GEHOORD
ADVERTEERDERS:
tijdens het in Amsterdam van 28-30 september gehouden seminar
FILM &TVPRODUCTIONS IN THE LESSWIDE-SPREAD LANGUAGES
In this respect I can pointto the draft directive on transfrontier broad-
casting and the formal procedures that the EC-Commission has star-
ted against the filmlegislation in a number of member states.
The objections by the EC-Commission are carefully worded and the
parties concerned are reassured by representaties of the Commis-
sion that the efforts towards greater harmonisation in Europe are
only restricted to the economie and social aspects of public support
for cinema and television. These assurance however can not lift the
concern and uneasiness that is feit in the film- and television com-
munity in the Netherlands, and I am sure in other countries as well.
I share this concern over the EC-activities where they touch upon
cultural policy. The concept of cultural identity is, perhaps unwit-
tingly, being challenged by the EC-Commission. It is in any case un-
clear to what extend the EC is prepared to acknowledge this concept.
Mr.M.J.Riezenkamp, Directeur-Generaal van het Ministerie van
W.V.C.
I will make my nextfilm in the mountains,you are making your films
in the flatland. I givemy film toyou,yougive your film to me. That is
much better than forced coproduction. It is essential that you are not
making a coproduction inside the story. It is strictly a business idea
to make a coproduction set-up and not a cultural idea. I would not
like to be obliged by a coproduction set-up to plant tulips in the
mountain-snow, just to be able to make my film.
It is essential to find possibilities for production solutions and distri-
bution solutions to help each other, but the best weapon to fight
against the death of the cinema is to be strictly subjective, personal
and local.
De Zwitserse regisseur, Markus Imhoff.
The American challenge could be a stimulus to progress of the film
production in Europe, which does not mean a mere imitation of Ame
rican methods. Unrealistic European laws in the audiovisual field or
unrealistic interpretations of those laws would however form not a
challenge, but a threat for our industry from within our Europe.
Drs. J.Ph. Wolff, voorzitter N.B.B.
So, if that European economie survival unit wants indeed to physi-
cally survive, it must become a cultural survival unit as well. That to
my mind is the final raison d'être of the European film industries.
That is why they must survive and reach their audiences of 320 mil-
lion people in the West and God knows how many millions more in
the East of Europe.
Mr. W.L. Brugsma, voorzitter van het seminar.
I have two versions of my speech today. One is very short, it takes
about half a minute, it says that most of what politicians and minis
ters say about film and culture is just bullshit, period.
....Romantic dreams about a Europe of Dichter und Denker and con-
sumers of only high-class culture should find discouragement in the
fact that cinema competes with TV, opera, theatre, reading, and
other leisure activities for attention mostly during prime time, from
7 p.m. to 9 p.m. There is a clear limit to culture consumption. Not
everybody wants to devote his leisure time to what is called culture.
There can be other legitimate interests of life.
As Europe is approaching the end of a millennium, its governments
also have to state where they stand in terms of human values and in-
tellectual advancement - and not merely in terms of road building,
social security, ecology and the like. Negligence today means a
tombstone on human aspirations tomorrow.
Joern Donner, producent, lid van het Finse parlement, voorzitter van
de Finnish Film Foundation.
In Europe, television can become the cornerstone of an actual indus
try of pictures, at a competitive level with the American industry. And
within the world of television, commercial television can be the pio
neer, offering an essential contribution in the form of its entrepre-
neurial fantasy and its innovative capacities.
A modern and specialised industry, in which the relationship be-
tween large, entrepreneurial structures and practical micro-structu-
res, between industrial orders and their execution by craftsmen, is
essential. But at the same time this must be an industry that consists
of large, concentrated groups, because only they possess the impe-
tus to create the independent and decentralised production structu
res, which have the task of filtering and fully exploiting the creative
resources.
Rosario Pacini, Fininvest Group (Italië)
In connection with America it is also noteworthy that the average ac
tual burden of entertainment tax and VAT. amounts to 1 of box of
fice receipts. The European Commission wants to establish V.A.T. for
the services in the film and cinema sector at a 14% minimum level
with a ceiling of 20%. This would be anything but a gesture of sup
port from the E.C. to strengthen the European competitive position
in connection with the American film in the European Cinema and Te
levision Year.
The extremely difficult circumstances under which the European film
industry presently has to operate (and I include here the cinemas
themselves) render these systems of offering subsidies indispensi-
ble. I also see that these systems have led to those national films be-
coming a very important component in the turnover attained by cine
mas in by far the majority of countries. They form the only real coun-
terbalance for the American film. Apart from the ideas Brussels has,
no European country thinks that assistance offered to national film
production in another country represents inadmissible discrimina-
tion.
Regisseur Fons Rademakers
Alle voordrachten zijn gebundeld in
krijgbaarbij hetBondsburo.
'Final Seminar Rapport" ver-
Argus Film BV.
Associatie van Nederlandse Filmtheaters
Bioscoop-Onderneming A.F Wolff BV.
CannonTuschinski Film Distribution BV.
Cinescope Filmreclame BV.
Concorde Film
Exploitatie Mij. Minerva BV.
Filmcentrale Nieuwegein BV.
Filmtext BV.
Filmtrust BV.
First Floor Features BV.
Fonds voor de Nederlandse Film
Jogchem's Theaters BV.
Kagenaar Apparatenfabriek BV.
Motion Picture Group BV.
Nederlandse Bond van Bioscoop- en
Filmondernemingen
Netrov-Airfreight BV.
Renovo Film BV.
Riverside Pictures BV.
Selectronic BV.
Stichting Bio-Kinderrevalidatie
Stichting Nederlandse Filmdagen
Titra Film Laboratorium
Tom F.Smitsloo
United International Pictures (Netherlands) BV.
Warner Bros (Holland) BV.
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