During this year’s featured edition of the 60th anniversary of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Variety organized a panel in collaboration with Allwyn to discuss the enduring success of the Promotion of European Cinema’s Future Frames programme, which acts as a springboard for emerging European directors. The panel, populated by key industry names, addressed topics such as access and inclusion, how companies can help foster promising talent, and what success looks like in such a competitive ecosystem.

Starting in 2023, Allwyn, the leading multinational lottery-led entertainment company, has partnered with Future Frames to provide a one-month fellowship in Los Angeles for one director each year. In Los Angeles, they learn from the best filmmakers in the industry, with a dedicated mentoring, shadowing and training program designed to build anticipation as they enter one of the most exciting industries in the world.

Opening the debate, the recently appointed Director General of Promotion of European Cinema, Irina Ignatiew-Lemke, said that the success of the EFP lies in “fostering the diverse voices of Europe”.

“Future Frames over the past 12 years, thanks to our wonderful collaboration with the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, has been able to do exactly that,” he added. “And thanks to Allwyn, we can elevate it even further by building a bridge to the important North American market. For us, success comes when we see filmmakers succeed in this industry.”

Kryštof Mucha, executive director of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, said success “is what can now be seen behind us,” while pointing to a lively festival atmosphere in the background of the conversation. Even on a rainy day, the festival venue, the Hotel Thermal, was packed with passionate film buffs flocking to the screenings. “[Success] It is a city full of young people. “It is a cinema full of film buffs and people who love cinema.”

Tatiana Jouanneau, brand director at Allwyn Group, said creativity and culture can help build a strong brand identity. “For today’s emerging filmmakers, for me, success would be that we can contribute at least a little to today’s emerging directors becoming the festival winners of the future. Success is not about unique visibility. It is about creating a lasting impact.”

Speaking about Allwyn’s role in helping budding filmmakers get their foot in the door, Jouanneau said that “of course financial support is important,” but access is key. “What really makes the difference is access. When you think [about it] From a talent development point of view, this is true everywhere.” Expanding on the idea of ​​access, the executive said that “early access to the right mentors, to thought leadership, to connections in the industry [that] could create international exposure” is even more important than simple financial support.

Ignatiew-Lemke echoed that idea, saying that for the EFM, sponsorship “is not about putting a company logo somewhere. What I value about [our] Our relationship with Allwyn is that we want to make an impact. Especially today, in the midst of great destruction and transformation of our entire industry. “Having a partner like Allwyn to help us amplify that message in a broader cultural context is very important to us.”

Mucha, who has extensive experience nurturing new voices and helping filmmakers break into the industry, emphasized the importance of directors having the opportunity to enter an ecosystem led by talent with broad reach. “We are not just the film festival. We have a distributor, we have other festivals…” The director noted that the entire Karlovy Vary ecosystem aims to create a space where filmmakers “can feel safe” and where there are opportunities for directors to tell their stories. “Then they could be recognized by larger producers and would have more opportunities to [get] financing.”

“Karlovy Vary is a small festival, but one of our goals is to give [filmmakers] “Not only will they have the opportunity to be with the right people, but also to have their first experience at a film festival. These guys will be the winners of Cannes and Venice and, in their acceptance speech, they will always mention Karlovy Vary.”

Ugo Obioha, talent agent at United Talent Agency, praised the festival as well as Allwyn and EFP’s vision of providing an emerging filmmaker the opportunity to experience the American industry with a rare level of support through their fellowship. “I can safely say that I work at one of the three largest agencies in the world. If I call a producer, a distributor or an executive, they will take my call. And if I introduce them to a new emerging talent, they will be equally excited to meet this person.”

Having the opportunity for someone like Obioha to secure key meetings in the film industry megacenter of Los Angeles is a huge trump card, but the agent cautions that securing the meeting is only the first step. “Access is not necessarily entering the room, but the impression that is given in that room.”

“I’m not going to be in that meeting with you,” he adds. “As a filmmaker, you have to sell yourself. You have to have a commanding presence and be able to articulate not only who you are, but whatever you’re putting out there. These rooms are career-changing. If you’re not able to make a strong impression, then this whole thing is almost pointless.”

The 2023 Future Frames Scholarship winner, Danish director Amalie Marie Nelson, said winning the scholarship was a “great” opportunity filled with “many small victories.” “There I learned a lot about the industry. [in L.A.]about how it works and also about what possibilities there are to collaborate with Europe because I still write in Danish and I want to make my first feature film in Denmark. I think the most important thing afterward has been that there are now some doors open. “I can always communicate with the people I met there.”

As for what the panelists believe is necessary for emerging filmmakers to successfully enter and navigate the industry, a few brief keywords emerged: Mucha recommended “bravery”; Jouanneau advised “curiosity”; Nielsen said filmmakers should be present in their work but also a little “aggressive,” while Ignatiew-Lemke emphasized the importance of maintaining one’s “unique voice.” Obioha agreed with all of the above, adding that directors must also have a certain level of “bravery.”

“You have to be afraid,” the agent reiterated. “There’s a level of bravery that also comes with aggressiveness, right? Some of the filmmakers we represent, Curry Barker, for example, just made ‘Obsession’ on a micro-budget, and when you watch that movie, it feels like a studio movie. An element of bravery means that you’re not asking people for permission. You’re going for what you want. Curry is a great example of saying, ‘Hey, the studio system doesn’t want to make my movie. I’m going to go in a different direction.'” Now, all the studios want to do is make a movie with him.”