Ahead of Cannes Film Festival next month, our Julieta Bowyer, Senior Manager, Regional Film Acquisitions talks world cinema and the Spafax team and process behind programming international film for in-flight.

1. How do you and the team on top of all the film buzz and trends?

We keep our fingers firmly on the pulse by keeping up-to-date with the industry press. The team and myself also attend several markets and festivals every year including the BFI London Film Festival, MIP, Rio2C, HK Filmart and even more across the Middle East and India. I have been a regular international industry guest of Latin American and European festivals and markets such as Ventana Sur in Buenos Aires, Unifrance’s Rendez-Vous with French cinema in Paris, SANFIC in Santiago, Chile and Cinecitta’s Italian film screenings for some years now. 

A few years ago I was invited to judge the Short Film projects for Proimagenes Colombia’s Cinema Development Fund. This kind of experience is invaluable as it allowed me to learn about the business and enhance Spafax’s presence as a bona fide member of the International Film business community. 

2. Tell us more about the Spafax team behind content acquisition and the screening process.

One of the biggest strengths our team has is the fact that it comprises local experts in many offices. We have seven team members, all different nationalities and each of us have in-depth knowledge of cast, crew and production value in our respective markets.

We go into a film with an idea of what to expect and once the credits roll, we put both our keen eye for quality and our market knowledge to good use. We also judge a film in the context of what’s around in that territory and how it’s performing critically and/or commercially.

3. How has regional film changed in the last five years?

One of the biggest changes I’ve seen in the business is the emergence of the "remake" business. Sometimes we see the same story being told five or six times, often in the same language. It can feel repetitive at times however I suspect one of the reasons why this is happening is the fact that some audiences take comfort in the familiar – why watch something with subtitles, with actors you don’t know, when you can have a local version? Being a lifelong World Cinema fan, I would rather see the stigma around subtitles disappear as I believe that immersing yourself in a foreign film is a cultural experience like no other.

It’s been very interesting to see waves of excitement about film from different corners of the globe. Scandinavia had “a moment” about four years ago with some excellent thrillers. Then we saw Poland with some very quirky, strangely visceral films. But, for me, Chile has been a consistent source of interesting film with not only this year’s Oscar winner Una Mujer Fantástica but also films like Los Perros, Violeta se fue a los Cielos, El Club and Gloria. 

4. You attend up to seven festivals and markets every year. Do you have any favorites?

Different events are great in different ways but you can’t beat Berlinale for organization! From a practical standpoint, it's as easy as they come with shuttles to the cinemas and they have extremely capable staff to answer every query. Cannes, on the other hand, has the perfect weather which just makes the movie-going experience even better!

There are also the different editorial lines at each festival that make them unique. At Berlinale, you can discover a hidden gem from Eastern Europe for example, whereas in Cannes you can enjoy an excellent multi-million dollar production. It’s great to be able to scout such a mix of titles which help us cater the to the diverse needs of our clients and bring a nice balance to the Spafax offering.

I love the fact that we have such culturally diverse clients and from all over the globe – from Sweden to Hong Kong, Brazil to Spain, from the USA to Tahiti – each of them, in turn, carrying audiences from many different countries – it gives our team the chance to bring a truly multi-cultural experience to each screen.