CASE STUDY - Heritage cinema, a key part of festivals, with beneficial effects for the market?

What better way to talk about heritage at festivals than in the context of a heritage film festival? On Wednesday 16 October, Pascal-Alex Vincent, film-maker and teacher, invited four French and international festival directors to take part in a case study on festivals as distribution platforms. Éric Miot, Sophie Mirouze, Karel Och and György Ráduly discussed the effects on the market of programming classic films at festivals.

A varied integration of heritage in festivals

Heritage has found its way into some festivals without being the main theme, such as the La Rochelle festival, which presented a retrospective on Georges Méliès from its inception in 1973, without creating an official section dedicated to the classical sector. Sophie Mirouze, general delegate and artistic director of the FEMA, explains that it was only some fifteen years ago that an official section on heritage cinema was inaugurated. 

Similarly, at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, directed by Karel Och, heritage was only given a boost in 2011, on the initiative of the artistic director. At that time, he created a section dedicated to heritage entitled ‘Out of the Past’. 

For others, such as the Arras festival, of which Éric Miot is the general delegate, it was at the origin of the creation of the event. The festival in the north of France began as a travelling event, showing only heritage films. It then moved to Arras, where the programme tended to focus on fresh films. Now it combines old and new films to give a better understanding of contemporary filmography, with thematic retrospectives in particular, and a wide range of films from Eastern Europe. 

In contrast, György Ráduly's Budapest Festival has always given pride of place to heritage films, which have always played a central role. György Ráduly wanted to create a festival like the one in Bologna, Il Cinema Ritrovato, in the birthplace of Hungarian cinema, but where the heritage sector was almost non-existent. It was by winning the confidence of exhibitors that he was finally able to grow his event, while being supported by organisations committed to the heritage sector, such as the French Institute and the CNC. He also drew inspiration from his meetings and discussions at the MIFC to develop his festival, with the aim of bringing together local and international audiences around heritage. 

Programming that depends on the market…

Just as the programming of new films depends on the editorial choices of each festival, its programming of classic films is also subject to the decisions of its management. At the La Rochelle festival, the heritage programming was born of the desires of its two directors, and then, from 2010 onwards, of the numerous proposals from distributors. Today, the wishes and the proposals are combined, but the latter are always revised. Each proposed work is combined with previously unreleased films to expand the retrospectives, which are then shown elsewhere, such as at the Majestic in Paris. Similarly, the Arras festival is shaped by what is distributed.

As for the Karlovy Vary and Budapest festivals, the absence of a traditional market in the Czech Republic and Hungary means that cinephilia predominates in programming choices. 

... Which influences the market

However, there is a link between festivals and the heritage market, particularly in Hungary. György Ráduly says that distributors are now programming classic Hungarian films, while exhibitors are coming to hire films from the archives. In all, more than 3,000 screenings of heritage films have taken place across the country. Television channels are not to be outdone, stepping up their heritage programming in response to the festival's success. 

In the Czech Republic, the festival had no impact on the market, but a retrospective of 22 films based on the work of Franz Kafka was shown around the world. Korel Och also explains that he has found that Czech exhibitors from all over the world are in contact with those in Prague who work with the Karlovy Vary festival. Partnerships have also been formed with French distributors. The Karlovy Vary festival has also stimulated the catering industry in the country by finding funding from private companies. To date, some 60 films have been restored since the process was launched.

In France, although Éric Miot says that some exhibitors come to Arras, he points out that they do not go to the heritage screenings, whereas at La Rochelle, which has become a must-attend event for exhibitors, around 400 exhibitors make the trip. Discussions are also organised, and the CCRA benefits from pre-screening days. As a result, exhibitors are able to pick and choose from all the sections, and are often inspired by the support given to traditional cinema.

The difficult question of funding 

However, the economic future of these events is still a tricky one, with declining funding for the French festivals of La Rochelle and Arras, deplored in particular by regional institutions. 

For the Karlovy Vary International Festival, the budget is somewhat protected, with 80% of the budget coming from sponsors and new events launched around heritage, while 20% comes from the State. The same applies to the Budapest Festival, which is now working to find alternatives to avoid losing funding. This involves sponsorship work, for example.