APULIA FILM COMMISSION, OTRANTO FILM FESTIVAL & BALKAN FILM MARKET present

EGO | East Gate Otranto – 1st Edition, 20 – 21 September 2021

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EGO – East Gate Otranto is an international initiative that brings together Italian, European and Western Balkans film professionals from the entire audiovisual supply chain. Its objective is to engage and enrich professional experiences, facilitate and enhance cooperation, discover and promote emerging talents, as well as to analyze new narrative and distributive forms of production in a macro-region with a strategic and increasingly growing geopolitical potential.

The film industry within the Balkan countries is booming. The quality and quantity of productions has improved remarkably in recent years. Their productions have notched up successes in international film festivals, and state financial support has been constantly on a steady growth track.

Five years ago, Apulia Film Commission joined forces with Mibact and ANICA to support the conception and the establishment of Balkan Film Market. Our joint vision was to shape the Balkan Film Market as a point of reference not only for Film Funds and Audiovisual Centers but also for international producers.

To materialize their vision, the founders had the idea to organize, in Otranto, an annual film market section focusing, among others, on cross-border project management (together with Italian, Balkan and Ionian/Adriatic audiovisual agencies) that will lead to developing and financing new production partnerships and expanding the overall network.