Element Pictures Distribution has become the new Irish member of FIAD, the International federation of film distributors associations.
The members of FIAD represent theatrical film distributors operating on their national markets for the distribution of international films. Other new members to join FIAD include The Finnish Film Distributors Association and Malta’s KRS Film Distributors.
The Irish independent distributor was formed in 2007, when Lenny Abrahamson’s ‘Garage’ was the first Irish title to be released by EPD. This was followed by Lance Daly’s ‘Kisses’, which was released nationwide in November 2008 and on DVD in March. Recent and future releases include the surfing doc ‘Waveriders’, Oliver Hirschbiegel’s ‘Five Minutes of Heaven’, John Carney’s ‘Zonad’ and Tom Hall’s ‘Wide Open Spaces’. Element Pictures Distribution also distributes on behalf of Optimum Releasing and will be overseeing the upcoming release of Irish director John Crowley’s new film ‘Is Anybody There?’ starring Michael Caine in May.
The members of FIAD operate in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Malta, Morocco, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and UK representing more than two hundreds companies which achieve a market share in national markets ranging from 90% to 100%.
The aims of FIAD are focused on the challenges facing distribution in the digital age, such as the convergence towards the digital cinema, the organisation of new marketing systems such as VoD, the protection of copyright while supporting the actions and financial risks that distributing and marketing entails. FIAD’s president is Victor Hadida - the president of the French federation of film distributors and CEO of Metropolitan Film Distribution.
Regarding Malta and Ireland, it may be précised that although FIAD is an association of national organisations which group film distributors, the statutes of FIAD allow the membership of companies from the countries where there is no such organisation.
