Tracking Satyrs, MML Collectve (Michał Mądracki, Maciej Mądracki & Gilles Lepore), Eurimages Lab Project Award 2020 DGII/EUR/SGEval(2021)_33 Report Study on the feasibility, pertinence & design of a Lab Projects support programme for the Eurimages Fund Introduction 4. Contents. Defning a framework of study 6. The Eurimages Lab Project Award 2016-2020 10. An analysis Chapter 1. Non-conventional cinema in history & today 18. Historical notons about unconventonal cinema 20 Low-budget flmmaking in Europe – Retrospectve & current trends 24 Practces of non-conventonal cinema - Non-fcton, hybrid & artst flms 32 Internet and new aesthetc forms of contemporary cinema 36 Chapter 2. Diamantno, Gabriel Abrantes & Daniel Schmidt (2018) Mapping the feld of non-conventional cinema in Europe 42. Report Filmmakers & visual artsts – Juggling creatve processes 44 Study on the feasibility, & funding strategies Producers – Empowering a vivid & collaboratve community 50 pertinence & design Incubators & Exhibitors – Championing radical cinema 56 of a Lab Projects Chapter 3. support programme Innovating public policy making 67. for the Eurimages Fund Non-conventonality in public support mechanisms 68 A new scheme - The Design, Audience, and Carte Blanche Lab Awards 78 Guidelines 88 Conclusion 94. List of people interviewed 96 Photo credits 98 Opinions expressed in this publicaton are personal to the authors and do not necessarily March 2021 represent the view of Eurimages, its members or the Council of Europe. 3 Introduction. ilmmaking and flm viewing in Europe have The label of non-conventonal cinema is no F evolved dramatcally in the last twenty longer about necessarily remaining stuck in a years and will contnue to mutate even more in niche and so-called experimental flmmakers the coming years. The set of categories (fcton/ need not necessarily inhabit an ‘underground documentary; features/shorts/series; live gheto’ for their entre career. In fact, they acton/animaton; festvals/cinemas/television; don’t! In the 20th century, flm vanguards mainstream/art house; etc.) that have long been were most ofen only an infuence on the used by each and every stakeholder in the feld next generatons, and it could take decade(s) to create a mental map of European flmmaking for mainstream cinema to appropriate artstc where they would positon themselves, have breakthroughs from past cutng-edge flms. gradually lost much of their relevance in a digital Not only are borders far more porous today, era. The issue is that these maps inherited but many flmmakers are nimbly navigatng and from the past are stll very much defning the crossing between diferent territories at a very audiovisual policies in Europe today - locally, quick pace, reaching audiences, whose nature natonally, and internatonally. and scope vary greatly depending on the given project. Such examples of dissident flmmakers The Stand-In, By nature, non-conventonal flmmaking making it to the mainstream not only explode, Rä di Martno (2017) practces are more shape-shifing and agile but render categories obsolete. than conventonal ones, the later favouring the status-quo. Yet in the current context, these That’s the context of cinema & audiovisual protean characteristcs, which have largely been industries as we see it, and that’s what makes difcult to defne and previously incapacitated the study commissioned by Eurimages on the their chances of ataining visibility, are now feasibility, pertnence, and design of its Lab increasingly gaining tremendous value. This Projects Award programme partcularly excitng. makes them beter equipped to apprehend It was our belief, supported by our expertse and answer the enormous paradigm shifs and intuiton, and it is our certtude now, of viewing practces currently in moton. supported by our research, that Eurimages may Undoubtedly, non-conventonal flmmaking have not truly seized the entre potental of this now has a historical opportunity to have a programme. What started, and stll is considered, greater impact, both rapidly and massively on as a promotonal programme motvated by the the overall audiovisual ecosystem, and its set of desire to address the few flm projects that norms, than ever before. Dominant cinema in escape the cracks of its main support scheme fact must be observant enough in order to use could very much become the homing device to all these experimentatons to its own advantage; expand their experimental innovaton in policy- By Mathieu Darras to quickly redefne itself and remain atractve, making. Ultmately, it may unexpectedly and otherwise it soon risks becoming moribund and soon enough infuence the whole approach of irrelevant - a danger that is unfortunately rapidly the Fund - and its mission. Introduction growing into a reality. 