15th Annual International Small Cinemas Conference. Changing Policies, Transforming Audiences and Work Practices In-flux, 5-7 November 2024, Zagreb, Croatia. Book of Abstracts

15th Annual International Small Cinemas Conference: Changing Policies, Transforming Audiences and Work Practices In-flux smallcinemas2024.irmo.hr Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the European Research Executive Agency can be held responsible for them. EDITED BY: JAKA PRIMORAC IRMO BOOK OF ABSTRACTS Welcome 3 Conference Theme 4 Programme 5 Abstracts 11 Participants and Co-authors 32 Organizers and Partners 49 Previous Small Cinemas Conferences 51 General Info 52 Impressum 54 Table of Contents 2 Welcome to the 15th Annual International Small Cinemas Conference, in Zagreb, Croatia! We are very excited to be welcoming you to this year’s conference entitled ‘Changing Policies, Transforming Audiences and Work Practices In-flux’, which aims to discuss the pertinent questions of current challenges in film production, distribution, and consumption. This interdisciplinary conference seeks to bring together insights from various fields of film research, while also providing inputs from different stakeholders in the film sector. The conference takes stock of the work from the previous Small Cinemas conferences whose aim was to open up dialogue on the challenges faced by film cultures and the film sector in small countries. Presentations as part of this conference will delve into various dimensions of these challenges including the effects of streaming services on production, distribution, and consumption, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the film sector, changes in audience habits, how public policies are adapting to the challenges faced by small film markets, etc. We have prepared a very rich three-day conference programme that promises to be a dynamic platform for interaction, offering a diverse range of panel discussions, round tables, keynote lectures and individual presentations by more than forty international and domestic experts in the field of film, media, and audiovisual policies. We are certain that there will be plenty of time and opportunities to exchange knowledge, open up discussions, network, create partnerships and, hopefully, also foster friendships. The 15th Annual International Small Cinemas Conference is organized by the Department for Culture and Communication of the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO), Zagreb, Croatia, in partnership with the Zagreb Film Festival (ZFF) and the Academy of Dramatic Art (ADU). The conference will be part of ZFF’s Industry Program, a platform designed to encourage knowledge exchange among film professionals and open dialogue between the film sector and the academic community. The conference is a part of the Horizon Europe CresCine project, aimed at increasing the international competitiveness of the film industry in small European markets. We would like to thank our partners for their help in preparing this conference. We hope that you will find this conference intellectually stimulating and socially inspiring. Welcome to Zagreb and to the 15th Small Cinemas Conference! The Organisational Team of the Conference Welcome 3 Conference Theme In recent years, the film industry has globally faced a series of transformations at the level of production, distribution, and consumption. The rise of streaming services caused the most significant changes. Additionally, the audio-visual industry faced a crisis due to restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In North America, as well as in India, we have seen screenwriters and actors strikes to oppose changes. But what are the implications of present changes on film industries and what is their impact on big production markets compared to small cinemas? This edition of the Small Cinemas conference will discuss the main challenges of film production and distribution in so-called ‘small countries’ compared to ‘big markets.’ It will focus on public policy responses to dynamic changes in the audio-visual field, examine viable and sustainable business models, and consider how to ensure cultural diversity at global and local levels. What is the available research data revealing about patterns in audio-visual content consumption and how are small markets reaching local and international audiences? What public policy instruments are at our disposal to initiate a dialogue between controversial production practices by worldwide corporate streaming services and local audio-visual industries? How does this affect small markets in comparison to larger ones? How are the working conditions of small-market film workers changing when entering global service productions? What are the economic and aesthetic pressures on local productions in small film industries? Among all the mentioned issues, which ones foster or impede the success of films from small-market countries? And what is the meaning of success in the given context: does popularity equal quality? Topics of this year’s conference include: film audience consumption habits in small markets; small market distribution patterns and means of reaching local and global audiences; film festival ecosystems and their role in enhancing diversity; the relationship between public policy instruments and production practices of global corporate streaming services in small countries; the impact of investment obligations for streamers in small and larger markets; the influence of AI on film production and distribution; the unionization and working conditions of film workers in national markets; the economic pressures on local productions in small film industries; the impact of COVID-19 on different film ecosystems: production, distribution, consumption and reception, etc. These topics are covered by keynote lectures, twenty-four individual presentations, several panels and round tables by scholars from different research fields. This interdisciplinary conference brings contributions from film, media and cultural studies, media economics, sociology of media and communication, sociology of culture, cultural sociology, and cultural and media policy research. We hope that such an interdisciplinary approach will enable the conference theme to be covered in-depth and that, on the one hand, it will open discussions on the development of future policy instruments and on further research endeavours on the other. 4 5th of November Registration Opening remarks JAKA PRIMORAC, President of the Programme Board of the Conference, IRMO, Zagreb, Croatia SELMA MEHADŽIĆ, Zagreb Film Festival, Croatia DAVOR ŠVAIĆ, Dean of the Academy of Dramatic Art, Zagreb, Croatia ALEKSANDRA UZELAC, Head of the Department for Culture and Communication, IRMO, Zagreb, Croatia Keynote lecture “Four Avenues for Small Film Ecosystems” JAKOB ISAK NIELSEN, Aarhus University, Denmark Moderator: JAKA PRIMORAC, IRMO, Zagreb, Croatia Break Roundtable discussion “Evidence-based Policy-making for Small Film Industries” IVANA KOSTOVSKA, imec-SMIT-VUB, Vrije University Brussel, Belgium CHRISTOPHER PETER MARCICH, Director, HAVC, Croatia; President of EFAD JAKOB ISAK NIELSEN, Aarhus University, Denmark KREŠIMIR PARTL, State Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia Moderator: JAKA PRIMORAC, IRMO, Zagreb, Croatia Lunch break Single paper session 1 “Internationalisation and Production Challenges” Moderator: JAKOB ISAK NIELSEN, Aarhus University, Denmark “Small Nations in a Big Market: The International Reach of Film from Smaller European Countries” HUW D. JONES, University of Southampton, UK “Small but Mighty: Fringes Empowering European Filmmaking in Small Markets” KATHARINE SARIKAKIS and ANGELIKI CHATZIEFRAIMIDOU, University of Vienna, Austria “Spreading the Net: The Path of Small Film Market Players to the International Scene” BILYANA TOMOVA , DIANA ANDREEVA-POPYORDANOVA, TSVETA ANDREEVA; Observatory of Cultural Economics, Sofia, Bulgaria Programme 09:00 09:45-10:00 10:00-11:00 11:00-11:30 11:30-12:30 12:30-14:00 14:00-15:30 5 “Challenges Faced by Small Film Industries: The Case of the Labour Conditions in the Portuguese Film Sector” MANUEL JOSÉ DAMÁSIO, ANDRÉ RUI GRAÇA and RITA GRÁCIO, CICANT, Lusófona University, FilmEU European University, Lisbon, Portugal Break Panel “Minoritised Languages, Independent Production, and Gender: An Analysis of the Implications of the Spanish General Law on Audiovisual Media for Small Cinemas” Moderator: MARTA PÉREZ-PEREIRO, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain “Digital Exclusions and Inclusions of Co-official Languages in the Spanish Audiovisual Sector: Repercussions and Alternatives to Law 13/2022” ENRIQUE CASTELLÓ-MAYO, ANTÍA LÓPEZ-GÓMEZ, ÓSCAR LÓPEZIGLESIAS, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain “Compliance Analysis of the Spanish General Law 13/2022 of Audiovisual Communication on VOD platforms: Language Diversity and Accessibility” ROI MÉNDEZ-FERNÁNDEZ, INÉS ARIAS-IGLESIAS, MANUEL BARREIROROZADOS, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain “Impact Assessment of the Spanish General Law 13/2022 on Audiovisual Communication: Effects on Low-budget and Minority Language Independent Audiovisual Production in Relation to Gender Equality” CIBRÁN TENREIRO-UZAL, PABLO CALVIÑO-TATO, SILVIA ROCABAAMONDE, SARA CALVETE-LORENZO, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain Break Panel “Clusters as the Best Cooperative Alliance in Small Film Industries” ROMANAS MATULIS, Baltic Film & Creative Tech Cluster, Vilnius, Lithuania KĘSTUTIS DRAZDAUSKAS, Artbox production house, Founder and Board member of Baltic Film & Creative Tech Cluster, Vilnius, Lithuania DANIJEL PEK, Antitalent, Zagreb, Croatia ZORAN VUJIĆ, Poster, Zagreb, Croatia Moderator: ANDRÉ RUI GRAÇA, CICANT, Lusófona University, FilmEU European University, Lisbon, Portugal Dinner 15:30-16:00 16:00-17:00 17:00-17:15 17:1518:00 From 19:30 6 6th of November Panel “Approaches to Competitiveness in Small Film Industries” Moderator: PETR SCZEPANIK, Charles University, Prague, Czechia ANTONIOS VLASSIS, University of Liège, Belgium (Reboot project) ANASTASIOS DROSOU, Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research and Technology HellasCERTH, Thessaloniki, Greece (SCENE project), ANDRÉ RUI GRAÇA, CICANT, Lusófona University, FilmEU European University, Lisbon, Portugal (CresCine project) Break Single paper session 2 “Past, Present and the Future(s) of Distribution and Cinema Infrastructures” Moderator: MARIUS ØFSTI, Aarhus University, Denmark “Film Distribution in Czechia Before and After 1989. From One Hegemony to Another” MARIE BAREŠOVÁ, The National Film Archive, Prague, Czechia “The Future of Cinemas as Cultural Institutions. Cinema 4.0 Concept Based on Polish Arthouse and Local Cinemas” MARTA MATERSKA-SAMEK, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland, JOANNA SANETRA-SZELIGA, University of Economics in Krakow, Poland “Ripple Effects of Cinema Infrastructure in Small Film Eco Systems” JAKOB ISAK NIELSEN, Aarhus University, Denmark “Cinematic Alchemy: Public Service Media and Youth Engagement in Filmmaking” KATHARINE SARIKAKIS and GENTIANA RAMADANI, University of Vienna, Austria Lunch break Single paper session 3 “Global Streamers’ Impact and Local Responses” Moderator: PAŠKO BILIĆ, IRMO, Zagreb, Croatia “Global Streamers’ Investments in Films: A Comparative Study of Small and Large European Markets” IVANA KOSTOVSKA, imec-SMIT-VUB, Vrije University Brussel, Belgium Programme 09:30-10:30 10:30-11:00 11:00-12:30 12:30-14:00 14:00-15:30 7 15:30-16:00 16:00-17:30 17:30-17:45 17:45-18:45 From 21:00h “Market Ideology and Critical Humanism in the Understanding of the