CoPro - Documentary Marketing Foundation(R.A) provides Israeli filmmakers with services, training and support in the promotion of internationally co-produced films
Our Aims
To foster dialogue between Israeli filmmakers and foreign counterparts
To offer international audiences new and interesting insight into the Israeli actuality and social complexities
To promote and nurture young talented Israeli Arab and Jewish filmmakers
To raise funds for Israeli-foreign co-productions.
CoPro’s Agenda includes the following principles: Promoting multiple services – at CoPro we are dedicated to providing resources, information and avenues of communication for independent filmmakers, industry professionals and film enthusiasts.
We are committed to the idea that independently made films are important as a powerful means of expression for all walks of our society. Supporting independent creative filmmaking – Non-governmental and non-profit organizations play an increasingly important role in today’s world, when the rip between rich and poor is ever growing, privatization is the order of the day, media organizations are struggling to survive and public broadcasting is collapsing. It gets increasingly harder to produce local documentaries under such conditions, which is why CoPro feels responsible and is committed to supporting and maintaining quality documentary filmmaking in Israel. Equal opportunities – CoPro provides independent filmmakers with various levels of experience and expertise, assisting them in expressing their own exclusive viewpoints, and facilitating interaction between the creative and the business communities. In addition, CoPro strives to expand the public’s knowledge and educate it on independently-made films, as well as encourage multifaceted, qualitative independently-made productions. Professional training – Today’s media demand expert, competent and skilled personnel, well versed in the media market rules. It requires social competence, cultural tolerance and flexibility, and humanitarian commitment – all being crucial in this highly sensitive intercultural industry. CoPro Documentary Marketing Foundation offers and advances such suitable training.
CoPro’s Main Activities:
Every year CoPro conducts an International Co-Production Market, in order to bring together Israeli documentary filmmakers with producers and television network executives from around the world. The event includes 7 days of international marketing, a retrospective of documentaries from a foreign network or specific country, a pitching forum, panel discussions, workshops lead by world-class professionals, and co-production talks. The International Co-Production Market facilitates cultural discourse and dialogue between the filmmakers and international media representatives for the sake of attaining co-productions. CoPro works to bring the message of Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers and their depiction of the complexities of Israeli society to the millions of homes around the world, providing viewers with a new outlook, perspective and insight of life in Israel.
CoPro-Documentary Marketing Foundation provides equal opportunities for filmmakers from all sectors, cultures and religions in Israel enabling the diversity of voices in Israeli society to be represented and expressed.
The Annual Co-Productions ”Pitching Forum” - (as part of the market held in May) where producers and top TV executives from the world over view presentations by outstanding Israeli filmmakers. The Pitching Forum has been held for 11 years now, and has helped raise around €6,500,000 for Israeli filmmakers.
Close Encounters (as part of the market held in May) is one of the latest initiatives presented by CoPro and was successfully launched in 2007. Producers from all over the world are presented with a catalogue of dozens of Israeli documentaries in various stages of production, which already have some domestic funding and are interested in creating a co-production.
The producers will then choose the projects they find interesting and can mutually benefit both countries’ interests and needs. A one- on- one meeting between the two will be arranged and held by CoPro during the Co-Productions market in Tel-Aviv, May 2010. As of 2009 the Close Encounters channel has been expanded. In order to instigate associations and co-operations for foreign producers, they are given the opportunity to present their scripts to representatives of Israeli TV networks, film foundations and local producers, thereby facilitating them to find Israeli partners for their films.
This initiative fosters cooperation with producers from countries in with which Israel has film treaties.
The Close Encounters activity has since 2009 been expanded: In order to encourage reciprocity in the joint ventures with foreign producers, CoPro is organizing a delegation of producers from a foreign country with which Israel has a Film Treaty. In cooperation with film bodies from that country, CoPro is calling on producers to submit documentary projects at various stages of development. The selected producers will be invited to visit Israel to attend at CoPro events, to hold meetings with Israeli documentary producers that interest them, and to show their films to representatives of Israeli television networks and film funds. They will also show them to local producers in order to find Israeli partners for their own films.
