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16 October 2006
15th Anniversary of the Foundation of MEDIA Salles
1991-2006
Presentation of the “European Cinema Yearbook
– 2006 advance edition”
Dear friends,
I inform you that
the fifteenth edition of the
“European Cinema Yearbook”
will be presented in Rome
on 20 October 2006, at 2.30 pm
during the opening session of the Eurovisioni Festival,
Embassy of France in Italy - Palazzo Farnese, Piazza Farnese 67
I am particularly happy to give you this announcement on a date that
holds great significance for MEDIA Salles.
Precisely 15 years ago – on 16 October 1991 – in Rome, MEDIA
Salles came into being as the first initiative in the history of the
European Union to specifically address movie theatres.
On signing the act of constitution, the representatives of the national
exhibitors’ associations in Italy, France and The Netherlands
saw the completion of the long preparatory work which – with their
colleagues and with the crucial support of the Italian Government –
confirmed them as key figures in the project that had originated in
the Decision by the Council of Ministers of the European Union on 21st
December 1990: to set up the first EU’s initiative on behalf of
cinemas.
Practically the day after this formal act, on getting down to work ‘in
the field’, the Association’s members identified the lack
of information on the economic weight and social and cultural role of
cinemas as being one of the most urgent problems to deal with. As a
consequence, the idea of the Yearbook arose and has now become a reality
that has succeeded in gaining a firm foothold, developing and evolving,
right up to the celebration of MEDIA Salles’ 15th anniversary
today with its fifteenth edition.
I therefore like to think of the Yearbook as a symbol of the pool of
services that MEDIA Salles has offered European exhibitors over these
past years. The years between 1991 and today have witnessed the completion
of three MEDIA Programmes and now the start of MEDIA 2007-2013. Parallel
to them, MEDIA Salles has developed a series of initiatives –
following the general guidelines of the MEDIA Programme – to meet
the demands of European exhibitors in the fields of information, training
and the promotion of European films.
On an economic, technological, cultural and political scenario that
has undergone radical changes over 15 years – from the expansion
of the “multiplex model” to the privatization of the cinema
sector in Central and Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall,
up to the appearance of digital technology – the Yearbook has
been a mirror of these changes and at the same time a sign of MEDIA
Salles’ closeness to European exhibitors, in other words to those
who ensure that films come into contact with their audiences.
Whilst celebrating this achievement, we are grateful to all those who
have accompanied us on our way. We should also like to thank the international
exhibitors’ community which, thanks to the esteem they have demonstrated
towards us and to their advice, has encouraged us to remain faithful
to our commitment over all these years. We confirm once again our intention
of working in favour of an increasing circulation of European films,
with the firm desire to stand as a landmark for those who work in the
cinema industry in Europe and in the world.
Sincerely Yours,
Jens Rykær
President of MEDIA Salles
MEDIA Salles
Via Soperga, 2 – I-20127 Milan
Tel.: +39.02.66984405 – Fax: +39.02.6691574
E-mail: infocinema@mediasalles.it
Website: www.mediasalles.it
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