The ballot by which I have just been elected as the president of the world organization for independent film-making, UNICA, fills me with joy and pride, but at the same time - and I make no secret of that - with some anxiety.

Whenever there is a change at the top level of an organization that is dedicated to its traditions and also due to a certain pressure caused by expectations for a revival, tensions emerge so that the newcomer cannot but feel some apprehension or even - should we say - real fear. Fortunately there exists a set of values and experiences likely to help overcome these barriers and devote one's forces to the tasks to be carried out in the future.

There is no doubt that many of you have wondered whether the successful candidate is not a little bit too old to take over such a position that requires specific qualities comparable to those of the boss of an SME, the more so when we consider that in the contemporary world in which people are intensely preoccupied with short-lived consumer goods and success should be immediate, the companies are run by highly qualified, highly trained managers and achieved sportsmen, who are between 30 and 45 years of age ? Some others may wonder why it appeared appropriate to elect a candidate from the tiny Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, a country which has more bankers than filmmakers?

And some other people may also think that the man who has just been elected is only an agent or a front man appointed to pave the way for somebody else, a future candidate who will be more dynamic, so that his election is no more than a compromise or, in the best of scenarios, an interim position.

I would like to respond to this with just a couple of words expressed in full clarity : I do not consider myself as a president nominated after a compromise, but rather as a man open to compromises, able to dialogue and discuss frankly and openly with his fellow men.

Even less do I regard myself as a transition president, thinking that my term-of-office could not be shortened for other reasons than failing health, advanced age or by a decision of the delegates of member federations. Anyway, the tenure is restricted to three times three years.

My country of origin is not a banana republic, no more than it is a haven to launder dirty or illegal money. Due to my family roots, I would consider myself as a true-born European. My father was a Belgian, himself of both Walloon and Flemish descent, my wife has both Italian and Luxembourg blood, so that I claim that I have best predispositions. My country is located at the meeting point of the two main cultures of Western Europe, the Germanic and the Romance one, has at all time found ways to open itself up to the surrounding world.

Now a more interesting question:
what does UNICA mean to me ? What are the reasons for my commitment?

It is not so uncommon to hear people saying that film only ranks second among the points of interest of participants coming to a UNICA Congress.

As in any assertion of the sort, even if it is slightly frivolous, there is a part of truth. Sure people travel from many countries and gather every year in another place to celebrate independent film making. The congress is indeed the place where grand mass of non-commercial film-making is held and even repeated hundreds of times. But UNICA is much more than just that. It is a communion of cultures, the bridging of political and social differences. It is the forum where people of multifarious origins express esteem for each other in full respect of the opinions and convictions of others. Film, more than any other form of artistic expression, makes it possible to gain access to and probe into the soul of other peoples of the earth, their traditions, their cultures. A film from Far East is immediately identified as such, just as a film from South America, North Africa or Scandinavia, and this even without words or music. These are indeed - in my opinion - the differences that make an organization like UNICA so invaluable and so important.

All the same, it is the participants who have come from four continents to pay tribute to independent film making who provide best evidence for the value of such a mass event. They make a small rather colourful crowd, with authors, some young people and some not so young, fans and their relatives, who will mingle with the regular visitor, local people who have just dropped in, or just film buffs. So all these individuals will rally to watch the films entered in the contest and then discuss them in groups, and also take part in sidetours of cultural or simply touristic interest in the host country and - quite important too - have a drink together in the evening before bedtime. This intermingling gives to UNICA Congress a special ambience, a feel that is so particular, or even unique. When considered in this light, UNICA not only represents a wonderful showcase for independent film-making, but also a powerful medium for the promotion of better understanding between nations.

UNICA today and to-morrow

In a constantly changing world where people burn today what they worshipped the day before, UNICA, more than ever, is facing a sea with high waves where the matter is to hold one's course, without ignoring the recommendations of the weather forecast. That means that, in full respect of the frameworks in force, we should not turn a blind eye to the structural changes that could prove indispensable. Of course we should not rush things and act irrationally to avoid the risk of shipwreck.

Which things should be addressed or revised in the mid-term ?

As we all know, the UNICA Festival is a contest between film federations in many countries that are very different from each other. The films screened in the official program are selected by the federations according to their own individual regulations, in most cases at the end of an internal competition or following the decision of a selection committee. The films are entered in two categories, one the one hand films considered as purely non professional works and on the other hand those that are made in film schools under guidance of professors by young people eager to make a career in film-making.

