Policy Roundtable Meeting

D7.4 Policy Roundtable Meeting Project: Reviving, Boosting, Optimising and Transforming European Film Competitiveness - REBOOT Grant Agreement: 101094796 - HORIZON-CL2-2022-HERITAGE-01 Authors: Gentiana Ramadani, Katharine Sarikakis (UNIVIE) Reviewers: Melis Behlil, Ruken Doğu Erdede (KHAS) Object D7.4 WP WP7 Deliverable Lead UNIVIE Type R — Document, report Dissemination Level PU – public Version 1.0 Public Database on EU laws and cross-national frameworks 1 Metadata Project Reviving, Boosting, Optimising and Transforming European Film Competitiveness - REBOOT Project Coordinator Katharine Sarikakis (UNIVIE) Acronym REBOOT Programme Horizon Europe Call HORIZON-CL2-2022-HERITAGE-01 Grant Agreement No. 101094796 Licensing terms CC BY 4.0 DOI https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17670708 Author(s) Gentiana Ramadani, Katharine Sarikakis (UNIVIE) Reviewer(s) Melis Behlil,Ruken Doğu Erdede Title Policy Roundtable Meeting Deliverable No. D7.4 WP No. WP7 Deliverable Lead UNIVE Type R - Document, report Dissemination Level Public Version 1.0 Description The policy roundtable discussion explores the evolution of the European Union’s policies, interventions and concrete practices in the film and broader audiovisual sector, with particular attention to how the EU has conceptualised and promoted the “competitiveness” of the European Film Industry within a rapidly changing technological and socio-economic landscape. Keywords REBOOT; European Film Industry; Stakeholders; funding framework; diversity; cultural value; creative ecosystem Language English Public Database on EU laws and cross-national frameworks 2 Table of contents Project Description!....................................................................................................................................................................!3! Executive Summary!.................................................................................................................................................................!4! 1.!Introduction!..........................................................................................................................................................................!5! 2.!Key messages!...................................................................................................................................................................!7! 2.1 Independence as the core value of European cinema ............................................................ 7 2.2 Diversity, representation, and freedom of expression under threat ........................................ 8 3.!Summary of discussion!..................................................................................................................................................!8! 3.1. Rethinking cultural and economic value ................................................................................ 9 3.2. Structural imbalances and policy gaps .................................................................................. 9 3.3. The challenge of overproduction ............................................................................................ 9 3.4. Rethinking “success” and measuring impact ....................................................................... 10 3.5. The digital shift and platform dependency ........................................................................... 10 3.6. Inclusion, diversity, and new generations ............................................................................ 10 3.7. Freedom, risk and regulation ............................................................................................... 11 3.8. The question of who takes the risk ...................................................................................... 12 4.!Reflections!........................................................................................................................................................................!12! Public Database on EU laws and cross-national frameworks 3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION This report is part of the REBOOT project (Reviving, Boosting, Optimising and Transforming European Film Competitiveness), which focuses on the European audiovisual sector and its film industry. The REBOOT project aims to connect their strengths, identify and overcome weaknesses, and plan for future competitiveness in the fields of policy, practices and experiences. More concretely, the project’s objectives are, on the one hand, to explore the long-standing strengths and pervasive gaps in European audiovisual competitiveness and policies for competitiveness-including ways of ‘measuring’, ‘analysing’ and ‘evaluating’ the impact of policies and strategic pathways. The project aspires to focus attention on actively preparing for the future by exploring audience preferences and how these are generated, as well as modes of film content production. The latter are elements which today’s youth will carry and engage with in the coming decades as makers and consumers, as well as industry and policy leaders. The project therefore interrogates the ‘what is’, but also the ‘what has been’ and ‘what will be’ through fresh lenses. REBOOT aims to provide a holistic overview of the European film industry, focusing on maximising its existing strengths while developing strategies and tactics to optimise the potential of European youth audiences, both as emerging viewers and as engaged citizens. Specifically, the project’s goals combine several dimensions which reinforce each other but are listed separately (and in no particular order) for analytical purposes: a) increasing support intended to increase young people’s engagement with European film; b) strengthening the position of the European Union (EU) in the global audiovisual economy, particularly in light of the rise of video-on-demand; c) supporting cultural diversity in the EU film industry; d) addressing the need for a different understanding