23/09/2013 - The new programme Creative Europe will focus on audience development, aiming to increase the demand for European movies

At the Filmkunstmesse in Leipzig, the MEDIA programme representative Irina Orssich (photo) announced that the European Commission plans to support film events in order to attract a larger audience for European films. “Our new programme Creative Europe will put a focus on audience development,” reports Irina Orssich. After European films have been offered in the cinemas, from now on the approach is to increase the demand for European movies.

A new European study on audience development is supposed to give some indication of the likes and dislikes of European citizens. A total of 4,608 Europeans from countries such as Germany, France, Spain, Great Britain, Italy, Denmark, Poland, Romania, Croatia and Lithuania have been asked when, where and what kind of films they like to see and which genres and themes they prefer.

86 percent of the participants have access to a cinema in a circuit of one kilometre. A result of the study is that 60 percent of all the participants are downloading films online from time to time because they don’t want to pay for them.

In order to attract an audience for European films, MEDIA will start a pilot project that supports events for European films that have been suggested for the Academy Award, presented at A-listed festivals or were already a national box office hit. “The idea is to select ten movies from five different territories that will be shown in five territories,” points out Irina Orssich. “A Q&A with the director could be transmitted into the theatres in the other cities via Skype. Our aim is to offer much more than just a movie. “The event is not limited to theatrical distribution, it can also take place on TV or VoD.”

The industry representatives in Leipzig discussed the practicability of this pilot project. Renate Rose, managing director of European Film Promotion, reported about her experience with the project “Picture Europe”. In 2007 and 2008 her organization released European films in major capitals but the project ended due to the lack of financial support. “The rights clearing with the world sales, the subtitling but also the transport of the prints were so extravagant”, reported Rose, “that it would have been impossible for us to show the films simultaneously in the different countries.” “This project should start with no more than three territories,” sums up German art house exhibitor Matthias Elwardt, “because an event like this is Europe at it’s most difficult.”