Blogposts Archive
Coexisting With AI: Discussing Current European Animations through Mars Express (2023)
by Gülseda Dabağ
Artificial intelligence has been both celebrated and criticized in visual art, often framed as either a productive tool or a disruptive threat. This debate becomes more visible in animation, a medium originally built on human effort and craftsmanship. Although animation has long evolved through technological innovation, AI differs from earlier tools by intervening directly in creative decision- making. These concerns sit at the core of Mars Express (2023), a film that places human and artificial agency in direct relation. Reading the film alongside contemporary debates, this blog post examines Mars Express through the lens of AI, with particular attention to the European animation industry’s ongoing effort to protect artistic labour while adapting to technological change.
In Mars Express, artificial intelligence has neither erased humanity nor replaced it. Humans and machines already coexist. Androids live among people, work for them, and fulfill everyday needs. They are not distant threats or future invaders, but part of the society. This is precisely what makes the film unsettling. Coexistence exists, yet it is deeply unstable. Androids appear efficient, calm, and emotionally controlled, but their freedom is tightly limited by rules designed by humans. More importantly, conflict does not arise because machines seek domination; it emerges from human discomfort. As the film’s director Jérémie Périn suggests , people react poorly when faced with systems that seem more rational or consistent than themselves. (Aguilar, 2024) In the film, this unease turns into fear, and fear turns into control. Humans rely on machines to keep society functioning, yet refuse to treat them as equals. At the same time, androids remain trapped within boundaries they never chose. The result is not an AI rebellion, but a deadlock. Mars Express portrays a slow collapse driven by insecurity, denial, and the failure to imagine coexistence as something that requires change on both sides.
This tension closely mirrors current debates within the animation industry. Artists are rarely afraid of technology itself. Animation has always depended on tools, from cameras to software. The fear begins when AI shifts from assisting work to reshaping power. If AI simply reduced repetitive tasks, supported research, or helped the unwanted tasks that emerge from the nature of animation, it would be difficult to argue against its use. The concern comes when efficiency becomes a justification for fewer workers, compressed schedules, or the entire removal of human creativity. As Lang (2024) notes , many European artists and studios are increasingly worried not about AI as a concept, but about how it is being integrated into production systems in ways that weaken human- led creativity. Automation promises faster production and larger output, but it can also make creative work less visible and easier to replace. Unique artistic styles risk being reduced to standardized results shaped by market needs rather than artistic choices. (Wright et al., 2025)
These concerns are often discussed through the idea that creativity is no longer produced by a single author, but emerges from relationships between humans, machines, and systems. While this “distributed” view of creativity can open space for collaboration and experimentation, it also raises uncomfortable questions. If creativity is shared across systems, who is responsible for final decisions? Who receives credit? Who carries the economic risk? Mars Express stages this problem narratively. Androids are fully embedded in society, yet denied moral and creative autonomy. Their efficiency exposes human fragility, and instead of renegotiating shared conditions, humans respond by tightening control. In both the film and the industry, coexistence exists but power remains uneven.
The sleeping giant, the European Film Industry: REBOOTing right questions and daring answers
Read the full Blogpost by downloading the PDF
Katharine Sarikakis
Professor of Media Governance and Media Industries
Director, Media Governance and Industries Research Lab
Coordinator REBOOT project
One of the pressing questions in the film industries across the world has historically been how to best protect national cinema and how to make it competitive. Europe has been returning to this question over several decades now, sometimes through policies, sometimes through refocusing its research agenda. This question is not new. It has also not had any definite answers.
Across many national and regional film industries, the underlying concern is that the Hollywood engine remains unbeatable in the box office and even threatens the viability of national cinema. It is not a coincidence how Hollywood came to inhabit every daily mediatised experience across the western world, to say the least. It is almost omnipresent in the cinemas and streaming platforms, in the market as merchandise, in the news media in the form of interviews with or gossip about celebrities. Certainly, what we witness is the end result of a sophisticated system promoting the interests of the US American film industry. It does so not only through an oligopolised system of distribution channels and stardom, but also through a historically long and systematic pursuit of bilateral agreements globally, and on the EU level since 1993. Hollywood is clearly a dominating actor globally. And clearly, this is not simply because it produces better products than anyone else.
When we, therefore, ask what Europe can do to be more competitive, often the underlying question is what Europe can do to compete against Hollywood. During the course of this project, I have had several times the opportunity to talk to journalists and the media about our work. There is a great interest in what we do, but there is also a widespread cultural ‘fixation’ of prioritising the perceived need to compete against Hollywood. Funnily enough, even when I say that, to my personal opinion, this is the wrong question if we want to enhance the competitiveness of the European industry, newspaper titles claim exactly that!
So, what are the right questions to ask and what has REBOOT done to answer those? To set the scene, we need to take a sober look at the social and political and cultural historical legacies and today’s conditions frame European societies. A starting point is to consider the fact that European traditions and innovation in culture are distinct and derive from a history of difference and commonality translated into a most diverse spectrum of cultural practices. From languages to ways of life, everyday social systems and political cultures, Europe has been a hub of human centred legal frameworks, philosophy and vocation across the arts and sciences, crafts and service. It is characterised by the historical reign of public service institutions and their provision, free at the point of service, such as education and health care. At the surface, all of these traits can be easily framed as losses and weaknesses in a market driven economy. This is the case, if the market driven economy prioritises concentration of ownership and is regulated as such. In other words, this is the case when public policy prioritises the interests of a few.
A second point is to define exactly whose interests must be pursued under public policy for cinema and the film industry. Universally, culture is the domain where the building blocks for Aristotle’s Eudaemonia, the ‘Good Life’ are built: humanistic, planetary friendly and aware culture transforms imagination to vision, allows free expression and experimentation, provides the stage for innovation and tackling crises, enhances and reinforces human bonds and social cohesion, provides mental and psychological support and generally, makes life worth living. When looking at the European experience in particular, drenched with conflict, but also amazing cross-national living and loving, we can easily understand that culture for Europe, not just the EU, is and should be the pivotal geopolitical ‘moment’ for the preservation of meaningful democracies, social integration and cohesion and for the ‘Good Life’.
From these two fundamental factual starting points, the questions to be asked are what REBOOT sought to research and answer over the three years. An incredibly complex and rich tapestry of research and outputs was crafted by more than 60 researchers and an advisory board of protagonists in the film and audiovisual sector and hundreds of others, stakeholders as we call filmmakers and music producers, policymakers and young professionals through interviews, in depth analysis and archive and desk research, focus groups and workshops. Thousands of children and young people, over 5000, across Europe talked to us and helped us with their incredible sophistication and passion to reimagine and realise and reposition all these questions, once and for all.
We asked through many different ways and formats, what are the weaknesses of the European film industry, what remains underutilised or neglected, what is its greatest contribution and, given all that, what does competitiveness look like and what does the future of the European film industry look like?
Again and again, we were told, in no uncertain way, that European films are authentic and speak of truth and life, precisely because they come from all possible places. They tell a mosaic of the human experience and paint all colours of human existence. Concepts of diversity and democracy are not decorative lip service but a true goal across the board, from filmmakers to young audiences, from policymakers to global industries to public institutions. This does not mean everybody sees the film industry and European film as a nonprofit organisation, for some profit-making is more important and authenticity in storytelling is considered secondary to box office success. To a certain extent, coproductions have occasionally diluted the taste of commitment to diversity of nations and human experience to fit economic prescriptions. Yet the overwhelming response from 5000 children and young people is clear: fatigue from and aversion to blockbuster logic, repetition and ‘cheapness’ of stories. If the film industry in Europe wants to resonate with future audiences, then it must open its creativity box and invest in distinction more strongly, not less. It must invest in original film soundtrack and in compelling storytelling.
Public institutions in Europe have played an enormous role in historically investing in the creation of know-how, educating and funding the making of storytelling in films. They have a central role in crafting spaces for newcomers, independents, marginalised groups and themes. However, they can be notoriously hard to navigate bureaucratically and downright exclusive to young filmmakers. Special trends need to be created for filmmaking connecting not only film schools, but also young people outside those into a larger mentoring and supporting hub of possibilities.
The sleeping giant, the European Film Industry: REBOOTing right questions and daring answers
Katharine Sarikakis
Professor of Media Governance and Media Industries
Director, Media Governance and Industries Research Lab
Coordinator REBOOT project
One of the pressing questions in the film industries across the world has historically been how to best protect national cinema and how to make it competitive. Europe has been returning to this question over several decades now, sometimes through policies, sometimes through refocusing its research agenda. This question is not new. It has also not had any definite answers.
Across many national and regional film industries, the underlying concern is that the Hollywood engine remains unbeatable in the box office and even threatens the viability of national cinema. It is not a coincidence how Hollywood came to inhabit every daily mediatised experience across the western world, to say the least. It is almost omnipresent in the cinemas and streaming platforms, in the market as merchandise, in the news media in the form of interviews with or gossip about celebrities. Certainly, what we witness is the end result of a sophisticated system promoting the interests of the US American film industry. It does so not only through an oligopolised system of distribution channels and stardom, but also through a historically long and systematic pursuit of bilateral agreements globally, and on the EU level since 1993. Hollywood is clearly a dominating actor globally. And clearly, this is not simply because it produces better products than anyone else.
When we, therefore, ask what Europe can do to be more competitive, often the underlying question is what Europe can do to compete against Hollywood. During the course of this project, I have had several times the opportunity to talk to journalists and the media about our work. There is a great interest in what we do, but there is also a widespread cultural ‘fixation’ of prioritising the perceived need to compete against Hollywood. Funnily enough, even when I say that, to my personal opinion, this is the wrong question if we want to enhance the competitiveness of the European industry, newspaper titles claim exactly that!
So, what are the right questions to ask and what has REBOOT done to answer those? To set the scene, we need to take a sober look at the social and political and cultural historical legacies and today’s conditions frame European societies. A starting point is to consider the fact that European traditions and innovation in culture are distinct and derive from a history of difference and commonality translated into a most diverse spectrum of cultural practices. From languages to ways of life, everyday social systems and political cultures, Europe has been a hub of human centred legal frameworks, philosophy and vocation across the arts and sciences, crafts and service. It is characterised by the historical reign of public service institutions and their provision, free at the point of service, such as education and health care. At the surface, all of these traits can be easily framed as losses and weaknesses in a market driven economy. This is the case, if the market driven economy prioritises concentration of ownership and is regulated as such. In other words, this is the case when public policy prioritises the interests of a few.
A second point is to define exactly whose interests must be pursued under public policy for cinema and the film industry. Universally, culture is the domain where the building blocks for Aristotle’s Eudaemonia, the ‘Good Life’ are built: humanistic, planetary friendly and aware culture transforms imagination to vision, allows free expression and experimentation, provides the stage for innovation and tackling crises, enhances and reinforces human bonds and social cohesion, provides mental and psychological support and generally, makes life worth living. When looking at the European experience in particular, drenched with conflict, but also amazing cross-national living and loving, we can easily understand that culture for Europe, not just the EU, is and should be the pivotal geopolitical ‘moment’ for the preservation of meaningful democracies, social integration and cohesion and for the ‘Good Life’.
From these two fundamental factual starting points, the questions to be asked are what REBOOT sought to research and answer over the three years. An incredibly complex and rich tapestry of research and outputs was crafted by more than 60 researchers and an advisory board of protagonists in the film and audiovisual sector and hundreds of others, stakeholders as we call filmmakers and music producers, policymakers and young professionals through interviews, in depth analysis and archive and desk research, focus groups and workshops. Thousands of children and young people, over 5000, across Europe talked to us and helped us with their incredible sophistication and passion to reimagine and realise and reposition all these questions, once and for all.
We asked through many different ways and formats, what are the weaknesses of the European film industry, what remains underutilised or neglected, what is its greatest contribution and, given all that, what does competitiveness look like and what does the future of the European film industry look like?
Again and again, we were told, in no uncertain way, that European films are authentic and speak of truth and life, precisely because they come from all possible places. They tell a mosaic of the human experience and paint all colours of human existence. Concepts of diversity and democracy are not decorative lip service but a true goal across the board, from filmmakers to young audiences, from policymakers to global industries to public institutions. This does not mean everybody sees the film industry and European film as a nonprofit organisation, for some profit-making is more important and authenticity in storytelling is considered secondary to box office success. To a certain extent, coproductions have occasionally diluted the taste of commitment to diversity of nations and human experience to fit economic prescriptions. Yet the overwhelming response from 5000 children and young people is clear: fatigue from and aversion to blockbuster logic, repetition and ‘cheapness’ of stories. If the film industry in Europe wants to resonate with future audiences, then it must open its creativity box and invest in distinction more strongly, not less. It must invest in original film soundtrack and in compelling storytelling.
Public institutions in Europe have played an enormous role in historically investing in the creation of know-how, educating and funding the making of storytelling in films. They have a central role in crafting spaces for newcomers, independents, marginalised groups and themes. However, they can be notoriously hard to navigate bureaucratically and downright exclusive to young filmmakers. Special trends need to be created for filmmaking connecting not only film schools, but also young people outside those into a larger mentoring and supporting hub of possibilities.
The Netflix-Warner deal as seen from Europe. And why does YouTube change everything
By Loreto Corredoira
After two years of careful studying the SVOD market, Reboot can offer an answer to this question. An answer that forces us to first consider which are the limits of the market under consideration. If services such as YouTube or Tiktok are included in the EU- calculations, this merger, although important (as it would change some aspects of the film and TV distribution sector), should not be a concern in terms of market concentration. But if these other services are taken into consideration, European citizens and policy makers should start paying more attention to what is coming from the US.
The application of antitrust laws in Europe – in particular, the Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings (the EC Merger Regulation) (OJ L 24, 29.1.2004 – to the possible acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) by Netflix - still pending the decision of the US Federal Trade Commission- could represent a significant regulatory challenge in Europe; similar in some regards to the situation created in the US, but also with some local specificities: if the merger finally takes place, the European Commission should conduct a careful review of the merger and the market before clearance.
Definition of the relevant market with or without YouTube
The critical point in considering this merger as compatible with European law is related to the limits and definitions of the "relevant market." If European regulators define the market solely as streaming video on demand (SVOD), the increase in Netflix's market share by absorbing HBO Max would generate significant "red flags". In Spain, for instance, Netflix and HBO would add up to 35% of the VOD market (Justwatch data from December 2025).
From the Advisory Board: Competition, Sovereignty and Cultural Futures in the Streaming Era
By Sarah Baumgartner
"Culture is the 'factory of dissent,' which is essential to a pluralistic democracy." Culture does more than entertain; it actively produces questioning, criticism and alternative viewpoints that keep democratic societies vibrant. By framing cultural production as a "factory of dissent," Juliette Prisard highlights how artistic works generate the debate and pluralism needed to challenge dominant narratives, safeguard freedoms and nurture informed citizenship. In the European audiovisual context, this insight underlines the importance of protecting diverse cultural expression from homogenising pressures of global platform capitalism, ensuring that film and media continue to serve as arenas for public scrutiny and democratic participation.
The REBOOT Horizon Europe project brings together scholars, policymakers, industry leaders and civil‑society actors to rethink the future of European cinema in the streaming era. Its core premise is that the battle for competitiveness now takes place in the channels of circulation, where a handful of U.S. technology giants control the algorithms, infrastructure and financing that determine which films reach audiences. By exposing the structural asymmetries between global platform capitalism and Europe's public‑service ethos, REBOOT aims to devise policies that preserve cultural sovereignty, democratic participation and ecological responsibility while enabling a vibrant audiovisual market.
