December 27, 2024
REVIEW
From 14 to 17 October 2024, the second Eurasian Film Market (EFM) took place in Almaty (Kazakhstan) at the Arman Cinema. The film market was attended by over 100 companies and more than 300 accredited participants from more than 15 countries.
EFM is the largest independent film market in Central Asia and a remarkable example of creative industries event. The market meets the modern needs of the film industry by expanding the boundaries of regional cooperation and fostering new business connections within the film industries of the region and beyond. Historically, Kazakhstan has been one of the key territories along the Great Silk Road, linking Asia and Europe, East and West.
The partners of the Eurasian Film Market 2024 included Visit Almaty, Arman Cinema, Novotel Almaty City Center, Kazakhstan Hotel, Christie, Harkness Screens, the Foundation for United Nations SDG, the streaming platforms Megogo and Etnomedia, Capella Film, the French Embassy, Unifrance, CNC (France), the Italian Institute of Culture, the Italian Trade Agency, Cinecitta (Italy), German Films, and the Goethe Institute (Germany), the travel company Kazakh Incoming, the Association of Restaurateurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Calipso water, and others.
Media support for the film market was provided by the official media partners: 31 Channel, Almaty.tv, Astana TV, Kazakhstan TV, KTK Channel, the news agency Kursiv Media, weproject.media, Kazakhstan Pravda, Freedom Ticketon.kz, the Broadway film portal, Bulletin Kinoprokatchika, Kinobusiness Today, Kino-Teatr.ru, Vseznayka Press, and others.
The exhibitors at the film market included the Trapeza company, the streaming service Unico Play, cinema equipment suppliers Christie and Asia Cinema, the technology groups Softpark, Tessera, SP Media, Tillypad, and the licensing and music distribution company More Music.
The official opening ceremony of the film market featured speeches from His Excellency Mr.Sylvain Guiaugue, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to the Republic of Kazakhstan; Helene Larionova Haug, General Director of the film market; and Irina Lebedeva, Director of the Arman Cinema.
The French Ambassador introduced the Festival d'Avant-Premières du Cinéma Français, organized with the support of the French Embassy, Unifrance, and Campus France. The festival opened with the film Making Of by director Cédric Kahn—a comedic drama and winner at the Venice Film Festival. The screening was presented by Stefan Crepon, an actor in the film and nominee for the César and Lumière Awards. The festival program also featured the following films:
The films for the Festival d'Avant-Premières du Cinema Français were provided by its rights-holding companies in the CIS region: Volga, Provzglyad, Exponenta, Russian Report, Pioneer, Inoe Kino, and Tamasa Distribution.
As part of Italian events dedicated to the centenary of Marcello Mastroianni, there was a screening of Marcello Mio, 2024, directed by Christophe Honoré, starring Chiara Mastroianni (daughter of Marcello Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve) in the lead role. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival within the festival main program. The screening at the EFM took place with the support of the Italian Institute of Culture.
As part of the business program of the film market, three roundtable discussions were organized:
The session provided an overview of the film distribution market in Central Asia, including data on the number of cinemas, screenings, and content. Topics discussed included audience trends, marketing in the cinema business, adaptation and localisation of materials for different markets, promotional alliances, Kazakh language dubbing, and more. According to Freedom Ticketon, in 2023, Kazakhstan had 113 cinemas, Uzbekistan had 101, Kyrgyzstan had 49, and Tajikistan had only 4. The total number of cinema screens in Kazakhstan in 2024 is 418. In 2023, cinema attendance reached 21 million people, with 35% of the total coming from Almaty.
The session provided an overview of funds and opportunities for co-production financing with France, Germany, Turkey, and China, and discussed the advantages and challenges of co-production and distribution of foreign content. For instance, according to Emmanuelle Faucilhon, the global audience for French cinema is growing and is aiming to recover pre-pandemic levels, with the Central Asian market representing a significant strategic interest.
