On Monday 22 June, the Commission’s Creative Europe MEDIA Programme organised a Digital European Film Forum at the 2020 online edition of the Marché du Film. Entitled ‘Shaping the future of the European audiovisual ecosystem: What is the role of the European Union?’, the public conference discussed the current situation of the audiovisual industry and how to face post COVID-19 challenges, with speakers including Thierry Breton (EU Commissioner for the Internal Market) and MEP Sabine Verheyen (Chair of the Parliament’s Committee on Culture & Education), who both highlighted the need to support the film sector. You can re-watch the session here!
On 23 June, we were delighted to participate in The European Audiovisual Observatory’s (EAO) conference, including the premiere of a documentary short produced by the EAO on the effects of COVID-19 on the audiovisual industry in Europe. Our CEO, Laura Houlgatte, then took part in a panel conversation involving industry players from the AV sector, representing UNIC alongside the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), EUROVOD, the Society of Audiovisual Authors (SAA), the International Federation of Associations of Film Producers (FIAPF), the European Producers' Club (EPC), the Association of Commercial Televisions (ACT), the International Federation of Film Distributors' Associations (FIAD), and the European Film Agency Directors association (EFADs) – you can re-watch the full event here!
And, on 24 June, UNIC attended the online Europa Cinemas Network Meeting, which gathered exhibitors and film professionals from the wider industry ecosystem. The meeting was moderated by Michael Gubbins and included a series of presentations from Europa Cinemas and several of its members. It was also an opportunity for Europa Cinemas to present its biannual Network Review, presenting the Network results for 2019 as well as innovative initiatives taken by cinema operators during closure. The report is available online via this link.