REPORT: Thinking Ahead on Film Institutions – Spotlight on Young Audiences. Exchange on Good Practices among European Film Funds

On 1 October, during the Young Horizons Industry forum in Warsaw, and with the support of the Polish Film Institute, representatives from 14 European film funds and agencies — including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and the UK — gathered for the Think Tank “Thinking Ahead on Film Institutions – Spotlight on Young Audiences”.

The initiative focused on how film institutions can better support, fund, and promote meaningful cinema for children and young people.

Although not all participating countries have their dedicated youth schemes, all shared a strong commitment to strengthening the young audience sector and ensuring that European stories remain accessible and relevant to future generations.

Key Questions Raised

• How can we change attitudes toward children’s film, ensuring that this is not just a tick-box exercise?
• Why are we losing the 8–15 age group, and how can we bring them back to European cinema?

Main Challenges

Participants identified key obstacles:

• Limited circulation and distribution of children’s films across European borders.
• Cultural differences that affect humour and storytelling.
• Difficulty keeping young audiences engaged with cinema traditions.
• Lack of audience awareness and data within film funds.
• Fragmented cooperation between producers, distributors, broadcasters and educators.
• Difficulty replicating successful models, such as Denmark’s, across all countries.
• Limited control over broadcasters’ priorities despite public investment.

Proposed Solutions

• Build stronger collaboration on the distribution and visibility of youth films.
• Develop shared strategies at local, national, and European levels.
• Use existing networks like the European Writers & Producers Club to push for children’s content.
• Improve coordination of public funding through quotas or benchmarks rather than seeking new money.
• Engage young people directly as consultants and test audiences.
• Invest in institutional education and dedicated staff for youth content within film funds.
• Strengthen political advocacy and industry cooperation to raise awareness of children’s cinema.
• Bring stories and IPs to platforms used by young audiences, while keeping cinema-going an aspiration.

Three Feasible Opportunities

1. Leverage Existing Structures – Activate existing structures like the European Writers Club and Producers Club and existing film markets to foster a stronger mindset for youth cinema.
2. Collaborate Across the Value Chain – Unite stakeholders from production to distribution in a European working group.
3. Include Young Audiences – Involve young people in creative processes to ensure relevance and engagement.

Shared Vision

Participants agreed that supporting young audiences is not just about more funding — it is about better coordination, smarter allocation, and a change of mindset.

Through collaboration, cultural awareness, and inclusion, European film institutions can ensure that young audiences see themselves represented on screen — in stories that reflect their culture, challenge their thinking, and inspire their imagination.

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