
FERA meets EU Film Agencies online to discuss the future of European filmmaking in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis

Representatives from FERA and EFAD (European Film Agencies) met in a video-conference call on June 4, 2020, to discuss how to join efforts in tackling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the European audiovisual sector.
The meeting gathered approximatively 16 representatives including FERA Executive Committee and CEO Pauline Durand-Vialle, and, on the side of EFAD, President Luis Chaby Vaz, Vice-President Edith Sepp, Board member Nataša Bučar, Secretary General Julie-Jeanne Regnault as well as members from France, Greece, Iceland, Italy and the UK.
The discussion revealed important common ground and shared views on the need to sustain and promote European co-productions as a cornerstone of a culturally and creatively diverse audiovisual creation during and after the COVID-19 crisis.
FERA filmmakers also shared their concerns on new health and safety guidelines on set, as they raise serious practical challenges to the production of high-quality drama and the creative space at the heart of filmmakers’ craft. They insisted on the necessity of adding to the amount of time spent in pre-production and on set, and encouraged national film funds to take this into account in their support development and production schemes. Adjustments could include systematically involving directors in the evaluation of funding applications in order to confirm the feasibility of the project under COVID-19 from a creative and practical standpoint, and strengthening support for “more doable” works in the transition period such as creative documentaries, animation, etc.