The initiative brought together diverse perspectives. As the REBOOT project is coming to a close at the end of January four key contributors - Ufuoma Akpojivi, Rodrigo Gómez, David B. Nieborg, Juliette Prisard and Iris Zappe-Heller - who serve as members of the project's Advisory Board have shared their assessments and critical reflections on the project's direction and findings. Each of them highlights a distinct yet complementary challenge facing the European audiovisual sector: the need for a European‑run streaming corporation and a redefinition of competition; the threat that AI‑driven platforms pose to data, cultural and economic sovereignty; the inseparability of culture, democracy and ecology as pillars of a free and competitive Europe; and the ethical re‑balancing of competition toward collaborative, sustainability‑focused models. Together, these contributions set the intellectual agenda for REBOOT's policy proposals, which seek to align regulation, public‑service investment and interdisciplinary research with the twin goals of safeguarding Europe's cultural identity and ensuring its long‑term economic resilience.
Rodrigo Gómez reframes the REBOOT debate around circulation rather than production, emphasizing that U.S. streaming platforms now serve as the core distribution infrastructure that determines visibility and financing for audiovisual works across borders. He proposes a European public‑service streaming corporation to guarantee discoverability for European works, operate under public‑interest governance, and collaborate internationally to build a "mundialized" audiovisual citizenship. Gómez stresses that competitiveness must be redefined as a political‑cultural project that couples regulation, investment in circulation infrastructures, and education, rather than simply emulating U.S. industrial models.
Building on this focus on distribution, David B. Nieborg highlights how platform concentration and the rapid spread of generative AI are eroding Europe's data, cultural, and economic sovereignty. He notes that most leading AI firms are headquartered in the United States or China, a geographic concentration that pressures linguistic diversity and the distinctive cultural ecosystems of European audiovisual production. He calls for trans‑national scholarly networks and policy‑research initiatives to map platform power, trace AI diffusion, and assess their impact on audiovisual economies.
Audience Views on European Film Competitiveness: Results from the SCREENING THE SCENE Conference Survey
By Sarah Baumgartner
"How can European cinema remain competitive in a rapidly changing global landscape?" The REBOOT research is helping to answer this question - and audiences are taking notice. Feedback gathered from our recent international conference SCREENING THE SCENE: Rethinking European Film Competitiveness, which took place in Vienna on 9–10 October, shows overwhelming support for the relevance of the research, with participants highlighting its fresh perspectives on youth audiences, technology, policy, and global markets. Most respondents not only learned something new, but also felt inspired to continue the conversation and take action. Here's what they had to say - and why the REBOOT findings matter for the future of European film.
The survey aimed to assess participants' perceptions of the relevance, impact, and usefulness of the research, as well as to identify which thematic areas and findings were considered most important for the future of the European film industry.
Participants included students, policymakers, academics and professionals from diverse European and international backgrounds. The evaluation reflected broad international and European representation, with respondents from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Belgium, Cameroon, Finland, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and the United States. This diversity strengthens the evaluation results by showing that the research resonates with a wide, internationally engaged audience concerned with the competitiveness of European film.
The survey employed a five-point Likert scale, where 1 indicated no agreement at all with a given statement and 5 indicated very strong agreement. The evaluation shows that respondents strongly believe in the necessity of research into European film competitiveness, which received an average score of 4.76 out of 5. This suggests near-universal agreement that such research is essential in the current media and cultural landscape. Similarly, participants agreed that European films can benefit directly from the REBOOT research, with an average score of 4.58. Such results suggest that the research is perceived not merely as theoretically significant but also as possessing tangible industry applicability.
In terms of intellectual impact, respondents felt that the research opened up new and innovative ways of thinking about European film competitiveness, scoring 4.61. Many participants also reported that they learned something new from the findings (4.58), indicating that the research successfully contributed new knowledge rather than reiterating familiar ideas. Importantly, the research also showed a capacity to inspire action: respondents expressed a strong willingness to take action together with colleagues based on the findings (4.50), and a clear interest in learning more about the REBOOT project in the future (4.58).
The REBOOT Podcast: Research Insights on European Film in a Changing Global Landscape
By Yves Saint Clair Zogo
At a moment of high-pace transformation for the European Film Industry, the REBOOT Podcast emerged as a research-driven platform that brought together empirical research and expert perspectives to examine the structural, economic, cultural and technological forces already shaping European cinema. By placing academic analysis in direct dialogue with industry practice and policy debate the podcast documented how competitiveness, visibility and cultural diversity are being negotiated in a rapidly evolving audiovisual landscape.
Across its episodes, the podcast examined how European cinema is being reshaped by digitalisation, global competition as well as shifting audience behaviours. Central themes comprised the impact of video-on-demand platforms on national film industries, the dominance of US-based streaming services and the persistent fragmentation of the European audiovisual market. Drawing on REBOOT research and expert commentaries, discussions highlighted how distribution models, visibility mechanisms and recommender systems increasingly influence what audiences see, raising questions about cultural diversity, competition and regulatory intervention amongst others in the algorithmic age.
A strong policy dimension ran throughout the series with episodes exploring the role of EU film policy instruments such as quotas, visibility obligations, and regulatory frameworks in adapting to automated recommendation systems and platform governance. Legal and policy experts highlighted the challenges of transparency, the "black box" problem of algorithms, and the limits of traditional cultural policy tools in a streaming-dominated environment, illustrating how policy choices directly affect the circulation and competitiveness of European films. The podcast also addressed structural issues within the European film ecosystem ranging from funding models through production structures to the growing influence of digital platforms on creative and economic decision-making. Through exchanges with key stakeholders in the likes of film institute directors, cultural managers, researchers and industry representatives, the series documented ongoing debates around sustainability, creative freedom and the balance between market competitiveness and cultural responsibility.
Industrialization of Short Films or Gatekeeping?: Tracing the Two Models of Film Festivals, in the case of Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2023
Short film festivals/corners and short film platforms are becoming increasingly commodified. Among them, Flagship Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival has stood out since 1979, regarded as the Cannes Film Festival for short filmmakers/audiences since 1979. In 1986, it expanded its influence by launching a short film market that welcomed accredited professionals with representatives from buyers, distributors and sales agents, including Cannes, Mubi, Toronto IFF, Canal+, Arte, YouTube and Vimeo (Boyce, 2023).
This blog post explores how the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival might be encapsulated in line with Mark Peranson's two models of film festivals: the audience festival and the business festival. As Pearson reminding us, "most festivals fit somewhere in the middle, combining elements of both types. It's also the case that festivals can move from one column to the other, typically the second to the first" (2002). Using the 45th edition of the festival, held in 2023 as a case study, I examine how Clermont-Ferrand, as the first short film festival to feature a market and a leading representative of European short films.
One of the ongoing debates within the European Union's festival circuit is whether short film festivals truly reflect the EU's motto of the "unity in diversity". Whether such unity is limited to EU Borders? A great majority of short film festivals are either genre-specific (animation, horror) or thematic (LGBTQ+, women, child, and youth). As Al Dawood (2022) ascertains "each festival strives to be distinctive and specialized," which is why short film festivals "do not seek out similar films". Thus, short film festivals are also audience-specific and audience-oriented.
In this context, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival is a game changer. Evolving from a university film festival to the world's largest short film festival, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival greatly accelerated the industrialization of short filmmaking. Its inclusive and multilayered programming notably supports film material from European Council member states and former Francophone colonies, reflecting both a regional and postcolonial perspective.
Clermont-Ferrand's programming structure is divided into four sections: screening events, official selections, curated programs, and invited programs. Screening events involve ceremonies (opening performances, partner prizes, and closing shows) and special programs. For example, the 2023 edition featured a curated retrospective titled "Bloody Night is Taiwan", helmed by Taiwanese director Su Hui-Yu. Other special programs (Thrills, Decibels, Looking Back, Audio Description) spotlighted filmmakers from EU countries like Belgium, France, Spain, and Germany. Official selection programs are divided into three sub-categories: competitions, young audience, and out-of-competition. A total of 220 films from 65 countries were selected for screening in 2023 (Clermont-Ferrand Committee, 2023).
European Cinema: Crisis or Resilience? Reflections from the Frames of Change Conference
The European film industry has long been caught in a paradox. On one hand, it is often described as fragile, fragmented, and uncompetitive. On the other, it is celebrated as resilient, vibrant, and culturally rich. These seemingly contradictory narratives were at the heart of the Frames of Change conference held in Madrid on 22–23 May 2025, where scholars, policymakers and industry professionals gathered to reflect on the past thirty years of transformation in European cinema.
In her keynote, entitled Half Full: Positive Conceptions of European Cinema, Mariana Liz (University of Lisbon, Portugal) urged attendees to move beyond binary thinking and embrace the complexity of European cinema. She argued that instead of asking whether European cinema is in crisis or thriving, we should explore the nuances that define its current state. Or, as she put it: “We need to stop framing European cinema in terms of decline or success. It’s a field shaped by contradictions, and that’s precisely what makes it so rich and worth studying.”
To offer more insights into these themes, the exchanges were conducted with insightful participantsom different fields of expertise: Melis Behlil (Kadir Has University, Turkey), Christopher Meir (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain) and Marina Rossato Fernandes (Université de Liège, Belgium). Their reflections offer a multifaceted view of the challenges and opportunities facing European cinema today.
Crisis as a Constant?
Quizzed on whether European cinema is in crisis, Liz responded with a historical perspective: “There are many problems in European cinema. But I think the issue has more to do with the tense of the verb. European cinema has always been in crisis. So, I think we should start from a different premise, which is to say there have always been challenges, but we’ve always kind of made it.”
Christopher Meir echoed this sentiment, pointing out that while European arthouse cinema is often seen as declining, it continues to renew itself and play a significant role globally: “Even the weakest European industries still get 20 to 30% of their local box office. That’s valuable. And we shouldn’t forget the strength of popular cinema across Europe, even if it’s fragmented along national lines.”
What is the quintessential European film of the last 30 years? Four experts respond
What is the quintessential European film of the last 30 years?
Four experts respond
Last May in Madrid, at the Frames of Change conference (22-23 May, 2025), scholars discussed the main traits in the transformation of the European Film Industry over the last thirty years. In presentations and round tables, they reflected on regulation and policy, film production and distribution, on Europe’s film identity and its most renowned auteurs. But we also wanted to give these general reflections a more specific shape. Thus, we asked Mariana Liz, Christopher Meir, Marina Rossato Fernandes and Melis Behlil about what they consider the quintessential European film of the last thirty years. Their rich responses reflect years of research on these issues, while also allowing us a valuable glimpse into their more personal tastes and preferences. Here are their thoughts:
Goodbye Lenin
Mariana Liz
Mariana Liz’ answer instantly connected the personal with the historical on the basis of a career that has been for decades dealing with these questions: “I think about the work I did for my thesis, and this was already 15 years ago, [looking for] one film that helped me to structure the question: ‘what is the idea of Europe emerging in European cinema? The film that best embodied this was Goodbye Lenin because it was a kind of middlebrow film, not an art film, but not quite a mainstream film either. It drew in a lot of audiences, not just in Germany, and it was a relatively successful film also in other European countries, having also launched the career of a young actor with positive critical responses too.”
“In terms of topic”, Liz continued, “it was about Europe and European issues; obviously the film is about the fall of the Berlin Wall, so very much about the future of Europe. But I also think that Europe is related to this tension between the importance of politics, the importance of popular culture, and the importance of what we believe in – and the film was also a kind of make believe and about inventive narratives.”
The Worst Person in the World
Christopher Meir
Although for none of the four participants this seems to be an easy subject, for Christopher Meir this was “the question that really gave me a sleepless night”. He elaborated on that, combining again the personal with the academic: “The tempting point would be to pick your favorite film. And most recently that would be something like The Worst Person in the World, which is a great kind of continuation of humanist European art cinema.”
This first pick was rapidly balanced with a second one, that also takes into account the industrial transformation of the continent’s film industry over the past three decades: it refers to “some of the great popular films that have come out of Europe, like Intouchables or Welcome to the North, which kind of spawned not only big box office hit in France, but imitations in Italy and Spain. And so I think maybe the most emblematic for me would be Perfect Strangers, the Italian film that everyone in Europe has watched, but in their own languages. And I think that's the epitome of the European ideal of unity in diversity; that you have this story that's appealing to everyone in many European markets.”
There seems to be indeed a very European aspect to that: “We can't kind of see the forest for the trees in the sense that everyone's enjoying it in their own language, with their own stars… Depending on how you look at it, it is either sadly fragmented or a reminder of the ways of how a remake formula [may work]. It is a blueprint for how to creatively think around the fragmentary challenge of European cinema and define formulas that work for audiences and producers. We have 17 films in place of one, and this is maybe good in a lot of ways.”
Newsletter #4
01 A system built to fail its filmmakers?
By Gentiana Ramadani
The REBOOT project hosted its closing conference entitled “Screening the Scene: Rethinking European film competitiveness” in October 2025, bringing together more than 70 scholars from 19 nationalities and featuring 37 research presentations. Over two days, the event showcased the results of three years of collaborative work, during which researchers collected and analysed extensive data on the European film industry. The discussions that unfolded offered valuable insights and pointed to the profound tensions shaping the sector today.
From the outset, the conversation gravitated toward the growing disconnect between ambition and reality in European filmmaking. Speakers described contemporary pitching forums and film markets as “temples of illusions,” spaces built around the logic of capitalist exchange despite the diminishing availability of actual capital. This observation set the tone for a broader reflection on how creative aspirations are often welcomed into institutional spaces where financial foundations have quietly eroded.
The conference brought together academics, filmmakers, policymakers, and industry professionals for a critical exchange on the future of European cinema. With streaming platforms reshaping distribution, artificial intelligence transforming production workflows, and calls for diversity and inclusion becoming increasingly urgent, participants examined what competitiveness means for Europe’s cultural industries today.
The programme featured keynotes, policy discussions, and thematic panels exploring the intersections of people, technology, and institutions. Central themes included the position of European film in global markets, youth audiences and their evolving preferences, the challenges faced by those working at the fringes of the industry, the impact of streaming and AI and the legal and policy frameworks shaping Europe’s cultural sovereignty. Distinguished speakers and guests included Roland Teichmann, Director of the Austrian Film Institute (Austria) Juliette Prissard, General Delegate of Eurocinema (Belgium) Katharina Schenk, Head of Fiction, ORF Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (Austria) Rodrigo Gomez, Professor, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Cuajimalpa (Mexico).
Under the leadership and moderation of Professor Katharine Sarikakis, Director of the Media Governance Lab and REBOOT Coordinator, the conference became a space for meaningful dialogue and collective reflection. It offered an opportunity for scholars and industry stakeholders to rethink how a more resilient and equitable future for European cinema might be imagined and built.
My First International Conference: Enthusiasm, Exchange and New Perspectives
From October 9 to 10, 2025, I had the opportunity to attend my very first international conference - “Screening the Scene: Rethinking European Film Competitiveness.” As a Master’s student in Communication Science and Theatre, Film and Media Studies at the University of Vienna, I recently joined Professor Katharine Sarikakis’ team as a Teaching Assistant and Research Associate in the REBOOT Project. For me, this conference was a chance to experience the academic working world I have just entered from a new perspective.
Outside academia, I am an enthusiastic cinemagoer with a “Nonstop Abo” - a subscription that grants unlimited access to Vienna’s arthouse cinemas. I am especially drawn to Austrian and European productions. Watching European cinema often feels like discovering pieces of a collective identity: a “we” that is built through storytelling, reflection and diversity. So my personal connection to European film was one of the main reasons I was so eager to attend the conference. It offered a chance to see how this shared cultural space is being discussed, challenged and reimagined from many perspectives.
A Venue Steeped in History
The moment I entered the “Alte Kapelle” (literally “Old Chapel”) - the historic venue of the conference at the heart of the University of Vienna campus - I felt a special atmosphere. The campus, located in the 9th district Alsergrund, has a long history: it began in 1693 as a charitable hospital under Emperor Leopold I and became the General Hospital (AKH) in 1784, where prominent figures of the Viennese medical school worked. After the New AKH was built, the city transferred the old site to the university in 1988, which transformed it into a campus opened in 1998. Amid this living history, the Alte Kapelle feels like a bridge to the past, a space where the centuries seem to linger in the light and shadows.
Yet in the midst of this historic setting, the room was alive with conversation. You could sense the energy of a network of scholars and practitioners that extended far beyond the event itself. People from 19 countries all over the world had come together to discuss the future of European cinema - and with it, questions of culture, technology and social responsibility.
A Space Full of Passion and Critical Openness
What struck me immediately was the spirit of togetherness: open, curious and driven by genuine interest in exchange. Researchers, filmmakers, students and creatives from around the world engaged in dialogue - as equals. Critical thinking was not only welcome but encouraged. Different viewpoints met, yet a shared passion united everyone: enthusiasm for film, for research and for cultural dialogue.
Diversity as a Strength
The panels and keynotes revealed just how multifaceted the topic of “European film competitiveness” truly is. Discussions about streaming platforms, diversity, legal frameworks and new technological developments showed that cinema today is not merely a cultural asset but also a political and social arena. Particularly inspiring were the international perspectives: valuable insights from Latin America, Turkey, South Korea and South Africa reminded us that European film culture must also be understood within a global context.
Scholarship that Connects
Between presentations, coffee breaks and spontaneous conversations, a unique dynamic emerged. It was fascinating to see ideas evolving across borders. What began as academic talks grew into lively debates; encounters turned into new collaborations - and I witnessed many joyful reunions among colleagues and friends. This experience showed me that research is not an isolated process, but comes alive where people engage in dialogue.
Inspiration for the Future
For me, the conference was far more than an academic event - it was an experience that opened new horizons. I gained insights into current research and cultural debates and, more importantly, felt what it means to be part of an international community committed to innovation.
I left the conference with fresh perspectives, valuable new (LinkedIn) connections and a deep conviction that exchange and collaboration are the keys to a sustainable, inclusive and creative future for European cinema.
Once Upon a Storyboard: REBOOTing Creativity as Young Voices Explore Cinema at KinderUniWien 2025
Every summer, KinderUni Wien transforms the University of Vienna into a ground of discovery, where children from across Austria step into the world of university life for two weeks filled with lectures, workshops and hands-on seminars designed to spark curiosity and inspire learning. In its 23rd edition, 4,145 children participated in a rich programme offering 358 courses spanning science, arts and culture.
Amid this lively academic environment, the REBOOT project team led its second consecutive children’s workshop on 8 July 2025. The session welcomed 22 children aged 7 to 12 for an interactive exploration of storytelling and scriptwriting, guiding them through the fundamentals of narrative creation and introducing playful, hands-on methods to bring their ideas to life. The workshop, titled “Insights into the World of Filmmaking: How Do You Write a Film Story?”, invited participants to discover the foundations of scriptwriting through group activities, cinematic exploration and creative expression. It forms part of REBOOT’s wider objective: to increase support for young people’s engagement with European film, planting early seeds of curiosity, cultural connection and creative confidence.
The session began with a light-hearted welcome activity: participants introduced themselves and shared their favourite films, establishing a relaxed and friendly environment. We then screened a series of short clips from different film genres (action, comedy, adventure, fantasy, science fiction, horror, drama and animation). The children enthusiastically discussed the features of each genre, demonstrating sharp awareness of cinematic elements and storytelling tone. This discussion laid the groundwork for understanding narrative form and audience engagement.
To provide a professional framework for their creativity, a film industry professional introduced the three key stages of filmmaking: pre-production, production and post-production. This segment helped contextualise scriptwriting within the broader filmmaking process and prepared the children to build their own stories from the ground up. Next on the agenda was the heart of the workshop. An exciting group challenge: the children were divided into two genre-based teams : Comedy and Action, and asked to produce a short film script and corresponding storyboard. Each team worked in smaller subgroups using custom-designed REBOOT scriptbooks to build their stories step by step, including introduction, rising action and conclusion. After an energetic session of brainstorming, drawing, plotting and collaborating, the young teams proudly presented their original stories.
A financial incentive, either in the form of a tax credit or a tax rebate, can be granted to productions that shoot most or a significant part of their filming in that country. Financial incentives, when combined with the development of human resources and related infrastructure, have been considered beneficial for the economies of the host countries (Balcerak et al., 2023). Indeed, they are devised to support the development of domestic film industries and increase the attractiveness of a country for foreign film producers (Stachoviak & Stryjakiewicz, 2018). Within the context of film productions, their relocation is facilitated by the standardised nature of the film industry, wherein core skills are uniform and transferable across borders. Moreover, incentives are considered a tool for investment promotion, as they create job opportunities, and can potentially attract film tourism and increase tourism flows (Tóth & Papp-Váry, 2025; Stachoviak & Stryjakiewicz, 2018). While measuring the direct and indirect economic effects of incentive schemes can be challenging, it can be affirmed that the appeal of tax incentives has increased international financial competition, leading to rising percentages of film production incentives (Castendyk, 2018). This global competition has led film producers to relocate their productions to where they can take advantage of the most attractive incentive scheme.
Financial incentives within the EU: The opinions of Swedish and Danish film professionals
This blog post draws on interviews conducted by Erasmus University with Swedish and Danish film professionals in the context of the REBOOT project, which aims to boost the competitiveness of the European Film industry by identifying under-tapped policy avenues. The roles of these professionals spanned producers, directors of photography, independent filmmakers, film editor consultants, rights managers, policymakers, and strategic development consultants. While the primary focus of the interviews was to understand their views on the international promotional efforts of Swedish and Danish films and the importance of co-productions therein, the conversations also revealed a noteworthy concern about the current financial incentive models for films in European countries. This blog post discusses the negative effects of financial incentive schemes as perceived by the respondents. To provide contextualisation, the original purpose of these incentives and their development within the broader European framework is briefly presented.
Introduction
Following a speech by Sweden’s Minister of Culture, Parisa Liljestrand, at the opening night of the Gothenburg Film Festival on January 24, 2025, internationally renowned director Ruben Östlund voiced his frustration with the current state of Swedish cultural policy through a video posted on his Instagram profile (Östlund, 2025). In her speech, the Minister questioned the film industry’s dependence on public funding and suggested it should aim for greater financial independence (Sweden Herald, 2025). From the set of his latest film, The Entertainment System is Down, shot in Budapest, Östlund challenged her words, criticising her understanding of cultural policy and urging politicians to “grow up and become less embarrassingly uneducated”. The director acknowledged and thanked the Swedish Film Institute and Film i Väst for supporting his films, but he also mentioned that he would have preferred to film in Sweden rather than abroad. Indeed, the decision to shoot his latest film in Hungary underscores a critical point: an increasing number of countries offers attractive tax incentives and lower production costs, making them competitive filming locations. And this, in turn, highlights Sweden’s current funding crisis, characterised by a decrease in public funding and rising competition from streaming platforms (Bolt Jørgensen, 2025). Moreover, it underscores how the country seems unable to compete with the financial advantages provided by other states.
Over the past few years, an increasing number of international productions have relocated to take advantage of attractive incentive schemes. Hungary, in particular, started to gain attraction after issuing its 2004 Film Act (Hungarian Film Act, 2004), and it established itself as a hub for international productions in 2018, when it implemented a financial incentive in the form of a 30% tax rebate for productions carried out in the country (Tóth & Papp-Váry, 2025). Factors such as: “currency stability, average price and wage levels, political environment, available film industry infrastructure, and language skills” contributed to lure international productions into the Hungarian capital (Tóth & Papp-Váry, 2025, p.84). In Europe, incentive schemes are common. Indeed, they have been increasing in the last twenty years (Kanzler, 2022). In 2000, only Luxemburg, Irland, and the UK had film production incentive schemes (Castendyk, 2018). In 2025, the only country in Europe that does not have a tax incentive scheme is Denmark but it is set to introduce one in 2026 (NordiskFilm, 2024).
The original purpose of financial incentives
A financial incentive, either in the form of a tax credit or a tax rebate, can be granted to productions that shoot most or a significant part of their filming in that country. Financial incentives, when combined with the development of human resources and related infrastructure, have been considered beneficial for the economies of the host countries (Balcerak et al., 2023). Indeed, they are devised to support the development of domestic film industries and increase the attractiveness of a country for foreign film producers (Stachoviak & Stryjakiewicz, 2018). Within the context of film productions, their relocation is facilitated by the standardised nature of the film industry, wherein core skills are uniform and transferable across borders. Moreover, incentives are considered a tool for investment promotion, as they create job opportunities, and can potentially attract film tourism and increase tourism flows (Tóth & Papp-Váry, 2025; Stachoviak & Stryjakiewicz, 2018). While measuring the direct and indirect economic effects of incentive schemes can be challenging, it can be affirmed that the appeal of tax incentives has increased international financial competition, leading to rising percentages of film production incentives (Castendyk, 2018). This global competition has led film producers to relocate their productions to where they can take advantage of the most attractive incentive scheme.
How is Spanish and European cinema perceived by US audiences?
In a series of interviews conducted by the REBOOT Project´s research team in Spain, qualified experts, professionals and renowned film critics discussed the identity of European cinema and how it is perceived by American audiences. The experts talked about the European productions distributed in the US and in a global market where large-scale films are still the ones preferred by general audiences, whether on big screens, small screens or VoD platforms.
The identity of European cinema
When addressing the issue of European cinema´s identity and how this one is received by American audiences, REBOOT´S research had shown that there was a turning point after Netflix's emergence in the global audiovisual market. According to some film critics, the creation of a Netflix production hub in Spain in 2018 can be seen as part of its intent to connect American and European audiences. In the case of Spain, the aim was to give Latin American viewers living in the United States access to Spanish film works.
As interviewees highlighted, before the emergence of Netflix, there was a minority audience who, regardless of their nationality, was generally keen on European cinema. This audience tended to be primarily interested in arthouse films from the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. Spanish cinema was seen as part of that European cinema, while popular directors like Pedro Almodóvar helped to stress its uniqueness. This situation persists today (even after Netflix has radically changed the way cinema is consumed), although only among a very specific audience: older spectators living in large urban centres who still prefer to watch films in movie theatres.
Younger audiences, who no longer consider film reviews when choosing a film but rather the recommendations of the Netflix algorithm, prefer to consume other types of films. In that sense, the film critics interviewed by the REBOOT Project point out that the top 10 most-watched productions on the platform in the United States do not usually include series or films that can be clearly identified with a European country. Most are American productions or European works that have been stripped of any sign of national identity. This is the case of the successful Spanish series Money Heist ("La Casa de Papel"), which is considered an international production and not primarily Spanish, although the actors, director, and production team are entirely Spanish.
European films consumed both on digital platforms and in American movie theatres are chosen much more consciously by audiences especially interested in this kind of (usually smaller) productions.
“¡Americanos, os recibimos con alegría!”: La internacionalización del cine europeo a través del Festival de Cannes
Aunque apuntar el estado de “crisis constante” del cine europeo se haya convertido en un lugar común, es cierto que en los últimos años se le acumulan síntomas de una profunda transformación. En especial desde la crisis del Covid-19 la industria cinematográfica europea se ha enfrentado a la competencia con las plataformas digitales, la disminución de la asistencia a salas de cine o la cada vez más compleja relación que se establece con sus públicos (tanto continentales como internacionales). En este contexto, una de las tendencias determinantes del cine europeo contemporáneo pasa por su creciente interdependencia – industrial y cultural – con Hollywood. Aunque esto queda reflejado en el gran número de películas coproducidas por países europeos y Estados Unidos, una de las mejores formas de observar este fenómeno es a través del Festival de Cannes.
El Festival de Cannes, quizá el más importante del mundo, y el más tradicionalmente europeo (lleva décadas siendo uno de los agentes definitorios de la identidad cinematográfica continental), ha aumentado durante los últimos años su interés por acercar el cine europeo a Hollywood, y viceversa. Se trata de un festival que ha admirado siempre a los autores norteamericanos, y ejemplo de ello son Palmas de Oro tan emblemáticas como Apocalypse Now de Coppola en 1979, Wild at Heart de Lynch en 1990 o Pulp Fiction de Tarantino en 1994. Sin embargo, su aproximación internacional a Estados Unidos se ve, hoy en día, de forma mucho más evidente a través de diversos factores.
Por un lado, se puede observar la presencia del país norteamericano en el festival a través de las películas escogidas para la competencia oficial en cada año. En la edición de 2025, por ejemplo, casi el 30 % de la sección oficial está formada por películas producidas o coproducidas por Estados Unidos, siendo la mayoría films dirigidos por cineastas norteamericanos: Kelly Reichardt, Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson (que ha estrenado sus tres últimas películas en Cannes), Ari Aster… Esta tendencia se puede extrapolar a años anteriores, en los que se ha visto la presencia de Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Schrader, Todd Haynes, o Sean Baker, que entró en competencia oficial con Red Rocket en 2021 y ganó la Palma de Oro con Anora en 2024.
Newsletter: The Governance of Competitiveness in the European Film Industry
Note: This is a preview of the newsletter, please download the pdf file if you wish to read the full version
We are delighted to share with you the first newsletter. It contains highlights of our consortium's activities since the launch of the project.
In this edition, we update you on REBOOT’s progress and achievements, while offering a preview of upcoming milestones. Since its launch in February 2023, the REBOOT project has been making significant strides in advancing the European film industry's competitiveness and cultural value. The project's initial year emphasized intensive data collection and analysis, laying a robust foundation for its ongoing work to understand and improve competitiveness in the European audiovisual sector.
Building on this foundation, REBOOT has been conducting in-depth empirical data collections to further enrich the insights into the European film industry’s dynamics. A focal point of these investigations has been the European Union’s approach to defining and promoting 'competitiveness' in the audiovisual and film sectors.
Film in Hospital Project. A Pan-European initiative to involve sick children in the magical world of cinema
This blog is part of the REBOOT project, a collaboration between twelve universities aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of the European film sector. One of the work packages involves the universities of Ghent and Vienna and focuses on the ‘fringes’ of the European film industry. ‘Fringes’ refers to the ‘edges’ or ‘margins’ of the industry, and to groups or activities that are not mainstream and remain somewhat experimental and alternative. An interesting example is the Film in Hospital Project, which highlights the importance of promoting the inclusion of children and youth. Iris Verhoeven, who leads the Belgian youth film and game organization JEF, was one of the initiators of the project.
How did it all start?
Film in Hospital is an online platform that brings films closer to sick children, whether they are in the hospital, in a rehabilitation center, or at home. In 2011, the project was launched by JEF, a Belgian youth film and game organization dedicated to bringing young audiences closer to film. Initially, the initiative took place only in Belgium, but soon the ambition grew to expand the project internationally. This opportunity arose thanks to a call from the European Commission to promote European works online, opening the door for collaborations with other European players.
The project continues to grow
Not long after, Kids Meet Art in Croatia and the Swedish BUFF film festival in Malmö joined the initiative. Together, they built an international platform that not only offers films for young patients but also involves parents and medical staff. The platform is available in multiple languages, ensuring accessibility for everyone. Additionally, the content is cleverly divided into four age groups: 3+, 6+, 9+, and 12+, providing each child with a tailored film experience. In 2020, more organizations joined the project with Kinodvor in Slovenia, Il Nuovo Fantarca in Italy and Pack Magic in Spain. Recently, in 2024, the Greek Neaniko Plano and the German Saechsischer Kinder- und Jugendfilmdienst further strengthened the platform. The Film in Hospital project continues to receive to receive support from Creative Europe (now audience development and film education), which aims to encourage cross-border collaborations and inspire a wide audience to embrace European cinema. Creative Europe’s support is undoubtedly a tremendous asset to the Film in Hospital project which aims at giving ill children in Europe access to a rich and diverse range of youth films and film educational activities.
Reboot @ KinderUni: Inspiring the next generation of filmmakers
The mission to empower the next generation of filmmakers constituted the leitmotif of the REBOOT project team’s workshop at Vienna's Children's University (Kinder Uni) on July 12, 2024. Targeted at children aged 10 to 12, the initiative formed part of REBOOT’s broader mission to inspire young minds and foster creativity through hands-on learning. The workshop aimed to introduce participants to the art and science of filmmaking, sparking curiosity and potentially igniting future career aspirations in the film industry. It equally sought to educate them about the tools and processes involved, and provide insights into various professions within the industry. Through this hands-on approach, the REBOOT team aimed to empower the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers.
