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Monday, May 9, 2011

Europe Day: 27 films from the 27 Member States in the cinemas

Thanks to Eurocine 27 – a joint initiative by the European Union and the UGC network – 27 films from the 27 Member States of the European Union will be shown on 9 May to celebrate and promote cultural diversity in Europe.Androulla Vassiliou, Member of the European Commission responsible for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth has said that: "European cinema can compete with the best and is regularly winning awards, be it at Cannes or Berlin or in the Oscars. However, the distribution of our films in Europe is still a challenge that the MEDIA programme has been addressing for 20 years, by allocating half of its budget to distributors showing films made outside their own domestic market. On Europe Day, I invite you take this unique opportunity to see these high-quality films, all of which provide insights into the various cultures making up our continent. Europe and Europeans love the cinema, so I hope you will enjoy the films."

27 films – including comedies, dramas and genre films – are being shown in the UGC and EUROPA CINEMAS theatres in Brussels, Madrid, Budapest, Luxembourg City and Milan. They come from the 27 Member States of the European Union and include "Essential Killing" by the Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski and "A Sad Trumpet Ballad" by Alex de la Iglesia from Spain (see annex for a complete list).

Even though cinema is extremely popular in the EU, the European film industry accounts for only 27% of revenue, and this comes largely from national films. With an eye to promoting cultural diversity in the EU, the MEDIA programme aims primarily at supporting the circulation of European films outside their countries of origin and giving them more room on our screens.

The budget allocated to the European film industry under the MEDIA programme for the period from 2007 to 2013 totals € 755 million (€ 1.7 billion have already been granted since the programme was launched in 1991).

Almost 50% of the budget goes to distributors showing films made outside their own domestic market, and around 20% towards realising film projects. The amount of aid granted to distributors is calculated on the basis of various criteria including the box‑office performance of previous foreign films. Aid is reinvested in anticipation of subsequent distribution costs and also serves to offset possible risks.

Source  Press room - European Commission

More information  Press room - European Commission

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