East-Central European VOD Phenomenon” CONSTANTIN PARVULESCU, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj Napoca, Romania “Cinema Audience Research in Latvia: More Netflix, Less Cinema?” LĪGA VINOGRADOVA, The Institute of Arts and Cultural Studies of the Latvian Academy of Culture, Riga, Latvia “The Conflict Between Film Distribution and Nationalistic Ideologies in Global Markets” LENUTA GIUKIN, SUNY Oswego, USA Break Single paper session 4 “Production Practices and Reception Strategies” Moderator: LENUTA GIUKIN, SUNY Oswego, USA “Negative Production Aesthetics in the Latvian Film Industry of the 90s” ELĪNA REITERE, Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art at the University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia “From Corruption to Connection: The Relation Between Romanian Documentary Filmmakers and their Subjects during the 2010s” DAN SĂRĂCUȚ, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj Napoca, Romania “Reception of Zielona Granica (The Green Border, 2023) by Agnieszka Holland in Poland and Elsewhere. Political Controversy as Fuel for Distribution of Small Controversial Films” JANINA FALKOWSKA, The University of Western Ontario, Canada/The University of Economics and Humanities, Bielsko-Biala, Poland “Contradictions and Paradoxes of the Media Landscape in Ukraine Since the Start of the Russian Full-Scale Invasion” DOROTA OSTROWSKA, Birkbeck University of London, UK Break Roundtable discussion “Challenges of the Independent Cinema Network in Croatia” Moderator: MARTINA PETROVIĆ, Head of CED - MEDIA Office Croatia MAJA HOLEK, Open University Koprivnica/Cinema Velebit, Member of the Executive Committee of the Independent Cinema Network (Kino mreža) RENATA KIRŠIĆ VESELICA, Open University Labin/Cinema Labin GORAN PLANTAK, Open University Varaždin/Cinema Gaj ALEN MUNITIĆ, Mediterranean Film Festival Split *This session is supported by the CED-MEDIA Office Croatia. ZFF and Small Cinemas party (by invitation only) Address: Tvornica kulture, Mali pogon, Šubićeva 2/Ljudevita Posavskog 1, Zagreb 8 Programme 09:30-10:30 10:30-11:00 11:00-12:30 12:30-14:00 14:00-15:30 7th of November Keynote lecture “Geography of the Streaming Economy: East-Central Europe as a Digital Periphery” PETR SZCZEPANIK, Charles University, Prague, Czechia Moderator: IVANA KOSTOVSKA, imec-SMIT-VUB, Vrije University Brussel, Belgium Break Single paper session 5 “Technological Innovations and Policy Instruments in/for Film” Moderator: ALEKSANDRA UZELAC, IRMO, Zagreb, Croatia “International Promotion of the European Film Industry: National Institutional Practices in an Evolving Policy and Technological Architecture” ANTONIOS VLASSIS, University of Liège, Belgium, EIRINI ANDRIOPOULOU, ELIAMEP, Greece, MAFALDA DAMASO, Erasmus University, Netherlands, KAISA HILTUNEN, University of Jyväskylä, Finland “Harnessing AI for Filmmaking: Enhancing Cultural Heritage Site Narratives” MARIA TSOURMA, ALEXANDROS ZAMICHOS, KOSTAS GEORGIADIS, ARGYRIS KETSETSIS, EVANGELOS BISTOLAKIS, ANASTASIOS DROSOU and DIMITRIOS TZOVARAS, Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thermi-Thessaloniki, Greece “Cultural Colonialism and Film Exhibition in Uganda: The Case of the Video Joker in Wakaliwood’s Cinema” ADRIÁN SÁNCHEZ-MARTÍNEZ, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain Lunch break Single paper session 6 “How Much Is Too Much? Production Incentives within Small Countries” Moderator: JAKA PRIMORAC, IRMO, Zagreb, Croatia “Marble of the Senate, Sand of the Coliseum: Foreign Location Production, Government Intervention and the Impact on Maltese Filmmakers” CHARLIE CAUCHI, Independent Artist and Scholar, Malta “Big Risks in Small Markets: Use and Non-use of Established Risk Reduction Strategies in Small Culture Industries?” MARIUS ØFSTI, Aarhus University, Denmark 9 17:15 - 18:00 19:30 Panel “Clusters as the Best Cooperative Alliance in Small Film Industries” ROMANAS MATULIS, Baltic Film & Creative Tech Cluster, Vilnius, Lithuania KĘSTUTIS DRAZDAUSKAS, Artbox production house, Founder and Board member of Baltic Film & Creative Tech Cluster, Vilnius, Lithuania, DANIJEL PEK, Antitalent, Zagreb, Croatia, ZORAN VUJIĆ, Poster, Zagreb, Croatia Moderator: ANDRÉ RUI GRAÇA, CICANT, Lusófona University, FilmEU European University, Lisbon, Portugal During this panel Baltic Film & Creative Tech Cluster CEO Romanas Matulis and one of the founders – Producer Kestutis Drasdauskas will present how cluster as a new cooperation form helped Lithuanian film industry to grow and how this could and should be multiplied. Together with Croatian film industry professionals Danijel Pek and Zoran Vujić they will discuss how Lithuanian experience can be beneficial for Croatia and other small film industries, what conditions should be met and how this success story for Lithuanian can become success story for Croatia. Dinner 16 Abstracts 09:30 - 10:30 10:30 - 11:00 11:00 - 12:30 6th of November Panel “Approaches to Competitiveness in Small Film Industries” Moderator: PETR SZCZEPANIK, Charles University, Prague, Czechia, ANTONIOS VLASSIS, University of Liège, Belgium (Reboot project) ANASTASIOS DROSOU, Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research and Technology HellasCERTH, Thessaloniki, Greece (SCENE project), ANDRÉ RUI GRAÇA, CICANT, Lusófona University, FilmEU European University, Lisbon, Portugal (CresCine project) How do small film industries in Europe approach competitiveness? What can competitiveness in the film sector mean in the context of small countries? To answer these questions, we have invited representatives of three European research and innovation projects funded by the EU Horizon Europe programme for the 2023-2026 period, which are currently working to answer the question of how to increase the potential for international competitiveness in the European filmmaking industry. Katharine Sarikakis from the University of Vienna is the project coordinator of ‘Reviving, Boosting, Optimising and Transforming European Film Competitiveness’ (Reboot), which draws together 11 universities and institutions. Anastasios Drosou from the Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) in Thessaloniki coordinates the SCENE project - ‘Searchable multi-dimensional Data Lakes supporting Cognitive Film Production and Distribution for the Promotion of the EuropeaN Cultural HeritagE’, which includes thirteen European partners. André Graça from CICANT, Lusófona University and FilmEU European University is the representative of the CresCine project ‘Increasing the International Competitiveness of the Film Industry in Small European Markets’, which unites 18 partners and ten associated partners from academia and industry. Break Single paper session 2 “Past, Present and the Future(s) of Distribution and Cinema Infrastructures” Moderator: MARIUS ØFSTI, Aarhus University, Denmark “Film Distribution in Czechia Before and After 1989. From One Hegemony to Another” MARIE BAREŠOVÁ, The National Film Archive, Prague, Czechia Czechia, as a part of former Czechoslovakia, was an area with perhaps the highest number of small cinemas per capita in the world at the time. Cinemagoing was the most favourite leisure-time activity and it was extremely important, especially in small towns and rural areas, where public means of cultural enjoyment were limited. However, the situation changed drastically after the fall of the communist regime, followed by the fall of state socialism and the planned economy in 1989. The goal of this presentation 17 is to compare film distribution during state socialism and parliamentary democracy in Czechia. Whereas the first period was influenced by the country’s orientation towards the USSR (and subsequently other areas with socialist establishment), the second is characterised by an inclination to Western countries and, specifically the world dominance of the USA in film distribution. Two very different regimes and economies thus share one crucial variable: The hegemony of one politically and ideologically strong country. What are the consequences of such dominance? How does it influence the operation of film distribution? What is the position of local film production in such a setting? How does it define audience preferences? “The Future of Cinemas as Cultural Institutions. Cinema 4.0 Concept Based on Polish Arthouse and Local Cinemas” MARTA MATERSKA-SAMEK, Jagiellonian University, Poland, JOANNA SANETRA-SZELIGA, University of Economics in Krakow, Poland Over the past decade, the number of cinemas, auditoriums, and seats has been steadily declining, a trend accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pandemic restrictions, including the closure of cultural institutions and social distancing measures, have expedited changes driven by technological progress, significantly altering cultural consumption, especially for films and series. Streaming platforms like Netflix, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime have emerged as dominant market players, enabling content viewing anytime, anywhere, on any device (ATAWAD). Consequently, the release windows for films have been revised, shortening the cinema release period. Some cinemas have also adopted VOD (Video on Demand) platforms. The article aims to analyze the future of cinema in the post-pandemic world, where new technologies necessitate different operational methods and business models, presenting possible scenarios for cinemas as cultural institutions. The empirical part includes a case study of cinemas in the Polish Arthouse Cinema Association (SKS), utilizing desk research, individual interviews (IDI), and group interviews (FGI). It will explore the tension between traditional cinemas’ logic of involvement and streaming platforms’ logic of convenience (Hahida et al. 2020). Additionally, it examines the conflict between market logic and cultural logic (Hensel 2015) in local and arthouse cinemas, which focus on providing public and socially desirable goods beyond economic impacts. Based on SKS activities and interviews, potential development strategies for cinemas will be outlined. These include cinemas focusing on entertainment and viewer experience with cutting-edge technology or cinemas as social spaces for cultural events (Eskilsson 2021). “Ripple Effects of Cinema Infrastructure in Small Film Eco Systems” JAKOB ISAK NIELSEN, Aarhus University, Denmark This paper focuses on under-explored interrelationships of cinema infrastructure (number of cinemas and screens, types of cinema, ownership and operational characteristics, their geographical distribution) and the policy agendas and strategic ambitions of key domestic stakeholders in small film eco systems. The paper considers the cultural-historical reasons for why cinema infrastructures are so different across eco systems that the CresCine-research project (DOI: 10.3030/101094988) focuses on (Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Flanders, Ireland, Lithuania and Portugal) before addressing the main research question: To what extent can cinema 18 12:30 - 14:00 14:00 - 15:30 infrastructure be seen to facilitate or work against funding and production agendas as well as the ambition of reaching domestic audiences? It highlights the importance of cinema infrastructure to the over-all “health condition” (DFI 2013, DFI 2014) or sustainability of a domestic film eco system. The focus areas will be domestic market shares, funding scheme logics and domestic film repertoire (i.e. the types of domestic films actually being produced). Is there a disconnect or alignment between cinema infrastructure and the domestic repertoire of films? Are the public funding logics (not just production funding) key to