EXCLUSIVE: CAA teamed up with Charles Finch’s Finch & Partners to throw an exclusive film symposium in Cannes and the teams are now eyeing an expansion of the event to other festivals/cities including Venice and Doha.
Additional locations are also being discussed, alongside a return to the same venue in Cannes next year.
The private gathering of industry toppers and creatives took place at the picturesque Antibes home of industrial heir and art collector Johnny Pigozzi.
The off-the-record event included a series of informal talks about how to advance the industry amid a rapidly evolving landscape, and a networking lunch, and in general was appreciated by attendees we spoke to for being unstuffy, transparent and thought-provoking.
The inaugural Future of…Film Symposium included conversations with filmmakers Darren Aronofsky, James Gray, Nadine Labaki, Whit Stillman, and Juan Antonio Bayona, along with studio heads, financiers, distributors, exhibitors and creators. Around 80 guests attended total.
Among topics on the agenda were what it takes to grow from a specialty platform into a global force; what the future of studios, distribution, and audience engagement looks like; how the industry can protect the conditions in which meaningful storytelling can still emerge; and how can a pro-futurist, AI-enabled approach to financing independent film unlock and expand the scale and ambition of indie storytelling without compromising artistic integrity.
Producer, publisher and filmmaker Finch, the son of acting royalty Peter Finch, is the CEO of luxury consultancy Finch & Partners and is a regular at Cannes and other awards events, often hosting celebrity-filled parties.
