 Adding to its already exciting events, the 2nd edition of the Dominican Global Film Festival is honoring Elba McAllister in a special tribute celebration expected to become an annual event of the film festival, held this year from November 19-23 in five cities throughout the country.
Elba McAllister is co-founder, partner and executive president of the Colombian film distribution company Cineplex, which is celebrating its 15th year of promoting alternative films in Latin America. During the interview for the II DR Global Film Festival, here is what Elba McAllister said:
1. Tell us about your background... How did you end up in the world of film distribution?
We got into film by total coincidence. My husband´s brother was organizing a big cultural event that included several concerts. My husband was financing the event, which turned out to be a disaster, due to unavoidable circumstances. My brother-in-law was working in film distribution and exhibition in Colombia, and invited us to participate in the creation of a film distribution company. It was there that we set our goal to find a market niche that hadn´t yet been developed.
On a personal level, I had been working in marketing in the pharmaceutical industry for 10 years. It was a job I was passionate about, and I was always looking for different ways to get certain products to doctors.
Comparing the two industries, I consider that a film is the same as a product for which you have to find a market (obviously it has to be good quality) and then deliver the message to the viewer.
2. How and why did you form Cineplex?
Cineplex was born when two brothers Juan David and Ivan McAllister decided to unite the know-how of Ivan (former Vice President of Colombia Film) with the administrative and financial skills of Juan David to create a family business with good possibilities for success. I then got involved in the daily management and into defining film strategy, with their support. Our direct participation in different film festivals began in 1997 as well as our involvement in specialized markets to select the films we had launched on the market.
3. Why are you considered pioneers in the industry?
We don´t consider ourselves pioneers, we were born out of the people´s need to have access to unconventional films from filmmakers outside of those dominated by Hollywood.
4. Has it been difficult to bring independent films to Latin America?
It has been a challenge in that people have been exposed to films with huge, million dollar or more budgets, special effects and predictable endings. Independent film is one that impresses us with an image, a story and a message, so when we leave the cinema we can say, “what a good movie!.”
5. Is the Latin American public ready for this type of film, given the Hollywood “invasion”?
Little by little, independent film has been demonstrating that it has a following of people who enjoy seeing “unpredictable” films.
6. What type of alliances have you established with other countries on the continent?
In distribution issues and knowing the majority of distributors on the continent, we have managed to ally ourselves to jointly distribute films and, as such, we let the studios know that we are also “in search” of independent filmmakers. Some specific cases have been Brokeback Mountain, My Blueberry Nights and more recently Paris 36.
7. Tell us a little about the Colombia film industry and your role as
distributors of Colombian films abroad.
The consolidation of the Colombian film industry first got underway with the creation of the 2004 Film Law. It has been a complete process as there was no industry to speak of…filmmakers had focused on sharing very local stories that never left our borders to move on to international recognition. We organized a Colombian film showing in all of Central America, Ecuador and Venezuela inviting directors and actors to the premier. We also managed to have a presence of Colombian film on satellite and cable TV screens.
Colombia trusts that the new productions that have passed through an international filter (competitions with important juries) will soon be considered in the big festivals so that they´ll have the exposure and distribution opportunities on other continents.
We are also about to begin a Latin American film distribution project through the alternative exhibition networks. Colombia will be the pilot to be replicated by in other countries but changing the film of the local country for a Colombian film. An example: in Venezuela there will be an alternating network of Latin films and instead of a Venezuelan, there will be a Colombian one.
8. What does it mean for you the fact the Dominican International
Film Festival is honoring you this year?
It is an honor that we have been selected for this tribute but it should not be for Cineplex but rather for the great filmmakers whose films have captivated us in the different festivals in which we first saw them. It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that we are able to share these independent stories with all of Latin America. |
