Introduction
The Agence Belge du Court Métrage (ABdCM) plays a key role in promoting and distributing Belgian short films, supporting the visibility of directors and their works on both national and international stages. In a context where managing a large film catalogue and coordinating with numerous festivals is essential, the agency needed powerful tools to optimize its internal processes and provide the public with easy access to its films.
Challenges
The main challenge was to centralize and modernize internal management tools while creating a showcase page dedicated to the film catalogue.
Internally, information was scattered across multiple Excel files, making it difficult to track films, festivals, memberships, and sales. The agency needed a single, intuitive, and scalable solution to centralize all this data, boost productivity, and improve team collaboration.
Externally, the goal was to set up an attractive public page that would allow visitors to easily browse the catalogue, with a powerful search system directly connected to the internal database.
Solutions
To meet these needs, JAK Solutions developed a custom internal application using FileMaker, integrating all the necessary modules: management of films in prospect and in catalogue, festival tracking, submissions, sales, revenue sharing, calendar, and contacts. This application consolidates all data, replacing scattered files with a clear and efficient interface for the teams.
In parallel, we designed a dedicated film catalogue webpage, connected in real-time to the internal application via the FileMaker Data API. Built with HTML/CSS/JavaScript, the site offers fast and intuitive search capabilities while displaying always up-to-date information. For visuals, we implemented a cloud storage system to ensure smooth display without overloading the API connection.
Impact
Thanks to this combined solution, the Agence Belge du Court Métrage now benefits from a powerful internal tool for managing day-to-day operations and a showcase site that provides the public with direct, user-friendly access to its film catalogue.
Data centralization has significantly reduced management time and improved information accuracy. For the public and partners, the new online catalogue makes film discovery easier and strengthens the visibility of Belgian directors on the international stage.
This dual system – internal and external – has enabled ABdCM to gain in efficiency, consistency, and reach.
