61st Cannes Film Festival starts on May 15 on the Côte d'Azur. BMW Group presents itself with the film industry in an international cooperation.

Cannes/Munich May 15 marks the start of the 61st International Film
Festival in the eternally glamorous town of Cannes on the coast of
southern France. The BMW Group is right in the middle of things, a
competent partner for the German, European and global film industry.
The Munich-based company has a long tradition of cooperation with the
film industry: alongside classic product placements, the BMW Group has
also consistently supported the rise of young film talent both in
Germany and world wide. At this year's Cannes Film Festival, the BMW
Group is the local partner of the European Film Promotion (EFP), the
Rome Film Festival, the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, Next
Generation from German Films and the German Short Film Association, AG
Kurzfilm. Producers on the Move - Europe's young producers in Cannes
The BMW Group is partnering the European Film Promotion (EFP) in Cannes
this year, supporting the organisation in all events related to the
festival. As in previous years, the principal EFP event is Producers on
the Move, an event at which over one hundred young European film
producers are introduced and distinguished in the presence of
international media and representatives of the film industry. Rome
Film Festival reception in Cannes The Rome Film Festival brings a touch
of Italian flair to the French Mediterranean resort: In cooperation
with MINI Italy, the BMW Group is this year's international partner of
the film festival in the Italian capital, alongside the activities in
Cannes. MINI Italy has supported the Rome Film Festival since 2006, and
will continue the cooperation this year also. 40 years Quinzaine des
Réalisateurs The Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Directors'
Fortnight) section of the SRF French Directors' Society celebrates its
fortieth anniversary in Cannes this year, taking place from 15 - 25
May. Jointly with BMW France, the BMW Group is cooperating with the
Quinzaine for the second time, but on a much more extensive basis this
year. The company will also be supporting the 40-year jubilee
celebrations of the event, with the brand new Sports Activity
Coupé, the BMW X6, right at the centre of the festivities.
German Films on the Riviera The BMW Group has partnered the Next
Generation short film programme from German Films since 2005. This
event, which launched in 1998, presents a selection of recent German
film college productions at the Cannes Film Festival. This year the
programme includes the BMW funded productions Mein Robodad from the
Bauhaus University of Weimar and the short film Dunkelrot from the
Hamburg Media School, which has already garnered the Max Ophüls
Award. Short films with a sea view Short films are also the focus of
the reception organised by BMW on 17 May 2008 (invitation only) on the
terrace of the Quinzaine. The BMW Group has been a member of the German
Short Film Association AG Kurzfilm for 3 years, sustainable supporting
the growth of the German short film industry both in Germany and
abroad. For the first time this year, short films have been given an
official forum in the festival programme, giving a further boost to the
panache and diversity of the festival as a whole.