There were 620 accredited participants to The Business Street, the five day market held in Via Veneto, at the Krug Terrace of the Hotel Bernini, the Spazio Cinema at the Hotel Majestic and the Casa del Cinema, from Wednesday 22nd October.  The numbers confirm the success of the formula which engineers meetings between producers and distributors.  Despite a year of crisis that has affected all the major markets, the number of accreditations has not fluctuated from last year’s edition while other indicators register an increase.

The Business Street in numbers:

• 260 buyers – (250 in 2007 and 160 in 2006)
• 97 sellers (from over 20 countries) – (40 in 2007)
• 112 producers with projects
• 153 screenings (142 in 2007 and 130 in 2006)
• 90 films available at the Video Libraries (Hotel Bernini, Villaggio dell’Auditorium), (83 in 2007)
• 28 market premieres, including Lost Island by Reshef Levy, International Sales da Film Distibution; La Ventana by Carlos Sorin, International Sales Bavaria Films International; Soul Power by Jeffrey Levy-Hinye;Birdwatchers by Marco Bechis, International Sales Celluloid Dreams; Aide toi, le ciel t’aidera by Francois Dupeyron, International Sales Kinology;  Peaceful Times by Neele Leana Vollmar, International Sales The Match Factory; Un gioco da Ragazze by Matteo Rovere International Sales Rai Trade; L’Uomo che Ama by Maria Sole Tognazzi and Puccini e La Fanciulla by Paolo Benvenuti, Intenational Sales Adriana Chiesa Enterprises; The Anarchist’s Wife by Marie Noelle Peter Seh, International Sales Bavaria Film International.
• 33 countries represented: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States. 

France, Germany, Brazil, Japan, Argentina and, naturally, Italy were the countries with the greatest number of representatives.

Participating producers and distributors included: Cineart, Nordisk Film A/S, MK2, Paramount Pictures France, Pathe Entertainment, Pyramide International, Rezo Films, TF1 International, Wild Bunch Distribution, Prokino Filmverleih, ZDF Enterprises, 01 Distribution, Bim Distribution, Istituto Luce, Lucky Red, Medusa Film, Rai Cinema and others, Non Stop Sales, Wild Bunch, Celluloid Dreams, TF1, The Match Factory, Bavaria, Gaumont, Pyramide and  Films Distribution.

François Yon of Films Distribution stated ‘This year, the global market is like a steep mountain, it naturally reflects the global economic crisis.  This has made the Rome Festival especially important.  Not only was it confirmed, but it gave many of us a positive example after months of great difficulty.

Italian films:  agreements reached

Rai Trade has sold Matteo Rovere’s ‘Un gioco da ragazze’, produced by Colorado Film and Rai Cinema, to France, Mexico, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Pupi Avati’s ‘Il papà di giovanna’, produced by 2 A  and Medusa, to Japan, Mexico, Argentina and Australia.  Rai Trade also sold library titles to Japan, Belgium, Holland and the United Kingdom.  Adriana Chiesa Ent. sold Maria Sole Tognazzi’s ‘L’uomo che ama’, produced by Bianca film and Medusa, to central Europe, Russia, Greece, India and Canada. ‘Puccini e la Fanciulla’ was sold to India, Greece and the Netherlands.  Filmauro sold Brando De Sica’s ‘Parlami di me’, to Argentina and other Latin American countries. Coach 14 sold Edoardo Winspeare’s‘Galantuomini’, produced by Achaba Film and Rai Cinema, to Canada and the Netherlands. Intramovies began various negotiations with countries like Greece, Spain, the Scandinavian countries, Poland, France and Holland.  Paola Corvino of Intramovies observed ‘The negotiations for the Italian films were even more useful than signing the contracts.  Foreign attention to this European initiative, the only market in the second half of the year, is very significant.’

Furthermore, Roissy Film sold ‘La Siciliana Ribelle’ by Marco Amenta, produced by Tilde Corsi Produzioni and Roissy to Nachson Film, Israel.

There were 24 Italian films involved in The Business Street.

The Third Edition of the The Business Street has benefitted from the economic support of the European Union MEDIA Programme.

The Business Street was supported by the Region of Lazio, Rome Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activity (MiBac), Filas, Rome and Lazio Film Commission, Ministry of Financial Development, ICE, Sviluppo Lazio, Unioncamere, ANICA, API, Krug, Rai Trade and Medusa.

‘I have been extremely satisfied to see the steady success of the Business Street – the President of the Rome Film Festival, Gian Luigi Rondi, commented – it isan area of the Film Festival that I expect to register future growth and input for the cinema industry, without which the Festival would lack its prime content, the films.  So my heartfelt thanks and praise go to those whose excellent participation has ensured that we have happily reached our main objective.’