Crisis or no crisis turnout was steady at this year s Cannes film market, but wary buyers stuck mostly to big-name projects, organizers of the industry s biggest deal-making forum said Saturday.
Attendance at the market, held on May 13-22 on the sidelines of the Riviera festival, was down just 4 percent compared to 2008 with some 10,000 accredited producers, distributors and sales firms.
Some belt-tightening was on display with participants sending smaller teams for shorter stays, and some distributors – Russians in particular – hoping to negotiate discounts on existing film deals.
But the market s director Jerome Paillard told AFP overall business had been brisk despite the slowdown.
There were some very big advance sales, so long as the films were important ones, with well-known casts and directors and marketed by reliable companies, Paillard said.
This market stood out for its quality, and its selectiveness, he said. Today distributors need to know that, when they sign a contract, the film will be delivered at the agreed date.
Many buyers tended to focus on a small number of films with a bankable cast, and preferred to acquire completed works rather than projects still at screenplay stage, several observers said.
Samuel Hadida, joint manager of the distribution and production firm Metropolitan Filmexport, said he believed the market was ripe for a shakedown.
Perhaps there were too many films on the market these last few years – because speculators were investing heavily in films. The market is certain to self-regulate.
The crisis is there, but distributors will always be in need of films. -AFP
