The FLF is building on its success attendance in 2009 as guest of honour at the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d'Angoulême. Since then, no fewer than thirty-four translations of graphic novels have been published with support from the FLF. This is the last time the FLF will open the doors of its 'Café BD Chez les Flamands'. The café is a meeting place for Flemish and international publishers. Authors come and sign their work and original and translated graphic novels are for sale.
The FLF foreign rights manager has meetings at the stand with foreign publishers and festival organisers throughout the entire festival. In such meetings, interesting titles by Flemish graphic novelists are presented, current subsidy applications are discussed and agreements are made for other international comic festivals. The Helsinki comic festival, for example, has already announced that Belgium will be highlighted in the 2012 edition and that the presence of Flemish graphic novels at the festival will be indispensible.
On Thursday 26 January, together with the Flemish Representation, Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT), the distribution company Pinceel Stripverspreiding and the Strip Turnhout festival organisers, the FLF will be organising a 'fête flamande' where novelists and foreign contacts can meet. The festival will conclude a period of four years of active promotion in Angoulême with a bang.
From 2013 onwards there will no longer be a Flemish sales stand for the public at large and the FLF will be moving to the 'marché des droits,' where most international publishers have their stands where they discuss foreign rights sales. The FLF is currently in discussion with Flemish and Dutch publishers regarding an equally professional and more modest future scenario that will confirm and continue the success of their publications.
> You can find more information on the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d'Angoulême on the website...
