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EUROMEDITERRANEAN CONFERENCE ON CINEMA​

HISTORY

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The Euromediterranean Conference on Communication was created in 1995 by the European Parliament and UNESCO’s International Council on Film and Television. It was born as a result of the 1995 Barcelona Declaration under the High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic and has always seen concrete support from the European Parliament Office in Italy. The Conference aims at creating a network and a series of projects finalized to the realization of a Euro-Mediterranean integration, as well as the socio-economic development of the region. It represents one of the most prestigious cultural events of the Venice International Film Festival and an opportunity for a dialogue among the different stakeholders in the fields of culture, communication, and ICTs.​​​

In over twenty years, almost 1300 speakers attended, representing governments, international organizations – such as the United Nations, the European Union and the Council of Europe – public and private institutions, foundations and NGOs, directors and experts. They elaborated and implemented interventions and projects of great relevance, including:

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  • The creation of new film festivals in Tirana, Ohrid, Zagreb, Beirut, Izmir, Khouribga, Gaza, Damascus, Cairo, Tripoli, Kalamata, Menorca, Hammamet, Marrakech, Antalya, supporting UN peacekeeping action and leading to the birth of the International Council of Mediterranean Cinematic Manifestations (MCM);

  • The establishment of the Permanent Conference of the Mediterranean Audiovisual Operators (COPEAM), an organisation currently representing 42 Euro-Mediterranean public televisions with an audience of over 350 million viewers;

  • Participation in the UNESCO Mediterranean Programme, with various projects in eight countries;

  • The development of the Euromed Audiovisual programme with the European Commission;

  • The realisation of regional projects within the Infopoverty Programme at the United Nations and the organisation of an Africa/Euromediterranean Session in collaboration with the European Parliament at the Infopoverty World Conference that takes place every year at the UN Headquarters;

  • Several seminars at the UN World Summits on the Information Society (WSIS) and the creation of the ICT Villages of Borj Touil in Tunisia and Meis el Jabal in Southern Lebanon, supporting the education of Palestinian refugees;

  • The creation of the annual ICFT-UNESCO Prix “Enrico Fulchignoni”, awarded to the movie that best promotes the values of peace and tolerance at the Venice International Film Festival;

  • The support to the European Parliament’s Lux Prix awarded to the movies that best reflect European values and multiculturalism and that contribute to the promotion of the debate of the process of Euro-Mediterranean integration;

  • The development of an “e-Service Platform for the Mediterranean” for transferring health, education, agricultural and business skills from research centres for remote diagnosis and therapy, crop management, and job creation;

  • The launch of the World Health & Food Security e-Center, which gathers 21 scientific societies as e-service providers supporting the Platform;

  • The launch of the eMedMed project for the development of health security in the Mediterranean was presented at the French Senate as the Best Med Programme and validated by the Union for the Mediterranean.

CONFERENCE EDITIONS

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DISCOVER THE PARTICIPANTS

Messages from the Presidents of the Italian Republic
  • Oscar Luigi Scalfaro

  • Carlo Azeglio Ciampi

  • Giorgio Napolitano

  • Sergio Mattarella 

  • Donato Marra, Segretario Generale Presidenza della Repubblica

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