Autumn 2015 consultation on the artistic film congestion - key questions and vicious circles

Is this now what some warned about a few years ago when film screening in the Netherlands was digitised? More titles are being released than ever, but the smaller artistic film is getting squeezed. A luxury problem perhaps, but still thorny enough for the 2015 Autumn Consultation.

This annual discussion meeting organised by Ketelhuis and Filmkrant around burning issues in the film industry was entirely devoted to distribution and screening of artistic film last night. Invited representatives of distributors and film theatres looked at the matter from all sides, appeared to agree on much and often lapsed into repetition. There were no surprising new insights, fierce discussions or creative solutions.

Here are some notes anyway.

Ham questions

Alex de Ronde (director/programmer Ketelhuis) formulated some key questions.

1. Some attractive arthouse titles go out in Amsterdam with seven or eight copies. Does this penalise smaller films?
2. More titles, shorter roules. Is the cultural consumer's agenda becoming overcrowded?
3. More and more films are being released. How many can a country handle?

These questions are justified. All film theatres do want to Youth, Carol or sometimes even Spectre exhibit, but to Sworn Virgin or Pasolini you have to look for with a lantern.

Vicious circles

More and more films need to find a place in theatres. Consequently, exhibitors are prolonging less and replacing one title with another more quickly. As the running time becomes shorter and the purchase price remains the same on the international market, distributors opt for release with more copies. Getting out of costs faster is the message. But all those copies only increase congestion.

Then there is the interaction between programming and audiences. If a programmer neglects the artistic mission, that knowledge is also lost on the audience. But, it was heard, he or she does have to match the offer to the audience. Or can demand actually be created, as Gerard Huisman (Contact Film) advocates. It seems to be a chicken or egg issue.

And another thing: Dutch distributors compete with each other in the international market, which drives up the price.

Figures

In 2010, 340 films were released in the Netherlands. In 2015, there will be over 390.

Youth by Paolo Sorrentino is screening in seven theatres in Amsterdam, as well as in 32 other cities. Pasolini, according to many one of Abel Ferrara's best films, has to make do with one spot in Amsterdam, among three other cities.

While A-Film went bankrupt, two new distributors joined (Periscoop and Mooov). A total of thirty-five, maybe forty, distributors operate in the Benelux. According to Pim Hermeling (De Kade in Utrecht, September Film), that's twenty too many.

An Amsterdammer goes to the cinema four to five times a year. A person from Utrecht only twice. Hermeling sees room for growth there.

Persevere

Not much will change, although De Ronde was willing to make good intentions. On the other hand, Hermeling noted that film buyers have big egos. They like having drinks together, but agreeing anything else is out of the question.

Cinemien's Babette Wijntjes called on distributors and exhibitors to make a more concerted effort to ensure the success of small, vulnerable titles. We shall see. "Hang in there!" was the advice with which De Ronde concluded.