Press release from Limelight PR
Victorian State Premier John Brumby last night welcomed a large contingent of international and Australia/NZ film financier/buyers to Melbourne as he officially opened the fourth edition of MIFF 37ºSouth Market, the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) film co-financing event running 22-25 July 2010, and announced a new alliance with Canada’s Strategic Partners.
The MIFF 37ºSouth Market-Strategic Partners Alliance ensures that each producer selected to participate in the 2010 MIFF 37ºSouth Market will automatically be considered by the world sales agents at MIFF 37ºSouth Market for one of two guaranteed Australian/NZ places at the September 2010 edition of the Canadian film co-financing event. These are the first guaranteed Australian/NZ places at Strategic Partners.
The Strategic Partners alliance puts MIFF 37ºSouth Market into a network of film financing events spanning North America, the Middle East and Europe. Under the recently-renewed MIFF 37ºSouth Market-Abu Dhabi Circle Alliance, MIFF 37ºSouth Market sales agents will again select one MIFF 37ºSouth-registered Australian/NZ producer for the Circle’s only guaranteed Australian/NZ place. Meantime, the MIFF 37ºSouth Market-London Production Finance (PFM) partnership has expanded to provide for three guaranteed Australian/NZ places selected by MIFF 37ºSouth Market sales agents. The producers selected for these international market places will be announced at the MIFF 37ºSouth Market closing drinks on Sunday 25 July.
This year, MIFF 37ºSouth Market, Australia’s only film co-financing market to be held at a film festival, has secured some 38 film financiers/buyers who will meet with a record 76 registered producers. Across the various strands of market, which include 37ºSouth: Bridging the Gap, 37ºSouth: PostScript&Direct, and 37ºSouth’s Books at MIFF, scheduled one-to-one meetings have increased 13% to 1,182 from last year’s total of 1,041, and are up 45% on 2008’s 814 and are more than four times 2007’s tally.
MIFF 37ºSouth Market 2010 international film financiers/buyers include Participant (USA), Protagonist (Europe), IFC (USA), Wild Bunch (Europe), Essential (USA), BBC Films (Europe), Sierra (USA), Salt (Europe), Myriad (USA), Coach14 (Europe), Elephant Eye (USA), 6Sales (Europe), Film Sales Company (USA), U-media (Europe), Icon International (USA/Europe), Back-Up Films (Europe), ArcLight (USA), The Works (Europe), along with such Australian companies as Roadshow, HopScotch, Transmission, Madman, ABC, Accent, Rialto, PackScreen and Umbrella. The co-financiers/buyers will also view completed local seeking distribution and/or sales agents (and take follow-up meetings) in the 37ºSouth: Breakthru Screenings, as well as attend the MIFF 2010 world premieres of MIFF Premiere Fund co-financed titles THE WEDDING PARTY and MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED!
MIFF 37ºSouth Market is the exclusive Australia/NZ institutional partner of London’s Production Finance Market (PFM) and the Australia/NZ producer partner of the Abu Dhabi Circle and Canada’s Strategic Partners. See www.miff37degreesSouth.com for details about MIFF 37ºSouth Market and its partnership activities on almost every day of MIFF, including the Melbourne Digital Summit and the Robert Rosen Lecture Series. For more information on MIFF, including MIFF 2010 ticket purchases, go to www.melbournefilmfestival.com.au