Horizon Europe - Cluster 2 - Destination 2 - "Increase the potential of the international competitiveness of the European filmmaking industry"

The Commission estimates that an EU contribution of between EUR 3.00 and 4.00 million would allow these outcomes to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of a proposal requesting different amounts.

The total indicative budget for the topic is EUR 12.00 million.

Research and Innovation Actions

Expected Outcome:

Projects should contribute to at least two of the following expected outcomes:

- New knowledge on the needs and developments of the European filmmaking industry, including its various sub-sectors of pre-production, production, post-production and distribution.

- Provide innovative policy scenarios and tools, including digital ones, for the economic recovery of the sub-sectors affected by the economic recession and the COVID-19 crisis, as well as ways to prevent unemployment in the sector.  Increase further the competitiveness of the European filmmaking industry in the international arena.

- Provide evidence of the users/viewers preferences on filmmaking, as well as limitations to identifying their preferences, in order to widen and diversify audiences.

- Identify a methodology to better understand the users/viewers preferences on filmmaking.

- Promote European cultural activity and cultural diversity.

Scope:

The European filmmaking industry is a significant sector of the cultural and creative industries and an important element of European economic growth and wellbeing. The filmmaking sector encompasses a considerable number of small and medium-size enterprises, which contribute with sizeable revenues to European GDP. The sector’s presence in the international arena is dynamic. Although it is in third position on the global market, certain sub-sectors, such as the European animation sector, have a rapidly increasing capacity. However, the lack of large and vertically integrated groups able to compete internationally, in combination with the nationally-based companies that were seriously affected by the COVID19 crisis, will make it difficult for several EU companies to remain competitive in the international filmmaking industry.

Therefore, research will examine the state of the art of the European filmmaking industry, in order to analyse limitations, including institutional frameworks that prevent integration and cause fragmentation. Proposals will assess the needs and developments of the European filmmaking industry and address potentialities for further development. Proposals should study the dynamics (e.g. activity, progress) of different sub-sectors of the filmmaking industry, including the sub-sectors of pre-production, production, post-production and distribution, and analyse the reasons why some sub-sectors are less advanced than others. Elements such as geopolitical relationships should also be taken into consideration in the research. In addition, proposals should address the relevant legal framework that the filmmaking industry has to comply with, in particular related to intellectual property protection, and identify the legal challenges that the EU industry might face. A comparative assessment of the international competitiveness of the European filmmaking industry with that of main competitors (such as the USA, China, India, etc.) should be developed. Proposals should identify and pilot innovative, scalable and sustainable business models, which will enable the creators to make better use of digital and other technologies and further widen their audience. In addition, they should ensure fair competitiveness and distinctness within the European film environment. Research should also identify how the COVID-19 pandemic, the counter measures and the economic recession have affected those sub-sectors and their workforce, including creators and artists, and provide policy scenarios on how the filmmaking sector could face the impacts of an economic recession/crisis, in a cost efficient and effective manner, and by providing fair and sustainable working conditions. Proposals should also investigate the way in which the filmmaking sector can be organised to afford efficiently future economic recession/crisis and unemployment. This might include the identification of technologies that use data lakes, AI, block-chain and other technologies to build new, user-friendly and efficient revenue models around advertising, subscriptions and IPR protection. In this frame, research might consider collaborative platforms, collaborative advertising systems, IPR/copyright tracking systems, common metadata standards, solutions for vertical integration, content aggregation models, common Video on Demand platforms, etc. Evidence on the users/viewers preferences on filmmaking and on limitations to identify their preferences should be provided, while the proposals should identify a methodology, which will also assess the users/viewers preferences on filmmaking. Proposals should cover the activity of cinematography, as well as the wide domain of filmmaking, including TV, documentary, animation, scientific films, etc. Proposals should provide policy scenarios with recommendations for the increase of the competitiveness of the European filmmaking industry at the international arena, thus promoting the European cultural activity and cultural diversity.