The first part of Conecta FICTION Reboot is taking place this week with its revamped online format. The event is having two segments this year: one on the online platform in June and the second one on-site in September in Pamplona (Navarre, Spain).
Conecta FICTION started last Monday with almost 400 professionals from 21 countries registered for the online event and over 40 journalists specialized in the audiovisual industry. The US, which was intended to be the America Focus country on this edition, is the country with the most registered participants after Spain. Chile, America Focus country last year, makes a second appearance represented by the best producers of the country: Invercine&Wood; Fábula TV; Promocine; BTF Chile y Parox under the sponsorship of CinemaChile. Also, companies such as Ecuavisa Studios with Ana Cecilia Alvarado, International business and talent Vice -president, had made the most of this first part of Conecta to present themselves as a strategic partner and disclose their new bid for the Galapagos Islands, where they want to shoot a new fiction series.
Regarding European participation, three countries stood out in this year’s edition: France, Europe Focus country, will have a strong institutional representation; Portugal was the country with the most companies; and the UK has started to show interest to connect with Spanish speaking producers.
The meetings between executives are being carried out through the online platform hosted on the event’s webpage. Meanwhile, considering the different time zones, the conferences are taking place during the afternoons (CET) and are available in several regions of Europe and America.
Last Monday, the opening session of Conecta FICTION Reboot online offered a wide variety of perspectives. On one hand, the selected projects for the pitching sessions taking place on-site in September in Pamplona were revealed. On the other hand, the first images of the coproduction “Inés of My Soul” were screened, crowned by the comments of the 3 coproducers (TVE, Chilevisión, Boomerang TV) and the leading actors Elena Rivera and Eduardo Noriega. Merely two years ago, the TV series was presented on the International Coproduction pitching session of Conecta FICTION.
The opening session was followed by the first panel of the week “Rebooting the Industry: Jump the Next Curve of Shooting”, in which Javier Lacunza (Managing Director of NICDO) tackled the shooting conditions and the production types according to the format, budget, and complexity from a national and international perspective. The panel had live connections with France, the US, and Spain. Both panels concluded that the industry faces an optimistic panorama.
On Tuesday, the program started with the presentation of “Riot Police”, the new original TV series of Movistar+, in which Domingo Corral (Original Cinema and TV series production director of Movistar+, Spain) confirmed the development of the second season of the series, which will be executed if they find a good story. Moreover, Sofía Fabregas (Executive Producer of The Lab Cinema, Spain) pointed out that the production was committed to the creators, and there were a lot of scenes with hundreds of extras and shots with a shoulder-held camera to be close to the actors and immerse in the situation. Rodrigo Sorogoyen (Co-creator, co-writer, and director of “Riot Police” and Founder of Caballo Films, Spain) also commented that his main goal was to look for truthfulness. Right now, “Riot Police” is in postproduction, but it will premiere next fall on Movistar +.
CONECTA ON-AIR offered the second panel dedicated to the rebooting of the sector. “Rebooting The Co-Productions: The Delicate Art of Dating” displayed the full picture of the co-production alternatives with France and showed their strength and capacity as they are one of the main engines of the European audiovisual industry. They made it clear that French producers are open to co-produce, co-finance, and collaborate. Thomas Anargyros – The President of the French Producers’ Guild USPA and Producer of Storia Television (France) said that, in his experience, knowing your partner is one of the most important elements of co-productions because "the key is the artistic and financial trust".
The Fiction and Animation Support Service Chief of the Image and Animated Image National Centre (CNC) in France gave the access data to the financing funds of the CNC for the production and co-production with France. She made emphasis on the fact that French participation must be at least 30% of the budget and at least 50% of the budget must be executed in the country. She also commented on the types of aid offered to producers, screenwriters, and even schools to support the exchange, collaboration, and the fostering of international co-productions. She mentioned the agreements developed with Italy or Canada and sent a special message to Spain, as they do not get many Spanish projects but do share a lot of culture and history, encouraging the Spanish producers to try it out.
As a collaboration and organic project example, Nicolas Deprost (producer and CEO of Wild Horses, France) and César Benítez (producer and CEO of Plano a Plano, Spain) address the issue of the UMMO project that they are developing together. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Diego Ramírez Schrempp (Executive producer and Funder of Dynamo, Colombia), underscored their concept of co-production. In his experience, the co-productions are not between producers but between clients, with platforms or TV channels and one producer. Geraldine Gonard (Director of Conecta FICTION) moderated this panel, organized in collaboration with the prestigious French publication Satellifax.
To conclude, the event offered two CROSS -TALK workshops where the participants could debate the content of the panels (Reboot and Diversity) to approach issues of the rebooting industry and share views on the role of women on the audiovisual industry. This was the most interactive section of the virtual event, which allowed the live connection with the speakers, thus creating and consolidating a bond between the different agents of the industry. The following speakers were happy to share their experiences with the audience: María Elena Useche – President of High Hill Entertainment (USA), Rosana Tomás – Chief of Production of Dopamine (Mexico),Christian Gabela – VP of International Co-Productions (USA), José Fragoso – International Director RT1 & RTP International of RTP (Portugal) y Constanza Arena – Executive Director of Cinema Chile (Chile).
The fourth edition of Conecta FICTION has the support of the government of Navarra through NICDO (Navarre Infrastructure of Culture, Sport and Leisure) and SODENA (Society for the Development of Navarre) and the SGAE Foundation, and is receiving cooperation from CLAVNA (The Audiovisual Cluster of Navarre) and NAPAR (Navarre Association of Producers and Audiovisual Professionals). Inside Content is responsible for the design and production of the event.
Related News
