The UK’s Independent Cinema Office has been running the Developing Your Film Festival training course since 2010. It is the world’s only professional development course for people working at film festivals.  The course has so far trained over 200 people from more than 50 different countries worldwide, and takes place in a different location each year. The course is delivered by experts from leading festivals from around the world. One of them is Juul Veenboer, a Head of IT Department at International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Juul has experience in working with festival locations, technique, events, volunteers, and logistics. She is also involved with ticketing, database implementation and the technical development of the website.

You have started your career as an intern in the International Film Festival Rotterdam. What has entangled your interest in working at a film festival?

Well, I always went to this film festival and I really liked it. Actually, the first time I visited the festival was with my parents. Later, during my study years, I thought it would be a really cool place to work in and I did the internship, not really knowing what to expect. I really enjoyed it and consequently, I stayed here… for a long time.

You have worked in various departments within the festival. Currently, you are Head of IT Department. What are the strengths of changing work positions in the festival?

It especially has been really helpful for a job I have now. I kind of oversee all the digital work process we have. Thus, it is very handy that I have worked in many departments so I have inside knowledge and information about work process there. I think it helps you understand other departments better if you know them, been working for them. I have colleagues who are in the same place for a long time, who specialize in their subject. For me, I really enjoy seeing that much of the festival. However, I wouldn’t say that other people should definitely do that. For instance, to build a career for a festival programmer it takes a lot of years and involvement, changing departments for them wouldn’t work.

You are Head of IT Department in IFFR. The festival states that it decided to pay more attention to IT and innovation. Why are these two traits important for a film festival?

IT can make your life easier, for starters. The best communication you have is throughout your website. So it has to work and look nice. Basically, it should always develop. Our festival has a big programme it can overwhelm a person and it becomes difficult to know where to start from. For this reason, we have developed an online first aid kit with questions that help a person to navigate through the website. We have also developed a mobile application, which focuses on a persons’ visit during the festival. Basically, the website gives you all the information and the app – the information you need when you visit the actual festival. We want to keep up with all the developments, so our focus is to be technically ready to switch when needed. If there is a new possibility to adapt, we want to implement it in the festival. It is important to keep up.

I guess it is not only important to make it easier for the audience to navigate, but your colleagues too?

Yeah! We really take a close look at all the digital processes and we seek for what we can improve. Two different Excel sheets means mistakes and sometimes we bump into colleagues who have 13 Excel sheets. We don’t want to digitalize everything because some work just needs to be done by hand. But there are things that can be done in a different way to make your life easier. We look at ways to make it and I want to see if we can get rid of those Excels in the offices.

You mentioned that while developing your website you would like it to be handy for the audience. How are you learning what your audience needs?

We know our audience fairly good, we give them suggestions based on their previous activities and by doing research. We are still learning a lot about how to segment our target groups and what to offer them. We try to make it more and more personal. For example, if a person goes to 13 Japanese films if we have something in the newsletter about Japanese films that is one of the first topics in that persons’ newsletter. We want to turn this way because then a person gets a newsletter that makes him happy and makes him feel more involved and engaged. We are not there yet, it is something that should evolve during coming years, but that’s the way we want to go. If we offer you good service, you will comeback more often.

When you worked as a Head of Production for IFFR, you have managed a lot of people at once. What were your tactics to maintain a relationship and quality communication with the people you coordinate?

It is difficult. What I try to do is to keep the core team that is involved in all the producers really close. We have meetings every morning every day, during the festival. Of course, before the festival, you have more time, and then it is important to make sure that there is room for fun. As everybody knows, film festivals are hard work so I always try to make sure that everybody is connected and has a nice time. Still, with such a big crowd, it is complicated, especially two weeks before the festival when it gets really hectic. This is the crucial moment when you start losing people and connections with them because everyone has too much on their plate. That’s the time you have to pay a really close attention to all the processes going on.

With volunteers, it is a little bit different. It is difficult when you are in the office year long, developing policies and agendas, how a director or a guest should be met. Those volunteers, people who actually need to do it are not part of that decision-making process. Moreover, I am not standing there behind them making sure that it is done the way we planned. It is very important and yet difficult to get all the processes that you developed during the year out from your head into theirs. Trying to make sure everybody gets the essentials we had made an animation film, showing how it should be done. This year we made a quiz, making sure that everybody reads the material we send, because everyone wants to score 10. It is a challenge we are learning from.

