Cannes is finally here! And CresCine is bringing a ton of exciting events — and two exclusive reports packed with firsthand insights!

There is still time to RSVP, so run!

🔍 In this issue:

🌟 Don't Miss CresCine's Cannes/Marché du Film Program! 🎬 Join us for an exclusive look at our State of the Industry first yearly report and much more!

🎥 State of the Industry Report: Dive into our comprehensive analysis of the film industry's current landscape.

🔄 REBOOT & SCENE Workshop at Cannes! Explore innovative ideas and collaborations at our joint workshop with sister projects REBOOT and SCENE.

🎓 CECAM Approved: Lusofona University’s Center of Excellence and Pedagogical Innovation in Cinema and Media Arts is coming!

Stay tuned for updates and exclusive content from CresCine! 📈📽️

1.🎬 CresCine's Cannes 2024 Program: RSVP Now!

🎥✨ The Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes, which started today, is undoubtedly the most significant event for the global content and audiovisual industry, and CresCine is proud to have them as one of our consortium members.

The 2024 edition of the Marché, happening until the 20th, will host several exclusive CresCine events on the future of financing, skills of professionals, and, of course, the launch of our first State of European Film dossier!

That interactive platform and publication will give you deep insights that are usually worth tens of thousands of euros into the state of European small film markets, festivals, upskilling, audiences, greening & sustainability, exports, and beyond. Not to be missed!

📅 Here is how to access all of our events, starting from the 18th:

🔮Cannes Next I Meet the Global Film Financing Innovators and Funds, with CresCine (by invitation only)

Saturday, May 18th

10.00-11.15

The Viewpoint, Palais des Festivals

It is an open secret that public financing, the cornerstone of European and arthouse cinema, is under pressure. In 2024, it faces increasing challenges due to geopolitics, an ongoing economic downturn, and the overall cooling of the industry.

Who are the cutting-edge financing innovators, funds, and private equity investors driving the industry forward outside the public financing system with innovative and out-of-the-box financing solutions and opportunities for independent productions?

CresCine is partnering with Cannes Next for an exclusive session featuring a selection of European and global film financing innovators and institutions.

Apply for the session to learn the latest out-of-the-box financing methods, tools, and platforms. Learn about the opportunities and expectations of European innovative film and content funds, and discover what makes or breaks an investment deal for your production slate.

This session has limited capacity, and attendees are selected on a case-by-case basis only. Apply here to meet the global film financing innovators in Cannes!

🤝Meet the CresCine Team! Mini-Reception in Cannes 2024,

Saturday, May 18th

11.15-12.15

The Viewpoint, Palais des Festivals

Discover the 'who's who' behind CresCine’s insights and meet the project team, consortium members, partners, and the extended community in Cannes! Come and get the scoop on the latest business insights of the European industry, pose an industry question or challenge for CresCine to tackle, or discuss the next exciting collaboration project over drinks.

RSVP here!

🚀Cannes Next I Discover Future Trends and Power Players of Film and Content Financing, with CresCine

Sunday, May 19th,

10.00-11.00

Palais Stage, Palais des Festivals

Is film financing back on track after a spring shockwave of high-profile European and US bankruptcies, power player shutdowns, and slowly recovering productions? What are the hottest future trends in innovative and non-public financing? Which types of budgets and projects globally make it for recoupment, and which do not? What are the new models in public and private-backed productions in a landscape flooded with content, where success is increasingly hard to come by?

Come explore the future trends, get the latest insights, and don't miss out on learning from the power players of innovative film and content financing at Cannes Next, in partnership with CresCine.

💭Cannes Next | Near Future Retreat Closed Think Tank in collaboration with CresCine

(By application only)

Monday, 20 May 16.00-19.00

Cannes Next Innovation Studio, Pantiero

The Near Future Retreat is an invitation-only, Chatham House rules-based think tank, industry ideation, exchange, and leadership dialogue platform created in collaboration between New Nordic Narratives, Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, and Storytek Innovation & Venture Studio. 

The 9th Cannes edition, organized in partnership with CresCine, will explore the importance, meaning, and future of independence of the film industry and of up/and reskilling as a driver for change, seen across the turbulent film and TV producing landscape.

The NFR Think Tank journey has made it increasingly aware of how often we use words without knowing whether we understand them the same way. What does industry really mean when we talk about the film production ecosystem? What do we mean when we talk about independent films and companies? What skills do we really have or need to acquire to become sustainable and competitive professionals in this art vs. business playing field that is facing numerous turmoils? 

For business models to change and grow holistically, for creative processes to become more sustainable, for AI, technological changes, and transformation of skills and employment trajectories and impact to become opportunities for change rather than paralyzing threats, what role does the concept of being independent small industry professional play, as we seem to rely more on each other than ever?

NFR started its ongoing journey at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and has traveled across 7 festivals and events during 2023. Apply to the NFR think tank here.

