Slovenian Films in Cannes

Seven films, fourteen projections and our own stand at the film market - This year Slovenian films and some Slovenian film festivals and institutions are going to be presented at the film market in Cannes (Marché du Film) at their own stand at fourteen projections in the frame of the Film Fund of the Republic of Slovenia. At this film market the visitors will be able to see seven Slovenian films: Suburbs, Peterka: The Year of Decision, Ruins, Cheese And Jam, In The Mountains, Portrait of a Poet With a Double and Beneath Her Window. Apart from the films themselves the Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFe), the international festival of short film Sniff from Novo mesto and the International Film Festival Isola Cinema-Kino Otok, which is to start in Izola in the end of May, are also going to be presented here; as far as the institutions are concerned, the Slovenian Media Desk is going to be presented at the market. Festival de Cannes, the film festival in the French city of Cannes, was founded in the year 1946; with more than 4000 accredited journalists from all over the world and 27.000 guests it is the biggest yearly film event. While the film festival in Cannes is one of the biggest and most prestigious festivals of this kind, the film market in Cannes (Marché du Film) is one of the biggest centres, where the paths of the world film production meet. Marché du Film is an event, where producers, buyers and distributors find new business opportunities. Slovenian films have already been presented in Cannes; however, this year between 12 and 22 May 2004 they are going to be presented at their own stand for the first time. Sasa Jovanoviæ, the director of the Film Fund of the Republic of Slovenia, said the following at the press conference: "The film market, which accompanies the most prestigious film festival, is the centre point, which everyone who means anything in the world of film production, sales, distribution and projection, focuses on every year in the month of May." Therefore the Film Fund of the Republic of Slovenia took this opportunity to present to Europe and the world the Slovenian film production and film events at such an important occasion. At fourteen projections the visitors of the market will be able to see seven different Slovenian films, which are going to present the recent Slovenian production through a variety of genres, styles and original expressions. Among them the audience will be able to see the full length documentary film by Vlado Skafar Peterka: The Year of Decision, Suburbs, the recent film debut by Vinko Möderndorfer, Ruins, the new feature film by Janez Burger, Cheese And Jam, the film with the largest number of viewers, In the Mountains, a film by Miha Hocevar, a colourful historical drama The Portrait of a Poet with a Double by Franci Slak and a film by the writer and director Metod Pevec, Beneath Her Window. The last film at the film market is going to be shown under the independent agent Wigbert Moschall. At the stand at the market in Cannes, measuring twelve square meters, it will be possible to get the promotional material for three festivals - LIFFe, Sniff and Isola Cinema-Kino Otok apart from the information on the Slovenian film production, while Tanika Sajatoviæ will represent the recently founded Slovenian Media Desk office. All interested parties will be able to get a special festival catalogue, made especially for this occasion. In the catalogue the Slovenian films, festivals and various film productions will be presented in more detail. The Film Fund of the Republic of Slovenia invites the audience to its stand and its projections also with advertisements in two different festival publications: The Marché du Film Guide and The Pocket Giude. The Marché du Film Guide is the film Bible on a thousand pages, which offers all interested parties all the information about film companies, projects, films, buyers, and other expert information; The Pocket Guide is a handy little booklet, which offers the guests the basic information and the program of projections. The statistics of this year's market Marché du Film, which is to take place between 12 and 22 May 2004, shows that this year a record number of participants is going to participate at the event. The organisers expect 8500 participants, which is 10 percent more than in the year 2003. This year there are also more registered film buyers, who mostly come from the USA, Great Britain, Japan, Italy, South Korea, and also Spain and the South African Republic. 1400 films are going to be shown at the market (half of these are world premieres); altogether 2600 different films and other film projects are going to be presented. 73 different states will present themselves; thirteen of these are new participants. The partners of this year's Slovenian visit to the film market are: