Insights from Romanian film industry: interview with Andreea Zidaru (Forum Film Romania)

To start the year, our Business Review team embarked on an investigation into the characteristics of Romanian cinema enthusiasts. Recent public reports have indicated that the Romanian film market has achieved nearly EUR 60 million in box office revenue. Amid our exploration, we couldn’t overlook the recent social media discussions surrounding Romanian film releases accompanied by hate speech. Our aim was to comprehend whether these controversies have any impact on the choices and perceptions of moviegoers. To gather more insights, we approached prominent film distributors to gain unique perspectives on the audience’s preferences and tastes.

In this series, Business Review had a conversation with Andreea Zidaru, general manager of Forum Film Romania, the company that has taken over the distribution in local cinemas of films produced by Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and LucasFilm studios, as well as 20th Century and Searchlight Pictures studios, among others.

How would you describe the Romanian cinema market in terms of audience attendance and box office performance in 2023? Do you believe are going to be any changes in 2024?

The Romanian market became very atypical lately, meaning that what we could estimate pretty much accurately till the beginning of last year, we can no longer state. We seem like walking on sandy lands after last year, when some strong titles underperformed (like Babylon, The Flash, Equalizer3, Indiana Jones, etc.) others became good and unexpected surprises, like Barbie and Oppenheimer with outstanding results during the summer.

In the Top 10 movies last year (Miami Bici2, Barbie, Oppenheimer, FastX, Romina VTM, Nunta pe Bani, Aquaman, Haita de Actiune, John Wick4, SuperMario) were only 4 or 5 titles about which we could be 100% sure that they would hit this top at the beginning of last year.

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Insights from Romanian film industry: interview with Cristian Anastasiu (Bold Film Studio)

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The cinema market lately can also be described as being very polarized – there are the classic cinema visitors, that follow the new international titles or latest big theatrical releases and that probably come 1-2 times per month in cinemas, and there is also another big audience category which is coming heavily in small groups at the so-called event-movies, within specific contexts, when there is content that is addressing directly to their interests (music, influencers, stand-up comedians or youtubers etc).

4 local productions (LP) in top 10 is also a first time. Only one animation hit the Top10. And if we consider the calendar revenues of 2023, at the top of the list should be placed Avatar: The Way of Water that became an all-time record as being the No1 movie in Romania (released in December 2022).

Considering the box office, while the market registered a slight increase vs 2022 results, it is fantastic that Romania managed to reach the level of the market from 2019, which remained a benchmark for many industries. And for sure this is due to the LPs combined with the outstanding results of Avatar 2 locally.

It is worth adding that Romania was one of the champion countries in Europe, where the return to cinemas happened quite fast after the pandemic; here I guess that this was also due to the continuous and immediate efforts from both cinemas and distributors that were very active in communication after the reopening of cinemas in summer 2021.

Are there any specific genres or types of films that have been particularly successful in Romania recently, and do you plan to capitalize on these trends in 2024?

In the last year I can say it was the most unexpected evolution of the cinema market from the latest years, excepting the pandemic when all cinemas were closed more or less for more than a year. By far, it is obvious the fulminant evolution of local productions (LP) in the total box office. There were 4 LPs that entered straight to No1 and/or in the top 10 Box Office, which is a remarkable success and another 10 LP titles that registered over 10k tickets sold over the whole year. 

The market share for LP reached 18% last year from the level of only 4-5% in 2021 and is probably going to grow steadily while the number of productions are more frequent lately, the focus is on commercial movies that hit a wide target audience by all means. In comparison, in 2022 only 2 LP entered the top 10. So can we discuss here about a new consumer preference for LP? Or about a more diversified offer of many more commercial titles? Either way, there is a BIG potential here that both cinemas and production companies are not willing to lose.

Now, each of the big film distributors on the market has certain exclusivities for theatrical with the big studios from Hollywood, for us is Disney (including Marvel, 20th Century, LucasFilm and Searchlight) so in this case our main objective is to maximize the sales for our main client(s), no matter the genre of the movies from the yearly lineup.

Still, going back to the big potential (and new opportunities) discussed above, we are open to work with local producers and/or independent studios, and started this successful partnership with Bold Film Studio and Taximetristi movie in 2023. This year we will continue with them and we are launching the second production from the same studio – the all ages comedy Klaus & Barroso and we will continue with other 2-3 independent local producers that we are already in discussions with.

I am happy to say that so far we could choose our clients from the LP with whom we had a certain connection in terms of professionalism, passion, strategic thinking and long-term vision and I am sure the results will become soon visible.

