The shift in the MIFED dates is having repercussions for many other events in the international film calendar.

Spanish sellers, for example, fear that with Mifed and AFM now as separate and competing events they are expected to pitch their sales tents at no less than five locations in nine weeks: MIPCOM, MIFED, AFM 2, the Spain-Miami Sales Expo and the Lanzarote Screenings.

And that is not including either Toronto or San Sebastian. They report that Lanzarote may now feel obliged to move from November to December and the Sales Expo to another date.

And, just to make things that much more interesting, the International Film Festival of Milan (MIFF) has also moved its own dates to March 10-20. The switch, from November, means that MIFF has separated itself entirely from previous complementary relations with Mifed

"Now that AFM is moving to November, MIFF's early spring setting is ideal for independent filmmakers to premiere their films internationally, right after such US venues as Sundance, the Golden Globes and the Oscars," suggests Andrea Galante, the director of MIFF.

He also likes the warmer March weather for an event that takes place in the Brera neighbourhood and features a line-up heavily dominated by American cinema. Who knows, muses Galante, Mifed might even want to join him in that Spring slot.