European Film Promotioninitiative Film Sales Support is entering its second year with increasedfunding and additional festivals.

After a successful trialphase in 2004, the MEDIA Plus Programme increased the scheme's budget to Euros400,000 in 2005, giving the initiative extra clout to allow more salesrepresentatives to promote their films outside of Europe.

Two North American eventshave been added to FSS, the Toronto International Film Festival (8-17September) and the Sundance Film Festival (20-30 January) as well as theFestival Internacional de Cine de Mar del Plata (10-20 March) and the ShanghaiInternational Film Festival (11 -19 June).

In Sundance, FSS is backingthe promotion of 13 films, several of them in Competition, such as SeanMcAllister's Liberace of Baghdad (TV2, Denmark), Pirjo Honkasalo's The3 Rooms of Melancholia (Deckert Distribution, Germany), Michale Boganim's Odessa'Odessa(Moby Dick Films, France), Arild Ostin Ommundsen's Monsterthursday (MuzFilm, Norway), Jorge Gaggero's Cama Adentro (Filmanova, Spain), MarenAde's The Forest For The Trees (Komplizen Film, Germany), MalgorzataSzumowska's Stranger (Bavaria Film International, Germany), JoaquinOristrell's Unconscious (Latido, Spain) and Zeze Gamboa's The Hero(F for Film, France).

In Sundance's Premieressection, Film Sales Support funding includes Hans W. Geissendörfer's Snowland(Bavaria Film International) and Thomas Vinterberg's Dear Wendy (TrustFilm Sales, Denmark). Also, Luc Jacquet's The Emperor's Journey (WildBunch, France) and Sandig/Black's Frozen Angels (First Hand Films,Germany) were amongst those supported.

FSS grants cover 50% of allpromotional costs undertaken by the sales agent. The maximum support per filmper festival is Euros 5,000.

Last year, FSS helped 23different European sales agents and producers to promote 36 films from all overEurope. Beneficiaries of the scheme, amongst others, were Latido from Spain,Media Luna and Bavaria Film International from Germany, Arsam International andFunny Balloons from France.

FSS' running costs arebacked by the German State Minister for Culture and the Media and by EFP'smember organisations, the British Council and Film Fund Luxembourg and the UKFilm Council.