{"id":17987,"date":"2019-06-14T12:30:25","date_gmt":"2019-06-14T10:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dffb.de\/?p=17987"},"modified":"2019-06-19T12:30:44","modified_gmt":"2019-06-19T10:30:44","slug":"interview-with-ben-gibson-by-vassilis-economou-cineuropa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dffb.de\/en\/interview-with-ben-gibson-by-vassilis-economou-cineuropa\/","title":{"rendered":"Inter\u00adview with Ben Gib\u00adson by Vas\u00adsilis Economou, Cineu\u00adropa"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cineu\u00adropa: What is your expe\u00adri\u00adence of being the head of DFFB for the last three years, and what chal\u00adlenges have there been?
\nBen Gib\u00adson<\/strong>: <\/strong>It has been a busy three years, with live\u00adly inter\u00adnal dis\u00adcus\u00adsion about improve\u00adments that will sup\u00adport this cre\u00adative com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty and add to its work, and it\u2019s also been a very suc\u00adcess\u00adful peri\u00adod for DFFB film\u00admak\u00aders. We also had four fea\u00adture-length grad\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion films, with the sup\u00adport of rbb<\/a> and ZDF<\/a>, at the Berli\u00adnale this last year. Our main chal\u00adlenge has be<\/p>\n

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en to add strands of work to an insti\u00adtu\u00adtion that has built up a rich cul\u00adture incre\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly, over many years. DFFB is so spe\u00adcial part\u00adly because it just doesn\u2019t do that aspi\u00adra\u00adtional, silo-ori\u00aden\u00adtat\u00aded train\u00ading for an imag\u00adi\u00adnary film fac\u00adto\u00adry. It brings togeth\u00ader hard-work\u00ading, brave types who want to become arti\u00adsanal film\u00admak\u00aders with a deep knowl\u00adedge of the whole machine, and to debate why they make films and how they con\u00adtribute to our world, for their whole careers. That\u2019s excit\u00ading.<\/p>\n

Is any\u00adthing chang\u00ading?
\n<\/strong>We are becom\u00ading more inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adist \u2013 in terms of teach\u00ading, part\u00adner\u00adships and stu\u00addents \u2013 while still remain\u00ading a Ger\u00adman Akademie<\/em>; we are adding to the teach\u00ading struc\u00adture to incor\u00adpo\u00adrate even more craft; we\u2019ve opened a study stream for edit\u00ading and sound; we\u2019re inte\u00adgrat\u00ading the screen\u00adwrit\u00aders, who now make films in the first, gen\u00ader\u00adal\u00adist year; we have ini\u00adtia\u00adtives about oth\u00ader con\u00adstituen\u00adcies and Berlin (the Berlin Film Net\u00adwork), as well as the Cen\u00adtral Euro\u00adpean Fea\u00adture Project with Lodz<\/a> and FAMU<\/a>, and an Inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal Pro\u00adduc\u00aders\u2019 Pro\u00adgramme; we are \u201cplat\u00adform-neu\u00adtral\u201d, with more web series, ser\u00adi\u00adal dra\u00admas and expand\u00aded sto\u00adry\u00adtelling; and we\u2019re start\u00ading work on plans for a bet\u00adter home, in the old air\u00adport at Tem\u00adpel\u00adhof.<\/p>\n

You are launch\u00ading NEXT WAVE, an inten\u00adsive train\u00ading pro\u00adgramme focused on film mar\u00adkets. Why was it need\u00aded?
\n<\/strong>NEXT WAVE might look like an \u201cunnece<\/p>\n

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ssary addi\u00adtion\u201d to some peo\u00adple in these mar\u00adkets: it\u2019s pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal-lev\u00adel train\u00ading for peo\u00adple who want to con\u00adtribute in sales, dis\u00adtri\u00adb\u00adu\u00adtion, mar\u00adket\u00ading, exhi\u00adbi\u00adtion, pro\u00adgram\u00adming and new routes to audi\u00adences, on all plat\u00adforms. But NEXT WAVE<\/a> is more than just a course. First, we want to bring every\u00adone try\u00ading to bring films and audi\u00adences togeth\u00ader into one room, even though the busi\u00adness keeps them apart. Sec\u00adond, this is a pro\u00adgramme that chal\u00adlenges the par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpants to con\u00adstruct new busi\u00adness mod\u00adels, those need\u00aded for a new gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion of view\u00ader\u00adship and cinephil\u00adia, on new plat\u00adforms. On the sim\u00adplest lev\u00adel, how do ana\u00adlogue film dis\u00adtri\u00adb\u00adu\u00adtion pat\u00adterns meet new, dig\u00adi\u00adtal\u00adly gath\u00adered com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adties? But we\u2019re ask\u00ading big\u00adger ques\u00adtions: what will the new cinephil\u00adia be about, who will iden\u00adti\u00adfy with it, and why? The par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpants will devote two weeks a month, for nine months, to joint study and research.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s start\u00ading in Octo\u00adber; what are your expec\u00adta\u00adtions for the pro\u00adgramme, and who might the \u201cright\u201d par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpants for it be?
\n<\/strong>There\u2019s real\u00adly no \u201cide\u00adal\u201d par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpant. One thing that has had a big impact on me is hav\u00ading been an exhibitor and a dis\u00adtrib\u00adu\u00adtor, and then becom\u00ading a pro\u00adduc\u00ader. Now, in the USA, that\u2019s the gen\u00ader<\/p>\n

