The Oxford Brookes Creative Industries Research and Innovation Network

In this session, Marie-Claire Benson will reflect on the changing film release strategies in 2021. Marie-Claire heads up the Motion Picture Group at Lionsgate UK, a consistent box office market share leader and a premium TV and streaming services provider. Benson will discuss the changing ways in which films are brought to audiences, replacing a previously linear model of Theatrical – Home Entertainment – Streamer – Free TV, the reasons behind these shifts and the predicted permanency of the new norms in the film industry.

'Cinema industry is dying because of the pandemic'. It’s a statement you might have heard in the news or read in newspapers since last year. However, have you also heard that during the same pandemic a local Japanese film called ‘Demon Slayer’ became Japan's biggest film ever? Did you know that the Chinese film ‘Detective Chinatown 3’ became the title with the biggest box office opening ever in a single market, even bigger than ‘Avengers: Endgame’ in North America? Or when we look at the European territories, have you heard that 'Another Round', the Oscar-winning title with Mads Mikkelsen, has been a success story for Danish cinemas? In this masterclass, Anna Paprocka - Group Content Manager at ODEON Cinemas Group - will look at the role of the domestic slate in the recovery process. The spotlight will be put on success stories from territories like Japan, China, Spain, Norway, Denmark, and Poland.

In 2020 worldwide lockdowns wreaked havoc on traditional film distribution practices across big and small territories alike. Craving even more content, an increasing number of viewers turned to easily accessible illegal alternatives. The new working conditions forced the producers to continue apace while thinking carefully about new options for releasing their films through innovative ways. That is why, in response to the global crisis and the limited local alternatives, the Bulgarian film production house Concept Studio launched their own SVoD digital platform, FILMIRA, which presents diverse content from Bulgaria and around the world. In this masterclass Head of Content and International Sales, Nina Pehlivanova, talks about reaching local audiences during this critical period in the European film industry, fighting the increasing piracy and adjusting to the ever-changing requirements of the new digitally-driven ecosystem.

MediCinema is a charity whose mission is to improve the well-being and quality of life of NHS patients, their families and carers through the power of the shared cinema experience and the magic of film. They achieve this by building and running cinemas in hospitals equipped with space for beds, wheelchairs and medical equipment. We will be joined by their Director of Operations, Paul Giggal, to discuss their response to the pandemic, starting a new bedside film service, running cinemas inside hospitals during Covid, and building on the opportunities and lessons from the last 15 months to explore new ways to reach people and expand what the shared experience can be.
 

Founders of the Dead Northern Film Festival Joshua Lawson and Gareth Humphreys will be discussing how a beer festival evolved into a horror film festival, the challenges of hosting a live and safe event during the ever-changing COVID-19 lockdowns and tier system, the future of cinema and the role of film festivals for independent film after the pandemic, and why they're having a film festival with no films.