The Rome Film Festival, from October 18th to the 21st, hosts a film market called “Business Street” and it’s an environment where producers and distributors deal in films.

The “street” is the famous Via Veneto, where Federico Fellini set his film La Dolce Vita. In those days, instead of paparazzi, there were 600 badge holders for the market.

This year there were 250 international buyers and 60 sales managers. They work for companies like The Weinstein Company, Canal Plus, MK2, Sandrew Metronome, Vertigo Films, Non Stop Sales, Gaumont, Wild Bunch and many others.

During the Business Street, there were 142 screenings and 83 movies were available on the Video Library. Nikita Mikhalkov’s 12 and the Italian film titled Piano, solo, directed by Riccardo Milani, were the most viewed movies during the film market.

The meetings between sellers and buyers were in the fabulous hotels like The Excelsior on Via Veneto. Far from the red carpet of the Rome FF, the market badge holders could work in an exclusive environment. They could relax in reserved bars and restaurants near the market area.

The organization of Business Street doesn’t want to compete with the American Film Market in Santa Monica or the Pusan FF in Korea. It’s a smaller market, but it wants to conform to Toronto and Rotterdam.

This was the second edition of Business Street and the attendance is increased. The organizers would work step by step so that the market participants will have an ever better environment.

After the closure of Mifed in Milan, the Business Street in Rome is the most important film market in Italy.