Reconnecting: Q&A with Géraldine Gonard, Conecta FICTION director

Conecta FICTION director Géraldine Gonard reveals what attendees can expect from September’s upcoming hybrid event and how the industry received the online aspect earlier this year.

How was the online aspect of Conecta FICTION Reboot in June received by the industry?

It was well received. Afterwards, we did a survey among the participants and overall there was a lot of support and gratefulness towards the realisation of the event. We can say that there is a sense of identity as a “Conecta FICTION professional community”. As it is a small event, it has been possible to maintain this community atmosphere and also to create loyalty among the participants.

Were you pleased with the response?

Of course. Knowing that there are people and companies that trust your work is always a great responsibility. In this case, the results have been very good precisely because of the loyalty of the participants. In Europe, we are labeled as a very Hispanic event, but we do not consider this negative. On the contrary, we have become the meeting point where you can really access the American and Spanish markets. We make it possible to connect any European project or company with the best possible partner on the other side of the Atlantic and we get very involved with each participant who asks us for support to connect.

How are your plans progressing for the physical event in Pamplona next week? 

In September we are making the hybrid event, which means that we will be on-site in Pamplona,1- 3 September, and the event will continue online until 11 September with new content every day.

We have the program practically closed. The participants will find: 13 Keynotes with prominent names in the international industry such as Ran Tellem (Homeland) Nicola Serra (Inspector Montalbano, The Name Of The Rose) and Marc Lorber, SVP of international co-productions and acquisitions at Lionsgate.

Rebooting Audience includes four focusing on music, docu-dramas, podcasts and new narratives for digital natives; 28 projects presented in four Pitching Sessions, Spotlight Panels and Screenings where we will present new co-productions and premieres and our special Investors-Producers Cross-Talks.

Some of the names on the program are: Emma Frank, director of Lucy Worsley’s Suffragettes; David André, director of The Young Men, The Traitor And The Nazis (France Télévisions); Julia Michels, music supervisor of A Star Is Born, Pitch Perfect and Trolls; Jen Malone, music supervisor of Euphoria; Susanne Frank, director ZDFE.drama, ZDF Enterprises.

However, in addition to this content, we have built our own online platform from scratch with a very natural and simple interface and we will provide all the facilities to make an agenda on-site and online of inter-professional meetings. This means that you can run your meetings online as if you were sitting face to face and we will also provide several formats of one-to-one and one-to-five meetings around fiction projects.

What can attendees expect and how will it complement June’s online experience?

Given the circumstances, practically the entire program is hybrid and can be accessed online. There is a lot of content that will surprise both online and on-site participants and, undoubtedly, Conecta will offer contacts and content that no other European event can. That is our edge.