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CANNES 2020 Marché du Film

Festivals look for the “new normal” in the COVID-19 era

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- CANNES 2020: During the “Socially Distant, Digitally Close” panel, the directors of CPH:DOX and Séries Mania shared stories from the front line

Festivals look for the “new normal” in the COVID-19 era
The participants in the talk (clockwise from top left): Laurence Herszberg, Lucía Recalde Langarica and Tine Fischer

Denmark’s documentary festival CPH:DOX and France’s Séries Mania, originally scheduled to take place in the spring, had mere days to rethink their strategy following the sudden tightening of COVID-19 restrictions. Now, during the Cannes Marché du Film panel “Socially Distant, Digitally Close: Film Festivals and Markets During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond” – moderated by Lucía Recalde Langarica, Head of Unit for the Audiovisual Industry and Media Support Programmes at Creative Europe MEDIA – festival director Tine Fischer and Laurence Herszberg, Séries Mania’s general director, talked about how it felt to transition to the digital sphere in such a short period of time.

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“We have been trying not just because we wanted to reach a larger audience, but also, from a global, democratic perspective, because we really believe in redesigning how festivals and markets work,” observed Fischer. “We thought: ‘Ok, this is maybe our one opportunity to create a prototype of what a future festival could look like.’ We were like kids, led to the candy store, and then someone says: ‘Go!’” While admitting that, predictably, given the rush, some things worked better than others, she still called the festival’s online edition the most defining moment in her career, also underlining the support of the audience. “It has changed who we are and will change who we will become. The audience created our new campaign on social media, saying, ‘Stay Home Stay Real’. The sense of community, at least for us, has never been stronger.”

Séries Mania, which had been set to unspool at, as noted by Recalde, possibly one of the worst moments of the COVID-19 crisis in France, cancelled the festival, deciding to go ahead with the market instead – the specificity of the broadcasting rights for TV being one of the reasons. “We wouldn’t get them for a larger audience. Also, for us, a festival is a human event. You have to be together, to gather in the same room and look in the same direction,” observed Herszberg. Although they had ten days to provide the industry with a digital platform, the new situation forced people to come up with interesting solutions, also while pitching online. “The scriptwriter of the Belgian project Good People used his daughters’ Playmobil. By the way, he found producers after that!” she said, also mentioning a Serbian project that enlisted the help of a live band. “You can be very, very creative when it comes to telling a story on a digital platform. Not only by standing in front of the camera, but by using everything in your environment.”

Fischer was adamant that the event couldn’t have happened without the help of online consultants, producers, filmmakers and decision makers. “We didn’t hear a single ‘no’, and what could have been very difficult ended up as an extremely positive experience. Such change can only be implemented when you work collectively.” This also applies to working with other events, which may be eager to share their resources or data. “Markets and festivals have a tendency to be competitive, and I am not against competition. But to create structural change, we have to work together.” Still, not everything worked out in the digital space. “We were successful with our platform, but what was a bit disappointing was that when it came to interacting or committing to a project, people were a bit more reluctant,” said Herszberg. “You want to know the person, connect, have a beer. This crisis will change the way we interact and the role of festivals, but I am sure that we will have to keep a strong, physical aspect.”

While, in all likelihood, some executives will now travel less, and not all of the markets and all of the festivals will survive the pandemic, the digital shift may help render some institutions more inclusive, diverse and sustainable, it was stated, as well as boosting contemporary activism. “If you screen a film locally, even as an international festival, you impact the people who are there. Once you go digital, you have a wider reach and an ability to act in a different way,” argued Fischer, while mentioning the success of the festival’s talk with Edward Snowden. Originally set to accommodate 600 people, it was seen online by almost 100,000.

With the crisis serving as an accelerator of change, what is the new normal, then? “The new normal will be hybrid,” said Herszberg, and Fischer agreed. But figuring out what can be moved online and what, or who, should still be physically present is another matter, especially regarding newcomers. And yet what seemed clear was the potential to build global networks. “There is a possibility that I would go alongside other festivals and we would take care of the premiere, committing to promote the film. It’s also about redefining what a premiere is. I think there will be less focus on ‘me and my brand’, and more on creating the right circumstances for the film,” said Fischer. “Our market needs to be structured around new voices,” added Herszberg, while also teasing an upcoming announcement. “That’s what we are trying to build: a European network of talents. All of us have our own identity. But if we are generous enough not to focus on having a world premiere or inviting someone to present it, but rather on building a network that will follow the project, we will be stronger,” she stated, while Recalde summed up the event by quoting one participant’s comment: “There should be an award for what Tine and Laurence have accomplished.” Indeed.

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