By Davide Abbatescianni We caught up with Pascal Trächslin, CEO of Basel-based production and distribution outfit Cineworx. Our conversation revolved around the company’s line-up and strategies, the support measures implemented to fight the ongoing healthcare crisis and the distribution of European arthouse films in Switzerland. How would you describe your company’s line-up and…
european films
Interview with Holger Recktenwald, CEO of mindjazz pictures, Germany
By Jesús Silva Holger Recktenwald, CEO of Cologne-based outfit mindjazz pictures, discusses the particularities of releasing independent arthouse documentaries in Germany. One of the main challenges when working with such a specific line-up is to reach the potential audience for these titles, making it crucial to build relationships with different players and organisations. When…
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 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 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 Albert Yao, Head of Acquisitions of Swallow Wings, Taiwan
By Frances Harvey In Taiwan, cinemas have remained open throughout the COVID-19 crisis, but it has meant distributors have had to change their strategies and target different audiences. We spoke to Albert Yao, Head of Acquisitions at Swallow Wings. What type of films do you acquire at Swallow Wings? Swallow Wings has been…
Interview with Luís Froes, General Manager of Outsider Films, Portugal
By Jesús Silva Luís Froes, General Manager of Outsider Films, talks about the situation of the Portuguese distribution market after the pandemic and their strategy for upcoming releases. Can you tell us about your line-up and editorial policy? We focus on commercial quality movies, feel-good titles and animation films for children and adults.…
Interview with Jakob Kijas, General Manager of Eksystent Distribution, Germany
By Jesús Silva We talked to Jakob Kijas, General Manager of German distributor Eksystent Distribution, about the main challenges independent distributors have to face in Germany, as well as the effects of the global health crisis on the market. How did you start working in film distribution? What’s your company’s editorial policy? We launched…
Let’s Talk Animation: Europa Distribution at Cartoon Movie 2020
by Isabella Weber Over the past few years several independent distributors started to invest more in animation films for family and kids, in order to vary their line-up and grow their audience. Until five-six years ago the big studios specialised in animation were releasing fewer films per year, following a regular calendar and…