Several times you have mentioned that two weeks before the festival are the most hectic. I am sure that there are colleagues who are in those two weeks period at the moment. What would you say to them?

Good luck, it‘s too late! Two weeks before the festival are the most stressful weeks. I would only wish them good luck. The thinking process should be over then, you should only be thinking about doing the job you have thought of earlier. The only things I can say are keep up the good work and the hard work.

But I think, we, working in the film festivals, tend to look at our events year round. After the festival, you feel tired, but you have to look ahead, to 2020, 2021, to your next edition. You really have to focus on what are my goals, what do I want to achieve and what do I need to do now for the festival for coming years. Because of the hard work, festivals sometimes tend to not take enough time to think about their profile in the few years. If you want to still be active in few years then you have to look forward. I think because of limited budget and time that’s sometimes forgotten.

Meanwhile planning this year festival you should also foresee its future?

Yes. We are looking ahead and making plans because there will be important decisions in the future. We at IFFR want it to be more innovative and make more difference than we already make. Thus, if we want to achieve those goals we have to find space to think. And working in the festival, I know that this is a challenge to find that time and space, but that’s important.

*

The course is funded by Creative Europe and the British Council. This year the ICO is proud to be delivering the course in partnership with Vilnius International Film Festival from 20-25^th March. 

 

New Horizons Studio+, organized by the New Horizons Association and Creative Europe Desk Poland, is a training programme for first and second-time directors and producers willing to work in international environment. It consists of 4 days of workshops and lectures on different aspects of project promotion and development. Its main task is to provide young professionals with knowledge about the international film market, as well as to help them in determining their career paths.The partners of New Horizons Studio+ are EAVE and London Film Academy.

The 20 participants of the eighth edition will include 10 individuals from Poland (five director–producer pairs) selected from among applicants, as well as 10 individuals from abroad recommended by event partners.

DATES: 27 – 30 July, during 18. New Horizons International Film Festival (26 July -5 August 2018). 

Applications from Polish participants will be accepted from 27 March through 31 May 2018. Filmmakers from other countries interested in New Horizons Studio+ should contact: Weronika Czołnowska at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: May 31st, 2018

 

Creative Europe Media

15/03: Interim evaluation of EACEA – European Commission

The interim evaluation of the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency Citizens will be conducted between 15 March and 12 April. Citizens and stakeholders are in particular invited to provide views on the Commission's understanding of the problem and possible solutions and to share any relevant information that they may have.

15/03: A stronger MEDIA budget to support Europe’s values, creativity & cultural diversity throughout the Union and the world – EFADs Press Release

As the European Institutions reflect on the next Multi Financial-Framework (MFF) and the future of EU programmes, the European Film Agency Directors (EFADs) call on all EU policy makers to reinforce MEDIA and significantly increase its budget from just over 100M€ per year today to €150 million per year in the next MFF to reinforce successful schemes and develop new actions.

 

Geo – Blocking

23/03: Rules against unjustified Geo-blocking enter into force – European Commission

The new rules against unjustified geoblocking entered into force on 22 March 2018 and will be a reality for citizens as of 3 December 2018 – they will be able to find the best deals online when buying goods and services across the EU without being discriminated based on nationality and residence.

22/03: 10 Key Features of the Geo-Blocking Regulation – European Commission

For a better understanding of the Regulation to end unjustified geoblocking adopted on 28 February 2018, here are its 10 key features.

22/03: Geo-blocking – Questions and Answers – European Commission

The Geo-blocking regulation addresses the problem of customers not being able to buy goods and services from traders located in a different Member State for reasons related to their nationality, place of residence or place of establishment. This Q & A aims to give a better understanding of the Geo-blocking regulation.

European Institutions

12/03: MEPs threaten to postpone arrival of Commission budget amid Selmayr row – The Parliament Magazine

MEPs say that the case of Martin Selmayr, whose promotion to head the Commission’s civil service has sparked fury, shows that “promotion of  EU posts must go to the best not to the best connected.”

Digital Taxation

14/03: Moscovici unveils plans for tax crackdown on digital companies – The Parliament Magazine

European economic affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici has outlined upcoming plans for a tax crackdown on digital companies, admitting that the current system is not fit for purpose.

Event

27-28 March: Digitising European Industry Stakeholder Forum 201828 March: Informal meeting of education, youth, culture and sport ministers on culture (EYCS): Media Advisory 17, 18 & 19 April: EUIPO Working Group Meetings 24 April: European Parliament Vote - Copyright Directive 3 May: AAPA/EUIPO - Enforcement Database and Online Digital In

These grants were announced by the Czech Film Fund on 22 March 2018.

