43rd edition of Cineposium held in Saint Petersburg

43rd edition of Cineposium held in Saint Petersburg
Cineposium , an annual conference of AFCI – the Association of Film Commissioners International , was held on 14 and 15 of September in Saint Petersburg. Panels with prominent speakers discussed key industry topics, and analyses of strategies being implemented by governments throughout the world to increase their country’s share in the film market and television production were presented.

The exceptional content boom was viewed from several key aspects, from production companies and large streaming platforms that produce and distribute content, through the studios and locations where this content is recorded and produced, and ties that in the entire process are represented by film commissions and offices throughout the world.
The role that incentives such as cash/tax rebates have on attracting production, system security, the quality of local film crews and an overview of the realistic situation on the field (film studies and infrastructure, locations, permits) are key elements that ensure quality projects.
The start of cooperation between the AFCI and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) this year, placed the topic of film tourism in a special focus.
‘The phenomenon of the series Game of Thrones has put Croatia as a destination on the world map of film tourism. The increase in targeted tourist visits to Dubrovnik has since 2012 onwards, given the global success of the series, been expected. On the other hand, we were surprised by what happened in Zagreb, where the taping of the Korean reality show ‘Romantic’ resulted in an increase of tourist visits from Korea of 52 % in one year. Along with additional activities of the Croatian National Tourist Board, in 5 years in Zagreb there has been an increase in visits from Korea of 800 %’, said Marcich during the panel discussion.
The equal representation of women was a topic of special significance in the film industry too.
The value of the European video game market is € 21 billion, with global video games outselling the film and music industries together.
‘While developing the games, you must follow three basic things: the brain, the heart and the hands – what a player thinks, what he/she feels and what hand movement he/she uses when playing. A player him/herself chooses options, where he/she will go from here. Film viewers practically only have one option, the image given to them by the director’, said Asad during the discussion.
Experience from specific projects at locations throughout the world were shared by prominent producers
During the conference, the research on Best Practices In Screen Sector Development was presented, which was conducted by Olsberg SPI for the AFCI. It is an analysis of strategies being implemented by governments around the world to increase the share of their countries in the film market and televisions production.
The Croatian Audiovisual Centre with the Department for promoting investments in audiovisual production (