Day 4 of the Lab took a proactive approach collaboration between exhibitors and distributors. A sometimes productive, sometimes fraught relationship, the morning session focused on understanding distributor approaches and collaborative potential. Following a fruitful discussion, the focus shifted to brand identity and renewed marketing strategies for a new era of interactive based Comms. Emphasising clarity and coherence, speakers explained how both analogue and digital Comms can be used effectively. In the afternoon, Lab leaders Wiktoria Pelzer and Fabio Zenadocchio presented their projects and experiences supported by Europa Cinemas through the Collaborate to Innovate fund and Training Boot Camp program.

Carte blanche to distributors

Creating a distribution word cloud, Day 4 began with a brainstorming session on the role of distribution. Beyond the rights clearances and screening fees, there is localisation (subtitling/dubbing, screening and accessibility materials) and talent to manage (touring Q&As, collaborative events), as well as marketing strategies and materials to produce. Producing and disseminating physical and digital assets for the films – trailers, posters, flyers, postcards, social media ads, and other bespoke materials – can sometimes feel like two entities working independently but collaboration is essential for audience development.

Dario Bonazelli from I Wonder Pictures presented their distributor perspective within the Italian distribution market and how they collaborate with specific production companies such as A24 and Neon. Working predominantly with online and digital media for their marketing and PR release strategies, the largest segment of their investment is directed towards social media. Much like other markets, the recent release of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms has been a big success, especially among young audiences.

Frédéric Cornet from Cinema Galeries then presented short case studies from their perspective as both an exhibitor and distributor. Cornet talked about their Studio Ghibli retrospective, timed with the studio’s 40th anniversary and 4K re-release of Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997). Cornet explained how they divided the vast catalogue into sub-categories according to theme to optimise engagement. They also collaborated with local bookstores, and created bespoke trailers, teasers, posters and bookmarks for the films; spend and visibility for the season were high. Having built a distinct identity as a venue for animation films, Cinema Galeries have a strong relationship with distributors who now trust them to collaborate on and perform well with animated content; Galeries took 75% of the box office for the re-release of Angel’s Egg (Mamoru Oshii, 1985) in Belgium, for example.

Carlotta Films distribute classic titles, theatrically and on VOD and are currently developing their Asian cinema distribution offer: they have been releasing Japanese films for 20 years but are now extending their Asian film catalogue to include films from more countries, including the Philippines. Thanks to the success of high profile filmmakers such as Lav Diaz, films from the Philippines are experiencing an international moment. Vincent Paul-Boncour from Carlotta spoke about Lino Brocka’s Tinimbang (Weighted but Found Wanting, 1974) which they are re-releasing in France and world-wide. The project was a huge undertaking from negotiating the terms for world-wide release with Brocka’s nephew, who was the rights holder to shipping the original negative to the BFI archive (British Film Institute) in the UK. The materials were then sent to Bologna to the L’immagine Ritrovato laboratory where they carried out a full restoration and it is being presented at this year’s Il Cinema Ritrovato. Lab participants were also lucky enough to receive the Tinimbang re-release printed booklet and a catalogue for the re-release of the Jacques Tati films (pictured below).

Marketing and communications strategies

Christoph Fintl from the Austrian Film Museum also brought print media in the form of cult film stickers (pictured above), a combining of both traditional and new modes of communicating with film audiences. Adapting their marketing strategy to cater for younger audiences became a necessity, especially when their unique selling point of presenting films that were otherwise not accessible (due to scarcity of formats and rights), had become redundant. Young audiences are adept at accessing films online and with the rise in restorations and re-releases in the theatrical market, the Film Museum had to enact change: “It was difficult to get everyone to accept that major changes were needed,” Fintl said, explaining how they engaged an external marketing strategist to help them create a new, structured approach to focus on specific target audiences and communication channels. “The focus shifted to enhancing access, discoverability, and relevance for new and younger audiences,” Fintl said, “whilst maintaining our organisational goals.” They also hired a dedicated social media marketing person to help with their chief task of translating a complex curated programme structure into easy to understand highlights and videos – for retrospectives that can include up to 50 titles. Engaging with their institutional work – sharing behind-the-scenes insights and their restoration work, as well as highlighting their membership programme and joining Letterboxd – the Austrian Film Museum have been able to foster a sense of community and belonging among their audience through more interactive engagement. “The films themselves are no longer enough,” Fintl said.

