CAA Media Finance’s Roeg Sutherland, Goodfellas’ Vincent Maraval and Recorded Picture Company’s Jeremy Thomas look set to attend the San Sebastian Festival’s 2024 Creative Investors’ Conference, co-organised for the third year running in collaboration with CAA Media Finance.
The Conference will run Sept. 24-25 at San Sebastian’s Tabakalera center.
Other high-profile execs who look set to descend on the festival as the world’s film industry debates ways forward for growth despite still lagging post-pandemic box office recovery and the contraction of global streamer investment, are Netflix’s Teresa Moneo, Mubi’s Bobby Allen, Anton Corp.’s Louis Balsan, Charades’ Yohann Conte, Caroline Benjo at France’s Haut et Court, David Davoli at Anonymous Content, Infinity Hill’s Axel Kuschevatzky, Good Chaos’ Mike Goodridge, David Linde, Matías Mosteirín at K&S Films, Bronte Payne at Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment, Scott Shooman at IFC Films, Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Michael Weber at The Match Factory.
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Sutherland and CAA’s Sarah Schweitsmann and Nick Ogiony will moderate some talks, as will Wendy Mitchell, San Sebastián delegate and advisor.
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Thomas and Vachon will be the subjects of fireside chats.
The 3rd Conference looks set to take a bull by its horns, with at least one panel focusing on the U.S. landscape, at a time when a lack of options for U.S. domestic distribution bedevils film financing.
Further issues on the table include Europe’s film-TV landscape, as U.S. producers look ever more to Europe’s soft money sources to co-finance projects, one reason for this year’s Conference larger focus on both speakers from Europe and beyond, such as South Korea.
Also set to be debated are international opportunities for the Spanish market; an examination of the Korean film marketplace; how producers are benefitting from new ways of collaborating; and in a final conversation with Vania Schlogel at Atwater Capital) and Vincent Maraval at Goodfellas, where the film industry and film financing is heading in the future, the San Sebastian Festival announced Monday.
“We are so thrilled to have the support of the Spanish government to present this unique conference that brings together some of the leaders of the film industry from around the globe for thought-provoking discussions as well as the opportunity to interact with the Spanish film industry and the festival as a whole. We thank our friends CAA Media Finance for their great collaboration on this event, which has grown over the past two years to welcome again executives and investors in 2024.”
The 3rd San Sebastian Creative Investors’ Conference forms part of the Spanish Screenings: Financing & Tech, one of the axes of Spanish Screenings XXL: an international market platform for Spanish production a project backed by Spain’s Ministry of Culture through its ICAA film agency and the Ministry for Digital Transformation and of Civil Service, channeling their support through ICEX Spain Trade and Investment, the Malaga Festival and the San Sebastian Festival.
The Conference Program:
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
Prisma – Tabakalera 5th Floor
10:00 – 11:00 | CONFERENCE WELCOME
Wendy Mitchell (San Sebastian Film Festival Delegate)
TAKING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE U.S. MARKET
Speakers: Jennifer Fox (Jennifer Fox Productions), Jonathan Kier (Upgrade Productions), David Linde, Scott Shooman (IFC Films) Moderation: Sarah Schweitzman (CAA Media Finance)
11:15 – 12:00 | PERSPECTIVES ACROSS EUROPE
Speakers: Mariela Besuievsky (Tornasol Films), Yohann Comte (Charades), Lorenzo Gangarossa (Our Films), Danny Perkins (Elysian Film Group. Moderation: Nick Ogiony (CAA Media Finance)
12:15 – 12:45 | FIRESIDE TALK WITH JEREMY THOMAS
Speakers: Jeremy Thomas (Recorded Picture Company) Moderation: Wendy Mitchell
13:00 – 13:25 | STRONGER TOGETHER: THE CREATIVES
Speakers: Caroline Benjo (Haut et Court), Mike Goodridge (Good Chaos) Moderation: Fionnuala Halligan (Screen International)
13:30 – 14:00 | FIRESIDE TALK WITH CHRISTINE VACHON
Speakers: Christine Vachon (Killer Films) Moderation: Wendy Mitchell
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
Prisma – Tabakalera 5th Floor
10:00 – 10:45 | FROM SPAIN TO THE GLOBE
Speakers: David Davoli (Anonymous Content), Robin Kerremans (Caviar), Meg Thomson (Globalgate) Moderation: Zac Ntim (Deadline)
11:00 – 11:25 | INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION INSIDE NETFLIX’S SOCIETY OF THE SNOW
Speakers: Victor Marti Farres (Netflix), Teresa Moneo (Netflix), Sandra Hermida (Producer) Moderation: Wendy Mitchell **Please note: no press allowed for this session
11:30 – 12:00 | SPOTLIGHT ON ASIA
Speakers: Jeongin Hong (Plus M Entertainment)Moderation: David Taghioff (Library Pictures International)
12:15 – 13:00 | THE PRODUCER’S PERSPECTIVE
Speakers: Samuel Duque (TIS Productions, Paramount Group), Axel Kuschevatzky (Infinity Hill), Sara Murphy (Fat City), Bronte Payne (LuckyChap Entertainment). Moderation: Wendy Mitchell
13:15 – 14:00 | WHERE ARE WE GOING NEXT?
Speakers: Vania Schlogel (Atwater Capital), Vincent Maraval (Goodfellas) Moderation: Roeg Sutherland (CAA Media Finance)
