Davide Abbatescianni, Author at Celluloid Junkie

By DavideAbbatescianni

The TIFF Lightbox remains one of the key locations of Toronto's film festival. (Photo: Nick Wons)

Did TIFF’s First Market Deliver for Buyers? The Answer Is Yes, With Caveats

Toronto’s long-established dealmaking acquired a formal framework this year with TIFF: The Market, a new platform for sales, financing and international partnerships backed by CAD $23 million (USD $14.3 million) in federal funding. Running September 10–16, 2026, it was based out of the Metro Toronto…

(From left) Roeg Sutherland, co-head of the Media Finance department and co-head of the International Film Group, and Glen Basner, founder and CEO of FilmNation Entertainment in conversation with moderator Geoff Macnaughton during the “Perspectives: The Global Sales Playbook” panel at TIFF: The Market. The session was held on 12 September. (Photo: Davide Abbatescianni)

The Global Film Sales Playbook Is Changing as Pre-Sales Carry Less of the Load

As international pre-sales become harder to rely on, FilmNation’s Glen Basner and CAA’s Roeg Sutherland argue at TIFF: The Market that sales agents must take more risk, package films earlier and help filmmakers think about audiences from the outset. At TIFF: The Market’s “Perspectives: The Global Sa…

The “From Film to Audience: Lessons from Two Years of Eurimages Marketing Support” panel at the Venice Production Bridge tackled the thorny issue of how difficult it can be to start film marketing early. (Photo: Davide Abbatescianni)

Cinema’s Creator Problem Is No Longer Just About Marketing

For years, the film industry’s relationship with online creators followed a fairly predictable model: invite them to premieres, provide access to talent and hope their followers notice the movie. At the Venice Production Bridge (3-9 September), producers, platforms, creators and Italian film institu…

(From left) Moderator Iris Cadoux, project manager, Eurimages; Jean-Yves Roubin, founder, Frakas Productions; Susan Wendt, managing director, TrustNordisk; Nadia Trevisan, CEO, Nefertiti Film; and moderator Thierry Hugot, programme manager, Eurimages. The group participated in the “From Film to Audience: Lessons from Two Years of Eurimages Marketing Support” panel discussion held on 4 September at the Venice Production Bridge. (Photo: Davide Abbatescianni)

Film Marketing Needs to Start Earlier. Eurimages Is Learning How Hard That Can Be

If the industry consensus is now that film marketing needs to start earlier, Eurimages has spent the past two years trying to fund what that actually looks like. The results suggest money helps, but it cannot by itself synchronize producers, sales agents, distributors and festival strategies that st…

The Europa Distribution session at New Nordic Films in Haugesund brought together an eclectic mix of speakers to discuss how this celebrated subcategory of international cinema is marketed internationally. Festival premieres, awards success and recognisable auteurs can be invaluable, but they don't tell the whole story.

Nordic Cinema Doesn’t Have an Export Problem. It Has a Conversion Problem

A Europa Distribution session at New Nordic Films in Haugesund looked at a well regarded subcategory of international cinema, and found that a reputation for quality doesn’t always lead directly to strong ticket sales. At festivals, Nordic films travel extraordinarily well. They win prizes, attract…

(From left) Moderator Cathrine Jakobsen led the case-study discussion during the "Youth, Trends and Taboos on Films" seminar at Haugesund 2026. Silje Salomonsen, co-director of “Back to Tottori,” and Norwegian distributor Linn Barholt participated in seminar on August 25, 2026. (Photo: Grethe Nygaard)

Young Audiences Already Like Cinema. The Hard Part Is Giving Them a Reason to Go

The film industry may be asking the wrong question about younger audiences. Rather than wondering how to persuade teenagers to care about cinema, new Nordic research suggests the more immediate challenge is turning an already positive attitude towards theatrical viewing into an actual trip to the mo…

(From left) Locarno's Mitchell Harper moderated the "It Takes A Village: Investing in Film Beyond Cinema" panel, which featured Darcy Heusel, of Outside Pictures; Nicola Ofoego of Black Mic Mag, Logical Pictures; and Samuel Tebandeke of Kiasi. The panel took place on August 8, 2026, as part of the Swiss film festival's industry platform. (Photo: courtesy of Locarno Film Festival/Ti-Press)

At Locarno, Restored Films Face Their Next Challenge: Finding an Audience

At Locarno Pro 2026, archivists, exhibitors, distributors and filmmakers explored why restoring a classic film is only the first step in putting it back in front of audiences. Locarno Pro (August 5-11) – the Swiss film festival’s industry platform – closed its biggest edition yet this August with 2,…

(From left) Moderator Zac Ntim of Deadline, Oscar-winning producer Mollye Asher ("Nomadland," "The Rider," "On Swift Horses") and film marketing strategist Mathias Noschis of Alphapanda participate in the "Audience First: Rethinking Film Marketing Before Distribution" panel at the Karlovy Vary IFF on July 6, 2026.

Indie Film Marketing Can’t Wait Until the Film Is Finished

A panel at Karlovy Vary examined the need to begin the marketing conversation at the earliest possible stage… even before production begins. At Karlovy Vary’s Industry program (July 5-9), a sharp conversation held on July 6 on audience strategy argued that independent films can no longer afford to t…

(From left) Host Aylin Kazi; TikTok creator Melo Nsuka; Jackie Meire, EU Head of Social at Amazon Prime Video, UK; and actress Runa Greiner, who participated in the EFM 2026 panel "From Community to Box Office: How Fandom on TikTok Drives Impact," held on Feb 13, 2026. (Photo: Winson, courtesy of EFM)

Social Media, Fandom and the Hard Question of Conversion

The question of whether social media buzz can actually drive potential audiences to cinemas is as pertinent as ever. As the first reactions for “The Odyssey” break, we reflect on panels that explored this topic at the European Film Market earlier this year… The news that Christophe…

(From left) Ruun Nour, Vancouver International Film Festival programmer and No Evil Eye Cinema co-founder; Can Sungu, artistic director of SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA; Kira Simon-Kennedy, film producer and volunteer member with La Clef collective; and moderate Jeremy Chua, producer at Potocol and executive director of the Singapore International Film Festival, who participated in the Cannes Docs panel “Micro Cinemas and Macro Impact: Independent Exhibition as a Social and Communal Practice,” held on May 16, 2026 (Photo: © Cyril Chateau / Marché du Film)

Micro Cinemas, Major Impact: How Grassroots Exhibitors are Rebuilding Film Culture

At a time when traditional distribution remains under pressure, micro cinemas and independent exhibition spaces may be offering one of the most concrete answers to the question of how films can still find committed, physically present audiences. That was the central argument emerging from the Cannes…