As delivered

I am delighted to be here this evening to open for signature the revised Council of Europe Convention on Cinematographic Co-production.

Film co-production is a uniquely European success story.  It has allowed filmmakers from our diverse and too often divided continent to find a way to work together.  Thanks to it, cinemagoers everywhere have been inspired, informed, amused and surprised.  Above all, they have discovered that what they share is often more important than that which divides them.

The original European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production was prepared at a time when the European film industry was under immense pressure.  Its weakness left a gap which Hollywood was only too happy to fill.  The threat that European audiences would no longer see their own lives reflected on screen seemed very real.

One response to this situation was the creation of the Eurimages Fund at the Council of Europe.  Of course there is no need to remind you how successful Eurimages is.  But Eurimages works so well because it has a partner in this adventure.  Not so glamorous perhaps, nor so well known, but nonetheless of great importance.  This silent partner is the European Convention, which provides the legal framework allowing producers to work together.

Now that co-production seems such a natural way of making films, it is easy to forget that Eurimages and the Convention were ground breaking in their day. There was of course nothing new about producers from two countries collaborating to make a film; France and Italy had already signed a co-operation agreement back in 1946.   With the arrival of Eurimages, however, enlarged cooperation became more attractive, and the European Convention provided the legal backbone for this change in outlook.

But the European Convention does more than just oil the wheels of Eurimages.

For producers, it provides a framework for successful collaboration.  For public bodies investing in film production, it gives the legal security which is a basic requirement. By making co-production easier, it provides the connections to filmmakers and expertise elsewhere that have been of immense value in helping countries rebuild and revitalise failing film industries. It allows smaller countries to sustain ambitious film production.  It contributes to the spread of good practice.

And its success is witnessed by the fact that 43 out of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe have now signed up to its provisions. Not only that, but the Convention has inspired others, for example in the Ibero-American world, where a similar convention has been concluded.

Since the original Convention was opened for signature in 1992 the film industry has evolved in numerous ways.   Digital technology has changed not only the way films are made, but also how they reach their audience. Film financing has evolved and diversified.  The film industry, particularly in smaller countries, has looked outwards and worked to build skills and capacity at home by attracting international production.

No longer are films simply national, or European – more and more they are an element in a global content market.  This change in perspective has been accompanied by an increasingly globalised way of working.

Who knows, one day we may have a Convention covering the co-production of television series. Eurimages may even make room for serial formats whose quality merits its support.  But this is the future - for today, our focus remains firmly on film co-production.

More than 22 years later the basic concept behind the European Convention is still as relevant as ever.  But it is time to refresh this text to meet the challenges of tomorrow.  It is this update that we mark this evening.

No longer limited to Europe, the revised Convention opens to embrace the wider production community around the world.  That we take this first step in its official life here at a festival particularly committed to diversity in filmmaking is especially fitting.

But above all, this is a moment to affirm our commitment to openness, inclusion and the value of co-operation in building lasting international partnerships: stable partnerships capable of resisting the winds of division that blow over us.  A time to share a European success story of which we can be proud.  A success story of which the Council of Europe is proud and that we look forward to sharing with like-minded creators everywhere.