The Framings and Strategies of Cinema Professionals. Report on “International Market” in the European Film Industry

In the current global audiovisual landscape, the concept of competitiveness has gained growing prominence in European policy agendas. Competitiveness is often invoked as a guiding principle for funding schemes, international promotion strategies, and industrial frameworks. However, definitions of what makes the European Film Industry (EFI) competitive remain ambiguous and contested. At the same time, intensified global circulation of content and shifting market approaches
– particularly the growing influence of international co-productions, transnational VOD platforms, and emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) – have reshaped the terrain in which the EFI operates. These developments make it increasingly necessary to understand how the international market is understood and negotiated by professionals working within the EFI and how these perceptions influence their strategies. This REBOOT report responds to that need, by offering a bottom-up analysis of how film professionals conceptualise competitiveness, engage with the international market, and perceive the main opportunities and structural challenges confronting the sector.
To address these questions, the study adopts a political-sociological approach, which treats policy and industry dynamics as socially and politically embedded processes shaped by competing interests, values, and institutional contexts. The study combines quantitative and qualitative methods: a pan-European survey (n = 432) conducted between November 2024 and February 2025, and 37 in-depth semi-structured interviews carried out from January to August 2024. Interviewees included producers, distributors, VOD professionals, sales agents, public officials, and other key stakeholders. The research also incorporated participant observation during the 2024 Locarno Film Festival’s professional programme, Locarno Pro, with a focus on debates around AI, co-production, and independent financing. This mixed-method design enables a comprehensive account of how professionals understand, navigate, and shape the changing dynamics of the EFI.