The European Audiovisual Observatory part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg has announced that its annual Cannes workshop will focus this year on the increasingly intimate relationship between the film industry and the new distribution possibilities offered by the Internet. This open workshop will take place in the Salon des Ambassadeurs (Level 4 Palais des Festivals) on May 18. Last year’s event attracted over 350 participants and this year’s subject should enjoy the same level of interest. As ever the Observatory will be providing European market intelligence and legal analysis of the chosen subject. The workshop will ask just how close the film industry and Internet can get and what the benefits on the side for both are. André Lange Head of the Observatory’s department for information on markets and financing will kick off with his latest statistical round-up of film and VoD market trends in Europe. Susanne Nikoltchev Head of the Department for legal information will then go through the current legal challenges concerning the promotion of European works via on-demand services. The CNC’s new study on the promotion of European works through on-demand services and social networking sites will be presented by Benoît Danard the CNC’s Director of Research statistics and prospective. The role of the regulatory authorities in encouraging the promotion of European films as well as a specific Belgian model will be presented by Jean-François Furnémont of the CSA the regulatory authority of the French Community of Belgium. In the second half the Observatory will look at case studies of how to deal with the increasingly fragmented VoD market. This section will bring together industry players (such as VoD distributors) a representative of the MEDIA Programme of the European Union and some of the more innovative European services. Participation if free for anyone with a Cannes Film Market or Festival accreditation.
