It’s that time of year again – Marche du Film is on! It’s been a great first few days of meetings and sessions. We‘ve attended sessions about the state of the industry, and how the last 18 months have affected it (there’s a lot of interesting data about the kinds of films people watch by themselves, and with different groups), what the future looks like (pretty good, mostly), and how independent films can compete without cinemas being open and against marketing budgets that dwarf their entire production budgets.
We haven’t heard anyone say that it hasn’t been an incredibly difficult time for the industry, but everyone is optimistic too. We learned that because of festivals and film development funds, countries that haven’t had a film industry until now are starting to produce very interesting and exciting films.
If you don’t know what Marche du Film is, it is the film market that accompanies the Festival de Cannes. While a film festival screens films that might be interesting or challenging for the attending audience, a film market is focused almost entirely on the commercial side of the industry. This is where films are bought and sold, where films in very early stages of development can secure feedback or funding.
We’ve attended a few film markets since starting UAKC. We’ve attended IFFI Film Bazaar twice, and this is the second time that we’re attending Marche – though we have yet to attend it in person.
When we attended Film Bazaar the first time, we had just completed work on Josef – Born in Grace, and were there to show it to festival directors and distribution agents. We met a lot of people, many of whom we admired greatly, and had the chance to learn about the festival circuits and what different types of festivals look for. This time around, we have been trying to be a bit more purposeful about how we’ve been approaching the ten days of the event. We’re here with two films that we are hoping to get into film festivals and in front of audiences – Josef – Born in Grace and The Salon.
A film market is a great place to learn about the industry and meet other people who are doing the same things that we are. For all the times the journey can seem disheartening, a festival and a market are always places where you can get excited about what you’re doing. Everyone there is excited about creating and telling stories. And there are so many different stories to be told!
We want to continue making movies, so it’s important to create and renew relationships when we attend these events. Not just for the projects that we’ve made, but also for those we want to make in the future. It’s important to find collaborators who have similar goals so that we can make the kind of films that we want to make.
Fingers crossed. And if you’re attending the Marche too, get in touch! We’d love to meet you.