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al mod\u00adel, but in Europe, so many pro\u00adduc\u00aders are total\u00adly out\u00adside of the mar\u00adket com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty, look\u00ading at it pas\u00adsive\u00adly as a \u201cser\u00advice\u201d. So, first of all, the pro\u00adduc\u00aders who are seri\u00adous about under\u00adstand\u00ading the whole of their busi\u00adness must come and con\u00adtribute. The new pro\u00adgram\u00admers, cura\u00adtors, peo\u00adple scout\u00ading films at fes\u00adti\u00advals for small dis\u00adtrib\u00adu\u00adtors or oth\u00ader fes\u00adti\u00advals, peo\u00adple who dream of set\u00adting up spe\u00adcial\u00adist sales com\u00adpa\u00adnies, peo\u00adple who want to work in mar\u00adket\u00ading all kinds of IP in ways that bring togeth\u00ader artist and audi\u00adence prop\u00ader\u00adly \u2013 all of these peo\u00adple should come.<\/p>\n

In the first year [of the ini\u00adtial three-year cycle], we need to find out how best to serve as an R&D activ\u00adi\u00adty in Euro\u00adpean cin\u00ade\u00adma, ask\u00ading our part\u00adners and sup\u00adport\u00aders for inter\u00adest\u00ading prob\u00adlems to solve. And we need to see how par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpants can work on their own inter\u00adests and busi\u00adness\u00ades while also con\u00adtribut\u00ading to the sum of knowl\u00adedge we\u2019ll bring togeth\u00ader at the final col\u00adlo\u00adqui\u00adum in June.<\/p>\n

DFFB is not alone in NEXT WAVE; who are your part\u00adners, and what is their role in the train\u00ading pro\u00adgramme?
\n<\/strong>Yes, we\u2019re work\u00ading with La F\u00e9mis in Paris, with the Dan\u00adish Nation\u00adal School in Copen\u00adhagen and with FAMU in Prague. The par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpants in NEXT WAVE \u2013 which is an EU-fund\u00aded MEDIA<\/a> train\u00ading pro\u00adgramme, like our Ser\u00adi\u00adal Eyes<\/a> and UpGrade<\/a> projects have been \u2013 will be young pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adals seek\u00ading fur\u00adther train\u00ading. These schools are com\u00admit\u00adted to this area, and will host teach\u00ading and learn\u00ading activ\u00adi\u00adties, recruit\u00ading local pro<\/p>\n

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fes\u00adsion\u00adals. They\u2019ll also con\u00adtribute to an aca\u00add\u00ade\u00adm\u00adic pan\u00adel sup\u00adport\u00ading course direc\u00adtor Lysann Windisch<\/strong>. Many oth\u00ader insti\u00adtu\u00adtions and busi\u00adness\u00ades, from Europa Cin\u00ade\u00admas<\/a> and Le Pacte<\/a> to Mubi<\/a> and The Co-pro\u00adduc\u00adtion Office<\/a>, will be con\u00adtribut\u00ading ideas, ques\u00adtions and men\u00adtor\u00adship, com\u00ading with us on the jour\u00adney.<\/p>\n

DFFB has been known for its more auteur-dri\u00adven pro\u00adfile; do you think that the launch of an inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal mar\u00adket-ori\u00aden\u00adtat\u00aded pro\u00adgramme will alter its char\u00adac\u00adter?
\n<\/strong>I\u2019m not sure that \u201cmar\u00adket-ori\u00aden\u00adtat\u00aded\u201d has a use\u00adful mean\u00ading here. DFFB isn\u2019t inter\u00adest\u00aded in gen\u00ader\u00adat\u00ading stan\u00addard prod\u00aducts, and it doesn\u2019t believe in stan\u00addard audi\u00adences. We make films for oth\u00ader peo\u00adple, like all of the film\u00admak\u00aders we respect. The \u201cauteur\u201d rep\u00adre\u00adsents two ideas for me here: both free\u00addom of expres\u00adsion and sin\u00adgu\u00adlar style; and the mar\u00adket\u00ading of bril\u00adliant ensem\u00adbles and work\u00adshops of excel\u00adlent inde\u00adpen\u00addent cin\u00ade\u00adma, by using only one name for the team \u2013 that of the writer-direc\u00adtor. That\u2019s called the \u201ctal\u00adent fran\u00adchise\u201d, and it\u2019s a vital part of the Euro\u00adpean film busi\u00adness. NEXT WAVE fits in very well with DFFB, a school that is con\u00adsis\u00adtent\u00adly cap\u00adtur\u00ading real audi\u00adences for real film\u00admak\u00ading.<\/p>\n

link to cineu\u00adropa<\/a><\/p>\n