With foot traffic yesterday noticeably down on previous days,the European Film Market is winding down after five days of business whichproved more productive for international buyers than the
But despite the traditional grumbles, festival chief Dieter Kosslick said that rebooking of the market has been nearly100% for next year's
Prolific European companies like Celluloid Dreams and WildBunch echoed Kosslick's optimism. 'We had a bettermarket than last year and that was very good for us,' said Celluloid'sCharlotte Mickie.
'The market is on the level of
'All the buyers are here,' said HanWay'sTim Haslam. 'But it's a market of four to five days.Next year, the festival needs to recognize that markets are always shorter thanfestivals and make it shorter.'
The festival selection has so far not sparked much marketexcitement, although The ElementaryParticles sold well for Celluloid Dreams after its world premiere, and The Road To Guantanamo was causing excitement.
US buyers were walking away empty-handed althoughAustralia's highly anticipated Candyhas still to screen and Bavaria Film International was capitalizing on goodbuzz for its Friday world premiere Requiem,with sales to Lucky Red in Italy and Ocean in France.
"It's too close to Sundance and that makes it verytough," Katapult's Thomas Mai said. I don't thinkI'd come here if I didn't have new product," added Hyde ParkInternational's Lisa Wilson.
GreeneStreet's Ariel Veneziano said the dearth of new product worked to hisadvantage since he could score some solid pre-sales on Pleasure Of Your Company.
And Lionsgate International's NickMeyer stressed that his company did have new films to sell. 'We are verypleased with the response our slate has received from the internationaldistributors,' he said.
Buyers and sellers expressed concern that buyers weren'tgetting into festival screenings, especially press screenings where press weregiven preference over industry.
Hottest market titles included
Meanwhile Kosslick said that hispriority for next year is to open up a blocked-off street that joins Potsdamer Platz to Martin-Gropius-Bau and open a third floor in the museum which wasnot used this year.
'I'm not growing the market, but I will let it grow,' hesaid. 'The market will grow whatever we do. Next year people are coming back,more people are coming, and it will be much bigger.'
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