Through Close Encounters meetings CoPro hopes to create reciprocity in Israeli-foreign co-productions, and thereby expand the connection of the Israeli filmmaker with the world.
One-on-one meetings (as part of the market held in May) – are individual co-production meetings that follow the pitching sessions. The meetings are to be held with foreign executive producers and Israeli film makers presenting at the Forum, in order to translate the producers’ initial idea into the first step of its materialization. From 2007 we are extending the one-on-one meetings to foreign co-producers in order to expand co-productions to include the various international cinematic treaties, thereby enabling wider collaborations
DocuShuk (as part of the market held in May) – a stimulating platform for the marketing of Israeli documentaries where representatives of local and foreign networks watch as many as 200 new documentaries, screened in private “watching booths”, as part of the Israel International Co-Production Market.
Future plans are to set up a Road Market for the DocuShuk to travel across Europe.
Retrospective (as part of the market held in May)– Every year CoPro organizes a tribute to one foreign TV network. The tribute includes screenings of 10 selected films at cinematheques across Israel. In 2004 it was Storyville BBC UK and Sundance channel USA, in 2005 it was TVO, Canada, in 2006 it was two Scandinavian Channels - The Danish TV2 and the Finnish YLE, and in 2007 - Franco-Germanic ARTE, in 2008 – Polish Films and in 2009 a tribute was held to ITVS, USA.
2010 has been dedicated to a retrospective of Polish contemporary documentary films.
Master Classes – Held before the pitching sessions and during the market by foreign and Israeli representatives. The master classes offer young talented filmmakers the tools they need to translate their ideas into the language of the leading international network executives. The classes also provide experienced filmmakers with the means to develop and improve their art form. In 2010, as part of CoPro’s initiative to advance the New Media in the documentary field, within the Master Classes, Casper Sonan of the IDFA Festival consulted to the filmmakers in the Pitching on how to adapt their projects to the New Media and also held a professional seminar for filmmakers and those submitting New Media projects.
Simulation Workshop, as part of the Master Classes, are held a month before the Israel International Co-Production Market, in order to give Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers the opportunity to practice their marketing and negotiation skills to the market. In this setup they can get feedback and tips from Israeli experts who will assist them in preparing for the Pitching Forum.
DocuChild – An initiative enabling the setting-up of a new channel for international co-productions be promoted in this special genre. A bi-annually joint workshop of CoPro Foundation , the Tel Aviv Goethe Institute and Prix Jeunesse Germany on quality TV for kids. CoPro intends to aid Israeli filmmakers in pitching ideas for kids documentaries to local and foreign broadcasting channels, in order to boost collaborations.
The CoPro Guide (DataFest) – an Israeli information and promotion service with a main project of a brochure, published biannually, containing useful information about documentary-oriented festivals, inside tips and info regarding international foundations and international film treaties between Israel and other countries. This year a new, updated edition of the Guide has been published.
Filmmakers Awards – given to assist filmmakers in the early stages of scripting and preparing their production for marketing. The awarding ceremony is held at the concluding session of the annual CoPro’s pitching session.
Producers’ Delegation – an initiative for an Israeli delegation of producers to go abroad and meet with film executives, and to take part in international markets and professional seminars. The purpose of this delegation is to promote dialogue with foreign producers and creative arts foundations, build connections with foreign networks, and implement the Film Treaties that exist between Israel and other countries, such as Germany and France. A delegation of Israeli producers took part in 2010 in the StoryDoc seminars in Greece, and at this time an additional delegation is being formed for the Sheffield Festival in the UK.
New * * * New * * * New * * * New * * * New * * * New
CoProMunity (capital market)
Variety and renewal are conditions for maintaining relations while supporting leading, well-established producers. CoPro considers itself obliged to advance young producers with different viewpoints, which will be the guarantee of refreshing, new productions for many years to come.
