ROTTERDAM CINEMART USER-FRIENDLY FOR LOW BUDGET PROJECTS
The Rotterdam CineMart co-production market took place between the 25th and the 29th of January. The market runs concurrently with the festival and is now in its 22nd year. CineMart annually invites a select group of co-producers, buyers, sales agents and distributors to meet with the participants.Mark Woods, CEO, and Rebecca O’Flanagan, Development Manager, attended this year’s market and found that it was extremely user-friendly. The intimate environment meant that meetings were easily secured and proved very productive. Because of this, CineMart may prove to be a more inviting prospect for Irish producers than the more overwhelming markets at Cannes and Berlin.
Mark and Rebecca had meetings with a number of sales agents, distributors and financiers, including Media Luna, Beyond, ZDF/Arte, the Hamburg Film Fund, the NSW Film and TV office, UK Film Council, Royal Bank of Scotland and Fortissimo. The results were very positive, with each of the representatives expressing their interest in talent and projects from the Irish industry. The Board is committed to strengthening their relationships with such organisations, with a view to increasing their involvement with BSÉ/IFB-backed projects at an early stage.