Structured into two main phases, the session began with an introductory session led by two film professionals, who guided the children through the essential steps of filmmaking. From pre-production (planning and storyboarding) to post-production (editing and final touches). This phase sparked curiosity and prepared participants for the creative tasks ahead. The children were then divided into three groups, each supervised by a film professional and a researcher, to create their stop-motion films. Using “Legos” to build sets and characters, the young filmmakers explored diverse genres, ranging from horror to suspense and thriller, while maintaining creative control under expert guidance. This hands-on experience allowed them to apply their newfound knowledge and express their unique creative visions.
The workshop culminated in the creation of three unique stop-motion films, each with compelling storylines. These films showcased the children’s creativity, teamwork, and newfound filmmaking skills. Below are the storylines of the short films, which are available for viewers to enjoy:
Educational Plan: Introduction to Filmmaking
The REBOOT project team held a workshop for children aged 10 to 12 in Vienna at the Children’s University on July 12, 2024 with the title “3,2,1…and action!” to introduce children to filmmaking. In the website of REBOOT you can find information about the workshop as well as children’s productions. In this text we present the educational plan and material we used to conduct the workshop. The visualisation od the educational plan can be found in Annex 1. The material is available to be used from other educators to introduce and inspire children about the filmmaking. The workshop was carried out with the support of two film professionals, Zogo Yves Saint Claire and Permana Clarabelle Jesslyne who not only helped us organise and prepare the material for the workshop, but also had a leading role to conduct the workshop and guided the children step by step through the filmmaking process. The whole project was under the supervision of Univ.-Prof. Dr. Katharine Sarikakis.
Newsletter: The Governance of Competitiveness in the European Film Industry
Note: This is a preview of the newsletter, please download the pdf file if you wish to read the full version
We are delighted to share with you the first newsletter. It contains highlights of our consortium's activities since the launch of the project.
In this edition, we update you on REBOOT’s progress and achievements, while offering a preview of upcoming milestones. Since its launch in February 2023, the REBOOT project has been making significant strides in advancing the European film industry's competitiveness and cultural value. The project's initial year emphasized intensive data collection and analysis, laying a robust foundation for its ongoing work to understand and improve competitiveness in the European audiovisual sector.
Building on this foundation, REBOOT has been conducting in-depth empirical data collections to further enrich the insights into the European film industry’s dynamics. A focal point of these investigations has been the European Union’s approach to defining and promoting 'competitiveness' in the audiovisual and film sectors.
Children’s University Workshop “3, 2, 1…and action!”
In recent years, academic interest has focused on informal settings such as workshops, extracurricular activities, and projects on children and filmmaking that inspire and encourage learning and creativity. Studies have found that engaging children in video and film production boosts their creativity and improves their understanding of complex concepts. For instance, Leung et al. (2020) found that in the video workshop they organised, children can experiment with professional equipment from a young age and use “epistemic play” to explore and understand new ideas. Similarly, Drotner (2020) highlighted the benefits of filmmaking outside school for children ages 6 to 16, underscoring the importance of collaboration, praxis-oriented learning and semiotic dialogue in the filmmaking process. Furthermore, during the Play Observatory project they organised, Cannon et al. (2024) showed how informal media creation, such as filmmaking and animation, increased children’s creativity and media literacy, and became an important post-pandemic educational component. These studies emphasise the value of educational filmmaking activities to empower children to express themselves and develop their skills. Aligned with the studies, the REBOOT project team held a workshop for children aged 10 to 12 in Vienna at the Children’s University on July 12, 2024 with the title “3,2,1…and action!” . The Children’s University has been offering research experiences for children since 2020. Children can explore topics that interest them from a variety of over 400 contributions designed by scientists from several universities. Our workshop focused on filmmaking was aiming to:
The workshop began with an introductory game where the children shared their names and favourite films. By passing the ball to each other, the children felt more comfortable and connected as they discovered common interests. The next activity involved matching different professional tasks with the corresponding filmmaking professionals and categorising them into preproduction, production, and postproduction phases. All children were involved in assigning the jobs to the professionals and showed great interest in the classification into the production stages. The children were surprised by the variety of occupational groups and very motivated to present their own profession. This activity was very interactive as everyone was careful to match their card to another participant’s card. The activity had an important informative and educational aspect. For example, one girl was confused but also surprised when she matched the job of film producer to the production phase and after the discussion realised that this is actually part of the pre-production phase. Following this, the invited professionals introduced the eight steps of filmmaking and provided two additional short training sessions on camera angles and lighting, where children could see in real life the interaction and combination of cameras and lights. Children were very interested asking questions and giving examples from their own video projects.
Teaching Through Inquiry: REBOOT’s effort to educate against and beyond boundaries
The unity of teaching and research has long been a defining principle of higher education, yet its implementation often falls short in today’s increasingly corporatized and precarised state of academia. Rooted in Wilhelm von Humboldt’s vision of the modern university, this principle was never just about maximising research output but about academia as a holistic and humanistic endeavor. More than a century later, bell hooks’ concept of “engaged pedagogy” expanded on this ideal, arguing that education should be an act of freedom, where students and teachers co-create knowledge through critical dialogue.
The REBOOT Project’s main objective is to explore European film industry competitiveness through research. With the resources allocated towards this significant research, there is space opened to create synergies in the classroom: integrating research into teaching can transform students from passive recipients into active participants, ensuring that education remains not just a means to an end, but a process of intellectual and personal growth.
Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767-1835) was a German aristocrat, linguist and education politician. On his initiative, Friedrich Wilhelm III. founded the Universität zu Berlin (today’s Humboldt-Universität) in 1809. Humboldt’s ideas of the modern university informed the reformation of universities as institutions. Instead of giving practical training to doctors and clerics or mannerly education to aristocratic elites, the university developed into a place of scholarly inquiry. Humboldt aspired to combine autonomy – both of the institution and the students – holistic studies of the arts and sciences in connection with the respective field of study and most infamously: the unity of research and teaching. The seemingly less popular part of the Humboldtian university model is that the “modern research university was originally designed to serve humanistic rather than scientific goals“ .To be cynical, central were not grants or maximum publication output but the utilization of academic research for a bigger, educational cause. It goes without saying that, with Humboldt being a man of his time, the “modern” university at the time was only accessible to men, adhering to bourgeois ideals of women’s space being the private.
Undoubtedly a more comprehensive approach to modern education was provided by bell hooks in her 1994 series of narrative essays Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom .Influenced by her experience as a student in both racially segregated and so- called integrated schools, and later as a student and teacher at universities such as Stanford and Yale, hooks dissects the state of the U.S.education system and the difficulties arising in pedagogy and culture if problems of class, gender or race are not brought to the conscious of teaching staff.
Building on Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy, hooks is suggesting an “engaged pedagogy”. In today’s corporatised education system, it may seem dramatic to say that engaged pedagogy is – like a lot of hooks’ work – rooted in love, it is true, nonetheless.With decentering “students” and “teachers” and relating to them as human beings with human experience rather than their roles in the classroom, hooks undoubtedly revolutionised the discourse on what it means to educate children of different backgrounds.
Seeing children(link to Kinderuni blogpost) and young adults as the leaders of the future, be it as producers, directors or cultural policy makers, has been engrained in REBOOT’s mission from the beginning.It is only consequential to see academic students as the leading scholars of tomorrow. There is no need to sugarcoat it: Courses on methodology, epistemology and even practical research are not areas of academic education students, especially on the undergraduate level, usually are interested in.Or to put it differently: They are not areas a lot of teachers tend to interest their students in.
Co-production is the future! Interview with Otwin Biernat* A Journey Through Film and Storytelling
In this interview, we sit down with Otwin Biernat, an accomplished film director with a diverse career. From his early days studying drama in Vienna, where he later pursued a career as an actor, to transitioning into filmmaking in Berlin, Otwin has made a significant mark in the film industry. His career began with music videos and short films, including the Berlin Film Festival-featured Codewort Mr. Bean in 2011. In this interview, he shares insights on the challenges and opportunities within the industry, discussing everything from the evolution of filmmaking to the importance of social justice, gender (in)equality, and representation in cinema.
Takeaways from this conversation include the belief that co-productions should be considered the future of European cinema. Otwin believes that co-productions not only offer financial advantages, such as tax credits, but also serve as cultural exchanges, enriching films with diverse perspectives. Another key pillar is the importance of adapting funding models. The current funding landscape in Austria, and Europe more broadly, is facing challenges. Traditional institutional funding often favours certain genres or storytelling styles, which can limit creative freedom. Additionally, Otwin addresses navigating industry inequality, emphasizing that the industry is heavily influenced by connections and networks, which can create inequalities for young filmmakers without the right resources or background. He stresses that while talent is essential, connections and luck also play a significant role in career progression. This leads to the final pillar, the role of passion and merit in filmmaking. Despite the challenges posed by industry competition and structural inequalities, Otwin believes that the key to success is staying true to one’s vision.
What is the economic impact of the European Film Industry (EFI) at local level?
The European Film Industry (EFI) is more than just an artistic enterprise —it’s also a key player in local economies, creating connections with other industries and driving growth in unexpected ways. A recent study, part of the REBOOT project, dives into how the film sector contributes to local and regional economies beyond its direct impact, shedding light on its hidden influence. The analysis of the economic impact distinguishes between direct and indirect economic effects. While the analysis of the direct economic effect uses traditional variables, such as the contribution of the EFI to EU countries employment, added value, and net returns. The analysis of the indirect economic impact of EFI is carried out applying the concept of economic embeddedness, which measures the degree to which the industry is integrated into local economies.
What Does “Economic Embeddedness” Mean?
The concept of embeddedness addresses how deeply connected the film industry is to its surrounding economy. For example, a film production that hires local workers, uses local suppliers, and collaborates with nearby businesses has a high level of embeddedness. This means the economic benefits stay within the community, supporting local jobs and creating a ripple effect in other industries. The concept of sectoral embeddedness has been extensively used in economics to study regional resilience (Kitsos et al., 2019), the relation between Multinational Corporations’ embeddedness and regional well-being (Pilo, 2023), and innovation (Breschi & Lissoni, 2007). The data used to measure the EFI embeddedness in Europe are retrieved from the EUROSTAT's FIGARO input-output tables, which provide insights into the flow of goods and services between economic sectors at the European level.
We calculate embeddedness as the ratio of domestic intermediate flows within the sector to the total (domestic plus international) flows. Higher values indicate stronger local integration, which can act as a buffer against global economic shocks.
The analysis also regionalizes embeddedness using employment as a weighting factor. This allows the study to highlight regional nuances in the industry’s integration across Europe’s NUTS2 regions.
We perform a comparative analysis with the European CCI embeddedness and some other relevant non-EU countries, to better highlight the EFI embeddedness characteristics (e.g. United Kingdom, United States, Japan, and Korea).
Key Findings About EFI’s Local Impact
1. National-Level Insights
The study reveals substantial heterogeneity in EFI embeddedness among European countries. Spain and Italy emerge as leaders, with embeddedness values exceeding 0.5, signaling strong local integration. In contrast, countries like the Netherlands and Cyprus exhibit significantly lower embeddedness (<0.3), indicating a heavier reliance on international supply chains (see Figure 1 above). Interestingly, competitor countries such as Japan demonstrate even higher embeddedness levels (0.65), suggesting opportunities for Europe to enhance its local linkages.
2. Temporal Trends
Between 2016 and 2019, embeddedness levels showed dynamic changes. For instance, Ireland experienced a notable increase (+0.11), reflecting improved local integration, while Luxembourg saw a decline of the same magnitude. These shifts underline the evolving nature of EFI’s economic ties and its sensitivity to policy and market changes (see also Figure 2 below).
Figure 2 – Map of EFI Embeddedness at country level
Cinema and social media in the digital age: upholding the right to sociality for children. Insights from Focus Groups.
Play and sociability are children’s fundamental rights such as health, private life, and family, and education. Each State has thus the duty to guarantee through appropriate legislative initiatives safe environments and appropriate conditions to realize one’s personal attitudes and interests. The first international document recognising the importance of play and sociability is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In Article 31, it enshrines the right of children and adolescents to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to their age. It commits States Parties to ensure their participation in cultural and artistic life in accordance with the principle of equality. Article 31 should be interpreted in light of the entire Convention, which identifies four principles as essential for the healthy growth and optimal development of children and young people: the right to non-discrimination (Article 2), respect for the child's best interests (Article 3), the right to life, survival, and proper development (Article 6), and the right to be heard (Article 12). These principles find significant practical application in the creative industries, especially in performing arts, like cinema. In this context, the performing arts contribute significantly to building inclusive and cohesive societies. This contribution is not only a strategic priority but also essential for promoting EU values and, in turn, supporting the well-being of children—both in their present lives and as they grow into adulthood.
Today, the economic value created by creative industries, such as the film industry, and their growth potential in comparison to other sectors of the economy, is becoming more evident. To become true promoters of sustainable and inclusive local development, these industries must be able to express a creative environment that fosters responsible competitiveness while also including and valuing minors' needs and rights. Cinema, in particular, should be designed as a space where young people can actively engage with culture and express themselves. By providing opportunities for participation, storytelling, and representation, cinema can contribute to their personal development, enhance their well-being, and reinforce their social and cultural rights, ensuring they are acknowledged not only as future citizens but also as active members of society today. The analysis undertaken within Reboot’s WP5 combines a theoretical and normative framework with the findings of empirical research to understand how new generations experience cinematic narratives in the digital age. The ongoing empirical study, which collected the experiences and impressions of 60 young people aged 12 to 24 living in Pisa, Italy, demonstrated how cinema is not only a tool for entertainment, but also a powerful means of cultural and social growth. According to preliminary findings, young people who participated to our focus groups view cinema as a space for inclusion and reflection, capable of raising awareness about critical issues, encouraging shared responsibility, and increasing participation in their community's social dynamics.
The focus group discussions explored participants' film preferences, shedding light on their perceptions and expectations regarding cinematic content. For instance, films such as The Intouchables (in French Intouchables), and Inside Out were mentioned by the participants as examples of narratives that offer safe spaces to explore emotions, diversity, and relationships, contributing to the development of self-esteem, imagination, and social skills.
In addition, the desire to explore distant cultures and worlds emerged as a recurring reason for watching films. For several participants, cinema represents a way to “travel without moving”, offering the opportunity to learn about different realities and traditions. Through narrative journeys, cinema not only entertains but becomes a powerful educational tool that encourages self-exploration and openness to new cultures and realities. Much like play and social interaction, it promotes paths of self-determination and reflection, building symbolic bridges between places, cultures, and generations. The discussions also highlighted the pivotal role that social media plays in how new generations consume and reinterpret audiovisual content. Social media platforms have expanded the possibilities for discovering and sharing creative and artistic performances, enabling young people to creatively engage with film narratives. However, the widespread use of these platforms also presents significant challenges, influencing the growth process, including tastes and attitudes, affecting the overall well-being of minors.
Digital inclusion and access to the web are vital tools for reducing inequalities and ensuring the exercise of rights such as play and sociability, as the physical, geographical, and socio-economic barriers can be easily overcome. The insights gathered through the focus groups demonstrate that young people use social platforms not only for entertainment, but also to discover, evaluate, and reinterpret film content in creative ways as well as to discuss plots and characters, and sharing experiences and ideas. These online spaces become arenas for self-expression and experimentation, where young people can express their opinions, by creating short reviews, personal reinterpretations, and edited clips (“short cuts”). That is an unprecedent opportunity to recognise children’s perspectives as users and consumers of the given creative industry.