Can you share any insights into your distribution strategies for Romanian independent and art-house films in 2024 and how you plan to support the local film industry?

Distribution strategies are specific for each title itself, there are no universal recipes, here is the beauty. There are certain rules that we are guided by and that we’ve learned over the years. We start from the screening of the movie and for each of our projects we first try to identify and describe correctly the target audience/persona, where and how we can interact with it.

Then the difference is in the fine tunings: from the details on the first poster and trailer and trailering strategy to the tone of voice in social media and the details in the events management.

When you have big budgets available, everything is much easier. We were lucky that for our first LP release we could benefit from the support of WOPA agency that managed to create integrated campaigns and also close efficient product and media partnerships from local and international brands that invested in the movies like Pepsi, Neumarkt, Douglas and Caii de la Letea. 

What is clear is that any movie needs to be promoted in order to become successful, especially the LPs, and here are specific opportunities that almost every producer so far is using, considering the Caravan-promoted tour in the main cities, where the visitors can interact directly with the actors and the producing team. The effort is not small, but is worth it in terms of direct feedback and return in ticket sales. This kind of events produce both local buzz and also works for the personal branding of the actors and of production studios’ as well as increases the visiting rates for the cinemas, sometimes for the shopping malls hosting the cinemas as well.

The continuous cooperation with cinemas is also key and we work to identify the right promotion tools for each of them, depending on their specific needs and within the budgets as well.

What role do film festivals play in your distribution strategies for independent and art-house films, and are there any notable festivals or events in 2024 where audiences can expect to see a strong Romanian film presence?

For international markets, film festivals serve as a crucial stepping stone for independent and art-house films, offering exposure and visibility, networking opportunities, critical feedback, awards and recognition and also a chance to secure distribution deals. Success at film festivals can have a significant impact on the overall distribution and success of these films on the open market.

Similarly, in Romania, there are already local festivals that became international and that are very well established on the local market, taking place each year of the last 10-20 years like: TIFF, Anonimul IFF, Les Films de Cannes a Bucharest, Dracula Film Festival, Astra Film just to mention a few. But there are many more specific ones: dance/ horror/ shorts/ documentaries film festivals.

While it is clearly an advantage to have a Festival that is presenting your movie, still, at the local level, the release date is the king. So in case you plan well in advance of your release, then you should definitely consider early festivals as a hook for marketing and PR. For art-house titles in first place. If not, in case your estimated release date is not accommodating with any big festival soon, most likely producers are not going to wait for that specific festival over the decision making process for their premiere date. This is most of the times conditioned by many other factors like the competitive environment, binding contracts with the sponsors on exposure or with authorities to release within a specific period, or contracts with other media suppliers or channels, etc.

Therefore, I would rather say that in Romania festivals are still “nice to have” recognitions, but are not that powerful to influence over the release date of the title…or not just yet. And that could also be a result of the fact that most of the LPs in the last couple of years were rather commercial titles than arthouse movies.

Are there any upcoming movie releases or major film events scheduled for 2024 that your company is particularly excited about and expects to have a significant impact on the Romanian cinema market?

We just released Klaus & Barroso, the second movie produced by Bold Film Studio after the success of Taximetristi/ Taxidrivers last year, now with Cosmin (Micutzu) Nedelcu who joined the creative team (and plays also one of the main roles), next to Bogdan Theodor Olteanu and Adrian Nicolae. We are very excited about it as it is a clean, 12+ comedy with an accessible humor inspired from everyday life but written also wit and with more layers than it may seem. We are very confident after the Caravan organized around the country and where the feedback was extremely good (in almost all locations we doubled the shows), that this is a movie that will raise your spirits in a slow month like January. So for us this is the main event of the season, followed by Poor Things, one of the most acclaimed movies of the big international festivals in late 2023 and the title that has many chances for the Oscars this year – in early February.

Later in summer, Inside Out 2 from Disney Pixar, Alien: Romulus from 20th Century, Deadpool 3 from Marvel Studios where Wolverine will step in this franchise, will hit the big screens in July and later on, Mufasa: The Lion King from Disney in December.

Is there still any place for public relations and media partnerships plays in your efforts to promote local films?

Definitely! Public relations and media partnerships continue to play a crucial role and are still relevant in promoting all films. While digital marketing and online platforms have become significant channels for promotion, traditional PR and media partnerships offer unique benefits and can complement digital strategies. 

PR professionals are skilled in crafting compelling narratives. They can create engaging stories around the film, its cast, and the filmmaking process, making it more appealing for the media and the audience.

