Documentary film audiences in Europe: Findings for the Moving Docs Survey

This 32-page report presents the findings of an online survey (c.1500 responses) that aimed to find out who watches documentaries in Europe, where and why; what impact does this viewing experience have; and how can we encourage people to watch more documentaries? Key findings from the survey include...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Jones, Huw D.
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: Thessaloniki Film Festival 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/444558/
https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/444558/1/Moving_Docs_Survey_Report.pdf
Description
Summary:This 32-page report presents the findings of an online survey (c.1500 responses) that aimed to find out who watches documentaries in Europe, where and why; what impact does this viewing experience have; and how can we encourage people to watch more documentaries? Key findings from the survey include: • VOD as the most popular platform for viewing documentaries. TV, festivals, cinemas and special screenings, were second – fifth, respectively. • 97% of respondents claimed to have been affected by documentaries in some way – 60% said documentaries had improved their understanding of the world, 50% had been encouraged to find out more about a particular issue, and 25% had been encouraged to take action (e.g. join a campaign). • 16-24-year olds were the least likely to watch documentaries, particularly in cinemas, but the most likely to be affected by this viewing experience. • The most frequently mentioned impactful documentaries focused on: extraordinary individuals (The Salt of the Earth), the problems of modern societies (The Swedish Theory of Love), the exploitation of animals (Earthlings), the legacy of war or genocide (The Act of Killing), strong women (In Search…), or artists/musicians (Searching for Sugarman). • Having more documentaries on topics that interest them and more information about the latest documentary releases would particularly encourage 16-24-year olds to watch more documentaries in cinemas. The survey was commissioned by Moving Docs (managed by the European Documentary Network) with funding from Creative Europe. It was carried out with support from Doc Lounge Sweden, Docs Barcelona Spain, IceDocs: Iceland Documentary Film Festival; Rise and Shine Cinema Berlin, and CineDoc Greece. Additional partners included the Thessaloniki Film Festival, Europa Cinemas and the Panteion University of Greece.