resolving such issues? The paper will discuss Denmark as a case but also bring in other CresCine eco systems into the discussion. “Cinematic Alchemy: Public Service Media and Youth Engagement in Filmmaking” KATHARINE SARIKAKIS and GENTIANA RAMADANI, University of Vienna, Austria Public Media has evolved from traditional broadcasting to a broader concept of public service media (PSM), reflecting the changing media landscape and the need for multi-platform content delivery. Different European countries have their own PSM models, all committed to serving the public interest. Another aspect of the relationship is empowering emerging voices where PSM-backed film festivals and competitions serve as dynamic platforms, particularly for emerging talent and young filmmakers. These events amplify new perspectives, fostering innovation in the industry. The third aspect is PSM’s commitment extending beyond traditional broadcasting to educational initiatives and collaborations with other public institutions, as evident in the case of Austria through an agreement between the Austrian Film Institute and the Austrian Broadcasting Service (ORF). This agreement promotes cooperation between film and television, benefiting Austrian cinema productions. In this context, the main question raised here is how different models of Public Service Media (PSM) in European and candidate countries contribute to the diversity of cinematic content and address societal challenges, particularly focusing on youth-oriented films? This is a question that allows us to investigate and compare various PSM models across three countries (Austria -small market, Greece-long history in FI and Albania-as candidate country), emphasizing their strategies for supporting film productions that champion diversity and tackle societal issues, especially those appealing to younger audiences. The work outlines a methodological approach to analyzing the current state of the film industry in Europe. This will be achieved through a comprehensive examination of policies and experts´ interviews conducted in selected countries. Lunch break Single paper session 3 “Global Streamers’ Impact and Local Responses” Moderator: PAŠKO BILIĆ, IRMO, Croatia “Global Streamers’ Investments in Films: A Comparative Study of Small and Large European Markets” IVANA KOSTOVSKA, imec-SMIT-VUB, Vrije University Brussel, Belgium 19 Despite the growing presence of global streamers as commissioners in Europe, little is known about their investments in films from small markets and the implications for local film production ecologies. This article provides a comparative analysis on the availability and circulation of films from small markets on streaming services, focusing on seven ecosystems: Croatia, Estonia, Lithuania, Denmark, Flanders, Ireland, and Portugal. It compares the availability of films from these seven markets with those from six larger markets: the European Big Five (Germany, France, the UK, Spain, Italy) and Poland. The study relies on extensive data analysis of titles from these 13 markets on global streaming services, conducted as part of the CresCine project (DOI: 10.3030/101094988), which includes an analysis of the viewing patterns based on the Netflix Engagement Report. Based on the library analysis on titles availability and circulation, as well as the prevalence of genres and talent, the article discusses the implications for the film industries in these markets. This research provides further insight into the implications of investment obligations for streamers, focusing on how these requirements affect commissioning dynamics, particularly in contexts where streamers are mandated to invest in film production (Kostovska et al., 2023). Thus, this paper aims to extend a currently limited body of work focused on streamers’ content strategies for financing films (Cuelenaere, 2024; Smits and Nikdel, 2019). “Market Ideology and Critical Humanism in the Understanding of EastCentral European VOD Phenomenon” CONSTANTIN PARVULESCU, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj Napoca, Romania This paper provides a thorough analysis of the academic literature in English on VOD (Video on Demand) digital distribution in East-Central Europe and the parameters these studies use to envision digital distribution in the region. Special critical attention is given to how this literature conceptualizes performance, competitiveness, and sustainability, often advocating for market fundamentalism. Two main concerns are at stake. The first is the bias these concepts generate, which increases the peripheral position of East-Central European providers. The second, more significant concern is to highlight the degree to which academic representation of digital distribution of scripted entertainment links performance to consumption, while paying less attention to alternative discourses. These alternative discourses employ the concepts of performance, competitiveness, and sustainability differently, particularly in ecological and public health contexts. While some studies mention the carbon footprint of online distribution and, in some cases, praise the social dimension of human curation, this paper is primarily concerned with the fact that digital economic activity is not approached in terms of de-growth and neo-humanism. As a consequence, the digital realm is perceived as an anti-ecological space where market performance is the only factor that matters, with limited environmental consideration. Of particular interest are perspectives that promote mindful consumption and show awareness of the pernicious effects of non-human practices (robotic, algorithmic, etc.) in the digital realm. 20 Our critical approach targets books and articles focused exclusively on East-Central Europe, such as Petr Szczepanik et al.’s ‘Digital Peripheries: The Online Circulation of Audiovisual Content from the Small Market’. “Cinema Audience Research in Latvia: More Netflix, Less Cinema?” LĪGA VINOGRADOVA, The Institute of Arts and Cultural Studies of the Latvian Academy of Culture, Riga, Latvia The research on cultural consumption in Latvia (2022) revealed a rapid growth in digital consumption. The most widely engaged digital cultural activity was watching foreign films online (55% of the population), with watching Latvian films online being the third most popular (45%). However, between 2018 and 2022, cinema attendance significantly declined, dropping from 29% to 18%. This decline is attributed not only to the COVID-19 pandemic but also to the rapidly growing role of digital platforms. Scholars suggest that our everyday taste practices are becoming “platformized” (Airoldi, 2019), with online and offline lives increasingly interwoven, as people embrace the convenience brought by technology (Dey, Yen and Samuel, 2019). What does this mean for cinema audiences, and how has their behaviour changed with the rise of digital platforms? In 2023, the first comprehensive audience research in Latvian cinemas was conducted by the research team from the Institute of Arts and Cultural Studies at the Latvian Academy of Culture. The aim was to determine audience consumption practices and how digital technologies have influenced cinema attendance habits, including the shift from cinemas and TV channels to digital platforms. A quantitative survey (n=650) was conducted in 2023 across nine cinemas in Latvia, including both the capital city and regions. The results reveal the correlation between watching films in cinemas and at home on various platforms for heavy and light cinemagoers. This research was part of the project “Cultural and creative ecosystem of Latvia as a resource for resilience and sustainability”/CERS (No. VPP-MM-LKRVA-2023/1-0001). “The Conflict Between Film Distribution and Nationalistic Ideologies in Global Markets” LENUTA GIUKIN, SUNY Oswego, USA The present-day elusive markets for cultural products bring to attention the ways in which socialist cinemas often managed to attract a significant national audience despite Hollywood’s massive presence. How was the socialist appeal to audiences more effective than contemporary advertising practices that benefit in the digital era of many more communication tools? While a significant drop in audience for national productions relates to ideological shifts, it is also the relationship between politics of representation, advertisement and the access to the cultural product that widely influences the success and understanding of the cultural product. This research focuses on the significant changes in national politics regarding film policies, especially distribution and audience attraction/retention. It discusses some of the landmarks of Romanian socialist film (especially the films of Sergiu Nicolaescu, Dinu Cocea, Mircea Dagan, Gherghe Vitanidis and Mircea Moldovan) in comparison to several worldwide successes of the Romanian New Wave (Cristian Mungiu, 4 months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, the 21 15:30 - 16:00 16:00 - 17:30 Palme d’Or, 2007.; Cristi Puiu, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, 30 awards and 14 nominations; Sieranevada, 22 awards, 19 nominations; Radu Jude, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (Golden Bear, Berlin, 2021, etc.) the changes in the perception of local productions, and how distribution strongly relates to representation and national imagery. Break Single paper session 4 “Production Practices and Reception Strategies” Moderator: LENUTA GIUKIN, SUNY Oswego, USA “Negative Production Aesthetics in Latvian Film Industry of the 90s” ELĪNA REITERE, Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art at the University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia When Latvia regained its independence in 1990, the Latvian film industry had to learn to function in the new country under very different economic and organisational conditions than during the Soviet occupation. This period coincided with the introduction of the neo-liberal economic order in the Baltic states. State support for the film industry in the 1990s was very low, but filmmakers continued to write projects even when there was no realistic hope that they could be made. Unmade film projects are usually tackled with an emphasis on the productive aspects - that the effort put into them will later be reused in other, successful projects. This line of thinking follows the neoliberal discourse of value. I prefer to use the concept of “work-forlabour” (Guy Standing) because it allows for a shift in perspective from the work of art to the life and work histories of film professionals. The aim of this paper is to present a case study that shows how unfinished film projects can be analysed within a specific historical and geographical context, and thus shed light on a more nuanced understanding of how the film industry has tried to cope with the economic crisis in a small, post-Soviet and Eastern European country, and what consequences this has had on the careers of film professionals. “From Corruption to Connection: The Relation Between Romanian Documentary Filmmakers and their Subjects during the 2010s” DAN SĂRĂCUȚ, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj Napoca, Romania This paper investigates the relationship between documentary filmmakers and their subjects (hence their characters) in Romania during 2010s, the third post-communist decade, focusing on both production and storytelling dynamics. The social profiles of these subjects and their willingness to participate as actors, integrated in a storytelling apparatus, are crucial elements that influence directors, compelling them to adapt in addressing broader societal issues. Processing