Digital Film in Europe: Art, Open Standards and Monopolies

Digital technology is disrupting the world of entertainment as well as art. We will take a look at the impact of digitalization on filmmaking, film distribution and theatres, especially from a European and independent film perspective. Technical, economic as well as cultural aspects will be discussed. Special attention will be dedicated to the latest version of the Digital Cinema Initiative's (DCI) System Standard, an attempt by Hollywood majors to introduce a common specification for digital film. How does the DCI work, who will benefit from it and most important of all, is it an actual standard or rather a franchise?