Ep. 102: How is France Keeping its Arthouse Cinemas Packed?

TIFF Long Take

This week on TIFF Long Take, Rob and Geoff speak with Nathanaël Karmitz, Managing Director of the mk2 audio visual group, about France's unwavering appetite for the theatrical experience. With many arthouse and independent theatres struggling worldwide to attract patrons, France's culture of movie going seems stronger than ever. Last year – despite the massive growth of SVOD audiences worldwide – French arthouse theatres saw record attendance, selling over 45 million admissions, or about 25% of countries' overall cinema entries that year. Karmitz talks about how the French are taught to think about film as art rather than entertainment, why their interest in foreign cinema has stayed so strong, and why, despite the rise of Netflix, French audiences remain committed to the theatrical experience. He also discusses France's innovative laws around media windows, who these regulations help and hurt the most, and his predictions for the future of the French film industry.