On 5 November 2024, Eurimages and the Lithuanian Film Centre, in association with the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO), organised a conference to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the entry into force of the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production. Held under the auspices of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the event brought together a number of influential figures from the European film industry to highlight the central role of co-production in cultural diversity and creative freedom.

Ambassador Andrius Krivas, Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the Council of Europe, opened the conference by outlining the priorities and key events of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, before highlighting the success of the European Convention, ratified by 43 member States. Eurimages President Catherine Trautmann then recalled how groundbreaking the Convention had been at the time, highlighting the profoundly European success story of film co-production. Marja Ruotanen, Director General of Democracy and Human Dignity of the Council of Europe, concluded the welcome speeches by pointing out that the Council of Europe has always seen culture, and in particular film and audiovisual co-productions, as a means of promoting dialogue and democracy and of combating fear and mistrust by fostering understanding across borders.

The conference continued with an inspiring speech by Dariusz Jabłoński, founder and CEO of Apple Film Production (PL), who recounted his career as a producer while highlighting the major impact of the European Convention and Eurimages on the development of European cinema.

Maja Cappello, Head of the Department for Legal Information at the EAO, then took the floor to recall the legal foundations of co-production and explain the key principles of the European Convention, clarifying the mechanisms governing transnational film partnerships. Please find her presentation here.

Patrizia Simone, Project Manager and Data Analyst at Eurimages, gave a statistical overview of the growth in co-productions and their export, highlighting the success of this model. Please find her presentation here.

The conference concluded with a round table discussion moderated by Pauline Durand-Vialle, CEO of FERA, which brought together producers Marija Razgutė (M-Films, LT), Uljana Kim (Studio Uljana Kim, LT) and Sébastien Onomo (Special Touch Studios, FR), as well as Marysabelle Cote, Administrative Director and member of the Management Committee of ARTE G.E.I.E. and Edith Sepp, CEO of the Estonian Film Institute. The round table provided an opportunity to discuss the benefits and future of co-production, considered essential for the mutual enrichment of national audiovisual industries. The speakers emphasised that co-production is not just about financial cooperation, but also fosters deep cultural exchanges.

Please find the programme here.

Please find the pictures of the conference here.