Blog: Berlinale Going Digital - Hoofdinhoud

This is the very first time I am going to the Berlinale in my new job as Digital Commissioner. Why Günther Oettinger, you may ask? Why is the EU Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society attending the 65th International Film festival? A red carpet event, with a myriad of films being shown all over the city and the much awaited film awards?

The answer is quite straightforward: As Commissioner for Digital I am also responsible for strengthening the competitiveness of Europe's film industry and promoting cultural diversity. For some this may come as a surprise. But for me it makes sense: A digital economy and society is not only about fast internet, new digital services or industry 4.0. It is also about innovative, creative industries which generate ideas for the benefit of the whole digital market. European content, films and music, are a vital part of our digital society.

And the Berlinale is not only about watching films. It is also the best place to meet people, to talk to representatives of the film industry in Europe and to get a better understanding of their needs and challenges. This why I am spending one full day at the Berlinale. On Monday, I will open our traditional Creative Europe MEDIA conference and launch the European film forum, our new platform for dialogue with the industry. I'm looking forward to discussing our financial support and also new business models for the European film industry. I will also use the occasion to talk about our policies in a little more depth with policy makers, distributors, authors and film makers such as Wim Wenders, ARTE and the European Association of Film Funds.

I want to pass the same message to all of them.

I want to help the film industry to take advantage of digitalisation. In an age, where more consumers are watching more films online, we should work together to ensure that our creative potential and European diversity are preserved and are accessible for everyone. We want to help film professionals to experiment with new business models and take advantage of the European digital market, rather than seeing it as a threat. The European film industry can and should reach out to new audiences.

At the same time, I want more choice for consumers. They should also benefit from the advantages of digitalisation and be able to shop for more films across-borders. At the moment this is not always the case. On iTunes, for example, the vast majority of hit films are not available in the whole European Union, but only in a certain number of country stores.

We also have to think about new ways to bring content to audiences. Film release campaigns should be tailor- made for every film produced. Some will benefit from an exclusive cinema release ,other films are more likely to find their audience on the internet. Here I want to encourage the sector to be more experimental and dare to try new ways of doing business.

But of course, a visit to the Berlinale cannot stop here. It would not be complete without watching at least one or two films. This is why I look forward to seeing Andreas Dresen's " Als wir träumten" which is taking part in the competition. And I am proud to say that 19 of the films selected for the Festival are actually supported by us, under the Creative Europe MEDIA sub-programme!