The speakers provided comprehensive information on the state of the creative industries in Central Asia, discussed the prospects and challenges of developing the creative economy in the region, as well as its successes, introduced the audience to initiatives and events related to the creative economy in the region and globally, and shared valuable insights.
On 16th October, with the support of UNESCO an open masterclass on Awareness Raising in Digital Skills and Its Opportunities was held for students. The speakers at the masterclass were David Tuganov, Founder of the Creative Industries Alliance (Kazakhstan), and Francesco Sapio, Professor at Sapienza University, CEO and Lead Engineer at Red Hog Studio, a Master of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, and holder of a PhD in Educational Games, as well as an engineer in digital development (Italy). The speakers discussed the opportunities of digital skills, learning through game development, creative thinking, and more.
As part of the film market and initiated by UNESCO a photo exhibition dedicated to Central Asia and the cultural heritage along the Silk Road was presented.
As part of the official business program, country presentations were held for France, Germany, and Italy, where representatives of these countries provided an overview of their film industries and presented opportunities for international cooperation in the audiovisual sector. The speakers at these sessions included Emmanuelle Faucilhon, Audiovisual Partnership Attaché at the French Embassy; Lea Dodon, representative of the French distribution company MK2; Maurizio Aronica, President of the Foundation for United Nations; Eduardo Crisafulli, Director of the Italian Institute of Culture; Michael Harbauer, Chairman of the non-profit association Sächsischer Kinder- und Jugendfilmdienst e.V. (Saxon Children's and Youth Film Service) and Founder of the SCHLINGEL International Film Festival for Children and Young Audience (Germany); and Dennis Ruh, Board Member of the Seriesly Berlin TV Series Festival (Germany).
As part of the business program, presentations were also held by leading companies in the production and sale of cinema equipment and software for cinemas:
One of the key focuses of the Eurasian Film Market is supporting the film industry of Central Asian countries. The initiative created last year, the #SEARCH program, has become one of the most important areas of development for the forum. In 2024, Central Asian film content was traditionally presented at the film market within the frameworks of the #SEARCH, New Kazakh Cinema, and Kazakhstan.Animation programs.
The #SEARCH program featured around 100 full-length feature and documentary films from Central Asian countries, produced in 2024 or scheduled for release in 2025. The New Kazakh Cinema section included 9 new films preparing for wide release. The creators and producers of these films were given the opportunity to personally present them at the film market and showcase exclusive materials: the social drama Igromanka directed by Aldiyar Bayrakimov; the drama Grazhdane kryshe (Citizens of the Roof) directed by Gulshat Smagulova; the drama QAITADAN directed by Duman Erkimbek; the drama Osenniy briz (Autumn Breeze) directed by Adyl Merekeev; the fantasy comedy "Zheztyrnaq" directed by Anwar Matjanov; the dramedy Stremyagi directed by Sanjar Omarov; the crime drama thriller SHEKER. Last Chance directed by Darkhan Tulegenov; the drama Nurikamal directed by Yernat Bayuzak; the comedy Kettiq bәrін tasta (We Left It All Behind) directed by Samat Syryzhan and Serjan Serikbaev.
Participation in the #SEARCH program, which is annually curated for presentation at the Eurasian Film Market, offers a unique opportunity for filmmakers from Central Asia to present their projects to buyers and film festival programmers, both within the region and internationally. It is the only program in the world that annually compiles new Central Asian film content into a single catalogue.
On the final day of the film market, with the support of Visit Almaty and the Association of Restaurateurs of Kazakhstan, an excursion programme was organised, including a visit to the high-altitude ice rink Medeo and the ski resort Shymbulak. The market partner, the tourism company Kazakh Incoming, organised walking tours during the event, allowing participants to explore the main attractions of the city.
The Eurasian Film Market demonstrates positive growth, marked by an increase in the number of participants and exhibitors, diversification of companies working in the film and TV sector, and greater recognition on the international market.
The next edition of the Eurasian Film Market will take place in September 2025 (dates to be confirmed).
