

Interview with Antonio Medici, CEO of Bim Distribuzione, Italy

By Jesús Silva   Antonio Medici, CEO of Bim Distribuzione, talks about the situation of independent film distribution in Italy, where the global health crisis has accelerated some trends that were already visible in the market, such as the reduction in cinema attendance. Despite cinemas reopening back in June, and with a network of open-air…

Interview with Antoine Zeind, Founder and CEO of A-Z Films, Canada

By Jesús Silva   We chatted with Antoine Zeind, founder and CEO of Montreal-based A-Z Films, to discuss the challenges of releasing European and foreign-language films in Canada. In a market particularly dominated by Hollywood productions, independent distributors struggle to find enough screens for their titles. In the meantime, the effect of the COVID pandemic…

Interview with Ioanna Panagiotidou, Head of distribution of Rosebud.21, Greece

By Jesús Silva   We caught up with Ioanna Panagiotidou, Head of distribution at Greek outfit Rosebud.21, to discuss the particularities of the Hellenic market for independent film distribution and the impact of the COVID pandemic in the territory. With the start of the summer season, open-air cinemas reopened in Greece with promising results. However,…