For the first time, FILM.UA Group participated in the European Film Market with its own stand. The market was traditionally held under the aegis of Berlin International Film Festival. At the stand of FILM.UA Group, the market participants familiarized themselves with full-length feature and animation films of the Group’s own production. The company also presented #KinoKraina legislative initiative aiming at adopting the law on state support and introducing a system of 25 per cent rebates, among other things.
The stand of FILM.UA Group presented the services provided by group companies as well as projects, both completed and in production and development. In particular, the projects included Battle for Sevastopol feature film, which was released in 2015, and work in progress, e.g. The Stronghold feature film (release planned for late 2016) and The Stolen Princess full-length animation film (release planned for 2017). Among the projects in development stage, there were presentations of Egregore thriller, developed by FILM.UA jointly with Solntse TV channel, and of full-length animation films: Mavka. The Forest Song, The Snow Republic, and Roksolana and Suleiman. These animations strips, along with The Stolen Princess, are being created by Animagrad studio and FILM.UA Group in the framework of long-term strategy for the development of full-length animation in Ukraine.
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“We placed the biggest emphasis on the promotion of our full-length animation: The Stolen Princess, Mavka, Snow Republic, and Roksolana and Suleiman. We managed to sign agreements with film providers and distributors from Israel (The Stolen Princess), France (The Stronghold), South Korea (The Stolen Princess); we are in process of approving Poland, former Yugoslavia republics, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, and Iran,” says Igor Storchak, director of FILM.UA Distribution, telling about the results of the trip. “The total sum of confirmed agreements will amount to about 500,000 USD. We’d like to specially stress that we are talking about pre-sales because the projects are still in the development stage. This rather modest result is due to the fact that our strategy for Berlin film market was mainly to promote products; we were not in a hurry to strike deals. We plan to conclude the main share of contracts at Cannes film market in May and at the American film market in Los Angeles in November.”
“EFM has shown that the buyers are interested in full-length animation, family movies, and sci-fi. As we placed an emphasis on our new products, all of them spurred huge interest,” says Yevgeniy Drachev, international sales manager. “The Stolen Princess deserves a separate mention as the confirmation of global trend, and The Stronghold, a fantasy film, also attracted the buyers’ attention because it is a family movie.”
“The participation in EFM was really fruitful; we had a tight meeting schedule and can already confirm the significant interest of potential partners and international distributors in our projects. We saw for ourselves that animation is undoubtedly trending at the international market: animation product is more global due to its very nature, so many countries are getting interested in full-length products. In Berlin, we met several companies from South Korea, China, the USA, and some European studios,” says Yegor Olesov, Animagrad studio director, telling about the results of the trip. “We received good feedback after the screening of work material from The Stolen Princess. Besides, during EFM we conducted our own research of animation trends. For example, VR technologies are sure to actively develop in the following years and will bring about the emergence of a new generation animation product where both filmed and CGI animation content will be in demand. This year we plan to actively participate in other big film and animation markets to demonstrate our projects in the following stages of development, perform pre-sales and involve partners for co-production.”
Apart from full-length animation, the technical capacities of FILM.UA Group, its ideas and skillful post-production were also of great interest to the participants. “I saw that the market is interested in us, buyers are delighted with our products and want to cooperate. The themes and ideas we offer are of interest to the Europeans, and our capacities and post-production skills spark genuine admiration,” says Olesya Lukyanenko, first deputy lead producer of series direction in FILM.UA Group.
“At co-production meetings, the biggest producers and potential clients get together. All these events are very important and interesting for FILM.UA Group as presently we have lots of projects in development, we have things to tell and to offer,” says Irina Kostyuk, FILM.UA Group producer. At the co-production market, Irina Kostyuk also presented two full-length animation projects, Mavka. The Forest Song and Roksolana and Suleiman. It is worth noting that a development agreement for a full-length feature film and mini-series under the working title The Blizzard was signed between FILM.UA Group and ATM Grupa (Poland) at EFM.
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As FILM.UA Group producers have observed, Poland made it to the dominant countries at EFM 2016. Its results and production volumes are really impressive; national films lead box office collections. “I feel that Poland and Ukraine are going to form European content during the following years – just because these are big markets. Poland is already doing it. Out of Eastern Europe countries, this year Poland has presented the biggest stand with lots of information booklets (up to photobooks depicting Polish cities). Ukraine should become the next,” says Olesya Lukyanenko.
After the law on rebates is adopted, Ukraine has all chances to become the film region of the year just as Poland now has. The information that Ukrainian parliament adopted in the first reading the law on state support and introduction of 25 per cent rebate system was the most interesting information lead for the journalists from such specialized publications asScreenDaily and The Hollywood Reporter.
“Unfortunately, most market participants are looking for money for their projects; few are looking for projects for their money,” says Yevgeniy Drachev. “That is why, apart from our ideas, we can be interesting to the world as a service company in case of VAT compensation and also as a partner with money and technical capacities.”
Among the main trends at the European Film Market in 2016 were the possibilities of using technologies to create augmented reality. “It is incredible how VR can potentially change all configurations at the market in general. Documentaries, detectives and horror films in VR were truly impressive,” says Irina Kostyuk, producer. Besides, during Drama Series Days it turned out that American market is interested in European series. “And the more prominent the national component of the product (theme, character, language), the better. We found out that some big American cable TV channels, in particular АМС/SUNDANCE, practice the demonstration of series in the original language with subtitles. They say that this fad will last for several years… And here, an original idea comes first, not the budget,” says Olesya Lukyanenko.
FILM.UA Group stand was presented in the pavilion of IFTA (Independent Film & Televison Alliance); the company became its full member last year. This organization includes over 150 members from 23 countries; the members include Europacorp, Gaumont, Lionsgate, New Line Cinema, Pathe, Starz, TF1, The Weinstein Company, and many others. FILM.UA Group became the first Ukrainian company accepted by IFTA into its ranks.
