“Lübeck Meetings” strengthen Nordic Film Days Lübeck as a media industry meeting point

By providing film distributors, buyers and producers with the "Lübeck Meetings" support programme, Nordic Film Days Lübeck are expanding on their function as a meeting point for the international media industry. This year the "Lübeck Meetings" comprise a film market for Scandinavian productions yet to be distributed in Germany, as well as a conference of German and Scandinavian producers on the funding of international co-productions and a workshop with scriptwriters from Scandinavia and Germany. "Never before has the range of services we are offering to the film industry been as extensive," says the new Festival Manager Christian Modersbach, now responsible for the "Lübeck Meetings". "The past years have demonstrated that the Nordic Film Days Lübeck are highly valued as a platform for the international film business. This is a position we intend to strengthen." Indeed, last year saw the discovery of a series of feature films in the Competition at the Nordic Film Days Lübeck that were promptly acquired for exploitation on the German market - including Pernilla August's "Beyond", the Swedish winner of the NDR Award for Best Feature Film, and the Finnish road movie "Lapland Odyssey", which will be released in German cinemas this December.

The main focus of the "Lübeck Meetings" at the 53rd Nordic Film Days Lübeck lies on a film market for Scandinavian productions that have yet to be exploited in Germany. Over the course of four days, buyers and sellers of cinema, TV and DVD rights have the opportunity to see films and enter negotiations aside the actual festival. As a market for purely Scandinavian films, this service, as brought to the film industry by the Nordic Film Days Lübeck, is unique throughout Germany. The venue is Kommunales Kino Lübeck.

The two-day "German-Norwegian Co-Production Meeting" provides the framework for participants to inform themselves about the characteristics of the German and the Norwegian film markets, to learn about models of film financing and to discuss mutual projects. The event aims at encouraging and supporting co-productions between Germany and Norway. The main focus of this year's co-production meeting lies on the distribution of German films in Norway. The meeting of German and Norwegian producers is supported by the Norwegian Film Institute and Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein as well as Media Desk Germany and Media Desk Norway.

The "German-Nordic Scriptwriting Workshop" sees scriptwriters from Scandinavia and Northern Germany discuss the characteristics and the significant value of their profession. This year's focus lies on the film nation of Norway. One of the guests featured at the event is scriptwriter Ragnhild Tronvoll. The discussion is hosted by scriptwriter Arne Sommer from Neumünster.

The German-Norwegian Co-Production Meeting in 2010. / Photo: W.D.Turné