15/01/2010

For over a year, Belgian professionals have been reflecting on the problems of distribution of domestic films in Francophone Belgium. Although several surveys have been carried out, focusing in particular on the number of movie theatres, the difficult question of better distribution remained very abstract due to an important unknown factor: public opinion.

The Film and Audiovisual Centre of the Belgian French Community therefore commissioned a study carried out last September: Belgian cinema’s image among the Belgian Francophone population.

While the recent success of The Barons [+see also:
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film profile], and the hopes pinned on Mr. Nobody [+see also:
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interview: Jaco Van Dormael
film profile], encourage us to put the all-too-often gloomy reports into perspective, the general feeling is that Francophone audiences are disconnected from their cinema. The results of the study shed valuable light on the issue.

It is observed that Belgian cinema currently suffers from a real lack of recognition, and its low-key promotion is curbing the enthusiasm of audiences. When asked about their perception of Belgian cinema, the latter cite almost in unison the Dardenne brothers and Benoît Poelvoorde.

It’s clear that their knowledge of domestic film is rather outdated and is confined to titles of yesteryear, such as Rosetta, Man Bites Dog and The Eighth Day. The situation is even more worrying among young people. When asked to name a Belgian director, 60% of youngsters had nothing to say.

Obviously, audiences’ attraction to Belgian cinema needs to be contextualised within an overall approach that has more to do with consumption than culture. Only 6% of Francophone Belgians go to the cinema more than once a month (finding audiences for the ten or so films released every week is thus like looking for a needle in a haystack), and 50% of them combine this outing with a visit to a fast-food restaurant.

Moreover, the most popular films among audiences are comedies (39%), action films (34%) and romantic films (17%): this is hardly the core of Belgian production.

The Film and Audiovisual Centre has thus announced its intention to try to improve recognition of Belgian cinema, by hiring a marketing expert, and increase exhibition, by supporting theatres so that they extend the visibility of films, and by helping to improve parallel distribution networks.

(Translated from French)