Encouraging joint ventures with film students from outlying areas, who want to get a toehold in the world of Israeli documentaries in which they hope one to day to be part of, allows the international buyer to obtain a better understanding of the Israel “outside of Tel-Aviv”, and will ensure his continuing curiosity and cooperation.
To encourage new productions in outlying areas, CoPro has initiated an additional activity: it is holding concentrated seminars for students that will provide them with a map of the Israeli documentary market and the opportunities with the Fund’s support open to students upon completion of their studies.
CoPro considers every such activity to be a far-reaching statement of intent that advances the construction of the infrastructure for the documentary market in Israel. In each phase CoPro sees importance for the future that over time is expressed and tested in practice in the quality of the international joint ventures in which it participates.
The 2010 seminars are taking place in the following colleges: Sapir, Tel-Chai, Taibe, HaYarden, Wizo Haifa, in the search for the filmmakers of tomorrow, and supporting them to realize in practical terms the promise of creativity in outlying areas.
HISTORY
CoPro - The first Israel Forum for International Documentary Co-Productions was held in Israel in the spring of 1999 as an initiative of Ms. Orna Yarmut, Managing Director, for the past 11 years. Yarmut, a former independent producer, realized the difficulties Israeli documentary filmmakers faced in collaborating with European broadcasters. With the assistance of Mr. Tue Steen Muller, Director General of the EDN (European Documentary Network) in 1999-2005, and in association with the Israeli Forum of Documentary Filmmakers, the Israeli Producers Association and The Israeli Export Institute, a delegation of broadcasters from important European, Canadian & American TV Channels were invited to meet with Israeli filmmakers. The event was moderated by Mr. W. Paterson Ferns, presently Head of Ferns Productions Inc. and formerly director of the ”Banff” Foundation and Festival in Canada. 17 years ago Mr. Peterson was the first to modulate this form of pitching in public. To date, he has greatly contributed to CoPro, through his worldwide connections and vast experience in this form of marketing.
For nearly 12 years now, CoPro serves as a marketing foundation. The International market is the highlight of years worth of activities to establish cultural discourse and interaction between Israeli filmmakers (Jewish and Arab) and foreign TV networks.
Members of Copro – Documentary Marketing Foundation (R.A)
Orna Yarmut - Founder and Director
Dan Lahat, Adv. – Chairman *
Manuela Dviri
Michael Karpin *
Nili Priell
Shoshi Raban*
Dvora Zafrir *
Aliza Zigler*
NewsLetter
Supporting independent creative filmmaking – Non-governmental and non-profit organizations play an increasingly important role in today’s world, when the rip between rich and poor is ever growing, privatization is the order of the day, media organizations are struggling to survive and public broadcasting is collapsing. It gets increasingly harder to produce local documentaries under such conditions, which is why CoPro feels responsible and is committed to supporting and maintaining quality documentary filmmaking in Israel.
The Annual Co-Productions ”Pitching Forum” - (as part of the market held in May) where producers and top TV executives from the world over view presentations by outstanding Israeli filmmakers. The Pitching Forum has been held for 11 years now, and has helped raise around €6,500,000 for Israeli filmmakers.
As of 2009 the Close Encounters channel has been expanded. In order to instigate associations and co-operations for foreign producers, they are given the opportunity to present their scripts to representatives of Israeli TV networks, film foundations and local producers, thereby facilitating them to find Israeli partners for their films.
DocuShuk (as part of the market held in May) – a stimulating platform for the marketing of Israeli documentaries where representatives of local and foreign networks watch as many as 200 new documentaries, screened in private “watching booths”, as part of the Israel International Co-Production Market. 
Master Classes – Held before the pitching sessions and during the market by foreign and Israeli representatives. The master classes offer young talented filmmakers the tools they need to translate their ideas into the language of the leading international network executives. The classes also provide experienced filmmakers with the means to develop and improve their art form. In 2010, as part of CoPro’s initiative to advance the New Media in the documentary field, within the Master Classes, Casper Sonan of the IDFA Festival consulted to the filmmakers in the Pitching on how to adapt their projects to the New Media and also held a professional seminar for filmmakers and those submitting New Media projects.