European Film Academy x CRESCINE: MEMBERS SURVEY 2023

Most European film professionals say: “I want to develop, but I am not capable of doing so.”

The first public CresCine survey, led by CresCine partner European Film Academy says most European film professionals feel keen to train themselves to stay competitive, but knowledge about the possibilities and the funds to participate are lacking.

This is one of the most striking findings from the extensive survey among all 4500+ members of the European Film Academy, which was conducted in May 2023, with the aim of getting more insights about membership background, expectations, and circumstances. More than 900 Academy members responded to this first collaboration from the Academy within the CresCine framework, and leading to the first public findings of the program.

According to Matthijs Wouter Knol, CEO and Director of the European Film Academy: “We’ve measured the temperature in Europe. The learnings of this first survey among all European Film Academy members in 52  countries give valuable insights and are relevant for all in the European film industry. We see our members are keen to participate and feel the urge to stay part of the game, but the reality is that many feel insecure financially and do not know where to look for suitable training. At the same time, Academy members are open to change, and growing aware of the new chances a more sustainable, diverse, and inclusive industry offer. As European Film Academy, the survey offers us concrete tools to further improve our infrastructure,  key events, and membership engagement in the upcoming years.”

Sten-Kristian Saluveer, CresCine’s industry liaison and CEO of Estonia-based Storytek Innovation & Venture  Studio adds: “The European film industry needs data-driven decision-making to stay relevant in a global landscape that is becoming hyper-competitive for talent, content, and audiences. The data from the  survey undertaken by the European Film Academy as part of the CresCine project outlines clearly the state  of the industry calling for more upskilling, but also provides the decision-makers hard evidence to prioritize  education as a key element for success.” 

Ten learnings from European Film Academy members out of the survey  

Skills 
1.) 85% of respondents are keen on developing themselves further but are not well-informed about the possibilities in Europe to broaden their horizons. Most respondents keep themselves updated at festivals, conferences, or workshops (but visit these rarely). EAVE is the best-known training program, followed by ACE Producers, which shows that most of the respondents are producers trained at EAVE and ACE, and the awareness of respondents of other established training and upskilling programs is limited. 

2.) Only 20% of all respondents feel secure about their position in the industry when it comes to future perspectives or about their financial capacity to stay up-to-date and competitive. 80 % of all respondents do not feel secure within the industry and cannot attend training programs, even if they want to. Only 30% of all respondents indicate they have the financial support to participate in training programs. 

Diversity & Inclusion 
3.) More than 80% of all respondents think that the increase in diversity & inclusion within the European film industry is important. Almost 50% of the participating Academy members value the European  Film Academy's efforts towards promoting diversity and inclusion in its work. However, 25% think the European Film Academy is doing a very good job in this respect, and the other 75% indicate they don’t know or that work can be improved. Racism and sexism (57%), the need for non-stereotyped storytelling (40%), and easy accessibility to the industry through fair distribution in funding (25%) are seen as the biggest issues in European cinema. 

Sustainability 
4.) More than 50% of all correspondents consider a transition to a sustainable European film industry important. When it comes to sustainability, the reduction of carbon emissions, fair labor practices/social equity, as well as the sustainable sourcing of materials and products, are most often mentioned as the most crucial topics. 

Gender division
5.) Almost 60% of all respondents are not in favor of gender-neutral acting awards. 

Documentary vs fiction 
6.) More than 60% of all respondents wish documentary films to have the possibility to be also considered in the category “European Film of the Year” (instead of only being able to compete in the category  “European Documentary”). 

The Academy
7.) More than 50% of all respondents would like to engage more with the work of the European Film  Academy and participate actively in one of the Academy programs and projects. 

8.) 70% of all respondents wish for member chapters to be introduced (e.g., an editor chapter, production designer chapter, screenwriter chapter, etc.). Now, 48% of all members are open to considering the future chapters to decide on the nominations in specific award categories. 

9.) More than 50% of all respondents are happy with the Academy VOD Platform but would like to have more time to watch films to feel more entitled and encouraged to participate in voting. The Academy  VOD Platform is mostly watched on a laptop or computer by all respondents.

A cinephile Academy 
10.) More than 50% of all respondents consider themselves a cinephile and watch more than 70 films per year. More than 50% of all respondents watch most of these films on various streaming platforms (mentioned are Netflix, Amazon Prime, MUBI, Disney+, Paramount+, or others). More than 80% of all respondents agree that the European film industry should turn the existence of streaming platforms into its benefit. 

See an interactive overview of survey findings below.

About the European Film Academy 

The European Film Academy seeks to support and connect its 4,600 members and celebrates and  promotes their work. Its aims are to share knowledge and to educate audiences of all ages about  European cinema. Positioning itself as a leading organization and facilitating crucial debates within the  industry, the Academy strives to unite everyone who loves European cinema, culminating annually in  the Month of European Film and the European Film Awards, by including European film heritage in its  portfolio and by expanding its focus on young audiences through the European Film Club.