Filmhuis Cavia are a volunteer-run cinema, and their team of marketing volunteers are around seven strong, with no specifically assigned tasks outside of their website and newsletter. New audiences often cite Cineville or being brought along by friends as their gateway in. Along with Cineville, their events are showcased on Amsterdam Alternative and in Der Filmkrant as well through printed materials and merchandise – Cava sell tote bags with their cinema branding and give them to visiting filmmakers, too. They have a well-kept archive of promotional posters and other printed materials from the 1980s and 1990s, capturing what Hava Masaeva calls “their anarchistic energy” and which she is trying to revive for use in their contemporary Comms, including the reuse of an historic Cavia logo. Building a recognisable visual identity with their flat organisational structure that values all personal opinions and input equally has its challenges, but it is also this non-hierarchical structure that enables them to be so actively and fluidly in conversation with both their history and their audiences.

Jacopo Fiorancio, from Circuito Cinema Bologna, a group of four cinemas in the city – Europa, Odeon, Rialto and Roma – all of which are located within the old city walls, presented their challenges and changes in brand identity as a group of independents. Though they have a rich history in the city, including with the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival, their brand awareness across the city was close to non-existent. Drawing up the pros and cons of group versus venue-based brand identity, they decided to update their logo, website and social media. A more playful tone of voice in their written Comms and creating their own promotional materials (instead of using those from the distributors) they were able to create a clear, visible brand identity for their cinemas. Surveys and data collection on audience behaviours is also helping them build a stronger picture of how to move forward with removing barriers to entry and improving accessibility to their cinemas.

How can Europa Cinemas help?

Collaborate to Innovate is a project support fund, created with financial support from the Creative Europe MEDIA programme of the European Commission. Created in 2021 to support cinemas in the recovery period post-Covid, it supports exhibitor projects that find new and fresh ways to engage audiences in a sustainable way. Innovation can sometimes be an obfuscating term but, using the Harvard Business School definition of innovation, it can be understood as: “A product, service, business model, or strategy that’s both novel and useful. Innovations don’t have to be major breakthroughs in technology or new business models; they can be as simple as upgrades to a company’s customer service or features added to an existing product.” Within the CTI framework, adapting an existing project within the network is possible, but it must be innovative for your cinema and film exhibition context. The fund supports up to €120,000 per project (giving 80% or 90% of the total project support depending on country category classification).

Training Boot Camps are a newer initiative, launched in 2024, also financially supported by the Creative Europe MEDIA programme. It supports skills development through self-established local training activities. Boot Camps should respond to a need in each context and can also be a helpful way to find collaborators for future CTI projects, responding to shared problems that require innovation to solve. Unlike the annual call for CTI applications, Training Boot Camps is a rolling fund and it’s possible to apply at any time. Previous Boot Camps have focused on marketing, branding and Comms; loyalty tools and practices; AI use in workflows.

Further information about both initiatives, along with specific case studies and application guidelines can be found on the Europa Cinemas website.

Following the CTI and Boot Camp presentations, participants worked in groups to brainstorm CTI projects responding to common problems experienced in their cinemas. Examples from the afternoon included: “Cinema for Everyone” – working on accessibility and inclusivity; “Sustain your audience” boot camp to explicate data-driven approaches that inform marketing for audience development; “Reviving your projector” to engage cinemas in a technical skills development boot camp on both analogue and digital projection formats; a CTI project titled “Films on the Road” that would enable touring films with talent to be simultaneously live streamed to other cinemas; training on the use of AI tools for Comms and marketing; fundraising training, volunteer co-ordination strategies, and other data analysis strategies that can inform and improve audience development. Collaboration is clearly at the heart of exhibitor-driven audience development. A live practice that, through its need to constantly problem-solve, is inherently energetic and innovative.