Cinema and audiovisual

Cinema and audiovisual

The Council of Europe took an early interest in building a European audiovisual space that allied human rights, cultural diversity and political pluralism. All the Organisation's activities in this field are based on the right to freedom of expression enshrined in Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Images play a crucial role in our democracies. Over the last fifty years the European audiovisual landscape has undergone some brutal changes. In those troubled times people needed reference marks, the member states needed to know exactly what the stakes were in the battle that was being waged. So the Council of Europe set up specialised bodies and produced legal instruments to show the way.

In 1988 the Council of Europe set up Eurimages, the first European fund for the co-production, distribution and exhibition of European cinematographic works. Its purpose is to promote European cinema by fostering production and distribution and encouraging co-operation among film professionals.

In 1992 the Council of Europe mandated the European Audiovisual Observatory to foster greater openness in the audiovisual sector in Europe and cater for the information needs of audiovisual professionals.

8 Eurimages films on their way to Cannes

8 Eurimages supported films have been selected for the 2012 Cannes Film Festival , 5 of which in the Official Competition:

  • Amour by Michael Haneke (FR, AT, DE);
  • In the Fog by Sergei Loznitsa (DE, NL, LV);
  • Beyond the Hills by Cristian Mungiu (FR, BE, RO);
  • Paradies by Ulrich Seidl (AT, FR, DE) and
  • The Hunt by Thomas Vinterberg (DK, SE).

 

The film Aimer à perdre la raison (Our Children) by Joachim Lafosse (BE, LU, CH, FR) is selected in Un Certain Regard competition.

Moreover, the co-production Ernest et Célestine by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner (FR, BE, LU) has been selected for the Directors' Fortnight section of the Festival, and the co-production Djeca by Aida Begic (BA, DE, FR, TR) has been selected in the section Un Certain Regard.

European cinema in 2010 - a year of mixed results

On the occasion of the 61st Berlin International Film Festival the European Audiovisual Observatory releases its first estimates for European cinema attendance in 2010. The Observatory estimates that total admissions in the European Union dropped by 2.0% to around 961 million tickets sold. (more...)

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Georgia joins Eurimages

The Partial Agreement of the Council of Europe Eurimages has welcomed as a new member state, Georgia, as of 18 October 2011.

Co-production projects involving a co-producer from Georgia can therefore be submitted to Eurimages for examination at forthcoming meetings.

As Georgia does not have access to the support mechanisms of the EU’s MEDIA Programme, distributors from Georgia can apply for support from Eurimages. Exhibitors from Georgia will also be eligible for Eurimages programmes of support for theatres (exhibition and digital equipment).