Nuevas políticas, nuevos nombres, nuevas miradas: directoras mujeres en el cine español de la última década
En la última década el incremento de directoras mujeres en el panorama cinematográfico español ha sido notable. Quizá una de las mejores formas de verlo a través de datos objetivos es deteniéndose en la categoría de “mejor dirección novel” de los Premios Goya: entre 2017 y 2023 todas las ganadoras han sido mujeres. Pero su relevancia no se queda simplemente en el triunfo de sus óperas primas, muchas de ellas son realizadoras cuyas obras destacan entre los estrenos españoles de los últimos años, ya sea por su recepción crítica o por su presencia continua durante la etapa de premios anuales. Nombres como Carla Simón o Pilar Palomero son fundamentales a la hora de aproximarse al cine nacional reciente, sus cambios y tendencias.
Algunos cambios en las políticas públicas de apoyo al cine español han sido cruciales en esta transformación: en los últimos años, se ha puesto mayor atención e interés por financiar proyectos de realizadoras mujeres y jóvenes a las que, de otra forma, les era difícil producir sus proyectos. El ICAA (Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales), con ayuda de asociaciones como CIMA (Asociación de Mujeres Cineastas y de Medios Audiovisuales), han llevado a cabo importantes modificaciones en la Ley del Cine de 2007 durante los últimos años. El cambio fundamental se produce en el Real Decreto de 2015, que instaura el concepto de “obras audiovisuales difíciles” y establece normas específicas de financiación para los proyectos que encajaran dentro de esa misma categoría: cortometrajes, obras de nuevos realizadores, producciones en lenguas cooficiales... Sin embargo, la modificación de ley más relevante sucede en 2020, cuando, entre muchos otros cambios, se incluye la financiación pública de hasta el 75% del coste a obras “realizadas exclusivamente por directoras”.
Por ello, son precisamente esas cuestiones legislativas las que han permitido un cambio destacable en la filmografía nacional de la última década a todos los niveles. En primer lugar, la modificación de ley de 2015 fue la que permitió una nueva aparición de talento novel entre los realizadores españoles y el incremento de películas rodadas en lenguas cooficiales. Esto se puede ver reflejado en diferentes ediciones de los Premios Goya, con obras como Estiu 1993 de Carla Simón, rodada en catalán, y reconocida como uno de los mejores debuts de los últimos años, Handía de Aitor Arregui y Jon Garaño, rodada en euskera, o O que arde de Oliver Laxe, rodada en gallego. Todas ellas ganaron varios galardones en sus respectivas ediciones. La ley de 2020, por su parte, ampliaba el alcance de las ayudas, apoyando, por ejemplo, el género documental y permitiendo el aumento de trabajos realizados por mujeres. Todo ello demuestra la suma importancia que las políticas tienen a la hora de permitir o no el desarrollo de un cine determinado en países como España, en el que la industria cinematográfica depende, en gran parte, de la financiación pública y las ayudas. Se trata, por tanto, de una renovación del panorama audiovisual nacional que ha permitido tanto el surgimiento de nuevas voces y aproximaciones creativas como un posicionamiento internacional del cine español ciertamente novedoso.
A partir de 2020 el aumento de obras dirigidas por mujeres es radicalmente significativo: Las niñas (2020) de Pilar Palomero, Libertad (2021) de Clara Roquet, El Agua (2022) de Elena López Riera, Cinco Lobitos (2022) de Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, Creatura (2023) de Elena Martín Gimeno, 20.000 especies de abejas (2023) de Estíbaliz Urresola Solaguren... Estos films resultan sumamente significativos ya que responden a muchas de las categorías recogidas dentro del concepto ya mencionado de “obras audiovisuales difíciles”: están dirigidos por mujeres, son óperas primas, algunos están rodados en lenguas cooficiales… Lo más relevante, sin embargo, son las características puramente cinematográficas (temáticas, visuales…) de gran parte de todas las películas mencionadas. Hay, en muchas de ellas, una voluntad de acercamiento continuo a lo íntimo y personal, a las experiencias tanto individuales como colectivas de sectores marginados o de mujeres que descubren o desarrollan sus identidades en diferentes etapas vitales. Ejemplo de ello es la problemática de la maternidad, ya sea adolescente (La Maternal de Pilar Palomero), o adulta (Cinco Lobitos), la sexualidad femenina (Creatura), o las identidades queer (Carmen y Lola de Arantxa Etchevarría o 20.000 especies de abejas).
From Queer Tragedies to Joy: Expanding the Representation and Queer Gaze in European Cinema
In this essay, I discuss queer representation in European film, taking advantage of preliminary observations made while transcribing young people’s interviews from the Finnish REBOOT data. I noticed that the theme of representation came up in several interviews. The young people considered the representation of minorities important and wished for their more authentic representation in films. The interviewees wanted to see the depiction of minorities that originates from the narrative, not from the need to meet inclusivity requirements.
In the last few years, I have watched many European films featuring queer women, such as Arantxa Echevarría’s Carmen & Lola (Carmen y Lola, Spain 2018), Inari Niemi’s Light Light Light (Valoa valoa valoa, Finland 2023), and one of my favourites – Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu, France 2019). In the last film, the story set in France in the late 18th century depicts a relationship between a young woman, Héloïse, and a painter, Marianne, commissioned to paint her wedding portrait. All films mentioned have the kind of representation the interviewees wished for: characters who are authentic, multidimensional, even messy.
However, these films have the same, predictable ending. For example, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a heart-wrenching tragedy, which also makes it touching and memorable. But I cannot unsee how typical of an ending it is for a queer relationship portrayed in film: one of the characters dies or submits to heterosexual marriage, or their family is not accepting. Queer tragedies are so common that I find myself checking the ending beforehand and making lists of feel-good movies in a desperate attempt to avoid them. Because representation can be thought of as a phenomenon that constructs and produces reality (Rossi 2015, 80), it is natural to ask what kind of reality this type of queer representation creates.
In a way, the tragedies feel justified. Queer history – and still for many, also the presence – is a story full of tragedies, and these experiences should not be forgotten. Sara Ahmed (2010, 105–106) writes about the importance of embracing the unhappy queer: because the world doesn’t accept us, we must stay unhappy with this world so that the realities of discrimination, non-recognition, and violence are not concealed. While the representation of unhappy queers shouldn’t be overlooked, I suggest expanding the imagery.
Representations have the power to normalise or mythologise queerness (Rossi 2015, 83), and the persistent tragedies establish happiness as an unattainable myth for queers. Therefore, the representation of queer joy is vital in order to normalise queerness. I understand that queer happiness is a privilege and not accessible for all. With that in mind, it is part of the authentic representation that the interviewees wished for and significant not only for this reason, but also because it has the potential to act as a political force to clear the way for others. As Tyler Quick (2020, 33) shows, queer representation in film has resulted in greater self-awareness and community identity. Films with glimpses of queer happiness offer representation with the power to shape reality – both in the lives of individuals and at a societal level. Similarly, the persistent representation of tragic endings to queer lives deviates us from that hope and potentiality.
Defining Arthouse: The Reception of European Cinema among the Istanbul Arthouse Audiences
Since the early 2000s, Turkey has experienced remarkable growth in its audiovisual industry, with the success of local films dominating the box office charts, Turkish TV series winning global syndication and a notable presence at international film festivals. However, despite this overall success and visibility in the industry, Turkey's position in film circles remains a complex issue to this day. Turkey's historical and cultural components, as well as its geopolitical position between Europe and Asia, make it difficult for the country to position itself. The collaborative nature of filmmaking leads to cross-cultural exchanges between Turkish and European filmmakers. Co-productions and collaborations cross national borders by fostering a cinematic environment that embraces different perspectives. In this blog post, based on a study I conducted on Kadıköy Cinema, an arthouse movie theater in Istanbul, I would like to share some findings on how Turkish audiences perceive and relate to European cinema, and the place of cinema in audiences' cinematic practices. sector.
The results shared here are a part of a bigger study on the only remaining commercial arthouse movie theatre of Istanbul/Turkey “Kadıköy Cinema”, which was conducted between September 2022 and January 2023, engaged 237 participants through an online survey comprising 42 multiple-choice questions and in-depth interviews with 17 participants. While the primary focus was on the audiences’ own narratives, the study tried to understand diverse dimensions of the audiences’ cinematic experiences, ranging from their movie- watching and cinema-going practices before and during the COVID-19 pandemic to their affiliations with film festivals and specific theaters while exploring the intersection of the relationship between the urban landscape and arthouse cinema scene in Istanbul. In the in- depth interviews, I found that the European cinema occupies a very important position for the Turkish arthouse audiences.
For the participants of this study, there is a prominent distinction between arthouse movies and mainstream movies and arthouse cinema has a close relationship with European cinema. One of the major findings in the study was about the audiences’ relationship with festivals. Festivals are the primary channels through which the audiences follow arthouse films, getting to know new directors and following the news from the industry. In the interviews, it was noticeable that some of the participants based a large part of their film- watching on films that were only shown at festivals and on films by directors who participated in festivals. Moreover, I observed that “prestige” has an important place in the audiences’ film preferences, and the audience considers some festivals more important and prestigious than others, and therefore forms their film preferences accordingly: “But not every festival, of course. I mean, there are such prestigious ones in Europe” (Female, 33 years old), “...I started to follow more current arthouse films. Cannes, Venice Film Festival, etc. I am curious about the films I hear about at these events” (Male, 28 years old), “I go through films that have made a splash at big festivals, or I go through certain directors who have made a splash at big festivals in the previous periods and whom I know. I usually discover them at a festival, a festival gives visibility to films after all. I can roughly say I follow four big European festivals: Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and San Sebastian” (Male, 34 years old). One noteworthy aspect here is that the audience generally included only European cinema and European festivals in the definition of arthouse cinema. Among the 2 festivals named throughout the interviews, only one non-European festival was ever mentioned (Sundance).
Newsletter: The Governance of Competitiveness in the European Film Industry
Note: This is a preview of the newsletter, please download the pdf file if you wish to read the full version
We are delighted to share with you the first newsletter. It contains highlights of our consortium's activities since the launch of the project.
In this edition, we update you on REBOOT’s progress and achievements, while offering a preview of upcoming milestones. Since its launch in February 2023, the REBOOT project has been making significant strides in advancing the European film industry's competitiveness and cultural value. The project's initial year emphasized intensive data collection and analysis, laying a robust foundation for its ongoing work to understand and improve competitiveness in the European audiovisual sector.
Building on this foundation, REBOOT has been conducting in-depth empirical data collections to further enrich the insights into the European film industry’s dynamics. A focal point of these investigations has been the European Union’s approach to defining and promoting 'competitiveness' in the audiovisual and film sectors.
Central European Congress of Modernization in Poland seeks an understanding of the role of cinema as modernization cultural phenomenon
Alicja Waszkiewicz Raviv (University of Warsaw) represented Reboot during the Central European Congress of Modernization, aiming to look at historical modernisation processes in Central and Eastern Europe from an interdisciplinary standpoint. The Congress took place in Rzeszów (in the south of Poland, close to the Ukrainian border). The event brought together academic circles from Central and Eastern European nations and global representatives (e.g. from India and South Africa) who study economics, social history, social communication and media studies, philosophy and pedagogy.
In order to attain greater levels of economic, and political development, the notion of modernization essentially refers to the pursuit of change and the shift from conventional and antiquated ways of living to more contemporary and effective ones. Modernisation research also focuses on social and cultural issues, such as changes in social structure, the development of mass media culture or urbanization processes. In the context of "Younger Europe," attention can be paid to the specific challenges faced by particular countries in the processes, such as catching up with economic development, fighting corruption, building democracy, and preserving cultural and linguistic identity in the age of globalization. Depending on each nation's culture, history, and political climate, modernization has had different implications for Western, Central, and Eastern European countries and their cultural perspectives. Media, especially the audio-visual industry, are essential in transmitting ideological content and telling the story of progress and pitfalls of discussed changes.
Having distinct histories and cultures, Poland, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia all underwent separate modernization processes, each with unique traits. For instance, Poland, a nation that experienced communist rule and partition, had to deal with issues relating to the economic policies and development discontinuities imposed by communist regimes. Conversely, after the Soviet era, Hungary had challenges but swiftly bounced back to become one of the region's fastest-growing nations. The nation's breakup and the establishment of two independent republics presented unique difficulties for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which were a part of Czechoslovakia until 1993.
European cinema in US VOD platforms? A summer experience
Taking advantage of a stay and two weeks of vacation in several US cities, on both coasts, I have taken a look at the availability of European cinema in the catalogs of the platforms in North American territory. This is not a scientific sample as it is limited. We checked the availability of the most watched movies in Europe in 2023, by tracking the VOD services that offered them. The results are not very encouraging for there is little presence of the European film titles in the US catalogues. Only the Best International Feature Film nominees at the Oscars were visible for the US audience. In light of this situation, it may be said that there is still a lot to be achieved in order to bring the European works to the US and make them more widely available. The sample of this exploratory study consisted of the 20 most watched films in Europe, according to the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) . The factors analyzed were the selling price and the purchase/rental options. The study ends with some conclusions for further consideration.
Das „Celluloid Ceiling“ der Österreichischen Filmbranche: Der Weg von Regisseurinnen an die Spitze der österreichischen Filmbranche.
„Momentan sieht es so aus, dass die Zukunft des österreichischen Films jung und weiblich ist.“
(Roland Teichmann, Direktor des Österreichischen Filminstituts, 2004)
Mit dieser Aussage begann Roland Teichmann, der Direktor des Österreichischen Filminstituts, 2004 seine mittlerweile 20 Jahre lange Karriere an der Spitze des Österreichischen Filminstituts. Doch bislang scheint diese Vorhersage unerfüllt zu bleiben. Zwar zeigt der erst kürzlich veröffentlichte Film Gender Report , dass insbesondere im Bereich der Regie, langsam aber sicher mehr Frauen zu finden sind, andererseits bleiben auch in Österreich Debatten über Machtmissbrauch und patriarchale Strukturen nicht aus. Vereine, wie der „FC Gloria“ informieren über #MeToo-Debatten und schaffen einen Raum für Austausch, für Frauen in der Filmbranche. Doch noch immer ist der Weg für weibliche Filmschaffende in Österreich kein leichter. Der Film Gender Report bietet einen guten Überblick über die aktuelle Situation von Frauen in der Branche und zeigt, dass diese noch immer mit kleineren Budgets arbeiten müssen und in den meisten Departements unterrepräsentiert sind. Und das obwohl der weibliche Nachwuchs an den Filmakademien und Universitäten vorhanden ist. Es scheint also Hürden zu geben, die durch Zahlen und Fakten allein nicht erklärt werden können. Ergebnisse im Nachbarland Deutschland, aber auch in Großbritannien haben bereits gezeigt, dass patriarchale Strukturen und Stereotypen darüber, wie der klassische Regisseur sein soll dazu führen, dass Frauen in der Branche mit erschwerten Bedingungen konfrontiert sind (Follows et al., 2016; Hochfeld, 2017) . Auch in den USA wird seit Jahrzehnten im „Celluloid Ceiling Report“ die Lage von Frauen in der Filmbranche und die Gründe, die sie vom Aufstieg auf der Karriereleiter abhalten erforscht (Lauzen, 2020) . Das „Celluloid Ceiling“ bezieht sich auf die Theorie der gläsernen Decke. Diese beschreibt eine unsichtbare Barriere, die im Laufe von weiblichen Karrieren auftritt und Frauen daran hindert, höhere Positionen einzunehmen. Dabei sind nicht geringere Kompetenzen und Fähigkeiten der Grund, warum Frauen diesen Aufstieg nicht schaffen, sondern von Stereotypen und Geschlechterklischees geprägte, versteckte Strukturen (Danziger & Eden, 2007; Hymowitz & Schellhardt, 1986; Krijnen & Van Bauwel, 2021) . In der Filmbranche wird die gläserne Decke als „Celluloid Ceiling“ bezeichnet, angelehnt an das Material, aus dem Filmträger bestehen.
