IFP and Sundance Team Up at Berlinale

At this year’s European Film Market (Feb. 9-17, 2012), American independent filmmakers will have their own lounge at the Martin-Gropius-Bau. Under the umbrella “American Independents in Berlin”, organized by the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) and the Sundance Institute, more than 50 US Indies will be showcased in the sections “IFP Selects” and “Sundance at EFM” to the over 1500 buyers at the first international film market of the year.

With this partnership the EFM sets forth a long tradition with the American independents by adding a new meeting point and numerous additional screenings. EFM Director Beki Probst said, “Through our nine-year collaboration with the Sundance Institute we’ve presented a selection of strong US Indies in Berlin, and now we’re combining this with the American Indies selected by IFP in our new market initiative. It’s a fitting mix and an important expansion of our offering for EFM exhibitors, buyers and participants.”

Initiatives stimulate business and give the industry the opportunity to exchange and create ideas and discuss new projects. One such initiative, “Meet the Docs”, the networking platform for documentary filmmakers in collaboration with the European Documentary Network (EDN), will continue to grow this year. The new meeting and contact point for the documentary industry will be on the 2nd floor of the Martin-Gropius-Bau, directly next to the EFM Lounge. The daily information sessions “Meet the Distributors” and “Meet the Festivals” will take place here. The international documentary festivals IDFA and DOK Leipzig will also present a selection from their most recent programmes.

The EFM series “German Cinema - LOLA@Berlinale” will present 35 films from 2011 that are long-listed for this year’s German Film Prize to the international market participants with English subtitles. This series is a joint initiative of the Berlinale, the German Film Academy and German Films, the national company for promoting German films.