5 The team members have worked in diferent capacites in the flm and audiovisual sector in Europe, together they combine a wide range of expertse and experiences, notably as: Heads of flm labs/ industry platorms/ trainings; festval directors/ curators; flmmaker/ visual artst; producers; journalist; TV broadcaster he commission of a study on the feasibility, editor; flm insttute ofcer. These diferent T pertnence and design of a Lab Projects levels of engagement were a guarantee for an support programme for the Eurimages approach that was not one-sided, to prevent fund is the direct result of the work of an conficts of interest and to foster enriching & Evaluaton Study Group set up by the Board of contradictory debates within the team. Defning a framework of study. framework a Defning Management of the Fund in December 2018. Generally, the Evaluaton Study Group stressed The structure of the research team was as that Eurimages will inevitably have to defne follows: recommendatons in order to adapt to an ever- • Mathieu Darras (France/Slovakia) and changing environment. Rebecca De Pas (Italy/Czech Republic/France) as co-Heads of Studies; This is the object of this study by Tatno Films, • Esra Demirkiran (Turkey), Anna Gudkova commissioned by Eurimages, that was achieved (Russia), Marina Gumzi (Slovenia/Germany), over a 100 day-period from November 2020 Elena López Riera (Spain/Switzerland), and to February 2021. This artcle intends to detail Natacha Seweryn (France) as Research what our process has been in order to create a Associates. Maesta, fexible framework that functons as a vehicle • Kristna Aschenbrennerová (Slovakia) as Andy Guérif (2015) towards delivering the main objectves of the Research Coordinator. study, which are: to assess the pertnence of a programme aimed at supportng innovatve or The co-Heads of Studies were both experienced non-conventonal cinema/audiovisual projects; in the feld of non-conventonal & innovatve to make recommendatons on the format of a cinema, principally – but not exclusively – as new support programme. Heads of Labs & curators. They have, for many years and in diferent capacites, faced some of Our process consisted in the following steps: the challenges that are at the core of this study. establishing a team, defning a methodology, For instance, they had to ideate structures and and implementng a research strategy. to design decision-making processes, in order to be relevant and to maximize the impact By Mathieu Darras The Team of their actons within specifc limitatons. Their combined contributons to a long list of leading flm initatves that are actve in the feld In order to address a feld as wide and shape- guaranteed extensive knowledge of the specifc Defning shifing as non-conventonal cinema, the idea issues involved in the study, together with an was to consttute a team of diverse people independence vis-à-vis the players in the feld. that are complementary to one another, a framework and ultmately refectng the multplicity of The role of the Research Associates, each with viewpoints on innovatve/non-conventonal their unique profle, was to enlarge the scope cinema in Europe. Their practce in their of the brainstorming, to generate new ideas, of study respectve felds, combined with a genuine to challenge certaintes, to reach out towards interest refecton on public policy and a know- a large scope of professionals in many member how in carrying research & studies, was decisive. countries, and generally to enrich the study. 7 It was crucial to have in-depth Interviews with the potental benefciaries of the Eurimages Lab Mapping the feld ofen means taking a step by Elena Lopez Riera, Anna Gudkova, and Esra The Methodology Award themselves, including leading artstc back, as we wanted to provide a context for Desmirkiran in Chapter 2. fgures in the feld directors, visual artsts, the practces of non-conventonal & innovatve Innovatng public policy, the ttle of Chapter Adoptng an efcient study methodology was and producers, whose work is emblematc in cinema in Europe. This is what Chapter 1 is about, 3, is actually the ambiton of this study, crucial, considering the strict tme constraints pushing boundaries of representaton, and able with artcles by Natacha Seweryn, Mathieu which considers the Lab Project Award as an and the necessity of delivering tangible results. to express what they perceive as their needs in Darras and Rebecca De Pas that notably look at opportunity for Eurimages to innovate and to Afer setng up a team, the next step was to terms of support. The museum and art centre the history of avant-gardes and apprehend non- reinvent its mission. In order to translate this aim defne a smooth working process for the team directors & curators, festval programmers & conventonal cinema with perspectves that are into acton, it was necessary for Marina Gumzi to to collaborate together, and in relaton with the artstc directors were decisive in order to map in turns economic, aesthetc and technological. analyse several support mechanisms in Europe Secretariat of Eurimages, with a clear division the feld thanks to their thorough knowledge, as – a prerequisite to relevant recommendatons. of tasks, simple fows of communicaton, well- were the distributors, broadcasters and SVOD Identfying stakeholders is going to meet Only then could Mathieu Darras & Rebecca De defned objectves and deadlines.