From: Christophe Bichon (email suppressed)
Date: Sat Feb 24 2007 - 04:38:30 PST
Dear members of Frameworks,
first hello to all the members of this mailing list. This is my first post
on this forum.
I would like to inform you about the actual situation of Light Cone. The
french cooperative is really passing through a hughe identical and
economical crisis.
I just received the english translation of the letter to the programmers
and to the audience, of the international petition.
All the instructions to support Light Cone are explained.
Please, sign and circulate the international petition and write us a letter
of support.
Best regards
Christophe Bichon
-------------------------
Light Cone
12, rue des Vignoles
75 020 Paris
France
Tel : 01 46 59 01 53 // 00 33 146 590 153
Fax : 01 46 59 03 12 // 00 33 146 590 312
URL : http://www.lightcone.org
To Light Cone's programmers and services users
To the public of experimental film screenings
This year Light Cone will celebrate its 25 years of distribution of
experimental cinema, artist's films and media work. Its international
standing and the richness of its collection make it on of Europe's most
important distributor of this type of work. Today, however, this position
is under threat, due to diminution of public funding and the end of certain
subsidised employment schemes. Today, the survival of the organisation is
at stake.
A series of measures have already been taken by the Administrative
Committee, the filmmakers and the rights holders during an exceptional
general meeting that took place on the 3rd of February 2007. To ensure the
continuation of Light Cones activities and create a new base for our
activities the following measures were decided:
- to lower the royalty percentage to 50% for both parties instead of 70%
going to the rights holder. This percentage change took effect from the 1st
of January 2007.
- to reduce the number of staff from 5 to 3 person.
- to move as soon as possible, before January 2008, to a new less expensive
location in Paris or its near suburbs.
- to ask the filmmakers to donate all or a part of their royalties due to
support LC.
- following the resignation of the three members of the Board of Directors,
the new Administrative Committee immediately elected a new Board : Miles
McKane, president, Gisèle Rapp-Meichler, secretary and Emmanuel Lefrant,
treasurer.
We need the support of those of you who think that Light Cone as a
circulating film library is an important resource, with its wide range of
historical or contemporary works.
It is for this reason that we ask to help and support us, to continue this
work, by the following actions that we will collate and use to add weight
to our demands to our present and future financiers. (see attached
document)
* sign and circulate the international petition, in your name, that of your
structure, group or institution (see attached document PetitionLC_en.pdf).
It can be done directly on line at http://www.lightcone.org/petition or by
post to Light Cone, 12, rue des Vignoles, 75020 Paris, France.
* write us a letter of support by e-mail at email suppressed or by
post, underlining the importance of Light Cone as a partner or resource
center for your work as a programmer or as a member of the public. We need
support from the film and arts communities, in the form of letters or
e-mails to enable us to added weight to our negotiations with our current
and future funding bodies. (see attached document Lettersupport.pdf)
* if you are able to make a donation to the association, you can send a
cheque or a bank transfer to :
Light Cone, Société Générale, Agence F (SG Paris Charonne)
code banque 30003 compte chèque bancaire N° 00050524271
code guichet 03070, clé RIB 40 ; 166 Boulevard Voltaire, 75011 Paris,
France.
Internationale identification:
IBAN : FR76 30003 03070 00050524271 40
BIC-ADRESSE SWIFT : SOGEFRPP
Please indicate the reason as : versement de soutien
We are working to ensure that this crisis allows LC to evolve in its
working to provide an efficent and pertiant service adapted to the needs of
todays programmers and public.
You can write to us at the following address email suppressed or by
letter.
Kind regards,
The Administrative Committee
Patrick Bokanowski, filmmaker
Cécile Dazord, patrimonial conservator
Emmanuel Lefrant, filmmaker
Miles McKane, filmmaker, programmer, co-fonder of Light Cone
Gisèle Rapp-Meichler, filmmaker
Claire Renier, programmer
Nicolas Rey, filmmaker, programmer
Light Cone
12, rue des vignoles 75020 Paris
Tel: 01 46 59 01 53 Fax : 01 46 59 03 12
email suppressed
Please forward this appeal to your colleagues and other concerned persons
in your network.
Attachments : this same document in pdf format, the petition, a document
asking for letters of support
__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.