📊Cannes Next | Industry Insights Day: Launch of State of European Film 2024 and Small Markets Insights Report

Monday, May 20th

11.30 - 12.30

Main Stage, Palais de Festivals

What is the current state of the European film industry? Which films are making it to festivals and how are they being received globally? How are small markets performing regarding their competitiveness, financing, genres, and market configurations? How are European films represented on streaming platforms and what do audiences think and want?

CresCine is proud to release its first-ever interactive State of European Film report. This report focuses on the state of festivals, small market performance, greening & sustainability, competitiveness, skills, and audiences. The report will be released on Cannes Industry Insights Day.

Join us for this fast-paced, data and insights-packed session to explore the current state of Europe’s film industry and its future direction. Future-proof your competitiveness with CresCine!

2.🎬📊 CresCine's Latest Report Shines a Light on Europe's Small Film Markets!

Explore CresCine's "Small European Film Markets: Portraits and Comparisons" report, now live!

It highlights European small film-producing countries' specificities, challenges, and diversity.

🌍 Market Ecosystems: From Europe’s every corner, the 7 CresCine markets (Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Flanders, Ireland, Lithuania, and Portugal) diversify samples.

🔄 Comparing Performances: Covering the 2014-22 period, which has seen the expansion of global streaming services, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the effects of the economic downturn on film production and cinemas, the report compares their performance along the whole value chain.

🔥 Competing with Giants: See how the small film-producing markets compare to Europe's Big 5 and Poland and reflect on the US film industry’s impact on local industries.

🔎 The Bigger Picture: The section The Bigger Picture answers 16 key questions for the European film industry today, such as: What options do small European ecosystems have to stay competitive?

💻 Interactive Insights: Explore 67 captivating data visualizations on Flourish, offering an immersive journey through market trends, detailed export flow tracing, and more! 📈🔍

Stay tuned to CresCine's social media for other highlights from the authors or access this game-changing report in the full now! 📲✨

3. 🤝 Cluster Horizon EU-funded Projects Workshop at Cannes!

Collaborative Workshop: Horizon EU-funded Projects REBOOT, SCENE, and CresCine Tomorrow at Cannes! 🤝

Join us for an exciting session where innovative minds converge to explore the future of European cultural heritage and film production! The Horizon EU-funded Projects SCENE, REBOOT, and CresCine will join forces to present what is cooking in the industry. 🎥🌍

⏰ Workshop Schedule:

16:00–16:10: Greetings & Introduction Presented by Katharine Sarikakis and Anastasios Drosou

16:10–16:30: Assessing Competitiveness Learn about CresCine's cutting-edge research on the competitiveness of small European countries. Presented by Manuel José Damásio and Jakob Isak Nielsen

16:30–16:50: Cognitive Film Production & Distribution Discover how multi-dimensional data lakes and generative AI are shaping the promotion of European cultural heritage. Presented by Anastasios Drosou

16:50–17:05: AI Challenge in Creative Process Explore the challenges and opportunities of AI in the creative process. Presented by Jean-Francois Trubert

17:05–17:20: Challenging Copyright with Generative AI Delve into the Generative AI revolution and its impact on copyright norms. Presented by Caterina Sganga

17:20–17:50: QAs & Discussion: Ethical Implementation of Generative AI Tools Engage in a dynamic discussion on the ethical considerations surrounding the implementation of Generative AI tools. All participants will join this slot!

Don't miss this opportunity to collaborate, learn, and shape the future of the industry with us! See you there! 🌟🤖

4. 🎓 CresCine’s Coordinator Lusófona University Implements a Centre of Pedagogical Excellence in Film and Media Arts Under EU Resilience Funds

🎬 Exciting News from Lusófona University's Film and Media Arts Department!

We're thrilled to announce the approval of our Consortium Coordinator Lusofona University’s "CECAM – Center of Excellence and Pedagogical Innovation in Cinema and Media Arts" proposal! 📜

This milestone achievement comes under the National Resilience funds call "Investment RE-C06-i07 | More Digital Impulse 04/C06-i07/2023," reflecting our commitment to innovation and pedagogical modernization in higher education.💡

The CECAM will serve as a hub for Pedagogical Excellence in Film and Media Arts, addressing skills and competencies crucial across all artistic domains where creativity and critical thinking are paramount. 🎨

Over the next three years, with approximately 1M € in funding, our focus will be on:

👩‍🏫 Teachers' Training: Enhancing pedagogical practices to foster excellence in education.

📚 Life-Long Learning Programs: Offering industry professionals opportunities for continuous skill development.

🔬 Living Labs: Creating dynamic spaces for young creative talents to innovate and collaborate.

This initiative builds upon Lusofona’s ongoing efforts within the European University FilmEU and CresCine, aligning with future market needs and addressing skills gaps across Europe's Film and Audiovisual industries. 🌍📽️

We're excited to see Lusofona embark on this journey toward excellence and innovation in film and media arts education, helping the next generation of creative leaders and professionals! 🚀🎥