europe to the fore at the asian contents & film market 2023

THE BEAST by Bertrand Bonello (France, Canada/Kinology) © Carole Bethuel

32 world sales companies from across Europe, overtaking last year’s total, are promoting and selling their newest European films onsite at the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) in Busan, South Korea, from 7^th to 10^th October.

The EUROPE! Umbrella, an established collaboration between EFP and Unifrance is a familiar sight for international buyers representing all things European at South Korea’s ACFM. During four days, the Umbrella at Busan’s BEXCO Exhibition Center will become a business place for companies, such as PictureTree International, Intramovies, Charades, Filmax, Goodfellas, Playtime and Sola Media, to mention just a few participants. A further 7 world sales which are unable to take the trip to Busan this year are not missing out on the autumn market as they have registered with the online version of the umbrella to give their films exposure for acquisitions too.

Buyers from countries in Asia will have the chance to discover an array of new European films both onsite and online again this year. Amongst them are the French-Canadian co-production, The Beast by Bertrand Bonello (Kinology), screening in Busan Film Festival’s (BIFF) Gala Presentation, Polish Oscar entry The Peasants by DK & Hugh Welchman (Poland, Serbia, Lithuania / New Europe Film Sales) and An Endless Sunday by Alain Parroni (Italy, Germany, Ireland / Fandango), both part of BIFF’s Flash Forward, which offers non-Asian first or second time feature films to compete for an audience award. Further films are Danish Oscar Entry The Promised Land by Nikolaj Arcel (Denmark / TrustNordisk) and Holly by Fien Troch (Belgium, Netherland, Luxembourg, France / MK2) in World Cinema as well as Green Border by Agnieszka Holland (Poland, Czech Republic, France, Belgium / Films Boutique) screening in the festival’s Icons section.

To help with the promotion of European cinema to East Asia at the market, EFP is awarding Film Sales Support (FSS) to 10 sales companies to enhance their digital and physical marketing campaigns. The support goes to Alpha Violet, Fandango, Film Factory Entertainment, Films Boutique, Indie Sales, Kinology, Latido Films, LevelK, Pulsar Content and TrustNordisk for the promotion of new titles from Europe available for Asia. Details of the supported films for sale can be found here.

To get ready for the ACFM and to kick-start networking, EFP and Unifrance additionally offer sales agents the chance to personally present films to invited Asian buyers in advance of the market as part of a EUROPE! SHOWCASE.

The FSS support was confirmed by the national film promotion institutes, Cinecittà, Czech Film Centre, Danish Film Institute, ICAA (Spain), National Film Institute Hungary, Swedish Film Institute and Unifrance.

The organisation of the EUROPE! Umbrella at the ACFM 2023 as well as FSS are made possible thanks to the support of Creative Europe MEDIA of the European Union. The EFP member film promotion institutes, German Films and ICAA (Spain) are financially contributing towards the EUROPE! Umbrella.