secondary sources and conducting interviews with directors and producers, this paper highlights the varying directorial approaches across different cases. Using qualitative analysis of notable works by Romanian documentary filmmakers, such as Alexandru Solomon’s Kapitalism: Our Improved Formula (2010), Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan’s Wood (2020), and 22 Claudiu Mitcu’s The Trial (2017), this presentation systematizes how their techniques of filming and crafting the story allow them to adapt to their subjects’ needs. The common ground of these documentaries is the exploration of corruption, seen as a local and systemic feature. This thematic cluster enables a more fluent categorization of the relationship between the directors and the characters but it also legitimizes and facilitates a comparative approach. The diverse social statuses of the subjects (a lower-class man suspected for a murder, an NGO director and some multimillionaires) create different expectations and levels of involvement, necessitating innovative production practices and storytelling mechanisms from the directors. “Reception of Zielona Granica (The Green Border, 2023) by Agnieszka Holland in Poland and Elsewhere. Political Controversy as Fuel for Distribution of Small Controversial Films” JANINA FALKOWSKA, The University of Western Ontario, Canada/The University of Economics and Humanities, Bielsko-Biala, Poland In this paper, I want to examine the relationship between the political controversy the film raises and the subsequent distribution and reception patterns it reveals in the country of film’s production, in countries belonging to a similar political orientation versus elsewhere in the world. Additionally, I would like to examine the massive role European Film Festivals play in the additional promotion of the film, a fact which provokes hateful reactions among the viewers critical of the film. I would like to introduce and discuss this film and later follow with the analysis of press reviews, essays in scholarly journals and viewers’ blogs. All the powerful reactions this particular film has provoked create an environment for revealing often suppressed feelings of guilt and uncertainty about how to react to the unprecedented events of the war in Ukraine, the appearance of thousands of migrants at the Polish border, and, on how to negotiate Christian feelings of pity and love for the migrants with the openly expressed hatred for the filmmaker articulated by both the Polish government representatives and Polish viewers. Based on this analysis, I would like to assert probably an apparent idea: that controversy is what makes small cinemas meaningful and powerful, however cynical and heartbreaking it sounds. “Contradictions and Paradoxes of the Media Landscape in Ukraine Since the Start of the Russian Full-Scale Invasion” DOROTA OSTROWSKA, Birkbeck University of London, UK In this paper, I focus on cultures of film exhibition which have emerged in Ukraine following the 2022 Russian full-scale invasion. I will first explore the evolution undertaken by film festivals in Ukraine which became containers for experimental curatorial projects, platforms for documentary film coproductions, repositories of war archives, and vehicles for cultural diplomacy abroad. Docudays UA will be my main case study with some references to the Odessa International Film Festival. This festival activity centred on documentary films and involved in civic and human rights activism will be contrasted with another fascinating media phenomenon - the local and global 23 17:30 - 17:45 17:45 - 18:45 21:00 box office success of an animation film Mavka: The Forest Song (2023) – and the plans of the producers from The Film.UA Group to release a slate of horror films whose narratives are framed by the experience of the Russian invasion. Whilst the horror films are in production or pending a release later this year (The Witch. Revenge August 2024), Mavka provides an important counterpoint to the festival activity and complicates our understanding and perception of the Ukrainian media landscape. It challenges our assumptions as to the character and preferences of Ukrainian audiences in Ukraine, which are broader than any festival audiences, and of audiences for the Ukrainian content abroad. It raises an uncomfortable question as to whether we might be faced here with an Eastern European version of what Miriam Ross (2013) called “the poverty porn” in her discussion of Latin American films dominating the film festival circuit – “the warporn”. Break Roundtable discussion “Challenges of the Independent Cinema Network in Croatia” Moderator: MARTINA PETROVIĆ, Head of CED - MEDIA Office Croatia, MAJA HOLEK, Open University Koprivnica/Cinema Velebit, Member of the Executive Committee of the Independent Cinema Network (Kino mreža) RENATA KIRŠIĆ VESELICA, Open University Labin/Cinema Labin GORAN PLANTAK, Open University Varaždin/Cinema Gaj ALEN MUNITIĆ, Mediterranean Film Festival Split Prompted by the project of the digitalisation of independent cinemas and the need and wish for networking and collaboration in terms of programme training and promotion, in 2014 the Croatian Independent Cinemas Network (Kino mreža) was founded by 27 cinema exhibitors from 24 cities and towns. The main aim was to strengthen the position of independent cinemas within the film industry and launch and develop film culture in all its forms across Croatia. After ten years of its establishment, what can be highlighted as the main successes of the Network? Furthermore, what are the main challenges for its members regarding the development of cinema infrastructure, programming, film literacy, and audience development? What are the good practices that have been established and what are the lessons learned that can be used for other small European cinemas? To answer these questions and open up the discussion on the crucial role independent cinemas have for the cultural lives of the cities, we have invited members of the network from different parts of Croatia to share their knowledge and experience. *This session is supported by the CED-MEDIA Office Croatia. ZFF and Small Cinemas party (by invitation only) Address: Tvornica kulture, Mali pogon, Šubićeva 2/Ljudevita Posavskog 1, Zagreb 24 Abstracts 09:30 - 10:30 7th of November Keynote lecture “Geography of the Streaming Economy: East-Central Europe as a Digital Periphery” PETR SZCZEPANIK, Charles University, Prague, Czechia Moderator: IVANA KOSTOVSKA, imec-SMIT-VUB, Vrije University Brussel, Belgium East-Central Europe has recently become a key region for transnational streamers’ production growth, with local original production booming in Warsaw and US-based SVOD production of a certain type moving to Prague and Budapest. Unlike other growth regions of the global digital economy (Latin America, East Asia), East-Central Europe lacks organic integrity in terms of cultural exchange and is defined largely by geopolitical and economic commonalities. The talk investigates how Netflix’s and other streamers’ investment strategy builds on the preexisting geography of media production and how it reshapes it, creating new hierarchies through flows of content, labour, and capital. With 40 million inhabitants, Poland has become the most important SVOD market of the region, Warsaw production offices of Max, Netflix, Canal+, SkyShowtime, and Viaplay having already delivered or promised investment in numerous high-end local originals. From Prague and Budapest, the recent SVOD production boom looks quite different though. Instead of local SVOD originals, both cities have become home to large volumes of US-based SVOD footloose production since around 2018 due to their financial incentives, well-developed infrastructure, and labour pool. Warsaw has become a semiperipheral media capital in terms of original local production, while Prague and Budapest compete for US-based mobile production spending. This hierarchy manifests in patterns of cross-border media flows, too. While Polish originals travel widely across Netflix’s territorial catalogues, East-Central European licensed content remains largely limited to national libraries or a couple of neighboring countries within the region. Based on an internal dataset of the Czech Film Fund’s rebate program, SVOD catalogs’ analysis, and on interviews with various industry actors operating from Prague, Budapest and Warsaw, the talk proposes a new conceptualization of the streaming economy from a peripheral perspective. It builds on theories of platformization and platform imperialism, economic geography of global media, and streaming production studies to argue that streamers’ uneven investments not only reproduce traditional inequalities in the global market, but also enforce new hierarchies among peripheral and semi-peripheral media capitals as well as among national and transnational production cultures. It also demonstrates that combining concepts of platform imperialism critique with the micro-level production studies might help in increasing sensitivity to the internal contradictions of global media industries, and in developing critical vocabularies for studying on-the-ground impacts of their globalization and digitalization. 25 Participants & CoAuthors* * Presenting authors are underlined. CVs of the members of the Programme and Organisational Board are also listed. DIANA ANDREEVA-POPYORDANOVA is the co-founder and director of the Observatory of Cultural Economics (OCE), which is a modern Bulgarian think tank for crucial cultural and economics issues. Andreeva holds a PhD in Cultural Economics from the University of National and World Economics (UNWE). She worked as a researcher in cultural policy and cultural economics at the Sofia University “Kliment Ohridski” and has been teaching at the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts. In 2014, she was appointed Assistant Professor at the UNWE. Andreeva has published numerous articles and participated in various Bulgarian and international research teams in the field of cultural economics and financing. Since 2010, she is co-editor of the Compendium of Cultural Policies of the Council of Europe. Andreeva is a member of the Film Commission of the Sofia Municipality and volunteers for 17 international organizations and projects in more than ten countries. TSVETA ANDREEVA is a Public Policy Manager at the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) and an associated researcher at the Observatory of Cultural Economics, Sofia (on the Cicerone project). Her main competences are in EU policies and advocacy in CCIS. Her professional background is in cultural policy, management and economics. She holds a PhD in Cultural Economics from the University of National and World Economy (Sofia). She accomplished her MA in Sofia, followed by post-graduate studies in cultural management in Dijon (France) and European studies in Birmingham (UK). Before joining ECF in 2009, she worked in the International Cultural Cooperation and European Affairs at the Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria. Her research activities are in the areas of cultural and creative sectors and industries, and comparative cultural policy. EIRINI ANDROPOULOU is a media researcher and policy analyst with expertise in media literacy for 20 years. She has vast experience in media public policies on an international framework. On a global scale, she has been working closely with UNESCO as a media expert and advocate, drafting policy papers and publications, such as the UNESCO “Media and Information Literacy Curriculum for Teachers” (Gr. Eds, 2014), adopted by the Hellenic Ministry of Education as