Brussels, 04/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - More than 5,000 European animated film professionals met in Lyons, France, on Thursday 3 March for a European forum entitled Cartoon Movie and signed an online petition (http://www.cartoon-media.eu/petition/petition-en.php ) calling on the European Commission to let its MEDIA Programme of aid for EU cinema continue in the present format. Signatories include Nick Park, maker of Wallace and Grommit and director Patrice Leconte. The animated film world is joining the protests of film directors in Europe (see EUROPE 10322).
In 20 years, more than 6,000 hours of television animations and 150 animated films have been made in the EU for a total investment of more than €3 billion and the creation of more than 10,000 jobs, explains a letter accompanying the petition that has been sent to José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.
The European Commission is considering ending MEDIA in its current format, which the petition signatories fear would have a very negative impact on the whole of European broadcasting.
Marc Vandeweyer, director of Cartoon Movie, told AFP that the profession is reacting very strongly to ensure MEDIA continues as is, the petition explaining that speedy action was needed because the Commission will be deciding on the matter later this month.
Vandeweyer says that in order to make savings it is possible that the Commission would stop the MEDIA Programme or merge it with a wider programme and thereby drastically undermine funding for animation in Europe. This new petition comes on top of others signed by a hundred leading film directors, like Ken Loach, Wim Wenders and Costa Gavras. National cinema centres in more than a dozen countries have joined the wave of protest.
MEDIA has a budget of €755 million for 2007-2013 to support the development and distribution of thousands of films, training courses, festivals and cinema promotion projects across Europe. Since 2007, more than 2,000 projects have received production aid, including fiction, documentaries, animation and interactive work for cinema, television and the internet. (L.C./transl.fl)