PR is key in organizing and promoting events as premieres, screenings, press conferences. These events provide opportunities for media coverage and can generate buzz around the film, adding credibility to a film. Positive reviews, interviews, and features in any relevant media can build trust among the audience. Also, in the event of some controversies having a PR professional can help manage crises and handle the media effectively, although nobody wants to reach this point…

The various partnerships also allow you to reach specific target audiences through established channels. Collaborating with relevant publications/outlets can help tailor your own message to the right demographic.

In summary, while digital platforms are essential, a holistic promotional strategy that includes public relations and media partnerships can maximize a film’s reach and impact. The combination of online & offline promotion can create a more comprehensive and effective promotional campaign for local titles.

How do you engage with film critics, bloggers, and influencers to generate positive reviews and discussions about Romanian films, and how does this impact the success of your distribution strategies?

It is wise to build relationships in advance and from one movie to another, considering similar genre types of movies. Also we have established relationships with film critics, bloggers, and influencers before the film’s release. Engage with them on social media and stay in touch with them along the year and close to their needs. 

Engaging with film critics, bloggers, and influencers is crucial, especially today when we live in a more and more digital world, with immediate and significant impact on the success of films, so I would mention just a few below:

We like to think that we organize screenings or premieres (more or less exclusive) for journalists, bloggers, critics, and influencers. This allows them to experience the film and increases the chances of sharing their thoughts with their audience. 

We utilize and leverage social media, engage in influencer marketing, providing them with exclusive access, merchandise, or other incentives, ensure that the collaboration feels authentic and aligns with the influencer’s content style, facilitate interviews and other features…or simply mix all these. Most recently, for Klaus & Barroso we facilitated using some independent PR professionals a private event at Cinema City VIP where members of social media/ influencers could interview the cast and crew. This provides an opportunity for in-depth discussions and helps generate more content around the film.

For the post-release strategy, we are encouraging fans and followers to share their thoughts on the film. Run social media contests or challenges to generate user-generated content. This not only engages the audience but also provides additional material for influencers to share.

As a result, the impact on film distribution strategies consists of a positive public perception and this way can enhance the film’s reputation and attract a wider audience. The collective impact of positive reviews and discussions can contribute ultimately to the film’s box office performance. A strong online presence and positive word of mouth can drive more people to theaters to watch the film.

In summary, engaging with film critics, bloggers, and influencers is a strategic and integral part of film distribution. The positive reviews and discussions generated through these efforts can amplify the success of locally produced films by creating awareness, building credibility, and influencing audience behavior.

In an age of digital media, what online platforms and social media channels are you focusing on to connect with the younger, tech-savvy audience and raise awareness about films?

Connecting with a younger, tech-savvy audience and raising awareness about films in the digital age involves leveraging various online platforms and social media channels. 

YouTube is a powerful platform for sharing trailers, behind-the-scenes content, and interviews related to films. Creating a dedicated channel for your film and regularly uploading engaging content can help build anticipation.

Instagram is popular among younger audiences for its visual appeal. Filmmakers can use IG to share visually striking images, short videos, and stories related to the film. Instagram Live can be utilized for real-time engagement with the audience, for example at events.

TikTok has become a significant platform for short-form videos and can be an effective tool for creating viral content. Filmmakers can use TikTok to showcase snippets from the film, run challenges, or collaborate with influencers to reach a wider audience.

While Facebook may have a slightly older user base compared to some other platforms, it remains a valuable channel for film promotion. Filmmakers can create dedicated pages, share trailers, and use Events to promote screenings.

Snapchat is known for its ephemeral content, and filmmakers can use it to share exclusive behind-the-scenes moments, teaser videos, and updates. Snapchat Stories can create a sense of urgency and exclusivity.

Reddit is a platform where communities of enthusiasts gather to discuss various topics, including films. Filmmakers can engage with relevant subreddits to share updates, answer questions, and generate interest among users who are passionate about specific genres or themes.

Podcasts have gained popularity, also in Romania starting with the pandemic and filmmakers can collaborate with relevant podcasts to discuss their films, share insights, and reach audiences who enjoy audio content.

Creating interactive websites/ microsites dedicated to the film can enhance the overall online experience. This can include interactive elements, exclusive content, and links to the other social media platforms or to cinemas for ticket sales.

Innovative technologies like VR and AR can be used to create immersive experiences related to the film. Virtual premieres or augmented reality filters tied to the movie can generate excitement among younger audiences.

The key is to create a multi-platform strategy that caters to the preferences and habits of the target audience while maintaining a consistent and authentic online presence. Combining these platforms and strategies can help filmmakers effectively connect with younger audiences and raise awareness about their films in the digital landscape.