Newly reelected European Producers Club’s President Martin Moszkowicz has outlined the new goals of the group, which gathers an increasing 48 members from 15 countries.
Founded in 1993 within the framework of the GATS negotiations, the European Producers Club (EPC) developed both the European Cinema Network (ECN), open to all film professionals since 2008, and the World Cinema Network (WCN), a new link between European and non-European film professionals from China, India, Brazil or Argentina.
According to EPC president Martin Moszkowicz from Constantin in Germany, “The next years will depend on the transition from analog to digital. We also closely follow the Bilateral Treaties the European Union is planning to sign with third countries, multiterritorial licensing and the renewal of the Cinema Communication. From time to time, members of EPC changed but we recently welcomed several big companies including France’s StudioCanal and Fidélité and Italy’s Rai Cinema, as well as small and middle-sized ones from countries as Lithuania and Croatia.”
Nine German, seven French and seven Spanish companies belong to EPC but only three British outfits are members — Zephyr Films, Future Films Group and Scala Productions. “We have never had a big number of members based in UK but they are very active,” Moszkowicz tells Screen. “Also, we have frequent discussions with Pact which is the only European producers association that has a big office in Brussels. That’s where we want our rights to be respected especially in protecting intellectual property. Actually most of EPC members comes from countries where there are strong subsidies systems.”
Self-defined as “a network, a thinktank and a lobbying group,” EPC regularly organises professional meetings and explores new markets via roundtable discussions, co-productions forums, panels and conferences at such festivals as Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, San Sebastian and Rome.
No comments yet