Lübeck, Oct. 31, 2017. In 2017, for the seventh time, the Lübeck Meetings will be a part of the 59th Nordic Film Days Lübeck (Nov. 1 – 5, 2017). The festival re-structured and consolidated its film industry programmes under that title in 2010 and, since then, has developed a diverse range of industry events that flows through the German film scene, as well as providing new impetus to the relationships between Germany and the northern countries.
The Lübeck Meetings carry the international, yet intimate character of the Nordic Film Days Lübeck into events specially tailored to the needs of industry insiders. Guests from Germany and the rest of Europe value them as a unique opportunity not only to discover the best of what Nordic cinema (and most recently television too!) has to offer, but also as a chance for informal contact and mingling. Producers, writers, distributors, and buyers can find partners and content at the meetings. Monika Kijas from Munich, for instance, is coming to Lübeck not just to present the opening night film, which her company eksystent distribution is releasing theatrically in Germany in the spring of 2018, but also because "the Film Days and particularly the Lübeck Meetings offer a wonderful opportunity to discover Scandinavian films in a relaxed atmosphere".
The core of the Lübeck Meetings are the industry screenings; in order to foster distribution to broad audiences in Germany, over two days we screen films from the festival programme that do not yet have German distribution for selected buyers for TV, VOD, distribution, and cinemas. The Nordic Film Days Lübeck reserves one of the festival cinemas for that purpose for the two days, which also provides a place for informal meetings and conversation.
Apart from the screenings, professionals in the sectors production, distribution, and film subsidies are also lured to Lübeck with a range of international meetings, informational events, and workshops covering current industry topics. This year, representatives of almost all the Nordic and Baltic film institutes can get information about various kinds of production tax incentives in those countries in an event titled Where it’s worth shooting: tax savings models in northern Europe. This year’s event is directed primarily at production companies from Germany and the northern countries, while in recent years, similar events, such as “audience engagement” or “children’s and youth films” have been directed at a broader segment of film industry sectors, which is the general aim of the Lübeck Meetings and one they will continue into the future.
The Lübeck Meetings are supported by important partners such as the Margot & Jürgen Wessel foundation, the Radisson Blu Senator Hotel, and the Skanbo furniture company, as well as institutional partners – one of those is the Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein film commission, which as part of this year's NFL is mounting a location tour through Lübeck with the title Hidden Gems and Secret Places. And the Creative Europe Desk Hamburg (MEDIA) is once again holding the Media Meetings this year, with a reception and co-production conferences.
The Lübeck Meetings do more than just connect important partners such as distributors, TV broadcasters, and cinema operators to the festival. They also provide a place for conversation, exchange, and discussion for German and international industry insiders, where existing contacts can be strengthened and new collaborations can be initiated. Above all, the Lübeck Meetings help to bring Nordic cinema, beloved and cultivated in Lübeck for almost 60 years now, to all of Germany.
For further information, please contact:
Laurin Dietrich, Organisation Lübeck Meetings
laurin.dietrich@filmtage.luebeck.de
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