of competitiveness and relevant indicators in this context; and e) recognising and supporting the importance for the EU of film and, more broadly, of the cultural and creative sector as a geopolitical asset. Public Database on EU laws and cross-national frameworks 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report corresponds to Deliverable 7.4, which focuses on the “policy roundtable” held as part of the Reboot Conference. The roundtable explored the evolution of the European Union’s policies and interventions in the film and broader audiovisual sector, with particular attention to how the EU has conceptualised and promoted the “competitiveness” of the European Film Industry within a rapidly changing technological and socio-economic landscape. The objective of the policy roundtable was to connect Reboot’s research findings with policy practice, facilitating dialogue between researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals. The session aimed to identify how evidence generated through the project can contribute to shaping future European film and cultural policies that are both responsive and forward-looking. By bringing together diverse voices from across Europe and internationally, the discussion sought to transform academic insights into actionable policy recommendations. The roundtable emphasised the need for inclusivity, sustainability, and democratic governance in the European film ecosystem, highlighting pathways to strengthen cultural and economic resilience in the years to come. Public Database on EU laws and cross-national frameworks 5 1. INTRODUCTION A dedicated two-hour policy roundtable at the REBOOT conference, moderated by Univ.-Prof. Katharine Sarikakis, brought together leading voices from across Europe’s film institutions and beyond to reflect on the most pressing challenges facing the European film industry. The discussion, moderated as part of the project’s milestone on stakeholder engagement, aimed to test key findings emerging from earlier workshops and to explore the broader policy and governance questions shaping the industry’s future. It served as a moment for reflection and dialogue, building directly on the research findings presented during the first half of the event. The questions guiding the discussion were drawn from the sessions’ results, ensuring a coherent link between empirical insights and policy debate. The policy roundtable presented an evidence-based exchange on how to address the sector’s structural challenges and identify pathways toward a more sustainable and inclusive European film ecosystem. Participants included representatives from public film bodies, professional associations, and academia, among them Roland Teichmann (Austrian Film Institute), Juliette Prissard (Eurocinema, Belgium), Rodrigo Gomez (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico), Mafalda Dâmaso (European University Institute and Erasmus University), and Marion Schmidt (Cultural Manager, Documentary Association of Europe, Germany). The debate centered on questions of independence, competitiveness, diversity, and public value in European cinema, emphasizing the vital connection between policy frameworks and creative freedom. Katharine Sarikakis is a professor of Communication Science at the University of Vienna, Department of Communication. She has held positions as Santander Chair of Excellence at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, visiting senior fellow at London School of Economics and Political Science, affiliate fellow at University of Witwatersrand among others. She has consulted with international organisations such as the Council of Europe and Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and has received the Jean Monnet Chair and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence awards for research and policy on European integration in the fields of democracy and communication. Her research interests include media governance, media organisation and media industries. In 2011, she established the Media Governance and Industries Research Lab that she currently leads. She has consulted with local and national authorities and international organisations, such as the Council of Europe, European Parliament, OSCE and the UN on matters of culture, freedom of expression, journalism, hate speech and regulation and gender violence. Public Database on EU laws and cross-national frameworks 6 Juliette Prissard serves as General Delegate of EUROCINEMA, representing and advancing the interests of European film and audiovisual producers. She joined the organisation in 2019 as Director of European Affairs and was appointed General Delegate in 2021. Her previous roles include General Delegate of the Syndicat des Producteurs Indépendants (SPI), Director of the Cultural Action Center at the SACD, and Deputy Director of the Syndicat National des Scènes Publiques (SNSP). Earlier in her career, she worked as an in-house lawyer for Ciby 2000 and Bac Films, and as a legal specialist in cinema and audiovisual law at Taylor Wessing. Mafalda Dâmaso is a Researcher at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and the European University Institute. Her work focuses on EU cultural policy, cultural diplomacy, and visual culture, bridging academic research and policymaking. She contributes as a policy expert to the EU consortium CultureForHealth.eu and has previously served as Research Fellow at the University of Southern California’s Center on Public Diplomacy, Culture and Foreign Policy expert at ifa (Germany) and consultant for the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. Her research advances understanding of culture’s role in governance and diplomacy. Marion Schmidt is a cultural manager, consultant, and facilitator working across film, culture and the NGO sector to promote equity, safety, and collaboration. She co-founded the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE), where she served as Co-Director from 2020 to 2024 and now acts as Board Member and Senior Consultant. She