On January 23, when the Göteborg International Film Festival unveils its 30th annual edition, Kodak will be there, as one of the festival’s most visible co-sponsors. For Kodak, this is a multifaceted opportunity to support its customers and to help talented filmmakers and serious distributors choose Kodak film for their future projects.
Held in Sweden’s second largest city, this is the biggest film festival in the Nordic countries and one of the biggest public film festivals in the world. Every year about 450 films from around 70 countries are screened, and more than 120,000 tickets are sold.
“The festival screens a broad variety of films, including those that don’t often reach the cinemas,” said Fabien Fournillon, Kodak Marketing Communications Manager for Europe Middle East & Africa. “But, part of what attracts Kodak to Göteborg is the ability to get close to the filmmakers. Typically, around 200 directors are invited to attend the screenings to introduce their films and answer questions; and for us, this is an opportunity to spend time networking with them.”
Kodak film is the most popular motion picture film in the world and most movies shown in the cinema are shown on Kodak film. The company’s brand and promise — ‘Film. No compromise.’ — will be highly visible at the festival; in addition to banners and other signage on site and on the organization’s website, all festival attendees will wear lanyards with the Kodak logo.
Throughout the 12-day festival, Kodak’s emphasis will be on providing opportunities for filmmakers to come together, to share insights and ideas, to learn from each other and from Kodak’s extensive experience and legacy in the entertainment industry.
In addition to being a sponsor of the Dragon Bar, a meeting place for registered festival guests, Kodak will also host its popular Cocktail party to which the company’s customers are invited for refreshments and conversation.
Kodak also sees its sponsorship as offering additional business opportunities.
“Several years ago, the festival established the Nordic Film Market,” said Fournillon. “Today it is the biggest specific market place for new Nordic film with about 200 invited buyers, distributors and festival representatives from all over the world looking for festival films that deserve to be screened for broader audiences. Our ability to be part of those conversations enables us to help distributors to consider Kodak film as part of their wider distribution plans.”
Despite the business component and cordial atmosphere, Göteborg, like most festivals, also has a competitive element and this year, eight new Nordic feature films will be in competition for the festival’s Nordic Film Prize, which includes a mosaic dragon, cash, and Kodak film stock.
“Film festivals are a great opportunity to recognize future talent,” said Fournillon, “filmmakers with plans for more ambitious projects, stories they want to tell, movies they’d love to make. By providing them with Kodak film, our goal is to enable filmmakers to tell their stories the way they want to tell them, to work without comprise. And we hope that leads to a lifelong relationship with Kodak and with Kodak film.”
Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging Division is the world-class leader in providing film, digital and hybrid motion imaging products, services and technology for the television, feature film, commercial, music video and documentary industries. For more information, visit www.kodak.com/go/motion.
