Closer co-operation between Germany and France in the fields of film financing, production and distribution will be on the agenda of the first German-French Film Rendezvous to be held in France's Lyons from November 3-4.

Among key players from the two countries set to speak in a series of roundtable discussions are: the directors Jean-Jacques Beineix and Jan Schuette; producers Eberhard Junkersdorf (Neue Bioskop Film); Margaret Menegoz (Les Films du Losange); Peter Herrmann (MTM Medien & Television Muenchen; Philippe Carcassonne (Cine B); distributors Vincent de la Tour (20th Century Fox) and Stephan Hutter (Prokino); sales agent Michael Weber (Bavaria Film International); German Federal Film Board's Rolf Baehr and the CNC's David Kessler.

This first Rendezvous has been organised by Unifrance, although the general administration of the gathering will be handled by an association specially founded for the purpose. Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's advisor for German-French relations Brigitte Sauzay is president, and Margaret Menegoz and director-producer Peter Sehr are serving as vice-presidents.

The Rendezvous in the third initiative of the German-French Film Academy which was founded by Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac in June 2000. The Academy was also instrumental behind the revival of the German-French co-production treaty and the launching of the German-French Master Class.