By EuAsiaNews,
Brussels : India is among a group of countries with which the European Union (EU) would like to expand cooperation in the film industry.
The market share of EU films in third countries across the world is only between 2 and 5 percent. As a comparison, the market share of American films in the EU accounts for 63.6 percent, Martin Selmayr, European Commission (EC) spokesperson for information society and media told a news conference here Tuesday.
He noted that the film market share of other third countries, besides the US, in the EU at the moment is 3.3 percent.
“We are interested in cooperating stronger with countries from where these 3.3. percent come from,” he said.
The leading third countries of film production which are shown in the EU are Canada, Australia, Japan, India and China. India has 0.25 percent of film market share in the EU.
The 27-member European bloc seeks more co-production, joint training programmes and film market participation with these countries.
Selmayr said public consultation has been launched by the EC on a possible Media Mundus programme, following the model of the student exchange programme, Erasmus Mundus, which is an exchange between European universities and universities in third countries.
The Media Mundus programme seeks feedback from stakeholders on the idea of complementing the existing Media programme, created in 1991, for the promotion, development and distribution of European films.
An annual budget of around 100 million euros will be allocated for the new international programme.
A public online consultation on the main features and priorities of a possible Media Mundus programme is open until 15 June and a public hearing will be held, in Brussels, on 25 June.
The Media Mundus programme seeks to strengthen cultural and commercial relations between Europe’s film industry and film-makers of third countries.
Such a programme would facilitate the circulation of European films and films from third countries worldwide.
The EC wants to make sure that European films are successful also in third countries, stressed the spokesman.
In December 2007, the EC, with the support of the European Parliament and EU Culture Ministers, launched the preparatory action for Media International.
With a budget of 2 million euros for 2008, Media International has set out to strengthen exchanges between audiovisual professionals in the EU and third countries.