[press release from Limelight PR]
The Melbourne International Film Festival’s 37South Market and the Film London Production Finance Market (PFM) have announced a strategic partnership, cementing MIFF 37South Market as the PFM’s exclusive Australia/NZ organisational partner.
“This partnership highlights the Melbourne International Film Festival’s international standing and the strength of its industry programs. This important new opportunity offers another good reason for every Australian film producer to travel to Melbourne this July” said MIFF Executive Director Richard Moore.
This first-ever non-European partnership for the London PFM ensures that each producer selected to participate in the 2009 MIFF 37ºSouth Market will automatically be considered for a place at the 2009 edition of London’s PFM.
The PFM-37ºSouth alliance provides the only guaranteed place for an Australian/NZ producer. MIFF 37ºSouth Market international financing guests, together with PFM organisers, will consider all registered 37ºSouth producers and projects and will select one lucky producer to attend the 2009 PFM. The winning producer, who will have registration and accommodation paid by MIFF 37ºSouth Market, will be announced at the MIFF 37ºSouth Market 2009 closing drinks on Sunday 26 July 2009.
The announcement, made yesterday by Film London the Berlin Film Festival, comes as MIFF 37ºSouth Market, Australia’s only film co-financing market to occur in the context of a major festival, today opens applications at www.miff37degreesSouth.com for its 2009 edition, which runs 23-26 July 2009, inclusive.
MIFF 37ºSouth Market brings the global film financing marketplace to Melbourne in the opening days of MIFF, which is Australia’s largest and oldest film festival, and enables Australian/NZ producers with market-ready feature-length projects to meet key international film co-financiers in Melbourne.
The emphasis is on producers pitching projects to financiers, deepening marketplace relationships and generating financier interest in their slates. The London PFM occurs each October in association with The BFI London Film Festival. Last year, the invitation-only PFM registered 50 producers and more than 150 projects with US$1.16 billion of production value and 60 financing guests including Focus, Miramax, Warners, Sony and Studio Canal.
For further information on MIFF, visit www.melbournefilmfestival.com.au