Um auch in Österreich qualitative Daten über die Herausforderungen von weiblichen Filmschaffenden zu generieren, wurden zwischen Mai und Juni 2024 sieben qualitative Leitfragen Interviews mit jungen Regisseurinnen geführt. Die Herausforderungen der jungen Filmschaffenden, wurden dabei anhand von drei Aspekten erfragt. Neben der Rolle von Förderungen und Initiativen, lag der Fokus zudem auf der Repräsentation von Frauen in der Filmbranche, sowie dem Zusammenhang von Stereotypen mit den Herausforderungen von Frauen in der Filmbranche.
Hinter den Kulissen: Geschlechterdiskriminierung in der Filmindustrie
In der glamourösen Welt des Films, wo Glitzer und Glamour die Leinwand beherrschen, verbirgt sich hinter den Kulissen eine weniger schillernde Realität. Während die strahlenden Lichter der Preisverleihungen jedes Jahr auf die größten Talente der Branche gerichtet sind, offenbart ein genauer Blick, dass diese Zeremonien oft tief verwurzelte Geschlechterungleichheiten widerspiegeln und verstärken.
Die Filmindustrie ist eine der einflussreichsten Medienbranchen weltweit, erreicht ein Milliardenpublikum und prägt unsere Kultur und Gesellschaft. Allein die Amerikanische Film- und Fernsehindustrie bietet, laut den Ergebnissen der aktuellsten Analyse der Motion Picture Association 2,74 Millionen Arbeitsplätze, zahlt 242 Milliarden Dollar an Gesamtlöhnen und umfasst mehr als 122.000 Unternehmen (Motion Picture Association, 2022). Trotz ihrer Größe und Bedeutung bleibt die Branche stark von männlichen Normen dominiert, was die Gleichstellung der Geschlechter erheblich beeinträchtigt (Wallenberg & Jansson, 2021).
Problem der Geschlechterdiskriminierung
Geschlechterdiskriminierung in der Filmindustrie zeigt sich auf verschiedenen Ebenen. Frauen sind sowohl vor als auch hinter der Kamera unterrepräsentiert und sehen sich zahlreichen Hindernissen gegenüber. Studien zeigen, dass Frauen seltener in Schlüsselpositionen wie Regie, Produktion oder Drehbuchschreiben eingestellt werden als Männer (Wallenberg & Jansson, 2021). Laut dem Hollywood Diversity Report 2024 waren im Jahr 2023 nur 31% der Regiepositionen von Top-Streaming-Filmen durch Frauen besetzt, was zwar im Vergleich zum Vorjahr einen Anstieg von 6% darstellt, allerdings weiterhin eine deutliche Unterrepräsentation zeigt (Ramón et al., 2024).
Ein weiteres signifikantes Problem ist der Gender Pay Gap . In Österreich betrug dieser 2022 18,4%, und ist somit einer der höchsten geschlechtsspezifischen Lohnunterschiede Europas (Statistik Austria, 2022). In der Filmindustrie verdienen Frauen prinzipiell weniger als Männer. Beispielsweise haben die zehn bestbezahlten Schauspieler im Jahr 2017 insgesamt 488,5 Millionen US-Dollar verdient, während die zehn bestbezahlten Schauspielerinnen nur 172,5 Millionen US-Dollar erhielten (O’Hara, 2021).
Neben finanziellen Ungleichheiten stellen auch geschlechterspezifische Vorurteile und Stereotypen, die die berufliche Entwicklung von Frauen behindern, große Herausforderungen dar. Medien neigen dazu, Frauen in passiven oder sexualisierten Rollen zu präsentieren, während Männer als aktiv und dominierend gezeigt werden (Ward & Grower, 2020). Diese Stereotypen verstärken traditionelle Geschlechterrollen und schränken die Darstellungsmöglichkeiten für Frauen ein.
Das Kino: Kunst und Kultur als gesellschaftliche Lebensader
Seit über einem Jahrhundert zeichnet sich die Welt des Kinos und Films als gesellschaftlicher Begleiter aus. Die Kraft bewegter Bilder im gedämpften Licht des Kinosaals - zunächst eingefangen auf Zelluloid und heutzutage in digitalisierter Form - fasziniert Menschen seit jeher. Trotz der Evolution der Technologie und der Art des Filmkonsums sind der Film und das Kino bis heute voneinander untrennbar. Von seinem Ursprung als Unterhaltungsmedium hat sich das Kino mittlerweile zu einem kulturellen Eckpfeiler entwickelt, welcher weit über das bloße Zeigen von Filmen hinausreicht.
In einer Zeit, in der die Bedeutung von Kunst und Kultur für die Gesellschaft, insbesondere angesichts Einschränkungen während der Corona-Pandemie, immer wieder aufkommt und diskutiert wird, gewinnt die Betrachtung der gesellschaftlichen Rolle des Kinos als Kulturinstitution, vor allem in Bezug auf die Gesellschaft von morgen - der jungen Generation - an Relevanz.
Das Kino als Ort gesellschaftlicher Öffentlichkeit
Das Kino ermöglicht kollektive Filmerlebnisse und stellt dabei als Ort der Öffentlichkeit einen Anstoß für gesellschaftlichen Austausch dar. Das Kino erfüllt dabei eine bildende Funktion und trägt zur Förderung von kritischem Denken und Identitätsstiftung bei. Während der kollektiven Filmschau rücken gesellschaftliche Reibungsfelder in den Hintergrund. Soziale und kulturelle Unterschiede verlieren im Dunkeln des Kinosaals vorübergehend an Bedeutung und es entsteht eine Gemeinschaft – zumindest temporär. Als Kulturinstitution schafft das Kino demnach einen Raum für individuelle als auch gemeinschaftliche Erfahrungen und ermöglicht gleichzeitig ein sich positiv auf die psychische Gesundheit auswirkendes willkommenes Entkommen aus dem eigenen Alltag.
Die junge Generation entdeckt das Kino für sich
Eine interessante Entwicklung zeichnet sich hierbei in Europa ab, wo immer mehr junge Menschen nicht nur die Populärkinos besuchen, sondern auch ein wachsendes Interesse an Arthouse-Kino Vorführungen abseits des Mainstreams zeigen. Dieser Trend findet seine Wurzeln beispielsweise in innovativen und finanziell attraktiven Abonnement Modellen wie dem österreichischen „nonstop“-Kinoabo“ oder seinem niederländischen Vorbild und Vorreiter „Cinevillepas“ , welche der jungen Generation den Zugang zu alternativer Filmkultur und -bildung ermöglichen.
Navigating Shifts in Audiovisual Policies: The Evolving EU-Latin America Relationship
The European Union (EU) and Latin America have a long relationship in audiovisual policies. As happens in many relationships, there are indicators that things might be changing.
Connected by historical and cultural ties, the two regions developed several initiatives to strengthen their relationship. They share a common vision in recognising the cultural value of the audiovisual sector and are committed to developing policies to protect and promote it.
Historical context
Latin America does not follow the same regional integration blueprint as the EU. It has two supranational political projects actively shaping audiovisual policies on a broader, regional scale. The first one is Mercosur, a regional organisation creating a free-trade region, including Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, whose main audiovisual institution is the Specialized Meeting of Audiovisual and Cinematographic Authorities of Mercosur and Associated States (RECAM). Then, the Ibero-American political project is based on political, economic, and cultural cooperation among Latin American countries, Spain, and Portugal, including in total 22 member states. In the audiovisual sector, a key Ibero-American institution is the Conference of Ibero-American Cinematographic Authorities and the Ibermedia Program.
Despite the institutional differences, Latin American supranational political projects, such as Mercosur and Ibero-American cooperative arrangements, looked to the EU as a model to follow in the domain of audiovisual policies. Supranational institutions, such as RECAM and the Ibermedia Program, were created mirroring the EU MEDIA Program. Although the image reflected was quite different from the original model, the influence of the EU shaped the audiovisual policies developed in this part of the globe (Crusafon, 2011).
Having the same ideas of protecting the regional audiovisual market due to its cultural value, they shared the ambition of joining efforts to strengthen their audiovisual sector and to develop an audiovisual industry strong enough to compete with Hollywood. Therefore, their relationship was motivated by a shared vision of cultural–regional - sovereignty and economic resilience against the dominance of US media conglomerates. Although this ambition was never fully concretised, it was an ideological horizon that enabled policies in the region to move in the same direction.
The competitiveness of European cinema: "non-theatrical" cinema wins through S-VoD
The big question of competitiveness appears in the different scenarios and studies on the recent evolution of cinema on both sides of the Atlantic. In particular, in this article we report on the specific study on the impact of the streaming sector -including VoD and SVoD- on the competitiveness of European cinema; which is one of the aspects that concern us in the Reboot consortium (WP2, Report D.2.2.).
The latest Focus 2023 report from the Marché du Film de Cannes raised a big question mark with the COVID-19 crisis now over as theaters have regained pre-pandemic audiences. To know if the European cinema data with 37% less wide release films compared to 2019, although with an average box office takings per film equal to 2019, are only " repercussions of the COVID-2019 crisis that, to some extent, the pandemic has accelerated or, at least, revealed pre-existing weaknesses". What's going on, is it possible to reconcile diversity and competitiveness?
The weakness of the European film sector to which Focus 23 refers can be observed in different variables and paradoxes: such as "the decline in box office receipts but with stable production levels, at least in Europe", the growth of the market for "non-theatrical films" as opposed to those that are shown in theaters (...), thus opening the way for "new business models that challenge the "traditional deficit financing".
As of early 2023, some studios have balanced their strategies (e.g., The Walt Disney Co. which has capped releases through its Disney+ service), but it is still unclear what the final trade-off will be between theatrical release and live SVOD" with no prior theatrical pass-through.
This weakness of "theatrical" cinema is, on the other hand, in our opinion, a great opportunity for the S-VoD sector, and as we mentioned here, a growth factor that is "pulling" the entire cinema/audiovisual value chain (scriptwriters, production, acting, filming, dubbing, etc.). There are, therefore, doubts about the model, changes in strategy and a new technological paradigm, a combination that has accelerated the decision making that explains the successful growth of VoD and S-VoD. But, before moving forward, let's rewind a little in time.
Flash back: the industry 10 years earlier
Although in 2014 in Spain we already had two S-VoD platforms (Filmin and Yomvi ), to explain the emergence of the phenomenon it is inevitable to talk about Netflix as a disruptive milestone in the audiovisual sector (Neira, 2020, 35; Corredoira, 2023, 3). Netflix, which was born in 2007 as a DVD subscription rental company and in 2012 became an S-VoD platform, landed in Europe in 2012; first in Ireland and the UK, in Nordic countries, and arrived in Spain and Portugal in 2015, thus beginning a path of business and international expansion that had already begun in 2010 with the arrival in Canada and some Caribbean countries. As mentioned above, it was the changes in the United States that have driven the development of VOD platforms on a global scale. On the one hand, the development of Netflix as a company dedicated exclusively to streaming -in parallel to the improvement in time and quality of network video-; on the other hand, the move by the major studios to adapt and position themselves in this new reality has influenced the internationalization of streaming. In Europe, the arrival of major international platforms was combined with the establishment of a regulatory framework and the emergence of national initiatives, such as Filmin in Spain, from the independent film sector, or Movistar +, from the major telecommunications groups.
KEY CONCEPTS
For the European Audiovisual Observatory of the Council of Europe, "VoD refers to content delivered over a managed network to a set-top-box and it is the kind of technology employed by Cable and IPTV providers".
Subscription VOD or S-VoD "is a business model traditionally associated with streaming video. Users pay a standard monthly rate for access to content which is streamed on request; this is to say no long term store of the content is made on the user's device."
The Cambridge Dictionary defines S-VoD as "a system for watching films or recorded programmes on the internet or television at any time".
Beyond this generic definition, the fact is that VOD services are characterized by a wide range and heterogeneity of services that are being analyzed in detail in Reboot.The development of VOD services in Europe
While in the U.S. the majors have played a central role in the development of VoD services, in Europe the evolution has been slower, says Focus 2023, albeit with a steady acceleration since 2012. "During the COVID crisis, Hollywood studios indeed directed part of their production to streaming services, including their own services, and this trend continued in 2022 as a way to attract more SVOD subscribers ".
Image 1 shows who's who in the Motion Picture Association (MPA) i.e. the main association of the Hollywood industry until Netflix's entry that occurred in 2019, and how those companies also have their "window" on a VOD platform or service, making strategic decisions that remain in place at the present time (March 2024).
Boosting competitiveness through marketing: An Interview with Joanna Solecka
As part of the interviews conducted with European film professionals to understand their visions and needs in the European Film Industry, we talked with Joanna Solecka, a film marketing expert and strategist. She is the Head of Alphapanda in Warsaw, a European digital marketing agency for the film industry. The agency handles marketing for a variety of film projects including fiction films, documentaries, animations and TV series, such as 'The Quiet Girl' (Oscar Nominee), 'Touch Me Not' (Berlinale Winner) for fiction, ‘Smoke Sauna Sisterhood' for documentaries (European Film Awards Winner), and the animated film ‘Flee’ (Oscar Nominee). This interview was conducted online on April 22, 2024. During our discussion, we delved into the often overlooked role of marketing in enhancing the competitiveness of the European Film Industry and its quest to reach wider audiences. Joanna Solecka highlighted the importance of thinking about marketing in the early stages of production and how defining the right strategy can help films better communicate with their audiences and become more competitive. Additionally, we explored the various hurdles faced in enhancing film marketing in the European Film Industry. These challenges include a general lack of awareness about the significance of marketing, limited budgets, and a shortage of skilled marketing professionals. Joanna also underlined the need for a deeper understanding of the film marketing profession and the development of trust between filmmakers and film marketing experts.
Marina Rossato Fernandes: What are the key challenges in film marketing within the European Film Industry?
Joanna Solecka: There are three challenges I’d like to highlight: marketing budgets, awareness and lack of experts in the field. Budgets for film marketing are still the main challenge. And also understanding that you need the marketing already at the development stage. Whereas there are very little or no options available for funding of the marketing activities at this stage. There is also a lack of time and experts in the field, which is connected with the budget challenge. The producers are focused on producing with very little space for the marketing thinking behind it, and what really makes a huge difference for a film to be competitive is that you have a clear strategy on how to promote the film before you enter the shooting. Because then you can understand what kind of film you have in your hands, who the targets are, and what you can do during the production, which will later save your budget and help you to secure the necessary materials. Also, a strategy will make you understand what kind of target audiences you will have for this film. And because of this understanding, which is crucial, you will know what kind of materials you’d need. Moreover, because of these targets, you will also know which ambassadors and partnerships you can set up for your film. That should also start quite early as these types of things take time.
Marina Rossato Fernandes: When developing a marketing strategy for a film, are there fundamental differences when targeting different territories?
Joanna Solecka: Of course, it's very important to understand these differences. For instance, you can play with a lot of language elements for your national campaign that won't be understandable in other territories. Or you have a recognizable cast in your country, but it's not recognized outside the national territory and this should push you to think about what other elements you have at hand to use for your international premiere.
Senior professionals on the resilience of the European film industry: a media industry perspective
How do senior professionals reflect on the changes and consistencies in the European film industry (EFI) over recent decades? What was their experience of the impact of digitization on film production, distribution, and exhibition? Has Hollywood's dominance in the European film market become more systemic than ever? How effective were European film policies in strengthening a solid EFI? How do key witnesses perceive changes in the competitiveness of the EFI? These and many other important questions are central to the historical research of the REBOOT project. Together with colleagues at UCM and UW, the UGENT team has been conducting a large set of interviews with senior professionals in the European film sector.
The UGENT team split the interview waves in two, one being a Flemish wave and the other being a pan-European wave. For the Flemish wave, twenty-five interviews have been conducted so far. For the European wave, the count is fifteen. The interviews have been evenly distributed across various segments of the sector, as well as in terms of gender representation and individuals' roles within the industry. We conducted interviews with important stakeholders in the Flemish film production, distribution, and exhibition sectors, as well as scholars, policymakers, and film critics. On the European level, we interviewed people at the policy level, but also representatives of film funds, pan-European film trade and other organisations.
