Without an audience, there are no film festivals.
There are no cinemas, no films, nothing.
Knowing your audience is a fundamental part of your work, whether you are a film director, a producer, or a festival director.
At festivals, defining audience types also helps define activities and programming tailored to each segment, since the same festival can plan actions aimed at very different audiences without them competing with each other.
As a director or producer, understanding the different audience segments can also help you better plan your distribution strategy for your film and better understand festivals.
Audiences can be divided into four main groups: three that have always existed, and a fourth that has developed especially over the last year with COVID and the pandemic.
#1 Local audience
This is the most obvious audience for a festival: the audience that lives in the city where it is held. It is the foundation of any film festival and, in many cases, the bedrock that supports it.
In many cities, festivals have become the only window onto another kind of cinema, a way to discover lesser-known film cultures or authors. The role of film festivals for the local audience helps mitigate the disappearance of cinemas.
They are also key to creating new audiences, as programming is often aimed at younger viewers.
#2 Professional audience
This is the audience that does not live in the town or city where the festival is held. They travel to the festival for a few days or weeks, usually for work, as they are distributors, buyers, or journalists.
A festival’s ability to attract this audience is linked to its national and international prestige and its impact on the industry.
While the local audience usually does not have a time issue, as they live in the city year-round, the professional audience has very limited time, so they will try to watch as many films as possible in the few days they visit the festival.
#4 New directors and producers
Film festivals can also be major training and project development spaces, with actions aimed at this segment, which has very specific needs.
It is also possible to strengthen and build loyalty among the alumni community, that is, directors and producers who have been selected or have participated in activities held in previous editions.
#3 Online audience
We could call this audience a global or worldwide audience. It differs from local and professional audiences in terms of physical presence, since while the rest attend the festival in person (although online training and professional actions can be created), the online audience experiences the festival remotely.
This is a new type of audience that has always existed (platforms know this well), but many festivals have discovered it over the last year. There are many people who are not professionals and cannot travel to festivals, but who want to consume their content.
Creating specific actions and growing this segment is one of the major challenges for film festivals in the coming years.
Defining activities by audience segment.
Let us think for a moment about audiences and film festivals.
If the local audience is available all year round, a festival could last longer than just a few days, organising different events throughout the year with screenings and director presentations, in a more unhurried way.
In addition, organising events throughout the year could help with funding and sustainability, as it would not be a one-off moment in the year, and its income could be recurring.
Larger festivals such as San Sebastián often programme events at different times of the year, and even large organisations such as the Toronto International Film Festival run different festivals.
If you think about the local audience, it does not make much sense to talk about world or international premieres, since every film is a discovery. For example, in the children’s or family sections of many major festivals, premiere requirements are not as strict.
On the other hand, if you want to encourage the professional audience to travel to the festival, premieres are often used as a draw. Most of the film industry gathers in Cannes to discover the best films of the year for the first time.
In this sense, think for a moment about your festival.
Is it really necessary for the films to be premieres?
Are you thinking about your audience? Does it make sense for the local audience to stop enjoying certain films because they have already been shown in other cities or countries?
Can you do more activities to support new creators?
Think globally: if there is an audience that wants to watch your programme and take part in your festival, they can do so online—do not underestimate it.
Many festivals are considering online sections or their own platforms; cases such as the Oberhausen festival with its International Online Competition are a good example.
There are many options and nuances. Take these four segments, go deeper into each of them: you can focus on one, or combine them. Reflect on whether you can do more to get to know your audience.
As a director or producer, do not limit yourself to the official selections. Get to know festivals better; check whether there are sections where your film may fit better, or activities where you can start preparing the development of new projects.
A film festival is not important because of the number of world or international premieres it has, but because of its ability to connect with its different audiences, fill the theatres, and fill its activities every year.