548 research outputs found
Gatekeeping in the evolving business of independent film distribution
No full textThis book is about the business of distribution, around which the international film business revolves. Considering sales agents and distributors as primary gatekeepers, the book examines the networks in which they operate, how they operate, how their practices have evolved, and the power and control they exert over the business of independent film distribution. Critically, it also considers how they are affected by the powerful influence of Netflix and Amazon in the online era. At a time of disruption and change to traditional business models and industry professions, Roderik Smits argues that gatekeepers remain equally – if not more – crucial to the distribution and circulation of films in international market
Gatekeeping in the evolving business of independent film distribution
No full textThis book is about the business of distribution, around which the international film business revolves. Considering sales agents and distributors as primary gatekeepers, the book examines the networks in which they operate, how they operate, how their practices have evolved, and the power and control they exert over the business of independent film distribution. Critically, it also considers how they are affected by the powerful influence of Netflix and Amazon in the online era. At a time of disruption and change to traditional business models and industry professions, Roderik Smits argues that gatekeepers remain equally – if not more – crucial to the distribution and circulation of films in international markets
Beyond Netflix and Amazon: MUBI and the curation of on-demand film
No full textWhilst operating in the shadows of powerful market leaders Netflix and Amazon, the specialised subscription Video-on-Demand (VOD) platform MUBI has branded itself as a pioneering and innovative platform with a global presence in international markets. MUBI has put itself at the forefront of the evolving online market for specialised films after a period of trial and error. In particular, their business model has undergone radical change over the course of their brief history. We chart the historical development of MUBI with the purpose of analysing its business model and its role as cultural gatekeeper and tastemaker. Through a discussion of their engagement with online distribution, it becomes clear that MUBI’s platform strategies are rooted in an underlying practice and philosophy that closely aligns with conventional traditions and practices of linear and physical media delivery formats. Therefore, we argue that established practices in the physical media market have been relocated online in somewhat new and interesting ways. We also scrutinise MUBI’s response to the challenge of promoting specialised film in a crowded and volatile market. In particular, we analyse MUBI’s recent venture into the wider business of distribution and demonstrate that this strategy is needed to add promotional values to their platform.</p
Report: Distributing films online: The Farm Group, London, 27 April 2017
No full textReport of a workshop which brought together nine academics and nine industry professionals from UK universities and film companies to discuss the changing nature of distribution. The workshop focused on capturing the perspective of producers, distributors and VOD platform providers who operate at the specialist, indie end of the UK market. We explored the challenges and opportunities that this range of different actors currently face in terms of enabling film access in the online market and reaching UK audiences. The workshop was organised as part of a research scoping project supported by the University of York, which focused on examining how on-demand culture influenced the businesses of films and high-end television drama
Thinking Outside the Box, Coloring Inside the Lines: Challenges and Growth of the Dutch Film Industry
No full textThis thesis explores how filmmakers in the Netherlands, defined as directors, producers and writers, perceive the growth potential of the Dutch film industry. Using qualitative interviews with ten filmmakers and supported by a theoretical framework that includes national cinema, risks and resilience of small-nation filmmaking, funding and co-productions. The study shows a complex film industry marked by both ambition and challenges. While participants express a desire for innovation, inclusivity and international relevance, they also point to challenges that persist, such as underfunding and bureaucratic rigidity. The findings align with the Olsberg SPI (2023) report and affirm the importance of the Dutch Film Fund's new policy (2025), which focuses on quality over quantity, talent development and innovation. Growth opportunities are identified in international co-productions, alternative appliance funding models, and audience engagement. Ultimately, this research shows that understanding industry growth requires measuring quantitative output, as well as listening to experiences and opinions of filmmakers in the Dutch film industry
Cross-Cultural Feminist Identification and Character Portrayal in Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron (2023)
No full textThis study explores the intersection of cultural identity, feminist, identification, and anime character portrayal through a case study of Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron (2023). The research addresses the gap in understanding how feminist themes in anime are perceived across different, cultural contexts, specifically between Dutch and Japanese audiences. The main research question investigates the extent to which feminist, identification and cultural identity, influence, anime character, portrayal, focusing on the films character, in particularly Kiriko, who is depicted as a younger and older woman.
