MARTIN DOMINGUEZ QUITS AT SEVILLE

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Posted: Wed., Jan. 4, 2012, 7:48am PT

Martin Dominguez quits at Seville

Exit raises questions over Euro industry hub's future

By JOHN HOPEWELL

MADRID -- Javier Martin Dominguez has quit as artistic director of Spain's Seville European Film Festival, raising a question about the future of an event he had built into a valuable European industry fest hub.

Martin Dominguez's resignation comes after the Seville Town Hall slashed SEFF's budget from €1.7 million ($2.2 million) in 2010 to $1.4 million last year. Further 30% plus cuts are anticipated for 2012.

Over a four-year tenure, Martin Dominguez built Seville up into a vibrant meeting point for producers, distributors and European institution reps -- such as the European Film Academy and Eurimages, both of which received showcases -- as well as a launch-pad for European films in Spain and Andalusian producers in Europe.

The fest also hosted the nominations announcement for the European Film Awards.

But last year Seville had to halve its guest and press invitations, Martin Dominguez told Variety.

"I'm not interested in directing a low-profile, limited event," he said.

Martin Dominguez, who was the correspondent in New York and Tokyo for Spanish pubcaster RTVE, and later served as its secretary general, used his contacts and persuasiveness to bring many industry figures to Seville.

The key question is whether Seville will now have the critical mass, or a director with Martin Dominguez's connections, to allow it to continue as a meaningful event in international terms.

As regional governments slash expenditure, many other Spanish festivals now fear for their 2012 budgets.

A rare exception, San Sebastian festival increased its budget $500,000 in 2011, hiking sponsorship deals while institutional support held.