an Open Education Resource. INÉS ARIAS IGLESIAS is a professional with extensive experience in European project management, technology transfer, and communication. She is currently a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Contemporary Communication and Information at the University of Santiago de Compostela and a Grupo de Estudos Audiovisuais (GEA) member. Inés balances her academic career with her role as a European Project Manager at FundingBox, where she oversees multiple H2020 projects. She excels in coordinating communication, dissemination, and technology transfer initiatives. Her career includes a four-year position at Euroheat & Power in Brussels, where she worked on energy efficiency policies and strategic communication. Inés holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Aalborg University in Denmark and a Bachelor’s in Audiovisual Communication from the University of Santiago de Compostela. MARTA BARADIĆ is the founder of Kino Katarina, an open-air feminist cinema that has been held since 2016 on the shores of Pula Bay and other 32 significant locations in Pula and its surroundings. A graduate in comparative literature, she is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Gender Studies (CEU, Vienna), where she researches the history of women’s activism. As an activist, she primarily focuses on working conditions in the cultural sector and culture as a public good. MARIE BAREŠOVÁ graduated from art history and film studies (dissertation focusing on Czechoslovak-Yugoslav relations in film culture 1945–1991) at Masaryk University in Brno and has worked at Národní filmový archiv Prague as a curator of oral history since 2013. While managing the collection and conducting new interviews with representatives of Czech film culture, she participates in the development of an oral history database and coordinates with the archive’s cinema as a programmer and an educator. She coauthored Generace normalizace. Ztracená naděje českého filmu? (2017) and co-edited Animace 70 (2024). She is currently in charge of a research project “Cinemas in the East Bohemian Region 1960–1990”. MANUEL BARREIRO ROZADOS graduated in Audiovisual Communication and Master in Marketing, Consultancy and Political Communication from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Spain. He has several years of work experience in the field of television in different national and regional companies. He is actually a PhD candidate in the Contemporary Communication and Information program and is part of the Grupo de Estudos Audiovisuais (G.I. 1786) of the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC). His main lines of research are globalisation movements in the audiovisual field, audiovisual OTT platforms and public television, especially the Galician and the Portuguese. PAŠKO BILIĆ holds a PhD in sociology (2013) from the University of Zagreb. He was an International Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Westminster (London, UK), a short-term visiting researcher at the University of Bremen (Bremen, Germany) and Bilgi University (Istanbul, Turkey), and a Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada). His research interests evolved from studying collaborative online cultures to political and economic issues of platforms and digital monopolies. He is the editor of a double special issue of Critical Sociology (with Thomas Allmer) titled ‘Critical Sociology of Media and Communication’ (SAGE, 2024), author of (with Toni Prug and Mislav Žitko) The Political Economy of Digital Monopolies (Bristol University Press, 2021), and Sociology of Media (Jesenski i Turk, 2020 – in Croatian). He is also editor (with Jaka Primorac and Bjarki Valtysson) of the Technologies of Labour and the Politics of Contradiction (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). His work has been published in Critical Sociology, Internet Histories, Javnost – The Public, Political Economy of Communication, tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique, New Media & Society, European Journal of Communication, and Big Data & Society. He was invited to speak at universities and research institutes in the UK, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Turkey and Slovenia. He is coordinator of the European Sociological Association’s (ESA) Research Network 18: Sociology of Media and Communications Research and principal investigator of the Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ) research project Digital Data, Infrastructures and Development (2024-2027). At the Institute for Development and International Relations he is chair of the Centre for Sociology of Media and Digital Society (CEMEDIG). 33 * Presenting authors are underlined. CVs of the members of the Programme and Organisational Board are also listed. MILICA BOŽANIĆ has been leading various film industry initiatives under the flag of the Serbia Film Commission aimed at the development of the creative ecosystem in her home country. Throughout her professional tenure, she initiated the Computer Graphics and Arts Conference Belgrade and served on the Board of Directors at the European Film Commissions Network. Her involvement in the sector was instrumental in stakeholders’ participation and development of the Smart Specialisation Strategy in Serbia. Her dedication to informed policy advocacy led to the production of two film incentive economic impact studies and the dissemination of results that enhanced awareness among both industry and policymakers. Further to her interest in research, she was awarded an MSc in Management and Creative Industries at Birkbeck, University of London in 2023. Within the dissertation, her focus expanded on Central and East Europe within the theoretical framework, which addressed FDI research and creative Global Production Networks. Her research interests contribute to the economics of the creative industry and aim to bridge the gap between theory and practice, focusing on quantitative research for informed policymaking. SARA CALVETE-LORENZO is a pre-doctoral student at the Grupo de Estudos Audiovisuais of the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Spain, where she is working on her thesis O Triplo Corte: como despedazar o corpo na pantalla (The Triple Cut: how to cut up the body on screen). She is member of the COMVIRTINDO Teaching Innovation Group and the Centro de Investigación Feminista e Estudos de Xénero (CIFEX), both at the USC. PABLO CALVIÑO is a graduate in Audiovisual Communication and Journalism and Master in Journalism and Multimedia Communication, he is currently a PhD Student (FPU22/03057) at the Grupo de Estudos Audiovisuais (GEA) of the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), Spain. His thesis addresses the formal strategies for the construction of queerness in the filmography of Portuguese director João Pedro Rodrigues. He is also a member of the COMVIRTINDO Teaching Innovation Group. ENRIQUE CASTELLÓ-MAYO is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Spain, Principal Investigator of the “LexCAV” Project, Coordinator of the competitive reference research group “Estudos Audiovisuais” (GI-1786), with 25 years of uninterrupted activity, and Scientific Director of “Virtus, Technological Platform for Virtual Research”. In his professional career in the audiovisual sector since 1992, he has worked (as producer, scriptwriter, editor, mixer, ENG, etc.) by the EFE Agency, Canal Norte TV, the News Department of Antena 3 TV or the Programme of New Information and Communication Technologies (Ministry of Education and Culture). CHARLIE CAUCHI is a Maltese interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker. Charlie holds a BA and an MA in Film Studies from Queen Mary University of London. She has worked in the production department of several foreign productions. However, in 2018, she founded Sajjetta, an independent audiovisual production company. She has produced and directed several short films and is currently in production on a feature-length documentary, Taurodont, supported by Arts Council Malta, as well as Seen and Heard, a docuseries supported by Erasmus+ and Amnesty International. This series focuses on human rights and children in schools in Malta, Berlin, and Poland. 34 She was selected as part of the CIRCLE Women Doc Accelerator Lab 2019 and is currently the Malta Producer’s Association Chair. Charlie is also the co-founder and curator of Rosa Kwir, Malta’s first LGBTQI+ gallery and archive, in collaboration with artist Romeo Roxman Gatt. Charlie’s solo shows include Backlot (Spazju Kreattiv, 2023. Malta), Scheherazade (Valletta Contemporary, 2019. Malta), and Latitude 36 (Blitz, 2018. Malta). Her work has formed part of group shows in Malta, Vienna, and Berlin. Her work, Sempre Vivia, forms part of Malta’s national collection and was featured as part of the National Pavilion at the Malta Biennale in 2024. ANGELIKI CHATZIEFRAIMIDOU is a PhD candidate at the University of Vienna, Department of Communication. Her educational background started in Greece, where she completed her Bachelor’s Studies in Primary Education. Afterwards, she earned her Master’s Degree in Education at the University of Vienna, Austria. After many years working in education, she is a research assistant at the University of Vienna, specialising in children and media. KARLA CRNČEVIĆ is a dramaturge and film worker. Her films and video works have been exhibited and awarded domestically and internationally (FidMarseille, Zinebi, Dokufest…). She is a member of the Center for Dramatic Arts and one of the founders and organizers of the Unseen initiative dealing with presentation and cultural policies, and cinema space revitalization. She is researching audiovisual archives related to AFŽ (Anti-Fascist Women’s Front). MANUEL JOSÉ DAMÁSIO is a Professor at Lusófona University in Lisbon, Portugal, where he leads the Film and Media Arts Department (DCAM) besides participating in the management board of CICANT Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Arts and Information technologies. Manuel José Damásio holds a PhD in Communication and Multimedia Systems by Universidade Nova de Lisboa. He has worked extensively both in industry and academia as a trainer, consultant and producer in the audiovisual industry at the European and international level for more than twenty years. He also has strong past experience as head researcher and project manager in several national and European research projects, besides being the author of more than 80 papers and chapters in international peer-reviewed journals and publications. He is the Chair of GEECT, the European Association of Film and Media Schools, and a member of the board of CILECT Executive Committee (International Association of Film and Media Schools). He is the coordinator of FILMEU The European University for Film and Media Arts, Project: 101004047, EPP-EUR-UNIV-2020 European Universities, EPLUS2020 Action Grant, and three other currently active European Erasmus Mundus Joint European Master degrees. He has worked extensively as an evaluation expert for different bodies and institutions, from EU COST, to ICA (Portuguese Film Institute) E+ and several other European Higher Education Institutions, such as Aalto University (Finland), AMU University (Czech Republic) or IADT (Ireland). He is the coordinator of Horizon Europe CresCine project ‘Increasing the International Competitiveness of the Film Industry in Small European Markets’ (20232026). MAFALDA DAMASO is a Senior Researcher at Erasmus University Rotterdam, which she originally joined in 2021 as a Lecturer in Cultural 35 * Presenting authors are underlined. CVs of the members of the