How does film education increase the economic and social impact of European arthouse cinema? the case of the danish initiative Med Skolen i Biografen /School Cinema

Abstract

ABSTRACT Focusing on one representative case study – the Danish film literacy initiative School Cinema (Med skolen i biografen) – this article investigates how film education can make European arthouse cinema more sustainable in both cultural and industrial terms. The analysis has shown that one successful model builds on a collaboration between the cultural sectors and the market players where the former ones propose the content and reach out to the target audience, while the latter ones provide the infrastructure and technology. School Cinema gathers both stakeholder groups in Denmark. The cultural sector is represented by the Danish Film Institute, municipal education departments, schools and regional centers for education. The market players in this constellation are Danish distributors and exhibitors which provide rights to the films and secure the screening venues. According to the School Cinema’s concept, students see films in cinemas and discuss their themes, dramaturgy and visual language afterwards in class within multiple school subjects. Yet, this program does not only have educational and cultural goals. As this article demonstrates, building on the exclusive distribution data and one expert interview, School Cinema also contributes to the European audience-building project in an industrial sense.