FOCUS – The Meeting Place for International Production

FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION

THE MEETING PLACE

FOCUS 2020

DIGITAL 15-17 DEC

FOCUS Digital I 15-17 Dec 2020

In these fast-changing and challenging times for the creative screen industries, we remain committed to bringing you a sixth edition of FOCUS that offers a platform to connect, reconnect and share global production expertise – whether you work in film, TV, advertising, animation or games. For 2020 FOCUS, The Meeting Place for International Production, will be expanded from our usual 2-day live event to 3 days online.

We would have loved to bring people together face-to-face and we know we can’t completely replicate the unique atmosphere of our London event, but we are planning a virtual edition that will offer a lively forum to meet, network and be inspired.

CONNECT

Meet with potential partners from every continent. Film commissions, agencies, locations providers and production services will be available to meet 1-2-1 online.

BE INSPIRED

Attend an array of programme sessions – keynotes, workshops, panel discussions and case studies – covering the hot topics in the screen industries.

DISCOVER

Discover millions of dollars worth of filming incentives and get the most up to date advice on the current filming situation around the world.

Latest News

Read All News

It’s a Wrap

So our FOCUS Digital 2020 journey is over. We were blown away by the number of people watching sessions, having meetings and chatting away on our...

makers & shakers Award winners announced

The winners of the first ever makers & shakers Awards, supported by EQUALS Money, were revealed during a virtual awards ceremony on December 14th.

Longstanding media partner Variety returns to FOCUS Digital

Variety are the longstanding media partner at FOCUS and return for the sixth annual event.

PROGRAMME SCHEDULE

Day 1

Dec 15 2020

Day 2

Dec 16 2020

Day 3

Dec 17 2020

10:00 - 11:00

Pat Younge

Tim Dams

Do Black Lives Really Matter?: Keynote with Pat Younge

Pat Younge is an award-winning journalist and creative leader with 29 years’ experience, working at major broadcasters at home and abroad. He was a co-founder of Sugar Films in 2015, which...

Pat Younge

Tim Dams

10:40 - 11.20

Arman Yahin

Julia Huene

Main Road Post: VFX without borders:

Welcome to Main Road Post – a Moscow-based VFX Studio! During the studio tour we will gladly share our experience, introduce you to our team, plus tell you everything about...

Arman Yahin

Julia Huene

11:00 - 12:00

Hakam Poselay

Alison Grade

Séamus Murphy-Mitchell

Clémence de Cambourg

Louise Patel

Sarah McCaffrey

Surviving and thriving as a Freelancer

Freelancers are the backbone and the lifeblood of productions. We’ve brought together freelancing expert and author of The Freelance Bible, Alison Grade alongside several freelancers from across the globe who...

Hakam Poselay

Alison Grade

Séamus Murphy-Mitchell

Clémence de Cambourg

Louise Patel

Sarah McCaffrey

11:20 - 12:00

Nicky Guerrero

Gibraltar – Time to Be Enlightened and Inspired for your next location shoot

The presentation gives the audience an insightful overview of the destination and the sights available for access, which it is hoped will outline what Gibraltar can offer for film &...

Nicky Guerrero

12:00 - 13:00

Phil Hunt

The Independents: Turning Your Problems Into Assets. Keynote with Phil Hunt

For most producers, 2020 has been a difficult year. In his keynote interview Phil Hunt outlines why he feels the experience of the pandemic may offer more rather than less,...

Phil Hunt

12:00 - 12:40

Stéphane Martinet

Film Paris Region: all you want to know about producing and shooting in the City of Lights

Through a thorough presentation of all our assets in the Paris region, get ready to produce in one of the most iconic and professional filming historical biotope. Learn about our...

Stéphane Martinet

13:00 - 14:00

James Sorton

Dav Karbassioun

Steve Davies

US & UK – how are advertising’s biggest markets coping?

APA Chief Executive, Steve Davies is joined by LA based Davud Karbassioun, Global President of Commercials and Branded, Pulse Films and London based James Sorton, Managing Director/EP of Commercials and Music Videos...

James Sorton

Dav Karbassioun

Steve Davies

14:00 - 15;00

The Reality of Virtual Production

2020 witnessed an enormous development in the area of virtual technology or virtual production. Its potential appears to be limitless. The release of The Mandalorian in 2019 and the pandemic...

Glenn Kelly

Brian Mitchell

Tim Keene

Hasraf ‘HaZ’ Dulull

Victoria Johnson

14:00 - 14:40

Freddy Greenish

How to Better Manage Your Production Budget

Speaker: Freddy Greenish – Director Music, Film and Entertainment, Centtrip To attend this session you will need to REGISTER as a delegate. It is completely FREE and gives access to...

