Ex Oriente 2 Sales
This EU MEDIA training programme, organised by IDF (Institute of Documentary Film), based in Prague, is currently holding its second session out of three in Hotel Biograf in Pisek, Czech Republic. Projects from Eastern European countries are being developed and the participants profit from meeting professionals with experience in the documentary world of directing, producing and distributing.
Danish born Gitte Hansen Schnyder from First Hand Films (FHF) in Switzerland talked about promotion and sales. She did so in general terms, with the showing of clips from FHF films from the catalogue. The actual example of a huge success is ”Burma vj” (photo) by Anders Østergaard. The film has sold to more than 20 tv channels and have been released theatrically in several countries.
Gitte Hansen gave a lot of valuable information, here are some points: More than 80% of our income still comes from tv… For every tv slot there are 100 films available, the tv people say, so the competition is strong…
And you should put this question to yourself: Are you ready to send me that project? The timing is very important. We – First Hand Films – want to be part of the launch. We want the freshness. On the other hand it is good to know that half of the income comes from older films… The festival world and the theatrical world are growing together. Festivals have become a market…