The study employees, a quantitative approach using surveys to collect data from Dutch and Japanese individuals who have watched the film The Boy and the Heron (2023). The survey includes questions on feminist, identification, character, and demographic information, allowing for a cross-cultural comparison. The Feminist Identification Scale by Reid & Purcell (2004) is utilized to measure feminist identification, while character portrayal is assessed, using characteristics identified by Yang et al. (2024) in their analysis of Studio Ghibli films.
The findings revealed significant cross-national differences in feminist, identification, with Dutch participants scoring higher than Japanese participants. This difference is attributed to the contrasting, cultural and governmental approaches to feminism in the Netherlands in Japan. Higher feminist, identification is associated with more positive portrayals of both young and old female characters, indicating that feminist, ideologies influence how audiences interpret gender, portrays, and media. Gender differences are also observed with male participants being more likely to negatively perceive, young female characters, highlighting the role of gender norms in media interpretation.
Interestingly, exposure to Studio Ghibli films does not significantly predict feminist, identification, suggesting that media content alone may not be sufficient to deeply rooted ideological views. This study contributes to the feminist media studies by emphasizing the importance of cultural context and personal ideologies in audience research. It highlights the need for culturally adaptable measures and highlights the global and local influences on how female characters and anime are perceived.
The research also highlights the Importance of integrating, cultural context and personal ideologies into audience research. It illustrates that while films like The Boy and the Heron (2023) provide rich, complex portrayals of female characters, their meaning is ultimately shaped in the mind of the audience. The feminist potential of media, particularly in the realm of anime, depends, not only on representation, but also on reception of cultural identity, gender, and ideological alignment intersect in powerful and unpredictable ways. By centering, both Japanese and Dutch audiences, the study offers a comparative lens on media reception that underscores the global and local influences on how we see, understand, and value, female characters in contemporary anime
Understanding the (non)audience of queer film festivals.
No full textQueer film festivals have become important cultural platforms that celebrate LGBTQ+
identities while also promoting activism, visibility, and community engagement. Despite
ongoing challenges such as global discrimination and recent legal setbacks impacting
queer communities, these festivals continue to function as alternative spaces that
challenge mainstream narratives and heteronormative frameworks. This thesis aims to
understand if queer film festivals successfully function as empowering spaces for the
queer community while engaging non-queer audiences. It explores multiple themes
including festivals as cultural institutions and as sites of activism, community and
cultural space, the public sphere and counterpublic, as well as audience engagement.
This research was conducted using survey, a quantitative method of data collection
Film distribution: A changing business
No full textThis chapter reveals the importance of the video market to processes of change and growth in the film distribution business. Film became a newly lucrative business because the demand for films in the video market grew dramatically in the 1980s. With the recent development of the digital and on-line video market, in which distributors are replaced by new gatekeepers such as digital platform providers and what are called content aggregators, the market share for on-line revenues is also growing year on year. The chapter considers: how do distributors respond to the growing on-line video market? Will digital platform providers and content aggregators become more dominant in the near future? And how does this affect film distribution processes
Tournaments of Values at the European Film Market
No full textWith film sales markets becoming increasingly popular events where the film business gathers several times each year, I argue in this paper that they should be understood as events where important gatekeeping process are taking place. That is to say, sales markets are the point where important decisions about films are made, where sales agencies negotiate access to international markets, and where they exert influence over the sort of access given to specific films. Drawing on qualitative methods such as participant observation and interviews, I develop a case study of the European Sales Market (EFM) in Berlin. I analyse value creation processes at the EFM, focusing specifically on the disposition of exhibition space and the importance of film screenings. Drawing on literature about tournaments of value, I demonstrate that sales markets endow films with significant values, exercising a powerful role over the process of enabling cultural flow. I also demonstrate that there is a symbiotic relationship between the EFM sales market and the Berlin International Film Festival, providing a context from which films can generate attention. I provide new insights into film sales processes within sales markets, and the role of sales agents in influencing such processes. I argue that sales markets exert an important influence over gatekeeping by creating social and cultural hierarchies that impact on the sales process of films
Contrôle Dynamique Multicritère des Résultats d'une Chaîne de TAL
No full text@inproceedings{CN-SMI-2006, author = {Grégory SMITS}, booktitle = {Actes de la 13e conférence sur le traitement automatique des langues (TALN06)}, editor = {UCL - Presses universitaires de Louvain}, keywords = {personal publications}, pages = {755-761}, title = {Contrôle Dynamique Multicritère des Résultats d'une Cha{î}ne de TAL}, volume = {2}, year = {2006} }National audienc
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