Freddy Greenish

14:40 - 15:20

Manuel Claro

Can’t Skip Filming in Portugal

Portugal Film Commission (PFC) has as main objectives to support and promote cinema and audiovisual and the internationalization of Portugal as a filming destination. It is a Portuguese government project...

Manuel Claro

15:00 -16:00

Katrien Roos

Legal Refresher for Film & TV Producers

This always hugely popular session returns to FOCUS 2020 Digital. The presentation will touch on legal topics relevant to film and TV producers working on developing and producing projects in...

Katrien Roos

15:20 - 16:00

Giles Kennedy

SOS Global Express: Supporting your international production

SOS Global Express are experienced in helping TV and Film productions with their International operations, from the planning and budgeting phase through to the successful completion of the production. We will...

Giles Kennedy

16:00 - 16:40

Kamila Morgisz

Maria Gradowska-Tomow

Only in Poland

Find out why you should choose Poland as your next filming destination. Learn about Polish incentives, infrastructure, market and our industry. Speakers: Maria Gradowska-Tomow – Head of International Relations Department,...

Kamila Morgisz

Maria Gradowska-Tomow

17:20 - 18:00

Laurie Ades

John Bernard

Stephan Bender

WORKING WITH FRANCE

A great opportunity to discover the many ways of working with France! Presenting the 30% Tax Rebate for International Production, now with a bonus 10% rebate for VFX. The event...

Laurie Ades

John Bernard

Stephan Bender

10:00 - 10:40

Tori Romano

Erin O’Connor

Luke Azevedo

Creative Industries Showcase – Calgary, Alberta

From film and television to interactive digital media, Calgary has the talent, crews and venues for any creative endeavour. Join to find out why it’s no wonder Calgary is a...

Tori Romano

Erin O’Connor

Luke Azevedo

10:00 - 11:00

Michel Plazanet

Stephan Bender

THE EXAMPLE OF THE CNC FRANCE: Keynote with Michel Plazanet

Keynote with Michel Plazanet, Deputy Director of International and European Affairs, CNC France. Co-productions are at the heart of French Film industry : with 116 official feature film co-productions in...

Michel Plazanet

Stephan Bender

10:40 - 11:20

Let’s Create Together in the Philippines

An archipelagic state of 7000+ islands with landscapes spanning from country to city, an army of experienced, English-speaking talent and crew, and incentives up to USD 198,000 awarded whether in the development/production/post-production...

11:00 - 12:00

Dawn McCarthy-Simpson MBE

The new Era of Remote Production.

With lockdown, many companies were forced to postpone their productions. But there were some, who regularly shoot across the world, who came up with different solutions using local crews and...

Dawn McCarthy-Simpson MBE

Yanina Barry

Julie Beanland

Jamie Stratton

Tom Brisley

11:20 - 12:00

Jodie Ferneyhough

CCS Rights Management: Your Music Partner

An in-depth description of how Music Publishing works for and with production companies who own and/or control music in their productions. CCS Rights Management is a music publishing company that...

Jodie Ferneyhough

12:00 - 12:40

Xénia Maingot

Magnus Thomassen

Wendy Mitchell

Ragna Nordhus Midtgard

FRANCO-NORDIC CO-PRODUCTION: Growing partnerships and new opportunities

To attend this session you will need to REGISTER as a delegate. It is completely FREE and gives access to the whole programme. If you are already registered, please log in...

Xénia Maingot

Magnus Thomassen

Wendy Mitchell

Ragna Nordhus Midtgard

Nicola Soderlund

Nathalie Bremond

Mathieu Fournet

Mark Lwoff

Liselott Forsman

Helen Ahlsson

Charles Gillibert

Anthony Alleyne

Stéphane Martinet

12:00 - 13:00

Producers in Conversation: SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

The pandemic, lockdown and experience of the past 10 months has demonstrated the resilience and creativity of the industry. But there is still a way to go. In this producers...

Julie Baines

Jasmin Morrison

Nick Taussig

Tim Thornhill

13:00 - 14:00

Seth Wilson

Ellie Johnson

Steve Davies

CREATIVITY IN ADVERTISING: TOP 20 of 2020. With the APA

The celebration of British work from the last twelve months highlights the production companies, editors, VFX, audio-post and music companies that bring to life the full potential of a script....

Seth Wilson

Ellie Johnson

Steve Davies

13:20 - 14:00

FILMING IN GREECE AGAINST ALL ODDS

The National Centre of Audiovisual Media and Communication-EKOME and the Hellenic Film Commission present: “FILMING IN GREECE AGAINST ALL ODDS” The National Centre of Audiovisual Media & Communication-EKOME and the...

