EWIP: First work-in-progress film market

AG Verleih and Film- und Medienstiftung NRW initiate European Work In Progress EWIP – the first independent work-in-progress film market in Germany

The first independent European Work In Progress film market EWIP has been founded in Germany in the context of today’s joint discussion event DER NEUE SPEED IM FILMBUSINESS, initiated by AG Verleih – Association of Independent Film Distributors and the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. European Work In Progress EWIP, hosted by AG Verleih and supported by Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, shall create new possibilities for film distributors, producers and world sales to face the new challenges in a constantly accelerating market. The goal of European Work In Progress EWIP is the presentation of film projects that are already in production as well as the exchange of ideas and finding development and distribution strategies at an early stage.

Leopold Grün, Managing Director of AG Verleih: „The time periods between a film’s production and the start of the exploitation are becoming shorter internationally. Screenplay-based sales to film distributors account for an ever-increasing share of business, but this also increases the risks for the distributor and the responsibility on the part of the international distributors. For the partners involved – producers, distributors and world sales – it is important to start discussing the projects at the right time in order to successfully place them in the market.”

„The platform EWIP, which was presented today for the very first time, has the primary aim to develop exploitation strategies already in the production phase of film projects and the early on identification of partners for coproduction and cofinancing, distribution and world sales. The concept of European Work In Progress promises a significant improvement of marketability and the acceleration of the exploitation of film projects“, says Petra Müller, Managing Director of Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. „After today’s starting shot the event shall take place once a year during the Film Festival Cologne.“

In contrast to the current work-in-progress-markets the new platform EWIP will focus on projects which have already completed large parts of their financing phase and which can be evaluated with regard to their cinema suitability, based on the available visual material. Therefore feature film productions can only be presented if they can provide significant excerpts of picture and sound material.

The EWIP is a meaningful offer to produce and distribute projects closer to the cinema market against the backdrop of ongoing debates on the cinema potential of many film productions. EWIP will be accompanied by a supporting programme of moderated discussions and one to one meetings as well as jury decisions and an award ceremony for the best projects. EWIP will take place for the first time during the Film Festival Cologne in October 2018.

Discussion participants include Torsten Frehse, Managing Director of Neue Visionen Filmverleih and member of the Board of Directors of AG Verleih, Fabian Massah, Managing Director of Endorphine Filmproduktion ("Men on the Bridge"), Jamila Wenske, Managing Director of One Two Films ("Freedom"), Björn Hoffmann, Head of Marketing and Sales of Pandora Filmverleih, Yohann Comte, Founder and Managing Director of Charades – International Sales and Vice President of ADEF.

In case of any questions please contact:
Leopold Grün, Tel. +49 (0)179 – 74 81 260, or
Sylvia Müller, Tel. +49 (0)30 – 41 71 57 22,
Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Erna Kiefer, Tel. +49 (0)211 – 90 30 50 22,