As the A-list movie stars sashay down the carpet at this year's Cannes Film Festival, a gathering of film industry experts will turn the spotlight in an altogether different direction, confronting some of the industry's most worrying issues surrounding film distribution, new technology and piracy.
ICC's 20th Annual Conference on International Audiovisual Law, Film Distribution, New Technology and Piracy: Thriving in a brave new world, will explore the new challenges the film industry faces in an increasingly digitalized world. It will tackle the questions: How are new technologies affecting traditional film distribution methods? What can be done to fight film piracy? How are business models evolving in response to new forms of film delivery methods and what is the impact on traditional release schedules?
A host of prominent experts and film industry leaders are confirmed to speak at this year's conference. They include representatives from the Motion Picture Association of America, Warner Brothers, Buena Vista International, Gaumont, Sony and BitTorrent – the company behind a popular programme used to download films.
Dan Glickman, Chairman and CEO, Motion Picture Association of America, who will take part in this year's conference, said: "I can think of no better place to highlight the value of movies and emphasize the need to work together as a worldwide filmmaking community to fight against those who dim the magic of the movies by stealing copyrights."
Mr Glickman will participate in a panel discussion on film piracy during the closing session of the conference. "As filmmakers know very well, piracy is a problem that knows no geographic boundaries, no language barriers and no cultural differences", he said. "It impacts not only the American film industry, but filmmakers in France, China, Russia and virtually every country where the art of film flourishes. I am eager to participate in this discussion and hope the attendees will come away with a clearer picture of this problem and what we as a global film community can do to combat it."
The two-day ICC conference – organized in conjunction with the International Bar Association and the International Association of Entertainment Lawyers – is divided into three sessions to explore the latest developments in the business of film distribution and to provide participants with sound business and legal advice for staying ahead of the game.
Mark Zoradi, President of Disney's distribution arm Buena Vista International, said: "The ICC conference on international audiovisual law in Cannes is a good tradition. This year promises to be a particularly interesting edition with issues like online piracy that are of high relevance to the business today."
Eric Keyzer, President of the International Association of Entertainment Lawyers, said: "This conference will look at ways in which advances in technology have influenced and will continue to influence distribution. Does new technology constitute more a threat or rather an opportunity for the film industry? The conference is a unique occasion for film distributors, producers, business executives, agents and lawyers to get cutting edge information and guidance".
Hosted by the Marché du Film on the occasion of the 59th Cannes Film Festival and now in its 20th year, the Annual Conference on International Audiovisual Law provides an ideal networking opportunity.
Film Distribution, New Technology and Piracy: Thriving in a brave new world will take place Thursday and Friday, 18-19 May, at the Palais des Festival, Cannes.