Kostas Kefalas

Erik Hemmendorff

Vasiliki Diagouma

Venia Vergou

Christopher Vourlias

14:00 15:00

Ilann Girard

Optimise your Film Financing through Co-production: A Masterclass

The global media industry is changing. Finance remains uncertain and risk averse. In his workshop, Ilann Girard will outline why and how producers should be thinking more about co-productions and how...

Ilann Girard

15:00 - 16:00

Making the Most of the UK’s Tax Relief

Industry experts from production, accounting, legal and certification provide advice and guidance on the UK’s Screen Sector tax reliefs. Speakers: Anna Mansi – Head of Certification, BFI Anwen Griffiths –...

Sinead McHugh

Claire Mundell

Chantel Burrell

Anwen Griffiths

Anna Mansi

16:00 - 16:40

Curt E.H. Wilson

Rachel Pisani

Eric Huyton

ATA Carnets: A Brexit Certainty

Unlike many aspects of the Brexit transition year, ATA Carnet use around the world, and now into the E.U., remains a certainty. ATA Carnets accompany cargo shipments , as well...

Curt E.H. Wilson

Rachel Pisani

Eric Huyton

16:00 - 17:00

Florian Cassel-Delavois

Georgette Turner LMGI

Samantha Perahia MBE

The Practicalities of Producing TV and Film during Covid

As part of the BFI’s Screen Sector COVID-19 Taskforce, the British Film Commission (BFC) led on the creation of Working Safely During COVID-19 in Film and High-end TV Drama Production guidance through...

Florian Cassel-Delavois

Georgette Turner LMGI

Samantha Perahia MBE

16:40 - 17:20

Location Management in a COVID-19 World

Four members of the Location Managers Guild International sit to discuss the changing world of Location Management in the current global COVID-19 Pandemic. From the changes in scouting, prep and production they...

Mike Fantasia LMGI

Ken Haber LMGI

John Rakich LMGI

Markus Bensch LMGI

10:00 - 11:00

Sara Putt

Michelle James Reynolds

Agent of Change: Keynote with Sara Putt

Apart from being an extremely successful agent, Sara Putt is highly regarded as a champion of women, new talent and trainees. Actively involved in WIFTV, BAFTA and the Film and...

Sara Putt

Michelle James Reynolds

10:40 - 11:20

Einar Hansen Tomasson

Bryndis Jonatansdottir

Iceland adds another incentive for producers – Listen how you can benefit.

Did you know that Iceland offers a 25% refund on both film production costs and music recording costs? Everything you need to know about how these initiatives work and what...

Einar Hansen Tomasson

Bryndis Jonatansdottir

11:00 - 12:00

The Games Industry – Can it Sustain its Success?

One of the success stories of 2020 is the games industry. The lockdown created a huge surge in user engagement and spending. The demand for content has been quite extraordinary...

Spencer Crossley

Annie Shaw

Gina Jackson OBE

Emma Smith

Elena Egorova

12:00 - 13:00

Pushing past the pandemic – the practicalities of production outside of London.

COVID-19 presented film and television production with an unprecedented challenge. Thanks to the publication of The British Film Commission’s ‘Working Safely During Covid-19 in Film and High End Television Drama...

Jon Walters

Andrew Reid

Brodie Pringle

Hayley Armstrong

Lyndsay Duthie

Lynn Saunders

13:00 - 14:00

Reconciling Covid Production Safety with Sustainability

To return to work safely, the industry has spent months grappling with complex Covid-19 guidelines. So, with all these new changes and processes, how are production teams managing to keep...

Anastasia King

Nader Mabadi

Gabi Kay

Katy Murdoch

Jo Coombes

14:00 - 15:00

EUFCN – Filming Across Europe

In this wide-ranging discussion moderated by Wendy Mitchell, three EUFCN members from Czech Republic, Italy and Greece, will explore how they managed to maintain production throughout the pandemic. The European...

Angelica Cantisani

Jacopo Chessa

Pavlina Zipkova

Wendy Mitchell

Venia Vergou

14:40 - 15:20

A New Golden Age? The expansion of film and TV production in London and the UK post-COVID

Tune in to hear Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, and friends discuss the exciting developments shaping the London and UK film and TV industry, pre and post-COVID. Joining Wootton to spread...

Michelle Jenkins

Charlotte Surtees

Jason Hariton

Adrian Wootton OBE

15:00 - 16:00

Kaye Elliott

Christine Healy

Delivering a Skilled Workforce for the Booming HETV Industry

A skilled and inclusive workforce is critical to the recovery and future growth of high-end television production across the UK. Join Christine Healy and Kaye Elliott to hear how the...

Kaye Elliott

Christine Healy

16:00 - 17:00

Victoria Stone

Jack Powell

Samantha Perahia MBE

Brexit: What Happens Next?

31 December 2020 marks the end of the 11-month transition period following the UK’s departure from the EU in January this year. From 2021, the way the UK works with the...