FILMCO leads six-member delegation to international film market in Berlin, Germany
—Published on 13th Feb, 2023.
Six producing filmmakers, members of FILMCO: The Filmmakers Collaborative of Trinidad and Tobago, depart for Berlin, Germany to attend the European Film Market. The participating filmmakers are all from Trinidad and Tobago: Tracy Farrag, Jian Hennings, Oliver Milne, Andrei J. Pierre and Rhian Vialva with FILMCO interim executive director (and documentary filmmaker) Mariel Brown also attending. The group will participate in industry training sessions, networking events and market activities (including one-on-one meetings with potential co-producers, funders etc). Participating online are Akkel Charles and Princess Donelan.
According to Brown, “FILMCO is involved in the European Film Market to expand our understanding of the international film industry landscape and provide our members with essential market intelligence and access to new networks, potential partners and business contacts. We hope everyone involved will use this opportunity to push their films forward.”
Since December 2022, the group has been attending weekly workshop sessions with a view to strengthening and improving their individual film projects while providing constructive feedback to fellow cohort members. This kind of peer-review mentorship will increasingly inform FILMCO’s work to develop filmmakers’ creative ideation and planning as key elements of fundraising and development for any successful film project. German Ambassador Ute König notes, “The German Embassy in POS is proud to support FILMCO filmmakers to visit the European Film Market during the Berlinale film festival. Best of luck with your projects and for your creative pitches in Berlin!”
With close links to the Berlinale, the European Film Market is one of the top three meeting places of the international film and media industries. Over a period of eight days, around 10,000 representatives of the international film and media industries – primarily producers, buyers and sales agents, distributors and financiers – come together to network, exchange, inform themselves and do business.
The trip is made possible thanks to the support of the Inter-American Development Bank, the German Embassy in Port of Spain, the Diversity and Inclusion initiative of the European Film Market and UNESCO through their Transcultura programme.