International Meetings on Culture, Economy and the Media, With Frédéric Mitterrand, Minister for Culture and Communication

PARIS - Building on the success of last year’s premiere, the second International Forum d’Avignon will bring together for two days, between November 19th - 21st, 300 personalities from all over the world (*) including artists, directors, producers, economists, internet and media company managers, politicians etc… For the blossoming of cultures.

(*) Algeria, Germany, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, China, Spain, Great Britain, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Mali, Norway, Quebec Singapore, Sweden, Tunisia, USA, and so on…

These decision makers from both the public and private sectors will debate a major issue in view of the financial crisis and the crisis of values which we are currently experiencing: “cultural strategies to succeed in a post-crisis era”.

How can culture contribute towards the recovery from this crisis? What are the strategies of the various key players? What values are likely to transform the vision of economic indicators themselves?

To analyse the different cultural strategies throughout the world, three debates will be held based upon the themes of innovation and creation, the attractiveness of regions and tax policies. Exclusive studies commissioned by the Forum d’Avignon and conducted by international firms (Bain and Co., Ernst & Young, Ineum Consulting) will offer some areas for further reflection and proposals based upon concrete experiences:

- Creating and innovating to succeed in a post-crisis era - Considering culture from an economic or symbolic viewpoint. How it can help build an area’s attractiveness? - Towards tax policies to promote the arts and culture?

These international meetings in Avignon’s Pope’s Palace will be complemented by meetings for further reflection and debate with prestigious guests, including:

Jeff Berg, Managing Director, ICM Talent (USA), John Boorman, film director (Great Britain), Xin Dong Chen, artist (China), Souleymane Cisse, film director (Mali), Jake Eberts, producer, Allied Filmmakers (Canada), Jean-Paul Fitoussi, Chairman of the OFCE (France), Antoine Gallimard, Chairman, Editions Gallimard (France), Dan Glickman (Motion Picture Association of America) (USA), Ignasi Guardans, Managing Director, Instituto de la Cinematografia y de las Artes audiovisuales (Spain), Amit Khanna, Chairman of Reliance Entertainment (India), Lawrence Lessig, Harvard University Professor, founder of the Creative Commons (USA), Jean-Bernard Levy, Chairman of the Management Board at Vivendi (France), Didier Lombard, Chairman of the Board, France Télécom (France), Radu Mihaileanu, director ARP (France),Christopher MILES, film director, producer, Milesian Lion (Great Britain),Richard David Precht, Philosopher (Germany), Jaume Roures, founder of MEDIAPRO (Spain), Marjane Satrapi, film director (Iran), Volker Schlöndorf, film director (Germany), Ezra Suleiman, Professor, Director of the Centre for European Studies at Princeton (Iraq, USA), Kjetil Traedal Thorsen, architect (Norway), Barthélémy Toguo, artist (Cameroon), Régis Wargnier, film director (France), Patrick Zelnik, Naïve (France) and so on…

The Forum will continue beyond the Pope’s Palace, notably with the following events:

- At Avignon University, a debate with students regarding the media and the internet - A Chef’s dinner offered as a “Master class” to a hundred students at the Avignon School of Hotel Management; - A debate with the Vaucluse Region Entrepreneurs’ Association - Organised visits of Avignon’s cultural heritage sites.

This event is organised in partnership with the French Ministry of Culture and Communication by the Association Forum d’Avignon - Culture, economy, media. The board members are:

Nicolas Seydoux, Chairman of the Forum d’Avignon, Chairman of Gaumont, Hervé Digne, Deputy Chairman of the Forum d’Avignon, Founding Chairman of Postmedia Finances, Axel Ganz, Deputy Chairman of the Forum d’Avignon, Jean-Jacques Annaud, film director, Patricia Barbizet, Managing Director of Financière Pinault, Laurent Benzoni, University Professor, Guillaume Boudy, General Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, Mats Carduner, Managing Director of Google France and Southern Europe, Emmanuel Chain, Producer and Chairman of Elephant and Co., Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, creator of the Forum d’Avignon, former minister for culture and communication, Laurence Franceschini, Director of Media Development,

Georges-François Hirsch, Director of Music, Dance, Theatre and Live Entertainment, Emmanuel Hoog, CEO of INA, Alain Kouck, Deputy Chairman and Managing director of Editis, Véronique Morali, Chairman of Fimalac Développement, founder of the web site Terra Femina, Pascal Rogard, Managing Director of the Company for Authors and Theatrical Composers (SACD).

In its first year, the Forum d’Avignon boasted a large number of sponsors and partners from the worlds of culture, media and economy, as well as the public and private sectors, who were involved both in funding the Forum as well as taking part in debate and proposals. For 2009 these will include: Vivendi, Air France, SNCF (French National Railways), Orange, Sacem (Company for authors, composers and music publishers), the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignation (Bank responsible for Official Deposits), Neuflize OBC, Bertelsmann, Artcurial, Ernst & Young, Crédit Agricole SA, GDF-SUEZ, the Allard Group.

Highlighting the spirit created by the Forum d’Avignon, the internet site www.forum-avignon.org allows the 2009 schedule to be viewed online, as well as videos from the 2008 Forum filmed by the INA (National Audiovisual Institute) and by Arte. It will also offer downloadable speeches made by various personalities.

Source: Forum d’Avignon

Press Contact: Publicis Consultants, for any information, graphics or interview material please contact: Isabelle Rivière, isabelle.riviere at consultants.publicis.fr, Tel: +33-(0)1-57-32-86-99 / +33-(0)1-57-32-86-24, 24, rue Salomon de Rotschild 92288 Suresnes cedex. Forum d’Avignon Contact: Laure Kaltenbach, Managing Director, laure.kaltenbach at forum-avignon.org