The British Film Institute (BFI) is launching a quarterly initiative to bring UK producers and industry representatives together with potential international partners.
Talent from a particular country or region will be invited to screen films in the UK and participate in meetings, case studies and seminars about funding and coproduction opportunities. There will also be some public screenings.
The first event will be with Flanders and Belgian showcase Connext, and will take place in spring 2023 in London.
“It’s about developing a greater understanding of how to do business internationally while also understanding who the talent is and exploring each other’s culture through film,” said Neil Peplow, the BFI’s director of industry and international affairs.
“We are hoping for it to encourage collaboration and a greater understanding of what the possibilities are [for UK producers to work with international partners].”
The idea was hatched after a meeting between the BFI and Flemish promotional agency Flanders Image, originally in 2019. Covid has delayed its launch.
The events will be funded on a shared basis between the BFI and the partner country.
’Connext on tour’
Flanders Image has tagged the event “Connext on Tour”. The Connext event in London is being launched in a period when Belgian-directed films ranging from Lukas Dhont’s Close to Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah’s Rebel and Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch’s The Eight Mountains have been creating big waves at international festivals.
Alongside a screening of a key Belgian movie, in the presence of the filmmaker, the spring event will include meetings between the two countries’ funds – the BFI Global Screen Fund, Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF) and Screen Flanders, possibly joined by the Federal Tax Shelter - and meetings between UK and Flemish producers. The exact scope of the event is yet to be decided but it is expected that distributors, streamers and broadcasters will also participate.
“We feel very honoured to be the first region to be invited by the BFI. It allows us to test Connext On Tour to supplement Connext On-site and Connext Online,” said Flanders Images’ Christian de Schutter, who created Connext
Connext On Tour will develop into a series of thematic showcases that might be dedicated entirely to documentaries, animation or, as in London, with a focus on strengthening relationships with the industry in a certain country or region. It could be staged either as part of an existing festival or as a stand-alone event. The aim is for one On Tour event per year, always in the spring.
Koen Van Bockstal, the new CEO of the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF), has welcomed the new event and the hook-up with the UK.
“For me, personally, I think it is very regrettable that the UK, through the whole Brexit story, has been a little bit alienated from the whole creative community. We have been trying to find other ways we could still get that connection,” Van Bockstal said of bringing Flanders and the UK together. “Since we are a small territory, we know that international collaboration will always be very important for us. Whenever there is an opportunity like that [with the BFI], we just look at it and say if it makes sense for us, let’s go for it!”
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