At its debut in 2006, The Business Street totaled 440 participants. This figure rose to 600 in 2007, “and for the third edition we expect an increase of 10-15%”, announces the event’s manager, Diamara Parodi.
She is very pleased that the fledgling Roman market has brilliantly passed the test of the Rome Festival’s new top management, maximizing its strategic role: the fact that it is the only section (along with “Alice nella città “” Alice in the city”) to have maintained its original name (albeit preceded by the wording “Mercato Internazionale del Film “” International Film Market”), has a clearly symbolic meaning. And for people with a great amount of experience and power, such as Gian Luigi Rondi, who is leading the Festival for the first time, symbols are of fundamental importance.
He is continuing the work of Diamara Parodi, promising greater efficiency and new services for the next edition.
First of all, the event (from 22nd “” 26th October) will be one day longer than last year, and there will be more meeting places: in addition to the Terrazza Krug in the Hotel Bernini, another terrace will be available in the old city center of Rome, thanks to the collaboration with API and ANICA: there will be the Spazio Cinema at the Hotel Majestic, on Via Veneto, just a few steps away from Piazza Barberini, and The Business Street Club will be returning to the Auditorium Village, the heart of the Film Festival.
In order to improve the various services, the headquarters of The Business Street, with the accreditation desk and ticket office, will be located in the Hotel Bernini, which already hosts the Terrazza Krug and the digital Video Library realized through the renewed collaboration with Rai Trade.
The Via Veneto area will also include eight 35 mm screens for market screenings and free wi-fi will be available throughout the venue.
By early August, many companies had already confirmed their participation, including Distribution Company Argentina (Argentina); California Filmes, Videofilmes and Imovision (Brazil); Cineplex (Colombia); Sponge Entertainment (South Korea); The Coproduction Office (France); Bavaria Film International and Prokino (Germany); Longride (Japan); Media Asia Group (Hong Kong); Istituto Luce, Rai Cinema and Rai Trade (Italy); Cinema Nueva Era (Mexico); Golem Distribution (Spain).
The event will also be paying attention to the “cognitive” dimension with a conference held in collaboration with API and ANICA, “World Going Digital”, the now traditional Business Street rendezvous at the Hortii Sallustiani.
Diamara Parodi is helping The Business Street to grow with caution and determination.
But in which direction?
The declared objective is to offer a showcase for European products, but this can only be achieved by strengthening the internationality of the participants and products.
And if the Toronto model is certainly closer to that of Mifed, whose format based on the supply of exhibition spaces is now dated and impracticable, The Business Street will have to find a third way which Diamara Parodi is currently trying to discover.
She has at her disposal all the new opportunities presented by the territory and the synergies which can be activated with other products.
The 2009 edition will be decisive for understanding whether there can be a Film Market in Rome, as the Italian movie industry hopes, and which would probably be welcomed by the international industry.
