Following the success of the Milan event, the Blu-ray Disc Association arrived in Prague on the 14th October for the next BD film festival.

Designed to increase awareness of the BD format in the Czech Republic, the festival was hosted by Pavel Borowiec, Chairman of the Czech BD forum and Niels Leibbrandt, Chairman of the EU BDA Promotions Committee. On the first day, press interviews were followed by an exclusive pre-release screening of Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs (the first Disney BD to be released in the region).

The following day, over 120 attendees made up of studio representatives, retailers and the press listened to presentations on Blu-ray Disc’s current market position, Czech distribution strategy and BD-Live. BD titles including Terminator Salvation, Mission Impossible 3, X-Men, Gladiator and Angels & Demons were also used to demonstrate Dolby TrueHD, BD-Live and the benefits of HD projection. You can view the festival’s programme here.

Idnes.cz, one of the most popular Czech online publications, attended the festival and wrote up a comprehensive interview with Niels on all aspects of Blu-ray Disc. Further coverage of the festival is expected in other print media before the end of the year.

Hosted by Stefano Scauri, President of the Italian Blu-ray Disc promotion group, the festival featured an impressive walled display of HDTVs and BD players, each screening a variety of BD content with product experts on hand to answer questions.

Journalists attending the festival’s press day included representatives from CNBC TV, Repubblica.it and Corriere Magazine. They were treated to screenings of several Blu-ray Discs, including Angels & Demons and The Bourne Supremacy, and interviews with Stefano and the rest of the Italian promotions team.

As a result the festival enjoyed widespread media coverage – including articles in Repubblica.it and Corriere.it, and video coverage on Condé Nast website MenStyle.it.

With the festive season fast approaching the Blu-ray Disc Association has compiled a list of some of the hottest Blu-ray Discs this Christmas.

In its recent report, Futuresource predicted European sales of Blu-ray Discs would reach 31m by the end of 2009. Blu-ray movies are an ideal stocking filler and with the selection of releases available, Christmas shoppers across Europe can be sure to find something to suit everyone. Our recommendations include films that can be enjoyed by the whole family as well as titles to keep the man or woman in your life entertained over the festive period.

Best Sellers
Star Trek (Paramount)
Bruno (Universal)
Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Fox)
Angels & Demons (Sony)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (WB)

Best for Men
Fight Club: 10th Anniversary Edition (Fox)
Transformers Revenge of the Fallen (Paramount)
Terminator Salvation (Sony)
Inglourious Basterds (Universal)
The Hangover (WB)

Best for Women
Dirty Dancing (Lionsgate)
The Edge of Love (Lionsgate)
The Proposal (Disney)
Revolutionary Road (Paramount)
Ghost (Paramount)

Best for the Family
Night at the Museum 2 (Fox)
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (WB)
Snow White (Disney)
Ghostbusters (Sony)
Mamma Mia (Universal)

If you need any more information on these titles, or other new releases hitting stores before Christmas, then do get in touch with us in the comments or via email.