Programme and Organisational Board are also listed. Industries and Policy. Her research investigates the intersections between culture, policy, diversity management and international relations, with a particular focus of attention on the European Union’s transnational cultural policy. KĘSTUTIS DRAZDAUSKAS was born in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1970, studied and graduated from the University of Vilnius, MA in English language and literature in 1994. He started in the film industry as an Assistant Director in 1995. Kęstutis started producing in 1998 and since then has become one of the most active film producers in Lithuania. In 2003, he founded his own production company ARTBOX, which has produced a number of short films and features, as well as several hundred TV commercials. The short film White on Blue, which Kęstutis produced, was shortlisted as best European short at Les Lutins, France in 2004. This film was a participant in the Venice film festival and won the best soundtrack award at the Clermont Ferrand festival. Apart from being a producer, Kęstutis is also a businessman. He has co-founded several companies which work in different areas of the film industry, like Cinevera (lighting and grip) with branches in Vilnius and Riga, Cineskope (camera rental), CineFX (costumes, props and sets), Kino komanda (visual post production), etc. He was the mastermind behind the establishment of the Vilnius Film Cluster, which at present unites 3 production companies and 6 film service companies. Kęstutis is a member of the board of the Lithuanian Independent Producers Association and a member of the National Association of Creative and Cultural Industries. In 2012, he produced 2 feature films – Letters to Sofia (Lithuania/UK/Russia) and Santa (Lithuania/Finland) as well as a feature-length documentary Elegy For Honey and Tar. At the moment he is developing 3 feature films – Saula, The Visitor, Solo and feature length animation Gruenwald. ANASTASIOS DROSOU has participated in the coordination, scientific management and the R&D activities of several research projects, national and European-funded ones (6th & 7th Framework Programme; H2020, Green Deal, Horizon Europe). His prior professional experience includes consultancy services to large industries abroad, as well as employments as Research Associate for both the Chair for Electronic Design Automation and the Chair for Nanotechnology in the Technische Universitat Munchen, as well as for Infineon Technologies AG. Munich. Earlier he has also served as Research Associate for both CERTH-ITI and the Art Diagnosis Centre “ORMYLIA”. JANINA FALKOWSKA is a retired professor of the University of Western Ontario in Canada and a full-time professor at the University of Economics and Humanities in Bielsko-Biala, Poland. She specializes in the film theory, film history, Western European cinemas (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Eastern European cinemas (Poland, Russia, Hungary, Czech Republic), The European Union, globalization, migration, ethnic relations (in film), studies in Bakhtin’s theories of dialogism and affect theory. She is the author of two books about Andrzej Wajda, the renowned director of Polish cinema, and editor of three books about Eastern-European cinema, all written in English. Moreover, Professor Falkowska is the author of more than twenty articles and book chapters about film and film theory. She is also an organizer of four international conferences and the main coordinator of research projects about small cinemas. 36 SUNČANA FRANIĆ has been an associate in the Department for Culture and Communication at IRMO since 2020. She holds a double master’s degree from the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Zagreb, in French Language, Translation, and Literature, as well as in Comparative Literature (2019). In 2021, she enrolled in the interdisciplinary postgraduate specialist study program European Project Planning and Management at the University of Zagreb. From 2017 to 2019 as an intern at IRMO’s Department of Culture and Communication she participated in the Jean Monnet project CULPOL – “EU Competences and National Cultural Policies: Critical Dialogues” (2018) and the INTERREG Europe project “KEEP ON: Effective Policies for Durable and Self-Sustainable Projects in the Cultural Heritage Sector” (2018). She was a member of the IRMO team on the H2020 project “SoPHIA - Social Platform for Holistic Heritage Impact Assessment” (2020-2022), the Jean Monnet project “European Union Policies and the Platformisation of Cultural and Audio-Visual Sectors – platEU” (2020-2022) and is currently taking part in the Horizon Europe project CresCine - “Increasing the International Competitiveness of the Film Industry in Small European Markets”. Her articles have been published in journals and conference proceedings in Croatia and the EU. LUCIJA GEGIĆ is a Research Assistant at the Department for Culture and Communication at the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO) in Zagreb, Croatia. She graduated in 2022 with a double major in Croatian Language and Literature and Sociology from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb. Her research focuses on social movements, popular culture, and theories of everyday life. Lucija is involved in the HORIZON Europe project CresCine and the CULTMED project on cultural and media policies. She has presented at international conferences and participated in research exchanges and internships in Ljubljana and Graz. KONSTANTINOS GEORGIADIS holds the BSc degree in Computer Science from the University of Crete (2013) and the MSc in Informatics with specialization in Digital Media from the Department of Informatics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2015). He is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Informatics at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Since July 2015, he has worked as a research assistant at the Informatics and Telematics Institute (ITI) of the Centre of Research & Technology Hellas (CERTH). His research interests among others include: Biomedical Signal and Image Processing, Machine Learning and Brain Computer Interfaces. Specialized in interdisciplinary film studies, LENUTA GIUKIN is a French generalist in the Modern Languages & Literatures at SUNY Oswego, USA. Her research focuses on marginal groups, minorities, issues of identity, politics of gender, and various aspects of French, East-European and Romanian cinemas. Her last essay “Social Realism in Cristian Mungiu’s Graduation” was published in January 2023. She works lately on a new study on Surrealism and, a second one, on people’s implication in totalitarian practices. ANDRÉ RUI GRAÇA holds a PhD in Film Studies from University College London (UCL) and is the author of “Portuguese Cinema (1960-2010): Consumption, Circulation and Commerce” (Boydell and Brewer, 2021) and 37 * Presenting authors are underlined. CVs of the members of the Programme and Organisational Board are also listed. the co-editor of “Filmmakers on Film: Global Perspectives” (Bloomsbury, 2023). André Graça has presented his work internationally and has published frequently in academic and extra-academic contexts. He was a teaching assistant at UCL, and guest professor at Universidade da Beira Interior and Instituto Politécnico de Tomar. Currently, André Graça teaches at Lusófona University and is a researcher at CICANT (https://doi.org/10.54499/ UIDB/05260/2020). He is involved in several EU-funded projects (namely: FilmEU+, WIRE, and CresCine) that intend to set new benchmarks in film education, carry out innovative research and make the film industries of small European countries more competitive. RITA GRÁCIO is Assistant Professor at Lusófona University, teaching at the undergraduate, masters and PhD level. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Exeter (UK), and an MA and BA in Sociology from the University of Coimbra (Portugal). As an integrated researcher at CICANT-Lusófona University, Rita Grácio takes part in several Europeanfunded research projects, such as filmEU+, WIREfilmEU , filmEU_RIT, CresCine - Increasing the international competitiveness of the film industry in small European markets, RestART Europe-Mentoring Second-chance Female Entrepreneurs to Restart the European Arts and Creative Sector, CyanotypesStrategic Skills for Creative Futures, as well as in FCT funded projects, such as On & Off: atmospheres of dis/connection. Rita Grácio has presented her research at several national and international conferences (ESA 2021, 2016, 2013, 2009; IAMCR 2021, among others), and has published book chapters and articles, either single or co-authored, on several outlets, such as Comunicazioni sociali, CLaW-Communication and Language at Work, Journal of Creative Industries and Cultural Studies (JOCIS), Museum International, Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais, among others. Her research interests are within the sociology of arts and culture, with a focus on CCI (Cultural and creative industries), cultural and creative production, audiences and arts consumption, technologies and sociotechnical mediations in arts, culture and creativity. ANDERS GRØNLUND is a Postdoc in Film Studies at Lund University, Sweden. His research focuses on creative media industries, film history, runaway production, and location studies. His PhD dissertation, Greenlandic Frames (2023), examines international and local screen productions in and about Greenland. He has published on topics of Arctic and Nordic film industries, production and location analysis, film history and Danish Greenland literature. KAISA HILTUNEN, holds a PhD in Art Education (2005) and works as a Senior Researcher of Art Education at the Department of Music, Art and Culture Studies, at the University of Jyväskylä (JYU), Finland. Her research focuses on film, especially on questions of film experience and style, power dynamics in film narratives and representations of minorities and of nature in films. MAJA HOLEK holds a degree in French and Croatian Language and Literature. After working in a school, she became the head of music and performing activities of the Open University Koprivnica and worked in organising cultural activities at the “Domoljub Hall”. At the same time, she also worked on organising the programmes within the complimentary activities 38 of Velebit Cinema. In 2015 she was the president of the Koprivnica Culture Council. Since 2018, she has been the managing director of the Open University Koprivnica, which manages Velebit Cinema, but she still runs its entire programme. In 2019 she attended the “Bologna Innovation Lab”, organised by the network Europa Cinemas. In 2022, Velebit Cinema became a full-fledged member of Europa Cinemas. She is currently a member of the Koprivnica Culture Council, and has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Croatian Independent Cinema Network since 2019. HUW D. JONES is a Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Southampton. He previously worked on “Mediating Cultural Encounters through European Screens” (MeCETES), a collaborative research project on the transnational production, distribution and reception of European film and television drama, funded by Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA). He edited “The Media in Small European Nations” (2014) and is the author of “Transnational European Cinema: Representation, Audiences, Identity” (2024), alongside numerous other journal articles and book chapters. RENATA KIRŠIĆ VESELICA was born in 1987, lives and works in Labin, Istria. After graduating from the Maritime Faculty in Rijeka, she