300 up-and-coming producers attended the fifth go-round of the popular Producers Workshop program at the 2015 Marché du Film (May 13-22 2015) in Cannes.
The four-day get-together drew top industry executives to lead a range of seminars, designed to educate new producers on the ins-and-outs of the global film industry.
An initiative of the Marché du Film, the program was sold out long in advance of the market this year. The Workshop ran from May 13-15, with two additional sessions on May 17 and 19.
“We have seen unprecedented demand for the Producers Workshop this year, said Jerome Paillard, Executive Director of the Marché du Film. “If you think back to how we all got our start in the industry, I am sure that each one of you can count on someone that helped you make your way. Mentoring is a vital part of any business.”
This year’s workshops included: B2B Marketing Tools & Strategies with EAVE expert Sarah Calderon; Mining Europe for Co-productions with EAVE expert Linda Beath; Branding Yourself and Your Projects with EAVE’s Roshanak Behesht Nedjad; What Kind of a Producer Are You? with Diana Elbaum and Katriel Schory; How to Navigate the International Market and Festival Circuit with Tobias Pausinger and Jacobine Van Der Vloed. The program opened and closed with sessions led by Lucius Barre.
There were also several new components added for 2015.
Among these were the Marche’s first Co-Pro Markets Catch-Up session which introduced key coproduction markets to Workshop attendees. It welcomed a number of initiatives from all over the world including Rotterdam’s Cinemart, the Berlinale Co-Production Market, No Borders (IFP), San Sebastian’s Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum, and many more… 2
The model of speed dating was used to allow markets to meet small groups of new producers in 20-minute sessions.
“From all of the programs we offer each year, there is a particular satisfaction derived from seeing newcomers to the business get a helping-hand up with veteran players,” said Julie Bergeron, Head of Industry Programs. “The beauty of this program is that our 300 eager filmmakers are given a protected hub within the market and the tools, we hope, to allow them to start connecting with the industry right here on the French Riviera.”
Participants each year are offered a guided tour of the market, which is home to 12,000 badge holders in Cannes. More than a tour of the Marché, these initiatives allow participants to see the Marché through the eyes of experienced professionals: Sydney Levine, Rob Aft and Peter Wetherell. For the first time this year, participants were offered a Cinando Focus; an introduction to Cinando, the world’s leading industry database which is backed by the Marché.