CineMart booked up and set for busy 26th edition, New focus Rotterdam Lab on DIY distribution and cross media story telling

38th International Film Festival Rotterdam
January 21 – February 1, 2009

PRESS RELEASE January 15, 2009

· CineMart booked up and set for busy 26th edition
· New focus Rotterdam Lab on DIY distribution and cross media story telling

With 800 delegates in confirmed attendance to scout for new film projects, Rotterdam’s co-production market CineMart is booked up and set for a busy 26th edition. CineMart attendants have already requested several thousand one to one meetings with the projects’ representatives. Four of this year’s 36 CineMart Projects will travel to the Berlinale Co-Production Market. CineMart’s trainee programme Rotterdam Lab features a new programme on DIY distribution and cross media platform storytelling, including workshops by Lance Weiler and Brian Chirls.

Confirmed CineMart delegates
Close to 800 international film professionals have confirmed their presence at the 26th edition of CineMart. Sales agents, distributors, producers and representatives of funding bodies from all over the world will make their way to Rotterdam to scout for new projects and films.
Companies that have confirmed their attendance are: The Works Media Group, Bavaria Film International, Films Distribution, Fortissimo, Wild Bunch, The Match Factory, Celluloid Dreams, Visit Films, Trust Nordisk, Le Pacte, MK2, Kinowelt, Image Forum, Fine Cut Co., Pathe Pictures International, Protagonist Pictures and many others.

Rotterdam - Berlinale Express
Four CineMart 2009 Projects have been selected to travel on to the Berlinale Co-Production Market from 8 – 10 Februari 2008. These projects are: Hunter by Bakur Bakuradze, Pioneer by Erik Skjoldbjaerg, On the Board (Sur la planche) by Leika Kilani and Zephyr by Belma Bas.
The Rotterdam-Berlinale Express is a co-operation between the CineMart Rotterdam and the Berlinale Co-Production Market, created in order to support promising projects, to encourage the progress of international co-productions and as an expression of the friendship of the two Festivals - the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Berlin International Film Festival.

Rotterdam Lab: ‘Why DIY’ workshops by Lance Weiler and Brian Chirls
For the 9th consecutive year the Rotterdam Lab will be organised during CineMart. Through CineMart’s international partner organisations 50 producers will participate in this workshop that takes place during the five days of CineMart. The producers will be offered a programme on sales, distribution, international co-production and financing. Besides that they will have the opportunity to extend their international network.
A new element in this year’s Rotterdam Lab will be a focus on DIY distribution and cross media platform story telling. The Lab focuses on ways of making the innovative and independent cinema supported by the International Film Festival Rotterdam benefit from these new and alternative models. Genre films embedded in popular culture often have easier access to young audiences through internet and its various online social networks.
CineMart will present a cross media project, HIM by Lance Weiler. During the Rotterdam Lab ‘Why DIY’ workshops, Lance Weiler and Brian Chirls, experienced filmmakers in innovative cross media film projects, will present and discuss ways to put these techniques into play for independent filmmaking. Lance Weiler will give a general workshop to the Rotterdam Lab participants on cross media storytelling and Brian Chirls will select three projects in development by Rotterdam Lab producers to workshop a DIY distribution model around them. All IFFR guests are invited for the ‘Why DIY’ presentation and discussion around these ‘workshoped’ projects on Wednesday 28 January from 15:00 – 17:00 in de Jurriaanse Zaal in De Doelen.

Lance Weiler (US) works in many branches of the film industry: as director, producer, writer and cameraman he has made commercials, music videos, documentaries and shorts. He is best known known from the feature film The Last Broadcast (screened at the 1999 IFFR) and the very successful ‘Alternate Reality Game’ Head Trauma.

Brian Chirls is a filmmaker and technologist in New York. He has worked on the film Four Eyed Monsters as Manager of Distribution and Marketing. Brian is currently serving as Head of Theatrical for From Here to Awesome and consulting on the distribution of John Sayles’s latest film, Honeydripper, while continuing to develop and write about ways for independent artists to create and distribute their work. Brian has also produced and directed a number of short films, video blogs and a bit of machinima.

Rotterdam’s CineMart opens January 25 within the 36th International Film Festival Rotterdam. From January 15, the festival programme, public as well as press & industry screenings schedule, delegates list are online on www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com. Festival guests are invited to use Rotterdam’s industry services, the Video Library and Sales & Industry Office. Special Rotterdam features are the festival’s Daily Tiger that includes an English section with industry news (also published on www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com during the festival period) and the informal series of cocktails, lunches, the Late Night Drinks and the Industry Party on Sunday January 25.