leads the #DocSafe initiative for safer working conditions in the documentary field and advises the DW Akademie Film Department. With nearly two decades of international experience, she works with festivals, markets, and institutions as a consultant, mentor, and coach, fostering inclusive and sustainable cultural practice. Rodrigo Gómez is Professor of Communication Policies and Industries at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Cuajimalpa (Mexico). His research examines the critical political economy of communication, focusing on ownership structures and public policy in media industries. From 2014 to 2022, he chaired the Political Economy Section of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). He is co-editor of the book and series Global Media Giants (Routledge, 2017), contributing extensively to international scholarship on media power, regulation and the dynamics of global communication industries. Roland Teichmann is the Director of the Austrian Film Institute. At the helm of the institute since 2004, he oversees national film funding, policy development and international cooperation within the Public Database on EU laws and cross-national frameworks 7 European audiovisual sector. He began his career at the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, later becoming Managing Director of the Association of the Audiovisual and Film Industry. He represents Austria in Eurimages and the European Film Agency Directors Association (EFAD) and serves on the boards of EAVE and the Austrian Film Commission. His work focuses on strengthening collaboration, policy alignment, and the competitiveness of the European film industry. Teichmann has among other publications co-edited the Springer Handbook of State Aid for Film (Murschetz, Teichmann, & Karmasin, 2018). The REBOOT Conference attracted strong engagement both in person and online. On Day 1, 45 participants attended physically, followed by 47 on Day 2. Online participation was also significant, with a total of 742 cumulative live streams and 406 unique viewers across both days. These figures reflect the conference’s broad reach and the high level of interest from stakeholders and audiences across Europe in the discussions on the future of the film industry. 2. KEY MESSAGES 2.1 Independence as the core value of European cinema Roland Teichmann opened the discussion by identifying independence as the foremost challenge and defining value of the European film industry. He highlighted the growing pressures threatening this independence, from economic constraints and market consolidation to political influence and regulatory complexity. Teichmann underscored that Europe’s distinctive filmmaking identity rests upon its capacity to sustain independent voices free from global market homogenisation. He also questioned the criteria defining a “European film,” noting that even large-scale, U.S.-backed productions often qualify for European funding under current “cultural tests.” This, he argued, undermines the intent of public investment meant to support authentic, culturally rooted European productions. He further reflected on the political dynamics at play, observing that policymakers often favor internationally visible productions, those associated with Hollywood stars, over national or arthouse films that embody local cultural narratives. Such preferences, he suggested, reveal a lack of understanding about the true role of public film institutions and threaten the long-term integrity of Europe’s film culture. Public Database on EU laws and cross-national frameworks 8 2.2 Diversity, representation, and freedom of expression under threat Building on Teichmann’s argument, Marion Schmidt reinforced the importance of independence but warned that the values historically linked to European competitiveness, diversity, representation, freedom of expression, and public support are increasingly fragile. Drawing on her experience in the documentary sector, Schmidt described how structural racism, political polarisation, and shrinking public funding are undermining the inclusive and pluralistic ideals once central to European cinema. She referenced the wave of social movements following the murder of George Floyd in the U.S. 2020, which initially galvanised European film communities to confront systemic inequalities. However, she noted that this momentum has since declined, and many initiatives promoting diversity and anti-racism have been discontinued. Furthermore, Schmidt pointed to the mounting constraints on freedom of expression, particularly in countries experiencing democratic backsliding such as Hungary, and the growing pressures on filmmakers across Europe who take critical stances on political issues, citing, as an example, the backlash in Germany surrounding discourse on Palestine. Finally, she warned that national film policies are becoming more nationalistic and less collaborative, threatening the cooperative spirit that has long defined the European film ecosystem. 3. SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION The first part of the policy roundtable set a reflective and critical tone. Participants emphasised that the European film industry’s future depends on defending its independence, both artistic and institutional, against the encroachment of commercial, political, and ideological pressures. Independence, as framed by Roland Teichmann and Marion Schmidt, is not merely a structural condition but a moral and cultural cornerstone of European cinema. The discussion also exposed a deep concern over the erosion of public support for independent filmmaking and the distortion of cultural policy objectives by global market forces. Both speakers highlighted the need for more transparent, principled, and inclusive definitions of what constitutes a “European” film and called for a renewed commitment to public value, cultural diversity, and democratic openness within audiovisual policy frameworks. Public Database on EU laws and cross-national frameworks 15 REBOOT Contributors