began her professional career in the civil sector as a youth worker. In 2015, together with a colleague, she started the Shpeena Dox documentary film festival, as well as other initiatives in the local community mostly connected to humanitarian work, sustainable development, and environmental protection. She is currently the director of the Labin Open University where, among other things, she takes care of the cinema program. She strongly believes that film can make the world a better place and that cinemas are valuable places for social and cultural development especially in small communities. IVANA KOSTOVSKA is a researcher in film and TV economics at IMECSMIT-VUB. Her current research focuses on understanding the changes in the European film and television industries driven by the rise of global streamers, with an emphasis on shifts in policies and commissioning practices. At SMIT-VUB, she is involved in contract research for various stakeholders, including the European Commission. As part of the CresCine project, Ivana leads tasks and contributes to comparative analyses of film exports, co-productions, distribution, and commissioning practices by global streamers, film sales markets, as well as film and AV policy. ÓSCAR LÓPEZ IGLESIAS is a Graduate in Journalism and Audiovisual Communication and Master in Journalism and Multimedia Communication at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Spain. He is currently a member of the research group “Estudos Audiovisuais” (GI-1786) of the USC and also a PhD candidate in Communication and Contemporary Information at the same university. His thesis, associated with the “LexCAV” project, addresses the impact of the Spanish General Audiovisual Law 13/2022 on the presence of audiovisual content in non-hegemonic languages in the digital sphere. ANTÍA-MARÍA LÓPEZ-GÓMEZ obtained her PhD in Communication Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. Dr LópezGómez is an Associate Professor of Audiovisual Communication and 39 * Presenting authors are underlined. CVs of the members of the Programme and Organisational Board are also listed. Advertising in the Faculty of Communication Sciences at the University of Santiago de Compostela. She is the author of several books, including: “Políticas de comunicación e identidad cultural: estrategias gubernamentales sobre la comunicación social” and “La dimensión de lo axiológico en el discurso del spot publicitario”. Co-author of the chapter with Enrique Castelló “The Digital Mask on Social Media: The Tyranny of Beauty Filters Among Digital Natives” (DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-16673-0_15 In book: “Masks and Human Connections” Palgrave-Macmillan, 2023. Her research focuses on textual theory and analysis and the study of European audiovisual policies. CHRISTOPHER PETER MARCICH is the CEO of the Croatian Audiovisual Center (HAVC). He has been elected as the President of European Film Agency Directors (EFAD) for the 2023-2026 term. He has been President of the Board of AGICOA, the association of audiovisual producers and their collective rights management groups since 2013. Upon deciding to divide his time between Brussels and Croatia for personal reasons, Chris was appointed President for International at the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in January 2015 to assist with a transition within the MPA. He was responsible for the coordination of the MPA’s international offices (EMEA, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Brazil and Mexico). Chris joined the MPA in 1995. From 1995 through 2014, he served as President in charge of MPA’s regional office for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The office’s principal areas of activity include work on legislative and regulatory issues related to the media sector at the European and national levels. Prior to joining the MPA Chris spent sixteen years working in the U.S. Government on international trade issues as a negotiator and shaping the U.S. trade policy. When he left the Government in 1995, he was the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe, responsible for trade relations with the region. Prior to that, Chris was appointed to the newly created position of Assistant US Trade Representative for Trade and Environment, pioneering efforts to integrate health and environmental principles with those of international commerce. Chris holds Croatian and U.S. citizenships, holds a Master’s degree from Georgetown University, and speaks English, Croatian and French and has working knowledge of Italian and Spanish. MARTA MATERSKA-SAMEK is an Assistant Professor, holding a PhD from Jagiellonian University, has excelled in international project leadership, particularly in creative industries. From 2006 to 2014, she managed the Cinema Development Foundation, overseeing the digitalization project of the Malopolska Network of Digital Cinemas. Affiliated with Jagiellonian University’s Department of Management, Media Economics, and Advertising since 2016, Marta co-authored and managed the “”ErasmusXR”” project (2020–2023), recognized as ‘good practice’ by the National Agency of the Erasmus+ program. Since 2020, she has contributed to developing the EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community for creative sectors within University Alliance Una Europa. During EIT Culture & Creativity’s startup phase (2022– 2023), she served as Interim Education Director. Marta actively participates in Horizon Europe projects like PACESETTERS and IMPULSE. She is a guest researcher at the Lusófona University in the CreCine project, focusing on enhancing the international competitiveness of small European film markets. As Chairwoman of the Working Group for National Smart Specialization - Creative Industries at the Polish Ministry of Development and Technology, she shapes policies in the creative sector. 40 LANA MATIĆ holds an MA in Political Science from the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Zagreb. Her work as producer, co-producer, or line producer includes films that have been screened and awarded at the festivals such as Berlinale, Sundance, Toronto and Cannes. Lana is one of the founders of the artistic organisation Zagreb Film Festival, where she works as executive director and programmer. She was on the governing board of the Cinema Europa in the period when it was run by the Zagreb Film Festival (2008–2019) and was awarded for best programming by Europa Cinemas in 2016. She is a member of the Croatian Producers Association, European Film Academy and ACE Producer’s Network. ROMANAS MATULIS serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Baltic Film & Creative Tech Cluster. Senior professional with 30 years expertise in audiovisual industries across the Baltic States and EU, combined with international production, marketing and promotion, content distribution, intellectual property rights, strategic market and business development, networking, clustering, research and innovation, EU projects management and policy making. SELMA MEHADŽIĆ holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Faculty of Political Science in Zagreb. After graduation, for several years she worked on the organizational teams of the Zagreb FilmFestival, ZagrebDox, Amateur Film Review, Motovun Film Festival, AnimafestZagreb and on projects of the production house Propeler Film. In 2007, she joined the Zagreb Film Festival artistic organisation as programming coordinator, and currently works as their head of film distribution, as well as producer and selector. For ten years, from 2009 to 2019, she worked as head of film programming at the Europa Cinema in Zagreb. She often collaborates with other organizations as film programming coordinator and consultant (Art Cinema Arsen in Šibenik, Cinema Valli in Pula, Center for Culture Čakovec, etc.). In 2016, she launched KinoKino – International Film Festival for Children, the only festival in Croatia dedicated to professional feature films for children. She is a member of the European Film Academy (EFA), for three years, she was a member of the selection panels for the Best European Comedy of the Year (2019–2021), and the LUX Prize of the European Parliament (2018–2020). ROI MÉNDEZ FERNÁNDEZ holds a PhD in Research in Information Technologies from the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), Spain. He is an Assistant Professor of Audiovisual Communication at USC. He received a first degree in Computer Systems from USC and a Master’s in Computing from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). He is a researcher of the Audiovisual Studies Research Group (GEA), focusing his research on virtual TV sets, virtual and augmented reality, and new technology applications in communication and teaching. ALEN MUNITIĆ started Mediterranean Film Festival Split in 2018, and serves as its artistic director. At that time, he already had a number of years of professional experience at the largest regional festivals such as Zagreb Film Festival, Motovun Film Festival, ZagrebDox, Animafest Zagreb, and others. Mediterranean Film Festival Split quickly became the most visited cultural event in Split. In 2012, he started Kino Mediteran, a project aiming to revitalise cinemas in Dalmatia that is now held in more than twenty towns and attracts 70,000 visitors every year. Since 2016, Kino Mediteran has been 41 * Presenting authors are underlined. CVs of the members of the Programme and Organisational Board are also listed. and non-formal education. Additionally, she actively participates in applied research projects commissioned by cultural institutions and policy makers in Latvia, covering a wide array of topics such as audience research, cultural participation, evaluation of cultural projects, and the amateur arts movement. Līga’s extensive experience in numerous research projects has refined her expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, including non-traditional approaches such as visual research methods, participatory research, and social network analysis. Her recent work focuses on digital culture consumption practices, particularly film consumption habits. ANTONIOS VLASSIS is a Research Professor in the Center for International Relations Studies (CEFIR), Department of Political Science, University of Liège, Belgium. From 2023 to 2026, he is the ULIEGE leader/ Principal Investigator of two important HORIZON EUROPE projects, focusing on international competitiveness of European film industry (REBOOT-101094796) and on fairness in the European music industry in the light of global music streamers (FairMuse-101095088). His research and teaching fields deal with international cooperation, international political economy, global cultural politics, EU cultural and media policies and digital globalisation. ZORAN VUJIĆ has a background in post-production services and visual effects, working as a producer at various studios. With experience in animation, color grading, VFX compositing, and editing, Zoran currently holds the position of Producer/Partner at POSTER, a visual effects and animation studio. Prior to this, Zoran worked at Bold Studio Zagreb and Komakino, where Zoran gained valuable experience in post-production supervision. Zoran studied journalism and holds a degree in Master of Journalism from the University of Zagreb. ALEXANDROS ZAMICHOS received his diploma from the department of Computer and Communication Engineering at University of Thessaly in 2015. Since September of 2015, he has been working as a research assistant at the Informatics and Telematics Institute (ITI) of the Centre for Research and Technology (Certh), Thessaloniki, Greece. His research interests include software engineering, data mining, machine learning, neural networks and web development. 