Less than four weeks before the beginning of this year's Berlinale, the European Film Market (EFM) is is expecting to host more than 400 exhibitors from 50 countries at its market venues in the Martin Gropius Bau and the EFM Exhibitor Offices.

To date, 420 exhibitors are registered with the EFM, including 44 new companies with a presence a t the market for the first time. This tally now also includes the 157 distributors, world sales companies and producers who registered via The Marketplace to participate in the MEDIA Programme's 'umbrella stand' in the Martin-Gropius Bau's atrium.

As the market organisers observed, 'the majority of companies come from Germany, Great Britain, France and the USA. Besides the traditionally stronger showing of European firms, exhibitors from Asia and Eastern Europe are gowing annually in significance. And for the first time, companies from Macedonia, Romania and Chile will participate in the EFM 2008.'

Apart from the increase in exhibitors, there is a 10% increase in overall industry registration to date. 636 buyers have registered so far, with new companies coming to Berlin for the first time from Argentina, Australia, and the USA. Last year, the EFM was host to a total 878 buyers from more than 50 countries.

Similar to last year, the market will have screenings of around 700 titles, of which approximately 75% will be market premieres.

These will include around 45 films premiered at next week's Sundance Film Festival, which will then be showcased in Berlin in the EFM's 'Straight from Sundance' programme.

In addition, a record 100-plus Latin American films were submitted this year for the EFM's Latin American Works-in-Progress section which sees itself as a platform for new talents. 11 projects from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Columbia, Chile and Uruguay have been selected for presentation at the market.

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