MEDIA Programme

MEDIA (French for Mesures pour le Développement de l'Industrie Encourager Audiovisual, so measures to promote the development of the audiovisual sector of the economy ) is a program of the European Union to promote the European film industry. Main objective is the promotion movie project development, sales and distribution of European films outside their country of origin. The MEDIA program is active in all member countries, with non- EU members are accepted, such as Switzerland.

Objective is the long -term emergence of European cooperation and linkages to the U.S. dominance in the European film market can do something to counter. Film distributors are supported for example in the distribution of European films outside their country of manufacture, organizations and initiatives that meet the funding goals or even film festivals with European program priorities.

The MEDIA program is approved for five to seven years in advance. So there was already the MEDIA I (1991-1995), MEDIA II (1996-2000) and MEDIA Plus (2001-2007). Since 2007 and until 2013 MEDIA runs 2007.

History

First initiatives for a common European media policy already existed from the 1960s. Agreements on the facilitation of European co-productions or their promotion failed for the time being, however, at different national interests. Only in 1988 was created by the Euro Europe is a first co-production fund, which exists under the name of Eurimages today. The European Community ( EC), the EU's predecessor, but still working on a concept for promoting the European film industry, which is not in the production this - where there are very many and different funding institutions and policies at the national level - but on the should focus international circulation of European films. By 1987, after more than 2000 experts were already involved in the preparation of project proposals and concepts, the first projects reached their launch phase.

So between 1987 and 1990 nine programs were tested for their practical application, including the European film EFDO office in Hamburg, now as European Film Promotion ( EFP) operates and the still existing initiative cartoon.

On 21 December 1990 the Council of the European Community decided to found " an action program MEDIA ( 1991-1995) ". This first set at five years, " MEDIA " program had a total budget of ECU 200 million. In each European country offices were established, to act as liaison between the EC and the country to be MEDIA Desk and Antenna active. Even then, especially the rental and sale of already completed films were promoted. In addition to the MEDIA Business School, eave or Sources also the education and training of filmmakers were promoted and with the initiatives scripts, Cartoon, Documentary and Map TV project development, which precedes any film production.

In 1996, the successor program, MEDIA II, in force. It had a budget of ECU 310 million. After analysis of the previous program, which was criticized among other things because of the multiple overlap of 19 individual projects, MEDIA II was in only three projects, the main purpose of promoting appropriately divided: project development, sales and training.

Successor of MEDIA II was the MEDIA Plus, which had a budget of € 483 million, spread over the years 2001 to 2006. The number of member countries increased to 31, including Switzerland. Since 2007 and up to 2013 is the successor MEDIA 2007 program, which has a total budget of 755 million euros. There are now a total of 32 participating countries.