48 Organizers and Partners Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO), Zagreb, Croatia, is a public, non-profit, scientific and policy research institute, engaged in the interdisciplinary study of European and international economic, political, cultural relations and communication. Cultural policy and communication constitute the fields of IRMO’s expertise that have been continuously researched within the scope of activities of the Department for Culture and Communication, the focal point of the CresCine IRMO research team. The conference is also supported by IRMO’s CULTMED project. For more information about the Institute please visit: https://irmo.hr/ IRMO is a partner in the consortium of 26 partners that jointly work on a Horizon Europe project ‘Increasing the international competitiveness of the film industry in small European markets’ (CresCine) that aims to, through its research and other activities, contribute to increasing the competitiveness of the film industry across small countries in Europe and improve the international circulation of films and audio-visual content coming from small markets in Europe. This three-year (2023-2026) scientific research project (Research and Innovation Action – RIA), coordinated by Lusófona University in Portugal, brings together the academic community and the film industry. CresCine aims not only to enhance the competitiveness of the European film industry but also to enhance its cultural diversity. This will be achieved by understanding, engaging with, empowering, and ultimately transforming small markets in Europe, through research and piloting in 7 countries (Belgium (Flanders), Croatia, Estonia, Lithuania, Denmark, Ireland and Portugal). More information can be found at the website of the project: https://www.crescine. eu/ The project consortium includes: Lusófona University, Portugal (project coordinator); Storytek Innovation Lab, Estonia; SOGOFIF, France; Tallinn University, Estonia; CINETOSCOPIO, Portugal; Aarhus University, Denmark; Aarhus Kommune, Denmark; Munster Technological University (MTU), Ireland; Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), Ireland; Institute for Development and International Relations – IRMO, Croatia; Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium; Baltic Film and Creative Tech Cluster (BFCT), Lithuania; Zaisan B.V. (Europechain), Netherlands; DAIN Studios, Germany; Lumiere Publishing, Netherlands; European Film Academy (EFA), Germany. The project consortium will benefit from the work of a number of associated partners that include professional associations and other stakeholders from the industry, both from Europe and the USA: Cine-Regio (Belgium), Fonden Creative Business CUP (Denmark), Screen Producers Ireland (Ireland), European Film Agency Directors – EFAD, Animation Ireland (Ireland), Europe Analytica Limited (UK), Online Film Financing – OLFFI, International Cinema Technology Association (USA). From Croatia, the associated project partners are Zagreb Film Festival (ZFF) and Propeler Film. Zagreb Film Festival (ZFF) is one of the central and most visited cultural events and the largest international film festival in Croatia. It’s held every year in November in Zagreb and presents to the audience the best of recent independent international and domestic film production. From its beginning, ZFF is oriented towards discovering and promoting contemporary 49 independent film and debut films of directors from around the world. ZFF Industry is one of the biggest training and networking platforms in the region. It is a practical and educational platform with masterclasses, pitching sessions, workshops, panel discussions and round tables intended for audiences of all ages, interests and levels of professional knowledge, from school children to film industry professionals. Each year it brings some of the most prominent film professionals to Zagreb to support new emerging talents. ZFF Industry covers all steps in the filmmaking process: from project and script development, post-production, and packaging of the project to final theatrical distribution. The Academy of Dramatic Art (ADU) is the oldest Croatian higher education institution offering study programs in performing and audiovisual arts. Within its theatre, film and dance departments, it covers almost all aspects of dramatic art on a practical, artistic, theoretical and scientific level. Since its inception in 1896, the institution grew in prominence, resulting in its successful affiliation with the University of Zagreb in 1979, along with the Academy of Music and the Academy of Fine Arts. The Academy serves as the country’s premier drama school, providing education for all types of professions related to theatre, radio, television and film production, including actors, directors, cinematographers and editors. 50 Previous Small Cinemas Conferences 1st edition of the Small Cinemas Conference, 2010, European Visions: Small Cinemas in Transition, London, Ontario, Canada, June 29-July 2. 2nd edition of the Small Cinemas Conference, 2011, Small Cinemas: Small, Smaller, Smallest, Oswego, NY, USA, September 16-18. 3rd edition of the Small Cinemas Conference, 2012, Small Cinemas. Promotion & Reception, Timișoara, Romania, June 1-3. 4th edition of the Small Cinemas Conference, 2013, Small Cinemas: Crossing Borders, Florianopolis, Brazil, September 4-6. Website: https://4smallcinemas.ufsc.br/ 5th edition of the Small Cinemas Conference, 2014, Crisis in Film and Visual Media, Vilnius, Lithuania, September 19-20. Website: http://www.filmconference.kf.vu.lt/invitation-to-the-conference/ 6th edition of the Small Cinemas Conference, 2015, Filming Locations: The Fabric of Culture, Myth & Identity, Valletta, Malta, September 24-26. Website: https://infocauchi.wixsite.com/smallcinemasmalta 7th edition of the Small Cinemas Conference, 2016, Conflict and Controversy in Small Cinema, Krakow, Poland, September 28-30. 8th edition of the Small Cinemas Conference, 2017, Diversity in Glocal Cinemas: Language, Culture, Identity, Small Cinemas, Small Spaces, Bilbao / San Sebastián, Spain, September 20-22. Website: https://www.ehu.eus/ehusfera/smallcinemasconference2017/ 9th edition of the Small Cinemas Conference, 2018, From the Grassroots to the Global, Political Imaginaries of Small Cinemas & Culture, Boca Raton, Florida, USA, November 9-10. Website: https://fromthegrassrootstotheglobal.wordpress.com/ 10th edition of the Small Cinemas Conference, 2019, Small Cinemas, Small Spaces, Lisbon, Portugal, September 25-27. Website: https://smallcinemassmallspaces.wordpress.com/ 11th edition of the Small Cinemas Conference, 2020, Political Imaginaries of Small Cinemas & Culture, Cluj, Romania, September 11-12. Website: http://comemory.granturi.ubbcluj.ro/smallcinemas/ 12th edition of the Small Cinemas Conference, 2021, From Celluloid to Streaming: Conservation and Circulation of Small Cinemas, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, October 28-30. Website: https://estudosaudiovisuais.org/en/actividade/12th-edition-of-thesmall-cinemas-conference/ 13th edition of the Small Cinemas Conference, 2022, Totalitarianism in Literature and Film, Bielsko-Biala, Poland, October 1-3. Website: https://wseh.pl/en/page/totalitarianism-literature-and-filmconference.html 14th edition of the Small Cinemas Conference, 2023, Personal Perspective and Essayistic Form in Nonfiction Film and Art, Vilnius, Lithuania, September 22-23. Website: https://www.lkti.lt/22-23-september-2023/ 51 General Info Here you can find useful information to help you plan your visit and navigate the city. Conference Venue The conference will take place at the F22 – Academy Scene located at Frankopanska 22, Zagreb. F22 is situated in the heart of the city, making it easily accessible from various parts of Zagreb. Being an integral part of the Academy of Dramatic Art, the venue is well-known for its vibrant cultural atmosphere and is close to many of the city’s attractions, cafés, and restaurants. Zagreb Tourist Board For more information about what to see and do in Zagreb, please visit the Zagreb Tourist Board website: https://www.infozagreb.hr. Here, you will find detailed guides on historical sites, cultural events, dining options, and more. Transportation from Zagreb Airport (Franjo Tuđman Airport) to the City Center Zagreb Airport is located approximately 17 km from the city center. There are several transportation options available: • Airport Shuttle: The official airport shuttle (Pleso Prijevoz) departs regularly from the airport and drops passengers at the Zagreb Central Bus Station. The journey takes about 30 minutes and costs 8 EUR. • Taxi: Taxis are readily available outside the arrivals terminal. The trip to the city center typically takes around 25-30 minutes, depending on traffic, and costs approximately 25-30 EUR. • Ride-Sharing: Uber and Bolt are available in Zagreb and can be used for transportation from the airport to the city center. Getting Around Zagreb Zagreb has an efficient public transport system (ZET) that includes trams and buses (see more information on ZET website). Here are some key points: • Trams: The city’s tram network is extensive and reliable. Trams run from early morning until midnight, and tickets can be purchased on the tram, at newsstands, or via the Zagreb Tram app. Night trams and buses are available according to the schedule (ride approx. every hour), covering the whole city transport network. • Buses: Buses complement the tram network and provide transport to areas not served by trams. • Walking: The conference venue is in the city center, making walking a convenient option for exploring the area. Most of Zagreb’s attractions are within walking distance of the venue. • Biking: Zagreb has a public bike-sharing system called Nextbike. You can easily rent a bike through the Nextbike app. Weather in November November in Zagreb is typically cool, with average daytime temperatures ranging between 5°C and 12°C. We recommend packing a warm coat, as evenings can be chilly. Rain is also possible, so an umbrella might come in handy. 52 Local Currency The currency in Croatia is the Euro (EUR). Credit cards are widely accepted, but it’s a good idea to have some cash for smaller purchases, especially in markets or smaller shops and cafes. It is advisable to announce payment by card in advance. Emergency Contacts Emergency Services (Police, Fire, Ambulance): 112 Nearest Hospital: KBC Zagreb, Kišpatićeva ul. 12, Zagreb Tourist Information Center: Located at the main square (Trg bana Jelačića) We hope you will have a pleasant stay in Zagreb and an inspiring experience at the 15th Small Cinemas 2024 Conference! 53 Impressum 15th Annual International Small Cinemas Conference Changing Policies, Transforming Audiences and Work Practices In-flux 5-7 November 2024, Zagreb, Croatia Book of Abstracts Edited by: Jaka Primorac and Lucija Gegić Publisher: Institut za razvoj i međunarodne odnose (IRMO) Ljudevita Farkaša Vukotinovića 2 10000 Zagreb Croatia For Publisher: Sanja Tišma, PhD, Director Language editing: Sunčana Franić Graphic Design: Julius Talvik Open Access Publication, Creative Commons, CC BY-NC-ND ISBN: 978-953-6096-97-8 Zagreb, November 2024 Programme board of the Conference: Jaka Primorac (President) Manuel José Damásio Lenuta Giukin Ivana Kostovska Jakob Isak Nielsen Boris Ružić Aleksandra Uzelac Organizational board of the Conference: Sunčana Franić Lucija Gegić Lana Matić Selma Mehadžić Jaka Primorac (President) Aleksandra Uzelac Lenuta Giukin https://smallcinemas2024.irmo.hr/ [email protected] 54