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…
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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,…
Interview with Paul Wiegard and Vera Herchenbach, CEO and Acquisitions Executive of Madman Entertainment, Australia/New Zealand
By Jesús Silva and Isabella Weber We talked to Paul Wiegard and Vera Herchenbach, CEO and Acquisitions Executive of Madman Entertainment, about the particularities of distributing European and foreign-language films in Australia and New Zealand. Due to the huge volume of films being released every year, it is crucial for independent distributors in these…
Interview with Hrönn Sveinsdóttir, Managing Director of Bíó Paradís, Iceland
By Jesús Silva After facing permanent closure due to the high costs of maintenance necessary for the running of its operations, Iceland’s only arthouse cinema Bíó Paradís announced it would reopen again this September following a successful agreement with public officials. We spoke to Hrönn Sveinsdóttir, Managing Director of the cinema and its distribution…
Interview with Laurent Dutoit, CEO of Agora Films, Switzerland
By Jesús Silva We caught up with Laurent Dutoit, CEO of Agora Films, to discuss the main challenges of the Swiss market for independent film distribution, such as the multilingual nature of the territory and the fundamental collaboration with the neighbouring countries. Switzerland decided to open cinemas on June 8, after three months of…