What happens with these young people after they have graduated? Are their films still presented at UNICA to be seen and evaluated there by an international audience, with the secret hope that they will be selected for their talents and achieve recognition and be poised to take the plunge into the fascinating world of "real" cinema?. No, not really, we have to date no reasons or evidence to think that such a vision hold true as, as far as we are concerned, these young people have left for good the non-professional camp; moreover - and this is even more a cause of concern - have not registered in a club or a federation. As a consequence, their works are to be found on other platforms. They are then presented either on the Web or in festivals that were originally reserved to non-professionals. I can cite in this respect such Festivals as Berliner Filmfenster, Grand Off in Warsaw, Festival der Nationen in Ebensee or the Golden Diana at Klopeiner See where, according to statistics, professional productions represent up to 80% of the films. The steadily increasing demand confirms that many young professional film-makers are interested in this type of events that they can use as forums or launching pads.

In my opinion, it is a pity that, because of the organisational structure of UNICA or the member federations and the clubs affiliated to the federations, the young filmmakers who are eager or poised to become reputed professionals in the world of cinema should remain in isolation, away from our activities. We may wonder whether the re-denomination of UNICA adopted in 2005 and the revision of the Statutes that have come into force on January 01 of this year has been no more than a re-naming without any real change in depth. I do think that we will have to explore ways and means to have these young people involved in our activities.

In cooperation with the federations and their affiliated clubs, the unica Committee will endeavour to identify the kind of solutions that the situation calls for. We should not foster the illusion that we can halt the progressive loss of active members that is observed in our clubs everywhere in Europe considering that talented young filmmakers organized in film crews have no interest in joining our clubs and the traditional structures. If recognized too late, it will not take long for this situation to become alarming and the more so as the structural problem will be further burdened by the generation gap. It is in my opinion the main challenge that we have to rise to as a matter of urgency if we want not only to solve the financial problem but also escape the risk of full disappearance of our clubs and therefore our federations … and consequently of UNICA itself as the umbrella organisation.

We thus have to carry out an in-depth analysis examining the issues at the three levels mentioned above. The subject has already been broached within the UNICA Committee and information has been collected about innovative projects developed within several federations in Western Europe. However, the scope of this debate will have to be extended, and discussion should be conducted in serenity considering that any hasty and inconsiderate initiative might be detrimental to the targeted result in the longer term.

There is second project that I have developed in my mind after attending committee meetings in the past two years; it is a short term project and concerns the organization of work within the Committee. It will not be easy for me to take over from a president who has been so long in office, who is so energetic, respected and estimated by all, supposing that I try to appropriate all his working methods or simply try to imitate his style. I do not intend either to give the image of somebody which does not correspond to my personality. I am too old for that and definitely not prepared for that stance.

Personally, I imagine the role of president as that of a coordinator and primus inter pares or first among equals. I consider that the Committee should operate like a government rather than a board of directors where all members just nod in approval about all proposals put forward by one or more other directors. Every Committee member should in the future consider him/herself as a minister in charge of a department and accountable for his/her action. Only most significant decisions should be made in plenary sessions, except in emergency cases where decisions are made in agreement with the president, the vice-president, the secretary-general and the treasurer. Moreover I hope that I can rely on the knowledge and experience of the old and new-elected members of the Committee so that they will spare me from falling into some traps that they know of and will take care to put me back on the right path should I get lost.

Finally, I would like to thank President Max Hänsli and all Committee members for excellent collaborative work that we have had in the past two years, after offering me a warm welcome. I thank them in particular for the sense of friendship they immediately displayed and I am very grateful to them for having promoted spontaneously and unanimously my candidacy for the position of president. Also warm and sincere thanks to all delegates for the confidence they expressed in the vote that they have just cast on behalf of their respective federations. I trust that, together with the team to whom you just gave a vote of confidence - including the newcomer, Rolf Leuenberger we will provide good service and launch the reforms that are indispensible, in full respect of the Statutes and our traditions which are part of a heritage that is dear to us.

Dear delegates and friends, you are now somewhat more familiar with my philosophy and my views. The goals will thus be:

• first, in cooperation with the federations, to explore the ways and means to open up the UNICA events to both non-professional film makers and to young professionals, both having a right to produce films labelled independent production, lay this down in our Statutes, though still excluding commercial filmmaking, i.e. film makers making a living out of their activity;
• and second, parallel to the above, to re-examine the way the Committee works and operate and pave the way to identify the needs of the federations, clubs and all the filmmakers, and then be in a better position to meet their expectations. One of the logical consequences concerning the Committee will probably be a tendency to reduce the number of posts with specific assignments.

 It will be up to all persons attending this meeting to contribute as best he/she can according to competences so that the UNICA anthem can be played at full blast to pay homage to our organization and pay tribute to all those who have the privilege to serve it at whatever level of competence, and to the glory of all those who, with their film production, will be willing to join us under its banner.

Georges Fondeur
Gdansk
10 September 2009