Though Europe can be credited as the birthplace of cinema, history has not been kind, and Hollywood has become the dominant force in film production. Playing to its advantages, the EU has released 5 million euros to promote trans-European productions. By

Action: Lights, Camera, Funding?

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/14566767/P004-90904-EN.srt

Welcome to this episode of Action   dedicated to European cinema.

How hard is it for a young director   to find funding to shoot a film?

And once the film's been made,   will it be seen in Asia or the USA?

Or is our film industry still straggling   behind the power of Hollywood?

And are we really sure there is   such a thing as European cinema,

or are we dealing with a multiplicity   of national approaches?

To discuss the current state   of European cinema

And Daniel Cohen, director   of a film festival here in Strasbourg.

Hello.   -Henri Weber, I'll start with you.

You've been involved in cinema   and culture for a long time.

Europe has developed means of helping   directors and producers.

What are they   and do you think they're sufficient?

Europe already has three,   not to say four.

There's the MEDIA programme,   the MEDIA Plus programme,

MEDIA, which has funds of 750 million   euros, aims to finance film production.

It has bankrolled major films, which won   prizes in Cannes and elsewhere.

So it has shown itself to be   very discerning and effective.

MEDIA Plus is more closely involved   with distribution across Europe,

so that every country's output   can be viewed throughout the EU.

MEDIA International aims to bankroll   films from outside the EU

which will interest us   due to their cultural diversity.

And the fourth instrument   is the LUX Prize...

Which has just come into being.   -It's two years old.

It's pretty well funded.   -And it's administered by the EP.

The EP casts the vote.   -It's rather an important prize,

because it helps a film to be subtitled   into 23 languages,

and to produce a 35mm version   per Member State.

The aim is for the winning film   to be distributed so that it can be seen

Daniel Cohen is this funding sufficient?

Mr Weber was talking about   the MEDIA programme.

Because we organise   the Strasbourg Fantasy Film Festival.

But it's complicated by the fact   we don't just show European films,

though the competition itself is European.

So, in order for a festival   to obtain funds from MEDIA,

70% of the films it shows   must be European.

as they stipulate that this 70% should   come from ten different EU countries.

That's so as to encourage diversity,   which is MEDIA's aim.

For a festival such as ours,   that impacts on the quality of our output.

Let's first look at a report   by Julie Martin.

We're in the north of France,   near a castle surrounded by forests.

Lighting and sound technicians,   cameramen,

We're on the set of the film   'All good children' which is being made

I'm from France and   I'm third camera assistant.

Jonathan Cavendish,   producer of 'Bridget Jones's Diary',

Used to being funded   by American studios

Cavendish has had to adapt   to European levels of financing,

where more indie films and fewer   big names mean fewer financial risks

In Europe, over 50% of film funding   comes from public institutions.

That's why Cavendish's film is an Irish,   French and Belgian co-production.

The countries benefit from public grants.

Patrick Quinet, a Belgian co-producer,   found it hard to deal with the EU rules.

We had to hire technicians   from each of these countries,

by following rules   which are different for each country.

This film was made with EU funding   amounting to 13% of the total budget.

As a result of this co-production   the film will be distributed more widely.

And as members of the EU   get to work together,

we have a greater chance   of obtaining funding from Eurimages.

but the EU also has other ways   of funding films.

The MEDIA programmes are there   to make European cinema viable,

by giving grants to screenwriters,   for example.

European cinema is making progress.   In 2008, it produced a record 1,145 films,

even though it is still   being dwarfed by Hollywood.

Just over one film out of four   shown in Europe in 2008 was European.

Most of these films were French. The   others were Italian, German or English.

But why are European films failing to   attract viewers compared to Hollywood?

We don't have any major European stars   that really promote a film.

I prefer to watch American films because   they contain action, they relax me.

They have good posters,   they have actors who interest me.

One can never tell how it's going to end.

I prefer American films   for their happy endings.

European cinema is much closer   to everyday reality,

as is the case with the first film   of Belgian Nabil Ben Yadir.

It's about daily life in his neighbourhood

and the only funding he's received   has been for writing the screenplay.

It allowed me to spend more time   on the writing.

And the better a screenplay is crafted,   the easier it becomes to film.

But according to Nabil's producer,   Europe could do more for the industry.