Overproduction
When asked about the primary drivers of change in the European Film Industry (EFI), most interviewees highlighted digitization processes and the rise of streaming platforms. According to them, these transformations affected various subsectors. In film production, major companies have shifted focus towards creating content tailored for these platforms, reflecting a broader trend of adapting to evolving viewer preferences and consumption habits. However, this shift has resulted in a complex ownership structure within the EFI, with foreign-owned entities exerting significant influence over traditional television production and streaming content creation. A recurring observation among interviewees was the concern about overproduction in the industry, potentially impacting the quality of produced films. as the head of an important public film fund argues: “Currently, there is an overproduction of films in Europe, with an estimated 2,400 feature films slated for production this year. However, many of these films are not necessarily based on their artistic or commercial merits but rather on their potential to generate economic activity in specific regions. This approach undermines the quality and cultural value of European cinema, leading to potential long-term repercussions.”
Systemic Hollywood
In interviews, the changing role of the US filmed entertainment industry emerges as a recurring topic. Many interviewees discussed Hollywood's dominance over the European film industry, with some suggesting that this dominance may now be more entrenched than ever due to its mass promotion strategies and substantial budgets. This poses challenges for European films, which often rely on subsidies and struggle to compete on a global scale. The president of a pan-European producers’ association highlighted various aspects of this US dominance, including the control of major US companies over the streaming business, their increasing investments in European production, their “huge financial power” and their “lobbying power which is incredible.” Even though policy efforts to counteract this dominance did not seem to be able to reduce Hollywood’s presence on the European audiovisual market, interviewees were rather quite positive about the long-term impact of European, national, and regional film policies. Or as a consultant and data specialist in the European film industry argued: “The European Union, being a union of different markets, has not transformed into a single entity like the US. While studios dominate, it is debatable whether we want a European equivalent of Disney, which would be as significant as a country. Europe has been successful in its own right, producing successful films and significantly more content than the US.”
More movies in catalogues and on the theatrical market
Many interviewees also talked about major changes in the distribution of European films, and about changes in competitiveness, for instance in the direction of the growing competition for content between traditional cinema distribution channels and streaming platforms. Additionally, as the revenue model relying on DVD sales has nearly disappeared, traditional distributors can be put in precarious positions if a film underperforms in cinemas. However, some witnesses underline how the advent of digitization significantly reduced the costs associated with film distribution to cinemas. An important nuance here is that general costs have not necessarily been reduced but are now simply allocated differently with more focus on promotion. Another trend in this altered distribution model is that more films are now on the market, both in distributors’ catalogues and in cinemas. Distributors flooding cinemas with numerous films and quickly withdrawing them, assuming sufficient supply. Consequently, an oversupply of films presents challenges for both cinemas and distributors. Some professionals underline that because of these shifts the traditional distinctions between first, second, and third-run circuits may be blurring, or as the head of a European distributors’ association said: “It seems that the traditional first, second, and third-run circuits may have amalgamated.”
Resilience after the pandemic
One of the most important statements when talking about the EFI deals with the resilience of the theatrical film market. The pandemic was a disaster for cinemas, and the old trope of the end of the cinema was heard in the industry again, but the most recent figures indicate the continuing attraction of the film theatre, as well as the theatrical film market’s resilience. New programming and curatorial tendencies emerged or were strengthened like a move toward multi-programming, audience and community building, and stressing events. Or as a former data-analyst of an important pan-European exhibitors’ association said: “A lot of those smaller independent cinemas are doing very well and are making more money than before COVID. Cinemagoing is not dead. People of all age are attracted to it if you give them the content and experience that they expect. Cinemas that fail to innovate in programming and events struggle to survive.”
Further steps
These are just a few of the findings from our initial set of interviews with key experts in the EFI. These interviews, lasting between 60 and 90 minutes, were conducted either in person or digitally and recorded for transcription. We then completed the transcription and conducted an analysis using NVivo, a software package commonly utilized in qualitative research for interview analysis. Currently, the analysis is in its early stages, focusing on broad initial and open coding. The UGENT team aims to finalize these interviews before attending the Cannes film festival and the upcoming REBOOT consortium meeting. During this meeting, UGENT will collaborate with UW and UCM. Subsequent discussions, scheduled for June 6-7, 2024, in Madrid, will focus on the report's structure and potential alternative forms of scholarly and other publications.
The challenges to audiovisual and media cooperation between EU and Western Balkan candidate countries
In 2018, the European Commission put the Western Balkans back in the policy agenda by designating them as a political challenge with its new Western Balkans Strategy (European Commission, 2018), because of the increased presence of external powers like China or Russia. This is concerning to the European Union because, on the one side, Von der Leyen’s ‘geopolitical Commission’ has made a commitment to the region to speed up the Enlargement process as a remedy for the widespread ‘Enlargement fatigue’ in Western Balkan countries among their societies and political elites, and on the other hand, because the presence of foreign powers that align to a different set of values and rules can have pervasive effects of the regulatory environment and national security in these countries, delaying the acquisition of the acquis communautaire as the main requirement for their entry as EU Member States. In this context, the audiovisual and media industry has a key role to play. First, because the democratically maturing political system of these countries, which have often been defined as ‘stabilocracies’ (Bieber, 2020), use the media as a controlling tool to “regularly produce artificial political crises over EU conditionalities to undermine any true efforts in strengthening the rule of law” (Hoxaj, 2021: 165). Second, because the media and audiovisual industry, and the narrative spread through it have a key role as a mechanism to spread social rules and socialise the population in Western Balkan countries into the EU values defined in Art. 2 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU), which is again a necessary requirement for their accession into the European Union, and to promote the support for it among their population. Having realised this, foreign powers use direct and indirect cooperation with media outlets in these countries (European Parliament, 2022), some of which are directly owned by foreign entities, to promote their narratives, and standards on media freedom and human rights, which differ from those of the European Union (Vladisavljev, 2021). The EU itself has recognised this problem, admitting that “there is also extensive political interference in and control of the media” in Western Balkan countries (European Commission, 2018). Thus, it “needs to safeguard the freedom of expression and independence of media as a pillar of democracy” (ibid.). Consequently, the EU has various projects to enhance this cultural cooperation. Among them, the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II) funds activities aimed at strengthening cross-border cultural cooperation with and competitiveness of cultural and creative industries in the Western Balkans ( EAEA/39/2019 ). Out of 350 entries, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) chose 13 projects with 91 partners.
Mapping the circulation of European cinema in Argentina
One of the three largest cinema markets in Latin America, Argentina covers a geographical area of 3.761.274 square kilometres and has a population of 46.3 million (argentina.gob.ar n.d). The country has developed an impressive film industry, producing an average of 200 films per year and substantial domestic box office revenues, making it one of the fastest- growing audiovisual markets in the region. Argentine cinema is well-regarded around the world, and it is present in all the main film festivals, including Cannes, Berlinale, San Sebastián, and Sundance among others. It also hosts the most prestigious film festival and market in Latin America, Mar del Plata Film Festival and Ventana Sur . The latter is organised by INCAA 1 in partnership with the Cannes Film Festival , highlighting Argentina’s significance in the global film market, particularly with European partners.
The partnership between the INCAA and the Cannes Film Festival through Ventana Sur is a tangible manifestation of Argentina’s long-celebrated historical and cultural affinity with Europe, evident in its film industry, which maintains strong connections with the continent. Argentina has several co-production agreements with European countries (bilateral co- production treaties with Spain, France, Germany and Italy). It is also part of the Ibermedia Program , fostering audiovisual cooperation between Latin America and select European nations. A 2022 study conducted by ICEX - España Exportación e Inversiones has highlighted that the most common co-production partners for Argentine producers are Latin American and European countries, with Spain standing out due to the long historic cooperation between the two nations (Diéguez Coba, 2022). This becomes evident when examining co-production statistics for 2023, out of the 38 co-productions exhibited in Argentina, 14 involved European countries, 26 involved Latin American countries and only one co-production was with other countries.
Despite the strong cultural, linguistic, and historical connections between Latin America and Europe, the economic impact on the circulation of audiovisual productions remains limited ( Mastrini and Krakowiak2019 ). While it is true that Argentine audiences have shown appreciation for European films, particularly admiring directors from Spain, Italy, Germany, and France for the quality of their work, European cinema has struggled to find a window of exhibition in recent years. Contemporary European films have limited space in the commercial circuit, mostly confined to specialised arthouse or independent cinemas, a few Pay TV channels that showcase European content and platforms like MUBI that focus on independent films. This fact has been recently evidenced by local news. "That 'other' cinema, especially European, is reaching Argentine theatres in an increasingly sporadic manner, appearing in fewer theatres, with fleeting stays on screens, and limited audience impact" ( Battle, 2023 ).
Philosophy vs. Realpolitik: Discussing European Cinema Competitiveness Crisis Through ‘Alice and the Mayor’
The Europa Cinemas Label is an award created during the 2003 Directors' Fortnight (Cannes) that recognizes the best European film at five festivals throughout the year, including Berlin, Karlovy Vary, Locarno, Venice, and Cannes. The winners receive distribution support from the Europa Cinemas Network, an association of exhibitors representing over 3,000 screens in Europe and beyond. Alice and the Mayor , directed by Nicolas Pariser, was awarded the 2019 prize in the Directors' Fortnight section at Cannes Film Festival. The film depicts the story of Paul Théraneau (Fabrice Luchini), the fictitious socialist mayor of Lyon, who hires Alice Heimann (Anaïs Demoustier), a Ph.D. in philosophy, to help him generate new ideas, pitting realpolitik against philosophy. Against this backdrop, the film's thematic preoccupations map onto scholarly discussions of the crisis of European cinema's competitiveness at the bifurcation of protecting European core values and competing with the entertainment market.
The Euro-crisis that began in 2010, Brexit, and more recently, the refugee crisis, pose political, economic, and cultural challenges to European identity concerning some core values, including democracy, human rights, and constitutional regulations. (Sassatelli, 2015; Leith and Sim et al., 2019) So, what ‘European’ refers to becomes a crucial question. At the institutional level, the European Union declares its policy motto “united in diversity.” Although this statement may point to specific indicators at the legislative level, it is necessary to look at how it works in practice to grasp it. Sassatelli proposes that looking into cultural policy initiatives relevant to identity-building is noteworthy since “European identity is very much still in the process of being made and is still heavily contested.” Given that European cinema policy functions under the same parameters as other EU initiatives on cultural policies and that its products are part of a multi-billion-dollar global business, it is crucial to analyze how European cinema positions itself in constructing European identity and the global film industry. As Forbes and Street argue, this situation highlights a dilemma for European cinema: whether to take advantage of the global film market boom or follow public policy and promote cultural diversity (2017). The reason for this dilemma is that European cinema is often perceived as art cinema inclined with alternative aesthetic and thematic preoccupations, in contrast to Hollywood's commercial cinema, which dominates the global film market. Although it is debatable how functional this comparison is (Elsaesser, 2014), it is often stated that European cinema is in a competitiveness crisis, thinking of the domination of Hollywood and the rising popularity of Indian and Chinese cinema. So which path will European cinema follow: maintaining the position of freedom in cinematic practices on the margin or adapting to the market to compete? Or is it possible to combine both?
The flow of audiovisual content in the EU: Unravelling the legislative changes
I. Introduction
In the ever-evolving legal landscape of the European Union (EU), the movement of cinematographic and other audiovisual content has undergone a significant legislative evolution over the years. As the digital era continues to reshape the way everyone consumes and produces content, the EU has taken steps to adapt its legislative framework to meet the challenges and opportunities faced by the European audiovisual industry. This blog post explores some of the main aspects of this transformation and its implications for the flow of audiovisual works within the Union.
II. Background
Before delving into the legislative changes of EU law, it is vital to grasp the context that set the stage for them. It is well known that Europeans were among the creators of the first moving pictures with the contribution of great artists and craftspeople as early as the late 19th century.[1] More than a century later, the world discovered new ways of watching movies, shows and other kinds of emerging audiovisual works, beyond the traditional cinema or television broadcasting experience. Nowadays, people are able to watch their favourite shows online. Since the early 2000's, European (and global) audiences have started consuming more audiovisual content on computers, portable devices, smart TVs and other types of devices, through video-on-demand services (alongside cable networks, broadcast television, etc.). In that regard, the technological convergence and the ongoing platformization process in the film industry and the audiovisual sector more broadly have a substantial impact, reforming cultural policies and media regulation in relation to the national (and regional) legal and political settings [2].
In a wider context, as Denis de Rougemont has argued:‘Culture is all the dreams and labour tending towards forging humanity. Culture requests a paradoxical pact: diversity must be the principle of unity, taking stock of differences is necessary not to divide, but to enrich culture even more. Europe is a culture or it is not’.[3] In a rapidly globalizing world it is evident that European films and programmes include not only culture: the magical optical phenomena deriving from the illusions of cinematographic and other audiovisual works involve trade-related policies, international relations, and industry. However, the cultural side of the European audiovisual sector, which is a core vector of European values and ideals, is just as important as its economic outreach. Therefore, the EU tries to help all the actors involved by making a safe space to create, produce and innovate, in order to give rise to some hope - as a breath of fresh air - on that field.
Ventana Sur: An Opportunity to Strengthen Latin American Audiovisual Production.
Between November 27th and December 1st, 2023, Ventana Sur , the largest audiovisual market in Latin America, took place in the city of Buenos Aires. Producers, distributors, and other industry players convened to conduct business, sign agreements and promote Latin American projects aiming for global screens. This year marked the 15th edition and hosted over 4,480 accredited attendees from 45 different countries, making Ventana Sur a strategic space to position Latin American audiovisual content on the global industry agenda and map.
A Place in the World
However, what role does Latin America play on this map? What challenges does it face in the global value chains (GVC) of the audiovisual industry? It's commonly assumed that the prevalence of Spanish and Portuguese in a region with over 650 million inhabitants offers Latin America unparalleled conditions to operate as a common, integrated and relatively autonomous space. Yet, in practice, this isn't the case. Latin American audiovisual industries are heterogenous and fragmented. While some countries rank among the top global producers (like Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico), historical obstacles persist in terms of content distribution and exhibition. In addition, the region lacks a body equivalent to the European Union, which can formulate and execute policies on a regional level. Worse yet, Latin American countries have started aggressively competing among themselves by offering incentives (cash rebates, tax rebates, etc.) to attract investments, ultimately reducing production costs for major global players.
While there have been increased connections and exchanges among Latin American countries in recent years, notably due to Ibermedia and film co-production agreements, the level of exchange remains far from its potential. Latin America continues to be dominated by Hollywood: the local market share in cinemas barely reaches 10% across the region and dominant Video on Demand (VOD) services (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and HBO Max) all originate from the United States.
Paraphrasing Gustavo Buquet, author of "The Power of Hollywood" (2005), one might say that while national audiovisual industries operate within their markets, the North American industry appears to be the true Latin American audiovisual industry. VOD services deepen this dominance (Vlassis, 2020), monopolizing intellectual property (IP) and reaffirming Latin America's position as a mere subscriber market and content provider, lacking significant capacity to develop its strategies, infrastructures, and services.
Looking back on 30 years of European Film Industry. A conversation with Paul Pauwels
How has the European Film Industry (EFI) evolved over the past three decades, and how has the concept of competitiveness transformed during this period? What impact have technological, political, and social changes had on this evolution? Belgian film producer and former Director of the European Documentary Network (EDN) Paul Pauwels has offered insights into these questions during a conversation.
On October 20, the partners of REBOOT’s second work package - related to the “Diachronic understandings of the 'competitiveness' and of the 'European' in EFI” - met in Ghent to address common goals and methodologies. Representatives from the universities of Ghent, Liege, Warsaw, Jyväskylä and Complutense (Madrid) debated interview protocols, case studies and historical changes in European film governance. The session had at its core a panel discussion with Paul Pauwels. Pauwels has more than four decades of experience in both the public and the private sector, in the areas of film production, project development and financing, and as member of the Flemish Public Broadcasting Company-VRT. Thus, his reflections were central to illuminate transformations and challenges for the EFI over the last three decades.