 

On March 27–29, film industry professionals from Lithuania and all of Europe will focus their attention on the international industry conference Meeting Point – Vilnius. Lectures, Coming Soon sessions, and private film screenings are just some of the events planned for the three-day conference.

This year’s conference will include a presentation on film marketing from Christian Have, one of the leading voices on arts and culture in Denmark. As the Creative Director of Have Communications, which he founded in 1983, he has worked with celebrated artists and world-renowned stars. His agency’s list of clients includes Disney, Universal (Universal Music Group), European Film Academy, 20th Century Fox and other film companies.

Christian Have’s presentation at Meeting Point – Vilnius is introduced by the Embassy of Denmark in Lithuania and the Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Mr. Have, you have been working in the culture and arts field since 1983. You are the author of eight books, communication futurology expert, film marketing specialist. Could you tell us about the most remarkable cinema-related projects you remember? 

– The first that comes to mind is Gabriel Axel’s Babette’s Feast from 1987. I had the honor of being part of the process from a very early stage – when the script was still being developed. The film featured a lot of completely unknown actors, so we applied a unique food theme for its launch, which was a pretty original approach. The film was shown at Cannes, and it ended up being the first Danish Oscar winner ever. I’ve had the pleasure of working with the promotion of the only other two Danish movies that have won Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category – Bille August’s Pelle the Conqueror from 1988 and Susanne Bier’s In A Better World from 2010 – and both of these were of course remarkable experiences, too.

Your communication agency’s client list includes such big names as Disney, Universal, Zentropa Productions, 20th Century Fox. Could arthouse cinema with smaller promotion budgets learn anything from these companies’ productions?

– Whether you’re Universal or an arthouse production company, the same basic rules of storytelling apply. It’s all about telling a story that excites and engages your audience – and your budget does not limit how good a story you’re able to tell. The budget only affects how far and easily you can distribute it. So, when you have fewer resources, you have to prioritize your efforts. One thing that smaller production companies can learn from the American giants, however, is how to make use of content marketing and how to really engage audiences on social media. They are generally really good at that, and there’s a lot we can be inspired by and apply in countries like Denmark and Lithuania.

Is there a big difference in how and by which means to promote high-budget and low-budget movies? If so, what measures or techniques are crucial for the promotion strategies for both types of movies?

– Again, having a smaller budget should not affect your ability to tell a really good story. But of course, it increases the importance of truly having a great story to tell – and that you’re telling it in the best way possible. In some ways, however, there is an advantage to having a small budget, because with the promotion of high-budget movies, people tend to stick to what they always do. With low-budget movies, you are freer to do whatever you want. Also, there is a huge market for movies and filmmakers that are brave and unpredictable, and this is definitely to the advantage of low-budget movies.

Denmark in its size is like Lithuania, but the Danish film industry is much more remarkable and competitive in the global cinema market. What successful steps, in your opinion, where made in Danish culture policy to achieve such a result?

– In Denmark, it is a public priority that the Danish film industry should produce films of the highest international quality, so the field is generally met with a lot of support and has a sizable amount of public funds to distribute. Through the Danish Film Institute, the subsidies are distributed to a wide variety of productions and projects, including fiction and non-fiction, script and talent development, marketing and partnerships, regional support and support for international co-productions – and so on. The arm’s length principle is all-important, as it helps ensure artistic freedom and harmonious collaborations between public and private partners in the film industry.

How do you see the change happening in film promotion tools? And what would be your predictions for viewer behaviour in the future? Will people stop watching films in cinemas?

– Of course digitization, streaming and social media affect how films are marketed and experienced. But the cinema definitely still has an appeal. It’s important, however, that movie theaters understand that they must provide experiences that differ from what people can experience at home. This means, of course, picture and sound of impeccable quality, combined with great comfort and delicious snacks and drinks. But it also means that movie theaters should embrace their potential of being a social meeting place – somewhere you can meet new people, attend events and have a variety of movie-related experiences beyond the movie-watching experience itself.

Which films should our audience watch before hearing your presentation in Meeting Point – Vilnius? And what expectations do you have for this conference? 

– There are no specific requirements in terms of films that must be seen in order to understand my presentation. But among the films I will be talking about, you will find A Horrible Woman, Darkland and Team Hurricane. I’m looking forward to the conference a great deal, and I’m excited to get to experience the blooming Lithuanian film industry up close.