European Film Promotion welcomes 31st member country
As the 31st member country, the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) joins European Film Promotion (EFP), the pan-European network of film promotion and export organisations."Reflecting the diversity of Europe, EFP is pleased to welcome the Macedonian Film Fund as the newest member organisation", EFP's President Éva Vezér declares. "Every new member gives input according to its individual history - and takes advantage of our stable international marketing platform."
Last year, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre and the Film Center Serbia came on board as the most recent EFP members. With the membership of the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, the EFP network now consists of 30 promotion organisations from 31 European countries. EFP's activities are financially supported by its member organisations, the MEDIA Programme of the European Union and as well by private sponsors and national film funds.
Darko Baseski, CEO Macedonian Film Fund, believes in the benefits of EFP's international network: "Being a member of European Film Promotion gives us a big opportunity to promote our cinematography abroad. All promotion events organised by EFP are a great chance for providing films, actors, directors and producers with an open door for collaboration in Europe and the whole world."
Founded by the government in 2006, the Macedonian Film Fund further develops the traditions of the nation's cinematography and helps to build up the new cinema with the young authors' different perspectives and forms of expression. Furthermore, it supports the development, production and distribution of films from the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia and the marketing of its talent to increase international recognition and wider audiences for cultural and economic objectives.
Various recent feature films from the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia have won awards and also been selected to international film festivals: apart from its presentation in Berlin, Cannes and Toronto, the acclaimed I Am From Titov Veles by Teona Strugar Mitevska was named as the official entry for the 2009 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film - one year after Milcho Manchevski's Shadows had been selected after its premiere at the Toronto festival. Upside Down by Igor Ivanov, which was screened at such festivals as Karlovy Vary and Thessaloniki, won the "Best Director Award at the Valencia Film Festival.