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Jérôme Paillard

Director of the Film Market

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On the eve of the opening of the Cannes Film Market (May 13-22), director Jérôme Paillard talked to Cineuropa about the trends for this 2009 edition, which – according to initial figures – is set to host approximately the same number of participants as 2008.
How many participants are you expecting this year?
Jérôme Paillard: We don’t yet have the final figures, but so far (on May 7) we have around 9,000 registered participants, and we expect to reach the usual number of almost 10,000 participants by the end of the market.
As regards participants’ geographical distribution, there is a marked increase in exhibitors from Japan, an increase that is reflected in the proportion of films (30% more than in 2008). We’ve also seen a sharp rise in the number of Chinese participants (+50%).
As for the major territories, there is no real change. The US continues to be the highest represented (20% of participants), ahead of France and the UK (11-12%). Some US companies nonetheless seem to have reduced their number of representatives.

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How about central European countries, which are even harder hit by the crisis?
The number of Hungarian participants has fallen and Croatia is at the same level as last year. However, Bulgaria and Poland have seen an increase. Moreover, we have as many Polish participants registered today as we had by the end of the 2008 market (122 people).
However, the crisis has well and truly set in, and we can’t ignore the fact that access to credit is more difficult for producers. Meanwhile, distributors are becoming increasingly selective and are negotiating lower acquisition prices. On the other hand, the exhibition and video sectors are doing rather well.

Have you noticed any trends in terms of the films presented at the market?
On the basis of the 3,000 or so titles registered thus far, we’ve noticed a marked increase in German and Japanese films, and beyond this observation, an overall rise in non-English-language works.
The second trend relates to the films’ average budget, which has dropped by around 20%, from $6.4m in 2008 to $5.2m in 2009, according to information provided by producers at Cinando.

What are the new additions to the 2009 Market?
There are no major new additions, but we continue our efforts to facilitate the work of the Market participants. For example, this year we’re providing them with six hours of free wireless internet access, as well as a late-night shuttle bus service until 1.30am.
As for the Producers’ Network, we’re going to develop the ‘speed-dating’ and meetings with Latin American professionals interested in North American projects. We’re also going to establish contacts for the young directors in the Short Film Corner by organising ‘speed-dating’ sessions with Producers’ Network participants, and round tables on subjects such as new distribution methods.

You’re hosting a Focus on documentaries, a genre that is gaining prominence at Film Markets.
Last year, we started hosting a Documentary Brunch to bring together documentary producers, distributors and sellers. This year, the event will take place on May 17. The documentary sector is important and represents 8% of the films at the market.

Are you going to take specific measures to deal with the new A(H1N1) ‘swine flu’ virus and participants from Mexico?
We’re extremely vigilant and mindful of the information provided by the health authorities. We’re at alert level 5 in France. However, it’s becoming less likely that this will be raised to level 6.
As for Mexican participants, an infrared detection area has been set up at Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport to detect passengers with fever travelling from Mexico, and Mexican professionals are, for their part, waiting to receive instructions.

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