As wide as the wide web New Media and the films from L’Atelier 2011

“Auteur cinema became disconnected with wide audiences”, so the disillusioned statement goes. Art house films are targeted at prestigious festivals and at the circles of professionals in order to win support for upcoming projects; just as most of the directors and producers selected in L’Atelier where they look for funding for their subsequent films. It is also common sense to say that internet connects people. People living far away become inhabitants of a giant global village. But has the internet got the potential to connect movies with the audiences just as movie theatres used to do?

The media consumption of the younger generations is radically different from that of the older filmgoers. They watch videos and films on YouTube, they blog, facebook or tweet their preferences. Could these platforms become a new channel between movies and the audiences? Producers, filmmakers all seem to be aware of the influence and impact of new media, yet the success at prestigious festivals still enjoys utmost priority. However, the spark is there; some projects are in full swing on the Internet. Online castings, aid campaigns, short films available in VOD: global marketing online is now fully available and more cost-effective.

An Iraqi multimedia campaign

The selection of L’Atelier stretches from one end of the globe to the other: 15 projects, 15 countries, 15 patterns of a rich tapestry of themes and genres. From existentialist fantasies (Of Our Economic Situation), through the dissolution of identity in a virtual reality (Full Contact) to the violent immobility of youth (Luton); from a political thriller (El Mudo) to a coming-of-age youth drama (Il Sud è Niente), from suicide bombers (The Train Station) to quixotic patriarchs (Mr Kaplan).

National identity is marketable in itself. Mohamed Al-Daradji, a rising Iraqi director - as his producer Isabelle Stead states - “resurrects Iraqi film industry from the brink of extinction”. He did it through a multimedia campaign exploiting all possible platforms, from social networking through radio and television to the wide screen, in order to bring relief and aid to the people of a shattered country. His film-to-be The Train Station will show a different side to the stereotypes connected to Iraq as a war-torn country, just like Al Daradji’s previous films did. Meanwhile, his production team showcases a new model of “engaging with audiences beyond the cinema”.

Online casting & gloomy prophecy

A newcomer, Alice Winocour, posted online the call for casting for her first feature Augustine, thus opening up the world of acting to the less celebrated circles looking for talents still undiscovered. Among Cannes’ recurrent participants is David Verbeek, who premiered R U There last year in Un Certain Regard. His new project Full Contact further highlights his obsession of disconnectedness through technology as a gloomy prophecy for the new media. Certainly, using this mere technology for promoting the film is part of the whole project. Yet, many projects still rely on the prestige of festivals, which remain the most reliable ways of connecting with potential audiences. This is the case for example of Georgian filmmaker George Ovashvili, who comes to Cannes to develop his second feature, after the success of The Other Bank.

Of course, websites and other new media have long become channels of promotion for filmmakers. It is a widespread saying today that “if you do not have a profile on Facebook, it is as if you did not even exist”. Although there is no proof or guarantee that more people will turn up on cinema screenings, yet, it is already building a solid relationship with new audiences. This is one possible future of cinema.

By Patricia Veszprémi