CinemaNet Europe project will soon come to an end

Although CinemaNet Europe initially intended to move towards satellite distribution of its films, it was found that internet distribution using the new standard ADSL2+ has many advantages. The investments needed are smaller and the number of streams that can be sent out simultaneously, is far greater than can be achieved when using satellite. Furthermore with ADSL2+ it is easy to connect other countries to the distribution system, as the new internet technology is rolled out over Europe. And it only takes five to eight hours to deliver a film over the secure network link.

Recently, tests have been conducted for a questions and answers-session of the film Voices of Bam. For this, cameras were placed in the Dutch arthouse Het Ketelhuis and these images were relayed to the Dutch arthouses. As the upload speed of ADSL 2+ is lower than the download speed, as is the case with most internet connections, heavy compression of the signal is needed, but the image on the big screen still looks very good.

Furthermore a studio discussion with the directors of Voices of Bam Aliona van der Horst and Maasja Ooms was recorded and transmitted to cinemas, to test the audiences interest in this.

In Germany, Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen was distributed to arthouses and created a lot of interest. Wagner’s magnum opus was presented in a production by Patrice Chereau from the late 1970’s. Cinema owner Christian Pfeil from the Monopol cinema in München found it all very exciting: ‘More then 500 people saw Der Ring des Nibelungen at our cinema, so it was a great success. The intermissions were like real intermissions in opera houses, with people all dressed up and discussing literature and high art in our foyer.’ Due to this success, German partner Edition Salzgeber has set up a series of screening classical music in cinemas to last the best part of 2006.

Edition Salzgeber has also distributed the series of Mozart operas that played all over Europe. They found the screenings of the operas to be a moderate success in the big cities, but all the more so in smaller cities and villages. Salzgeber concluded that people could use some extra culture in the smaller towns. Calling it Klassik im Kino (classical music in cinemas), Salzgeber has now planned a series of screenings of operas, ballets and concerts until the end of the year, focussing among others on the director Herbert von Karajan.
From now on there will be one classic release each month and the German arthouse cinemas can share a new kind of cinema culture, with completely different audiences, and trend setting chances in programming.

The freedom of digitisation
In November 2005, Philip Grönings Die Grosse Stille (Into Great Silence) was digitally released by X-Verleih/Warner in Germany. This film is a calm and ruminant documentary about the legendary cloister ‘La grande chartreuse’ in the French Alps. It was thematically obvious to arrange an event-tour to several churches in Southern-Germany. With a mobile digital system, Die Grosse Stille toured in Augsburg, Bamberg, Erlangen and Regensburg and found a grateful audience. The film was presented in best digital visual and acoustic quality, appropriate to the special religious ambience.

Austrian treats at Dutch Mozart screenings
Several cinemas in The Netherlands took the opportunity, when screening the operas of the Mozart season, to treat their audience to some Austrian specialities. The Parkfilmhuis in Alphen aan de Rijn served coffee with liqueur, whipped cream and a Mozartkugel to audiences attending the screenings. The Heerenstraattheater in Wageningen even had the Mozartkugeln specially flown in from Salzburg. Programmer Corné Thijssens: ‘The wife of a local baker comes from Salzburg so they organised this for us. The matinee screenings turned into real Apfelstrudel tests, for the people who attended all three of the screenings.’

CinemaNet Europe went live with its opening weekend on Friday November 12th, 2004 to Sunday November 14th, 2004.

Documentary films are growing in popularity. With the huge success of films such as "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Être et Avoir", audiences and the film industry are convinced of the power of documentaries on the big screen. But distribution costs for using celluloid remain prohibitive. With digital technology, CinemaNet Europe is making it easier and more affordable to get European documentary films to a much wider audience.

The headline film for the opening weekend was the dramatic "Peace One Day" from the UK, which opened as pan-European premiere across all eight countries with a satellite-linked Q&A with the director. Other highlights included the world premier of "The White Diamond", by Werner Herzog of Germany; the Emmy award-winning Slovakian film "The Power of Good"; and the award-winning Dutch production "The Damned and the Sacred".

In 2005 CinemaNet Europe will distribute twelve European documentaries, across all eight participating countries: one pan-European premiere the first Wednesday of each month.