Veteran French producer and co-founder of EuropaCorp, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam made a rare UK appearance today to give the key note address at the 3rd Production Finance Market today (October 21).

Le Pogam spoke at length about the road that led him to create the European powerhouse with French hitmaker Luc Besson from his days rising up the ladder at Gaumont through his longstanding relationship with Disney through the Gaumont BVI partnership.

He explained that he and Besson finalised the plans for Europa at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000 when Besson was president of the jury.

“The plan was to capture the margins of the distribution business,” he said, adding that the company had always pursued a policy of lean overheads and tight budgeting. “You match the artistic with financing and you come to a number, say 10. We will always work to make 10 become an eight without cutting anything from the artistic level.”

He added: “We will not easily greenlight movies unless we can match 80% of the risk.”

Europa has become one of the biggest success stories in European cinema, creating an industrial infrastructure that has delivered global hits such as Taken, the Transporter series and Tell No One. It went public on the Paris Stock Exchange in 2007.

Asked why the UK hasn’t spawned a similar independent company, Le Pogam was philosophical. “Maybe you have been spending too much time making deals with American companies and have forgotten you are English. You have so many artists, but something is wrong”

Le Pogam’s presence at the PFM, which is run by Film London over two days at the LFF and aims to create new relationships between producers and financiers is part of a drive to create a stronger European focus at this year’s event.

Representatives from Wild Bunch (France), RAI Cinema (Italy), Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures International and production companies including Recorded Picture Company, Origin Pictures and Number 9 Films were amongst those present at the event, which runs over two days.

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