Film Festivals: From European Geopolitics to Global Cinephilia (Amsterdam University Press - Film Culture in Transition)

280 Pages·2008·2.77 MB·English

by  Marijke de Valck

* pb omslag Film Festivals 07-11-2007 15:19 Pagina 1
FFIILLMM FFIILLMM
Film festivals are hugely popular events that attract
lovers of cinema worldwide, but they are also a uniquely
revealing index of globalization in the realm of culture
F
and the arts. Focusing on the world’s most famous fes- I
L
tivals – Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Rotterdam – Film CCUULLTTUURREE M CCUULLTTUURREE
Festivals: From European Geopolitics to Global Cinephilia
F
tells the story of a phenomenon that began in the midst E
IN TRANSITION S IN TRANSITION
of geopolitical disputes in war-torn Europe. De Valck
T
shows how festivals in Europe turned political divisions IV
and national rivalry into advantages, eventually expanding A
L
into a successful global network. Taking into account the S
multilateral influences of major actors – such as Holly-

wood, the avant-garde as well as political, regional and
M
tourist agendas – the book proposes a comprehensively A
new understanding of film festivals. Issues addressed R
I
range from programming and festival prizes to national J
K
legimation and city marketing, from value addition and E
cinephilia to glamour and film markets. While acknow-
D
ledging the achievements of the festival network, E

the book also asks questions about the future: does V
A
success depend on the promotion of filmmakers as
L
“auteurs” and the regular discovery of “new waves,” K
or are festivals increasingly issue- and personality-
driven? Film Festivals is a must-read for everyone
interested in the state of the world’s film cultures,
as they sustain themselves by a dynamic mix of cul-
tural value, aesthetic innovation and socio-political
relevance.
FFiillmm
Marijke de Valck is Lecturer in Media Studies at
the University of Amsterdam.
FFeessttiivvaallss
from
european
geopolitics to
global cinephilia
MARIJKE DE VALCK
9 789053 561928
AAmmsstteerrddaamm UUnniivveerrssiittyy PPrreessss
AAmmsstteerrddaamm UUnniivveerrssiittyy PPrreessss
WWW.AUP.NL
FilmFestivals

Film Festivals
From European Geopolitics to Global Cinephilia
Marijke de Valck
Frontcoverillustration:BerlinFilmFestival/PremièreTheGoodGer-
man,CateBlanchett
Coverdesign:KokKorpershoek,Amsterdam
Lay-out:japes,Amsterdam
isbn (paperback)
isbn (hardcover)
nur 
©MarijkedeValck/AmsterdamUniversityPress,
Allrightsreserved.Withoutlimitingtherightsundercopyrightreservedabove,
nopartofthisbookmaybereproduced,storedinorintroducedintoaretrieval
system,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans(electronic,mechanical,
photocopying,recordingorotherwise)withoutthewrittenpermissionofboth
thecopyrightownerandtheauthorofthebook.
ForJeroen

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements 
Introduction Film Festivals as Sites ofPassage 
EuropeanRoots 
FilmFestivalsandCulturalTheory 
ThreeHistoricalPhases 
FilmFestivalsasNewObjectofHistoricalResearch 
FilmFestivalsandthePre-warAvant-garde 
FilmFestivalsandthePost-warAvant-garde 
NetworkTheory 
FilmFestivalsandActor-NetworkTheory 
SitesofPassage 
UnderstandingFestivalSpace 
CaseStudies 
1 Berlin and the SpatialReconfiguration of Festivals 
FromEuropeanShowcasestoInternationalFilmFestivalCircuit
GeopoliticalAgendas 
GermanFilmIndustryinCrisis 
TheWesternCulturalShowcaseintheEast 
TheOlympicsofFilm 
SovereignNations,DiplomaticDisputes 
EuropeanCinemasandHollywood 
TheCallforIndependentFestivals 
UpheavalinBerlin 
TheForum:BetweenBarricadesandIvoryTower 
EmbeddedFestivals 
ReturnoftheNational 
TheLocalandtheGlobal 
CityMarketing 
SpatialMovementsandAccreditation 
Conclusions 
8 FilmFestivals
2 Cannes andthe “Alternative” CinemaNetwork 
BridgingtheGapbetweenCulturalCriteriaandBusinessDemands
FilmWarsbetweenHollywoodandEurope 
HollywoodRising 
CrisisinEuropeanFilmIndustries 
FilmFestivalsasanAlternativetoDistribution 
TransformationsintheWorldCinemaMarket 
VideoandPorn 
TheNewIndependents 
Miramax 
TheFestivalNetwork 
TheQuestionofDistribution 
IntheBusinessofCulturalPrestige 
FacilitatingtheIndustries 
PickinguponTrendsinCannes 
LeMarchéduCinéma 
GlitterandGlamour 
MediaEvent 
Conclusion 
3 Venice and the Value-Adding Process 
TheRoleofMediation,SegregationandAgendaSetting
TheValue-AddingProcess 
TripartiteSelection 
BeyondtheHigh/LowDistinction 
TheFilmFestivalEvent 
HybridizedPerformativity 
ATravellingSequenceofEvents 
TheSpatialAxis 
TheMostraandtheCulturalMemoryofSpace 
SpatialSegregationthroughAccreditation 
TheTemporalAxis 
TheWinner:TheReturn 
TheLoser:Buongiorno,Notte 
TheFavorite:LostinTranslation 
TheScandal:TwentyninePalms 
AgendaSettingandMediaExposure 
Conclusion 
TableofContents 9
4 Rotterdamand theRiseofThematicFestivals 
FromCinephileInitiativestoPopularEvents
ThematicFestivals 
TheAgeofProgrammers 
RotterdamandFilmInternational 
Programming,PassionandPolitics 
TheDogmaofDiscoveryandPoliticsofParticipation 
ThematicFestivalsintheFestivalCircuit 
CinephiliaandtheNewFestivalAudiences 
Video,DigitizationandtheRiseofContemporaryCinephilia 
MemoryandtheMarket 
DebatingtheNewFestivalAudiencesinRotterdam 
TheAgeofFestivalDirectors 
TheExperienceEconomy 
Fundraising,SponsoringandtheCity 
Conclusion 
Conclusion SuccessfulorSafe? 
TheStrengthsandWeaknessesoftheFilmFestivalNetwork
TheLargerNetwork 
SuccessfulorSafe? 
AddingValueandAgendaSetting 
ImplicationsandLimitations 
Notes 
Bibliography 
Index of Names 
Index ofFilmTitles 
IndexofSubjects 