In Focus: As Wide as the Wide Web
Patricia Veszprémi (Hungary)
18.05.2011 - "Auteur cinema became disconnected
with wide audiences", so the disillusioned statement goes. Art
house films are targeted at prestigious festivals and at the
circles of professionals in order to win support for upcoming
projects; just as most of the directors and producers selected in
L'Atelier where they look for funding for their subsequent films.
It is also common sense to say that internet connects people.
People living far away become inhabitants of a giant global
village. But has the internet got the potential to connect movies
with the audiences just as movie theatres used to do?
The media consumption of
the younger generations is radically different from that of the
older filmgoers. They watch videos and films on YouTube, they blog,
facebook or tweet their preferences. Could these platforms become a
new channel between movies and the audiences? Producers, filmmakers
all seem to be aware of the influence and impact of new media, yet
the success at prestigious festivals still enjoys utmost priority.
However, the spark is there; some projects are in full swing on the
Internet. Online castings, aid campaigns, short films available in
VOD: global marketing online is now fully available and more
cost-effective.
An Iraqi multimedia campaign
The selection of L'Atelier stretches from one end of the globe
to the other: 15 projects, 15 countries, 15 patterns of a rich
tapestry of themes and genres. From existentialist fantasies (Of
Our Economic Situation), through the dissolution of identity in a
virtual reality (Full Contact) to the violent immobility of youth
(Luton); from a political thriller (El Mudo) to a coming-of-age
youth drama (Il Sud è Niente), from suicide bombers (The Train
Station) to quixotic patriarchs (Mr Kaplan).
National identity is marketable in itself. Mohamed Al-Daradji, a
rising Iraqi director - as his producer Isabelle Stead states -
"resurrects Iraqi film industry from the brink of extinction". He
did it through a multimedia campaign exploiting all possible
platforms, from social networking through radio and television to
the wide screen, in order to bring relief and aid to the people of
a shattered country. His film-to-be The Train Station will show a
different side to the stereotypes connected to Iraq as a war-torn
country, just like Al Daradji's previous films did. Meanwhile, his
production team showcases a new model of "engaging with audiences
beyond the cinema".
Online casting & gloomy prophecy
A newcomer, Alice Winocour, posted online the call for casting
for her first feature Augustine, thus opening up the world of
acting to the less celebrated circles looking for talents still
undiscovered. Among Cannes' recurrent participants is David
Verbeek, who premiered R U There last year in Un Certain Regard.
His new project Full Contact further highlights his obsession of
disconnectedness through technology as a gloomy prophecy for the
new media. Certainly, using this mere technology for promoting the
film is part of the whole project. Yet, many projects still rely on
the prestige of festivals, which remain the most reliable ways of
connecting with potential audiences. This is the case for example
of Georgian filmmaker George Ovashvili, who comes to Cannes to
develop his second feature, after the success of The Other
Bank.
Of course, websites and other new media have long become
channels of promotion for filmmakers. It is a widespread saying
today that "if you do not have a profile on Facebook, it is as if
you did not even exist". Although there is no proof or guarantee
that more people will turn up on cinema screenings, yet, it is
already building a solid relationship with new audiences. This is
one possible future of cinema.
This article
originally appeared in Nisimazine Cannes 2011 and is republished
with the permission of Nisi Masa. The first edition of the
Nisimazine Abu Dhabi film journalism workshop took place from
October 14-23, 2010. The second edition will be held during
the 5th Abu Dhabi Film Festival, October 13-23,
2011.