Reg. Trib. Milano n. 418 del 02.07.2007
Direttore responsabile: Elisabetta Brunella

International Edition No. 31 - year 3
8 April 2008

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Tomorrow, 9 April 2008, sees the start of the the fifth edition of the course “DigiTraining Plus”, promoted by MEDIA Salles with the support of the European Union’s MEDIA Programme and the Italian Government. 45 participants from 14 different countries will be taking part. Amongst them are mainly cinema exhibitors but also representatives of public institutions in the field of the cinema, who consider the digital transition to be a factor that influences both company strategies and public policies.

This year, after four editions in Belgium, the MEDIA Salles initiative – the only one in the MEDIA Programme’s offer of training to deal with digital technologies from the cinemas’ point of view – is moving to London.
<We wish to place the emphasis on practical experience> says Jens Rykaer, President of MEDIA Salles, <as stressed by the new subtitle “European Cinemas Experiencing New Technologies”. This is why we have chosen a new venue: the United Kingdom. Both because of private initiative and because of important public intervention by the UK Film Council in supporting digital distribution and exhibition, this country can be considered an authentic workshop.>

Introducing the participants to this scenario will be Agnieszka Moody, Head of the MEDIA Desk in Great Britain, and Phil Clapp, Chief Exevcutive Officer of the CEA, the association representing exhibitors in the United Kingdom, a market worth over 162 million spectators and counting a total of 3,600 screens. Of the latter, 272 are equipped with DLP Cinema technology and make the United Kingdom the European leader in terms of digitalization of exhibition. They do, in fact, represent around 33% of Europe’s total digital screens, which number 829 units, with room for expansion, according to Dave Monk, Secretary General of the EDCF, who will be speaking tomorrow: <After a relatively slow start, there are now three things driving D Cinema in Europe and they are: 3D, 3D and 3D. Exhibitors are very excited about bringing a new experience to cinema goers. This is matched only by a similar excitement amongst movie makers about creating 3D stories.>

(click here to see the course programme)

 
MEDIA Salles
Piazza Luigi di Savoia, 24 – 20124 Milano - Italy
Tel.: +39.02.6739781 – Fax: +39.02.6690410
E-mail: infocinema@mediasalles.it
Sito web: www.mediasalles.it

MEDIA Salles, a project operating within the framework of the European Union's MEDIA Programme, with the support of the Italian Government, fosters theatrical distribution of European audiovisual products, both by high profile campaigns involving Europe's cinema exhibitors and by initiatives to raise the visibility of European productions with industry players and potential audiences, creating specialized information channels on a global scale. Thus the current initiatives from MEDIA Salles dovetail in a program with a triple focus – training, promotion and information – and maximum combined effect.