Distribution, Gibara Film Festival
“Exhibition and distribution: the great challenges of today” was the theme that kicked off the theoretical sessions at the 17th edition of the Gibara International Film Festival.
The Casa de la Cultura hosted the event, which brought together producers Inti Herrera and Raymel Delgado; director Daniel Ross and Tania Delgado, director of the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema; while Susana Molina, director of the International Film and Television School (EICTV) of San Antonio de los Baños, was the moderator of the space.
Distribution, Gibara Film Festival
The discussion focused on the challenges of audiovisual production in today’s market, from the mechanisms to seek financing for independent filmmakers or those from countries like Cuba to the methods of distribution of the work, whether in theaters or streaming platforms.
In Cuba, movie theaters and exhibition circuits must be rescued.
Inti Herrera, producer of the i4Films company, spoke about the challenges involved in financing a film and the fact that each film should be a work of art in itself, and the regrettable fact that many of them are not made. He also spoke of the essential process of rescuing movie theaters and exhibition circuits that must be carried out in Cuba.
Daniel Ross, for his part, said that “I have learned to understand the world of distribution and work based on a budget,” because one must know the ins and outs of this world and adapt to it, and play by its own rules. This is the only way to make a film on one’s own, he said. He also recalled that participation in festivals allows, in addition to making films visible, to generate budgets.
Reymel Delgado, who is also a producer at i4Films, shared his point of view on the operational difficulties that arise, from access to festivals to the challenges of distribution: “Distribution conditions the type of production, it acts as a limiting factor. It is much more difficult to distribute social issues that are of national interest in international arenas. Making irreverent films can make distribution more difficult. It is increasingly difficult to make honest films.
Distribution, Gibara Film Festival
Tania Delgado explained the basics for understanding the issue of production and the international context of film distribution: “It is important to know what project you have in your hands, although this is not the only information to take into account. It is, in principle, information that in some way places us in today’s market”.
Delgado also referred to the characteristics and statistics of foreign productions and the hegemony of European productions and their market: “An analysis between 2017 and 2021, regarding film consumption in leading countries in the market, shows China, the United States, Japan, France and Germany as regents.”
Mexico is the fourth country with the most screens in the world, and in contrast, it does not have the revenues of the other countries mentioned. In relation to the new modes of viewing, it is evident the importance that screens continue to have, since all films that go through cinema circuits before have better results later on in streaming”.
Young filmmakers in training expressed how necessary these spaces for dialogue are, as sometimes it is forgotten in the filmmaking process that in addition to the idea, the creative artistic part, and financing, the work must also be taken to marketing and screening circuits beyond festivals and exhibitions.
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