European Producers Club

𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗮. 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲. 🎬🇪🇺

Thousands of cinema professionals, including prominent directors, authors, actors and industry leaders from across Europe and beyond have come together around this simple but urgent message: Europe needs cinema. Cinema needs Europe.

They have signed an Open Letter calling on the European Commission, the European Parliament and Member States to preserve and reinforce the MEDIA programme as a major instrument of support for European independent cinema.

For more than 35 years, MEDIA has helped European stories travel across borders, supporting independent production, theatrical distribution, festivals, training, and a thriving audiovisual ecosystem across the continent.

Today, that success story is under threat. As part of negotiations on the EU budget for 2028–2034, the European Commission proposes to integrate MEDIA into the new AgoraEU programme. While the overall budget may increase, the current proposal offers no guaranteed, dedicated funding for the film and audiovisual sector. The text remains vague with no assurance that the key actions that made MEDIA successful will continue.

The open letter celebrates MEDIA's role in promoting cultural diversity, artistic freedom, jobs, innovation, and European soft power, and calls for the programme's future to be secured and its resources to be reinforced.

The petition is still open. Add your name here:
https://form.jotform.com/261123392857056

At Cannes this year, the slogan "𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘢" will appear on badges worn by attendees, a small but visible sign of solidarity for European cinema.

This letter was initiated by a coalition of European associations, including CEPI, Europa International, Europa Distribution, European Producers Club, FERA - Federation of European Screen Directors, Society of Audiovisual Authors, ATC (Audiovisual Training Coalition) and Film and Audiovisual Markets in Europe (F.A.M.E.).

Design by Ana Balderramas

✨ 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘗𝘊 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺!

We are pleased to welcome Peter Krupenin of BRÄND PRODUCTION AB (Sweden).

Krupenin studied film production at the University of Southern California and went on to gain experience working with Ingmar Bergman, Roy Andersson, and many of the major Nordic production companies.

Since 1982, he has produced and executive-produced over 50 feature films for OMEGA FILM and HOBAB, with recent titles premiering at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Toronto, including My Favourite Cake, Paradise Is Burning, The Apprentice, Julie Keeps Quiet, Beautiful Beings, and A White, White Day. He has also produced numerous award-winning short films and documentaries.

Now Krupenin has started a new production company, BRÄND PRODUCTION AB, together with distributor and producer Mattias Nohrborg.

Based in Fårö, BRÄND is a boutique production company that supports strong directorial visions, diversity, and culturally diverse stories. Combining creative filmmaking with legal and financial expertise, the company pursues strategic co-productions and sustainable AI-driven workflows.

A warm welcome to Peter! It’s great to have you with us at the EPC! 👏

✨ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳!

We are delighted to welcome Fenia Cossovitsa of BLONDE (Greece) to the EPC.

Blonde is a Greek production company that was founded in 2005 by Fenia Cossovitsa and Elias Ledakis. Since the beginning, that company has looked outwards, consistently producing and co-producing compelling audiovisual content for the national and international markets. Over the years, Blonde has produced numerous Greek and internationally awarded feature films and has collaborated with distinguished broadcasters and streaming platforms to develop and produce high-quality episodic content. Fenia is a member of European Women's Audiovisual Network - EWA, EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs), and President of the Greek Producers Association.

The company’s notable track-record includes high quality TV series EDEN for ARTE, TEHRAN Season 1, 2 and 3 for APPLE TV (EMMY award for Best International Series 2021), ETEROS EGO LOST SOULS, CATHARSIS and NEMESIS for COSMOTE TV, GREEK SALAD by Cedric Klapisch for AMAZON ORIGINALS, JACK RYAN S03 for PARAMOUNT/AMAZON, KABUL for Alliance and New8, KARANTINA for MBC and international co-production partnerships for more than 25 Greek and international feature films (Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Algeria, Spain, Cyprus, US, UK).

A warm EPC welcome to Blonde, great to have you with us! 👏

𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗔𝗖𝗧 | 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗻? 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆

At the Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes, the European Producers Club is pleased to host a workshop on disability representation in the film industry, focusing on visibility, access, and structural change across the international festival landscape.

Producer Samm Haillay will present the first Crip Count, a groundbreaking report tracking the presence of disabled and neurodivergent filmmakers whose feature films were selected at five A-list festivals in 2025.

The workshop will also look at My First Love, the debut feature by Norwegian director Mari Storstein, presented at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Producer Tori Gjendal will share insights into the film’s creative journey and its portrayal of a young disabled woman through lived experience.

Moderated by Julie-Jeanne Régnault, Managing Director of the European Producers Club.

📍 Producers Club, Lérins
🗓 Thursday, 14 May 2026
🕑 14:00–15:00

A timely discussion on who gets to be seen, selected, and supported within today’s film industry.