Colombia Bogota Audiovisual Market-BAM 2016 opens from February 26 the calls for filmmakers and producers with projects in development, finished products of cinema, TV and web, films in the post-production stage, in addition to registrations for members of the sector.
The BAM is a must for the actors of the Colombian audiovisual industry that is going through one of the most important stages in its history thanks to the growth in the number of productions, the greater participation in international festivals and the recognitions it has recently received as in the Cannes Festival 2015 (The land and the shadow, Alias Maria, The Embrace of the Serpent), Sundance Film festival (The Swamp Between the Sea and the Earth) and the Academy Award nomination for The Embrace of the Snake for Best Foreign Film.
Between July 11 and 15, Colombian producers and filmmakers will have the opportunity to meet, present their projects and exchange experiences, creating professional links for future business and collaborations, with an outstanding group of guests from different parts of the world and mainly from Argentina, which this year will be the guest of honor. This country stands out in South America for having the largest number of film productions and the highest annual box office within the Latin American market.
Categories in calls
From February 26, the calls to participate in each of the BAM sections will be open; applicants can submit their proposals through the page www.bogotamarket.com, in the different sections. The list of selected will be published on May 6.
The sections are:
BAM Projects. Section where feature film projects (fiction, animation or documentary) and television projects in the development stage are presented. The producers of the projects (previously selected by a jury) will have a specialized agenda of one-on-one meetings with potential buyers or guest co-producers, to identify business opportunities. The final date to submit projects to this section for jury selection is Thursday, March 31 (see requirements in www.bogotamarket.com).
A number of recognitions and awards will be announced among the participating projects. Video library. Section for productions (short films and feature films of animation, documentary or fiction, TV series and web series) completed and released since 2012 to which participants and buyers can access. It is a space, both physical and online, that can be accessed to view mainly sales agents and television channels. Registration for the Video Library ends on April 22.
Screenings – Work in Progress is the space dedicated to the projection of feature films in the post-production stage, that is, they are still in the process of being finalized. The registration period for productions is April 22. The selected films will be able to access the prizes that will be announced soon.
Bammers. It is the gateway to the Colombian audiovisual industry for young people between the ages of 21 and 32 who want to know more about the dynamics of this business and who are also thinking about creating a company in this sector. Those selected will have the opportunity to participate in meetings with international representatives and attend academic spaces on the latest trends that set the pace of the industry. Likewise, they will receive advice on how to become entrepreneurs and offer their services to the buying public. Those interested can apply for the call until Friday, April 22.
Industry Accreditations for Professionals and Companies
People or companies that want to participate in the professional sample of the industry can register from February 24 to May 27 in www.bogotamarket.com This registration will allow each entrepreneur or professional to offer their services and interact with the buyers present at the event, who in each version come with greater interest in search of the quality offered by the Colombian audiovisual industry.
The BAM in figures
Edition after edition, the BAM is ratified as a necessary destination for hundreds of national and international buyers who travel the markets in search of new proposals, as well as allies to develop their products in the country. In that sense, the organizers revealed that in 2015 334 buyers attended, 122 of them foreigners from 21 countries.
After the 2015 meeting, twice as many deals were completed than in the previous year and there were success stories such as the selection of La Ciénaga, between the sea and the land at the Sundance Festival 2016 that resulted in two awards for the Colombian protagonists Vicky Hernandez and Manolo Cruz or the Candelaria project of the company Antorcha Films, who closed a co-production with Razor of Germany thanks to his participation in BAM Projects.
In 2015, attending buyers had business expectations of USD 12.7 million, almost five times the figure of expectations of 2014, which was USD 2.6 million. For 2016, the business expectation exceeds US$55 million.
