1st Symposium 2010

SATURDAY, 20 March 2010

09.00 – 09.30
Registration & Good Morning Coffee

09.30 – 10.00
Welcome & Introduction

• Donata von Perfall, Documentary Campus e.V., Germany
• Dr. Wolfgang Riedler, Graz City Councillor for Culture, Austria
• Leena Pasanen, YLE Fact & Culture, Finland
• Stefano Tealdi, Stefilm, Italy

10.00 – 11.00
Keynote: Who's Watching Docs on TV?

• Erik Bäckman, YLE Audience Insight, Finland

Broadcasters say they know their audience; filmmakers and producers say they only know their ratings. In any case, YLE is still considered to be a haven for documentary filmmakers and viewers. Even here though, filmmakers need to understand their audience - who they are, what they look at and when. Erik Bäckman will explain the new methods of audience research, not based on age or sex or where they live, but based on behaviour. Documentary is part of his analysis and you may be surprised by what he has discovered.

11.00 – 12.30
Can My Success be Your Success?

• Greg Sanderson, BBC Storyville, UK
• Maarten van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal, Greenpeace
• Enrico Jakob, Cinestyria Film Commission and Fonds, Austria

Three different aproaches to documentary film funding: a broadcaster, a social organisation with a universal cause and a film fund. Each pull the film in their direction: audience rates, a message, local promotion, talent and art. Today, each one lets the filmmakers know what they are after. The session will provoke discussions as if we were in a courtcase where each lawyer defends his client and his cause. Is any adjustment or compromise possible?

12.30 – 14.00
Lunch Break

14.00 – 15.00
Money and Missions

• Juha Rajamäki, The Church Media Foundation, Finland

KMS, the Church Media Fund in Finland, was recently established to promote the values of the Evangelist Lutherian Church by supporting programmes dealing with religious values and spiritual life. They support development, production, distribution and broadcasting on the national media, and in 2008, they supported 23 documentary projects with 386.500 Euros.

15.00 – 16.00
Local Funds: Promote or Enlighten?

• Enrico Jakob, Cinestyria Film Commission and Fonds, Austria
• Kurt Mayer, kurt mayer film, Austria

Local film funds have recently sprung up all around Europe. Their support can be easy to win, but each has their own requirements, some financial, others topical. Filmmakers can in fact be obliged to spend 150% of what they receive in a given territory, or they might be required to promote the local culture. Austrian film funds have become famous for being very generous. But what are they expecting in return? How much do their obligations influence the content of the documentaries being produced? Does their support not re-inforce a 'local' and biased approach to contemporary history?

16.00 – 16.30
Coffee Break

16.30 – 18.00
Case Study: Mount St. Elias

• Dr. Walter Köhler, ORF, Austria
• Gerald Salmina, Planet Watch Film, Austria

This case study will be devoted to the very successful feature-documentary currently running in Austrian cinemas: Mount St. Elias. The film follows three of the world’s best ski mountaineers to Mount St. Elias in their attempt to realise the longest ski descent of the world – facing all the breathtaking challenges of a mountain.

19:30
Reception
Location: Aula, Alte Universität | Hofgasse 14, 8010 Graz

23:00
Diagonale Closing Party
Location: Postgarage Veranstaltungshalle Graz-Gries | Dreihackengasse 42, 8020 Graz

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SUNDAY, 21 March 2010

09:00 – 10.45
Screening: Mount St. Elias
A documentary by Gerald Salmina (101 min - Austria 2009)

10.45. – 11.45
Corporations: Hidden Promotion?

• Vittorio Castellani, Italy
• Andrew Buchanan, UK

Andrew Buchanan and Vittorio Castellani have involved many corporations to fund their work. Vittorio convinced Lavazza, the largest coffee roaster and distributor in Italy, to support the making of Coffee Roots: a book, a website and a documentary series which was then broadcasted by Nat Geo in Italy. Toyota was involved in the making of a 130 x 25' series by Andrew Buchanan. What were the limits the companies put on their work? How heavy was their influence on the content? Did the commercial funding influence the distribution of these works? Are 'objective' documentaries going to be reduced to corporate promotional features?

11:45 – 12:15
Coffee Break

12.15 - 13.15
Looking for Solutions

• Heidi Gronauer, ESoDoc / ZeLIG, Italy
• Cara Mertes, Sundance Institute, USA

ESoDoc is a training course established several years ago with the aim of putting together filmmakers, NGO's and broadcasters. Through the years, Heidi Gronauer, coordinator of the programme, witnessed various struggles in bringing these groups together. It has not been an easy task, but she will illustrate the success stories. The Sundance Institute, for instance, supported by George Soros and Robert Redford, now organizes a lab where filmmakers from all over the world are supported in making their films 'visible' to a broader audience. This support helps filmmakers make films that will be watched by a receptive audience, be it at a festival, on TV or on the web.

13:15 - 14.30
Lunch Break

14.30- 15.30
Bridging the Gaps

• Claire Aguilar, ITVS, USA
• Jakob Hoegel, New Danish Screen, Denmark

Two players are doing their best to put together filmmaking talent, financial resources and documentary distribution in TV and at festivals. How are they doing it? How do they choose the proposals and how do they evaluate the success of their programme? What do they see in the future? Jakob Hoegel, a filmmaker and producer, is now the Artistic Director of the New Danish Screen, a joint adventure of the Danish Film Institute and two Danish broadcasters (DR and TV2 Denmark) in search of young film talent. Claire Aguilar is the Vice President of Programming at the Independent TeleVision Service, a structure that collects funds from foundations and private sponsors, supports filmmakers in making their films and then sells them to the North American broadcasters.

15.30 - 16.30
Exploring New Ways

• Nick Ware, Joiningthedocs, UK

Could the solution to our problem be found with the help of the new means of distribution? It seems very much possibile for filmmakers to show their work directly to the audience at little or no distribution costs. But how do you get the audience to know about your work? And will it pay? Joiningthedocs based in the UK, is trying out ways of distributing documentaries through the internet. To do so it is involving (or hoping to involve) corporations, newspapers, NGOs and social organisations. We very much look forward to listening to the strategies for the coming years!

16.30 - 17.00
Conclusions

• Leena Pasanen, YLE, Finland
• Stefano Tealdi, Stefilm, Italy

The solution is not at all easy. We believe it is mainly based on finding ways of working together. But who is trying their best? Which of these organisations is most likely to be the strongest supporter? Which ones will act with respect and realism for a profession that needs resources to deliver original, sometimes provocative and challenging content? Is it the local funds and institutions, the social organisations, the corporations, the broadcasters or the internet operators? One representative of each of these will make a three minute declaration on what he or she believes is the best solution. By vote, the particpants will decide who will save the future of documentary filmmaking!

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The programme is subject to change.