Avant Première Music + Media Market Berlin 2020

The Avant Première Kick-Off Party in cooperation with ARTE Berlin Live provided a great opportunity to get together with international representatives from performing arts + media. At the unique Berlin-styled venue SchwuZ in Neukölln, all guests got to to enjoy performances by both Nouvelle Vague and the Moka Efti Orchestra.

The first day of Avant Première 2020 started with a relaxed Warm-Up Brunch and the info session Advice for First-Timers, followed by a full day of Avant Première Screenings. The official Opening Ceremony in the evening featured a performance and keynote speech about being an artist in today’s day and age by star-violinist Yury Revich, as well as a heartfelt speech about the identity of the IMZ by its Secretary General Katharina Jeschke. The day ended with a Special Screening of “Force of Nature Natalia” and the Opening Reception.

After the daily AP Screenings, the second day of Avant Première 2020 awaited with magnificent Market Screenings and a cutting-edge conference programme: Five intriguing performing arts documentary projects were presented Sunny Side of the Doc + IMZ Pitching Session and major international broadcasters shared their future programming + acquisition strategies for cultural content. The day culminated in a wonderful Special Screening in presence of Finnish actor Joonas Saartamo and German baritone Michael Volle.

The third day of Avant Première 2020 was dedicated to innovative technologies for film + arts in the insightful “Innovation Day”. Moreover, numerous exciting Market Screenings caught our attention. German singer Max Raabe was present for the Special Presentation of his MTV Unplugged concert, and Accentus Music celebrated their 10th anniversary. There were also various screenings of Avant Première Participants’ films at the EFM – European Film Market.

Apart from a great Market Screening and the invaluable One-on-One Expert Sessions to connect talent with decision makers from major buyers, the day was dedicated to Cross-Sector collaborations. As the IMZ is part of the newly founded Content Innovation Council (CIC), there have been many talks and presentations from representatives of different cultural and creative industry sectors. The IMZ Member Session + General Assembly was also an item of the last day’s agenda, as well as some more Screenings at the EFM. Its director Matthijs Wouter Knol joined us for the Avant Première Closing: Cross-Sector Drinks.