Many of the materials gathered at the encounter will be presented in one of the deliverables of WP2 about the industrial transformation of European Cinema. There are however a series of key themes that this text would like to highlight, as they contribute to resituate some topics REBOOT is currently dealing with and to showcase the potentialities of a key WP2’s method: the in-depth interview with stakeholders of the EFI.
In a conversation led by Daniël Biltereyst, who also organized the meeting with Engelart Willems, Pauwels discussed the changing modes of production. This discussion prompted the meeting’s participants to start reconsidering the concept of competitiveness, which should be examined from at least two perspectives: competitiveness related to the financing and creation of a film, but also in terms of considering the audiences and potential outreach of a product. According to Pauwels, who mainly talked about documentaries, audiences today play a pivotal role in the inception of a film project. Compared to two or three decades ago, it is now essential to have a clear understanding of the potential audience before production begins. Since several contemporary documentary productions are today designed as international projects to secure various sources of funding, the need to consider potential audiences introduces an additional layer of complexity to the process. This raises questions about who the ideal audiences truly are, where they can be found, and how films should be tailored to resonate with their diverse contexts.
Women in the Film Industry: Leaky Pipeline Phenomenon
Film festivals have emerged as a crucial platform for acknowledging the talent and contributions of women filmmakers, who have historically been underrepresented in the industry. The Cannes Film Festival in 2018 highlighted the gender disparity by featuring a gathering of eighty-two female filmmakers on the red carpet, representing the small number of women who have been given the opportunity to participate since the festival's inception in 1946, compared to thousands of men. This powerful demonstration shed light on the significant challenges and barriers that women face in the film industry. However, film festivals also offer positive indications of women's achievements, particularly in Austria. These events have provided a valuable stage for numerous talented Austrian female filmmakers to exhibit their work to a broader audience and gain international acclaim. The accomplishments of these women serve as both inspiration and proof of the creative potential within the Austrian film industry. Furthermore, studies, such as the Austrian Film Institute's Film Gender Report have revealed that Austrian female filmmakers win more awards at film festivals than their male counterparts (Zappe-Heller, 2023).
Gender incentives as a bonus for film makers
To promote gender diversity in film projects, a bonus of 30,000 Euros is offered if the team includes female professionals in various positions such as production, directing, screenplay, and more. Points are assigned to each position, and once a score of 50 points is reached, the Film Gender Report is fulfilled, and the bonus is granted automatically. These incentives aim to encourage the inclusion of women in the industry. However, filmmakers are eager to secure the highest possible funding for their projects, so they often take a gamble on the extra money from gender incentives, even if the market cannot provide the necessary conditions by fully booked female film makers. As a result, the film team faces significant pressure to meet all the funding requirements right from the beginning.
Leaky pipeline also in the creative industries
Current studies in Austria reveal that the film industry is not immune to the "leaky pipeline" phenomenon, which refers to gender disparities in professional careers, particularly in higher positions (Zappe-Heller, 2023). The representation of women decreases as positions become more senior, salaries increase, and decision-making power grows. While the gender distribution in entry-level positions may be more balanced, women face significant obstacles in their career progression and tend to "get lost" along the way. However, in recent years, studies show that in terms of promotion, women have a slight superiority here in newcomer films, which are the first or second works of female or male directors (Zappe-Heller, 2023). This suggests that many young women are drawn to the film industry, but it remains uncertain whether this trend will persist in the future and requires further evaluation. Nevertheless, there is a significant shift in proportions, as more men than women, especially those without relevant education, work in the industry. Women also receive less than 30 per cent of the funding from the Austrian Film Institute, highlighting the unequal distribution of resources (Zappe-Heller, 2023). Additionally, women's family planning and childcare responsibilities pose specific challenges that can act as barriers to their participation in the film industry. However, measures such as on-set childcare and support from funding institutions and producers are being implemented to address these challenges and ensure that women can pursue careers in the film industry without hindrance.
Gender Incentives as European Model? – Similar Situations
When considering the application of the Austrian model of gender incentives to a wider European context, it is important to address both the implementation of such measures and the underlying issue of resource distribution in the industry. Women are notably underrepresented, especially in directing roles, emphasizing the need for effective measures to promote gender equality.
Breaking Down the Walls? –interview with film director, Andrzej Krakowski∗
In a thought-provoking event titled "Breaking Down the Walls: Old and New Barriers to Social Cohesion in Arts, Culture, and Media," jointly organized at the Museum of Modern Art Warsaw, on May 11, 2023-by the Faculty of Journalism, Information, and Book Studies at the University of Warsaw and the Media Diversity Institute Global, the focus was squarely on the dynamic interplay between the arts, culture, and media sectors and their potential to cultivate social cohesion.
Delving deep into the underpinnings of contemporary democratic expression, the event critically examined the mechanisms conducive to societal and technological transformation.
The event titled "Breaking Down the Walls" undertakes a critical exploration of the factors that underpin contemporary democratic expression, paving the way for societal and technological evolution. It delves into the significance of deliberative communications, where ideas are exchanged with respect, and explores how involving communities in discussions, events, and decision-making processes can foster greater social cohesion while countering polarization and misinformation. The event's discussion dissected the creative sector's pivotal role in upholding freedom, combatting polarization, and championing deliberation within the unique context of Poland. The overarching question it addresses is how artists and cultural figures can actively contribute to the preservation of democracy.
The panelists as well as the gathered audience confirmed by their presence that democracy begins with small actions. Moreover, culture and media are never as close to each other as when freedom (of speech, creative, etc.) is threatened. Through the organization of a public event and a joint debate, we were able to make at least a small contribution to improving social cohesion, promoting deliberative communication and, above all, the quality of democracy.
In connection with the event, I had the opportunity to conduct a short interview with Andrzej Krakowski a polish-American film director, producer, academic teacher, writer and cartoonist who lives in the US. His contribution to the event was immense and at the same time extremely interesting. A. Krakowski spoke about his experience being expelled from Poland during anti-Semitic purges in 1968 and his cultural roots.
The interview with the director provides a picture of the current Polish film industry and its contribution to the international film market. Professor Krakowski has film experience in both the Polish and international markets. The topic adequately corresponds to the ongoing, international european film research conducted under the Reboot project.
The sinister aspects of reindeer as representatives of the mythical northern wilderness
This year Sámi activists in Norway have been protesting the parliament’s inaction concerning a wind farm in Fosen district: the Supreme court declared it illegal in 2021 but the turbines have remained in place. The district was important reindeer winter grazing area but now it’s unusable. Plans for even bigger farm have been on the makes in Rastigaisa fell area. Many Sámi organisations, locals and environmental groups have condemned the park as detrimental to reindeer herding, local wildlife and Sámi traditions.
These kind of projects with other land claims have for decades been devastating to the northern areas of Nordic countries, yet still the North is often depicted as untouched wilderness. This is one of the justifications for building the Rastigaisa farm: the place is considered empty .
The North can seem uninhabited when gazed from outside and this myth has a long history in Finland. First European travelers and artists got interested in northern landscapes and in the 19th century their work circulated back to the area that is now Finland. Southern Finnish artists and writers saw the distant and rugged landscapes with new eyes, and some travelled north to experience the place themselves. (Ridanpää 2019, 128; Saarinen 2011, 112.) To visitors the North became either a pure, mystical, comical or grotesque place in its wildness, and this tendency can also be seen in Finnish films, such as The White Reindeer (1952) and Lapland Odyssey (2010) (Hiltunen 2019, 89; 99).
The Finnish wildlife film Tale of the Sleeping Giants (2021, Tunturin tarina) – on which I am working on a research article for my dissertation in University of Jyväskylä – utilises this tradition. The film, directed by Marko Röhr who co-wrote it with Antti Tuuri, is part of a nature film trilogy with Tale of a Forest (2012) and Tale of a Lake (2016). In Sleeping Giants, the narrator journeys North to learn the stories of fells. In the film we see animals, but most of all, the magnificent landscapes of the North, without a trace of human presence, as is the convention in wildlife films (Chris 2006).
Queer utopias in coming-of-age films: Finding a place to breathe in contemporary European LGBTQ+ cinema
With breath comes imagination. With breath comes possibility. If queer politics is about freedom, it might simply mean the freedom to breathe. (Ahmed 2010, 120)
When I was young, I saw Lukas Moodysson’s film Fucking Åmål (1998), and it affected me strongly. The story of two teenage girls reflecting on their identity seemed very relatable. The small Swedish town depicted in the film was like my hometown in Finland in the 1990s. The life depicted in the film could have been mine. Sometimes, in that life, it was difficult to breathe. Since then, I have learned to immerse myself in films and art, and it has been easier. I think there is something universal in my experience.
In my Master’s thesis, I research queer autobiographical photography. One of my main interests in the field is queer lives as the subject of art. Perhaps that is the reason I have recently returned to watching queer coming-of-age films.
Last summer, I watched several recently released European LGBTQ+ films. The ones that stayed lingering in my mind were two coming-of-age stories: Valerie Bisscheroux’s Anne+ (2021) and Marta Karwowska´s Fanfik (2023). I would like to highlight a few common features in them. I wonder if a film can be considered a place in which one can breathe in peace.
… And, action! Stakeholders´ workshop towards a more accessible, competitive, diverse, and inclusive European film industry
The European film industry (EFI) stands at the intersection of the EU cultural and market policy agendas. In light of its multi-layered nature, having an insight into the operationalisation of the EFI and developing strategies to boost its competitiveness – while remaining loyal to the EU values, principles, and norms – require the use of a panoply of methodological tools that could reflect the spectrum of diverse policy and normative frameworks and the greatly various stakeholder perspectives and sector-specific needs and expectations. The REBOOT project constitutes an academic response to this need. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach to analyse the multi-faceted and complex governance models that inform the EFI, REBOOT also pays particular attention to the policy and legal dimensions of this phenomena.
To provide a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the EU legal framework on the EFI, its institutional context and the policies that inform film-making activities in Europe, SSSA has joined forces with ELIAMEP (Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy) and the University of Vienna . SSSA is conducting an extensive mapping of the enablers and disablers for the competitiveness of the EFI created by EU and Member States’ laws in the fields of copyright, media, cultural heritage, data protection and open data policies. The systematic overview and detailed legal analysis of these subjects will help highlighting how and to what extent the Union effectively supports or hinders stakeholders’ creative engagement with cultural and creative materials. This study will be complemented by the mapping of EU values, principles, and rules on equality and non-discrimination, cultural diversity, and pluralism, which will allow identifying the legal leverages that may be used to achieve a more accessible, competitive, diverse, and inclusive EFI.
To this end, SSSA devised an eight-staged thematic model, which builds upon the consensus on the five stages of the film-making process, and includes (i) development, (ii) pre-production, (iii) production, (iv) post-production, (v) distribution, (vi) exhibition in traditional venues, (vii) exhibition in alternative and digital venues, and (ix) preservation. For each stage, an evidence-based and research-supported brainstorming was performed to come up with a preliminary list of key areas from which legal hurdles and disputes may arise.
Bridging Latin America and Europe: The SIMRA Seminar on Audiovisual Services and Regulation
On May 24th and 25th, the International Seminar on Market and Regulation of Audiovisual Services (SIMRA) took place in the city of Bucaramanga, Colombia. The event, titled ‘Strategies, Market and Regulation of Audiovisual Services on the Internet: Dialogue between Latin America and Europe’, was co-organised by three Colombian entities – the Ministry for the Information and Communications Technologies (MinTIC), the Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) and the regional public television operator Canal TRO – in collaboration with the Audiovisual Diversity research group from Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M, Spain) and the Latin American Observatory of Media Regulation and Convergence (Observacom).
Over the course of eight sessions, experts from Colombia, Spain, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and France engaged in discussions and shared studies on the implications of the growth of video-on demand (VOD) services. They explored its impact on public media and the traditional audiovisual industry, its influence on audiences, and the need for new regulatory actions, among other topics.
The event featured the participation of Luis Albornoz and María Trinidad García Leiva, professor-researchers at UC3M’s University Institute of Spanish Cinema and the researchers responsible for the execution of the European project REBOOT - Reviving, Boosting, Optimising and Transforming European Film Competitiveness .
Dr. Albornoz presented partial results of the ongoing research conducted by the ‘Audiovisual Diversity’ research group at UC3M regarding the presence of Spanish works in the catalogues of five US-based subscription video-on-demand services (SVOD): Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney+ and Apple TV+. During his presentation, Albornoz highlighted the number of Spanish films available on these platforms. In January of this year, the combined catalogues of these five services offered over 1,200 feature-length films including fiction, documentaries and animated movies.
Prime Video, from Amazon, is the service that features the highest number of Spanish audiovisual productions: there are 751 works - including international co-productions with Spanish capital involvement - out of a total of 4,869 titles, which accounts for 15.4 percent of the catalogue. Of these 751 Spanish titles, 73 percent (551 titles) are different types of feature-length films. On the other hand, Apple TV+ falls at the opposite end among the services studied. At the beginning of the current year, its catalogue, consisting of 150 titles, offered only three international co-productions with Spanish capital presence, one of which is a fictional feature film.
Cinematography and Society
In Conversation With Kujtim Çashku
Which of the powerful creations has left the deepest impact on our memories and consciousness from our early childhood onwards? Who has influenced us the most as we've grown - literature, art, or cinema? These questions, if still asked, are not simple to answer. But it's hard to deny that films, the moving image, has been a monumental force for transformation in our society. The powerful messages that are still vividly etched in our memories often come from the small screen, primarily the screen that keeps shrinking today, into the handheld devices we all carry around, be it an Apple or Android. I've always thought that writers have hundreds of pages at their disposal to express themselves. In contrast, a filmmaker, director, or producer has only a few minutes, perhaps up to 120, but still, a limited time to convey what they have in their mind. How do they do it? Especially today, with the significant changes, where characters are no longer the people, but ideas are.
With these thoughts in mind, I embarked on a journey to meet an intriguing figure in Albanian art and cinema, the advocate for human rights through film, director Kujtim Çashku. He's a cultural cosmopolitan stretched across two eras - one half under the censorship of the communist regime with the shield of socialist realism and the other in freedom. Professor Çashku founded the first film school in Albania (2004) and in 2006 he created the international Human Rights Film Festival .
The focus of the conversation was on a very important matter: the relationship between cinema and society today, seen through a broader lens, and to understand how this industry speaks in/to our times. So, the conversation moved in three directions: culture, competition/economics, and technology. What is competitiveness, and what is it today in itself? What has changed in the past 10 to 15 years? Innovations and technology, were some of the questions.
In the trajectory of the cinema's transformations and identity, according to Professor Çashku, the culture of image, seen from a broader perspective that delves into concerns, is assuming dimensions that are completely reshaping what are known as the three key moments in human relations: information, formation, and communication. Regarding this matter, he raises significant questions. Firstly, and most importantly, there's the management of a unique kind of wealth deeply intertwined with culture of image, with cinematography. Çashku asserts, "We have images that have created a wealth of their own over a century, and it's still a question as to how this will be managed. In the sense of whether they will be part of the dimension and dynamics that image culture currently has, or will the image remain an ephemeral, extraordinary product that doesn't provide an opportunity for reflection?" So, according to Prof. Çashku, the rapid bombardment with this type of culture of image may not leave much room for the development of reflective culture and is less likely to foster a culture of vision. Because, as he explains, "extraordinary events don't give you much time to have a clear and grand vision of the future. And when we talk about the future, we focus on children and young people, which, whether we like it or not, we can say that, in terms of the potentially beneficial or harmful way it can unfold, it comes largely uncalculated."
So, the way we deal with images is a matter deeply connected to reflection, both philosophically and artistically, as well as societally and historically. In them, we find a body of information that we choose to elaborate on. We must be able to turn these reflections into processes of shaping and adaptation.