CoE: European AudioVisual Production, CO-Productions+Exports Boom: Fairy Tales or Not ?

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- It looked like a Fairy Tale ! However, the Reality is More Complex, but, anyway, Interesting...

 A Series of recent Statistics on European AudioVisual creations, published these Days by CoE's PanEuropean AV Observatory (EAVO)'s Experts in Strasbourg, at First Sight, Boom by Optimism :

- F.ex.: There was a Strong Growth of Film Production in Europe, during recent years ! European Co-Productions generated 3 Times More Cinema Admissions ! And European Films Released in Foreign Countries had Grown by +8,5% ! Etc...

It's not inaccurate. But it's not all...

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- Indeed, "Overall Production in Europe" was "Growing by + 47%", jumping from 1.444 feauture Films in 2007, up to 2124 in 2016.

However, it's mainly "Documentaries" which "Boomed, almost Doubling" (X 200 %) "to 698 Films in 2016". While "production of Feature Fiction" rose just for 1/3  ( X 33 %), which is not bad.

And among the 36 Countries that EAVO covers, it's "the Top 5 producing" which accounted for an absolute Majority : "53,6% of overall Production", (UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy).

On the Contrary, "18 Countries produced Fewer than the average" (25 Films a Year), and 5 Countries' production "Declined", (even among the "Top" : f.ex. the UK, followed by Belgium, etc).

But it's also true that other "10 Countries more than Doubled their production volume", while "the Fastest Growth" was "Mostly .. located in Eastern Europe".

F.ex., Russia comes 6th, just After the "Top 5" (Comp. Supra), with more than 1.000 Films. To Note also Spain's Recent Growth, particularly on Documentaries. (While, on the Contrary, UK recently Lost the 1st Place)

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- European Co-Productions, indeed, generated "3 Times More Admissions" to Cinemas, "than purely National Films" : I.e., with 24,2% of the Total Production, they got 50,3% of Admissions, (with the UK sky-rocketing).

But, if the Particular case of UK's "GB inc." Companies is Excluded, (since they may have a Majority of Capital, or even All of it, coming from Abroad, resulting, in Fact, f.ex, in a ...American-American Production !), then, the above-mentioned Ration of 3 : 1, is Lowered to just 5 : 3, (and the relevant Percentage Diminishes from 317% Down to 171%).

=> Then, France comes First, followed by Germany and Spain, (while even the Czech Republic outnumbers the UK !)...

However, Co-Productions are Not used so much for Documentaries, (which are the Fastest-Growing AudioVisual products and stay predominantly National : Comp. Supra), but Mainly for Fiction features.
And, concerning Co-Productions with Foreign (Extra-European) Countries, it's Russia which Leads from the European continent, (bypassed only by the Particular case of the UK : Comp. Supra, and Followed by Spain and Portugal).

Last, but not least : Even inside Europe, Russia, which has a Comparatively Low Number of European Co-Productions, nevertheless, appears Interesting in practice, since it's almost the Only one to ...Always Fund the Majority of the Co-Production Costs !

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- As for the "Circulation of European Films Outside Europe", Indeed, the Number of those Released in Foreign Countries regularly Grows, from 2012 up to 2016, Jumbing from 509 Up to 650 Films per Year.

But, it's also a Fact that, on the Contrary, the Admissions in Cinemas, for these Films, Curiously ... Fall Down, from 131 Millions to Only 108 or even 82 Millions (between 2012 - 2015/2016) !

 Nevertheless, an Astonishingly Small Part of European Films Released in Foreign Countries (just 9%) has Managed to Attract ..90% of the Total of Admissions ! I.e. showing that Success on Europe's AV Exports is possible, but may depend also on Focusing on certain Key Products...

However, it's also True that these Numbers do Not take into Account the "VOD", on-line and Other Kinds of Releasing Audio-Visual products, (reportedly because there is Not yet a sufficient "Transparency" of those New and Booming ways of Distributing Films Worldwide, Nowadays).

So, as things stand, it's obviously the Uk which came recently First in Admissions of "European" Films Outside of Europe, Followed by France and Russia, (Comp. Supra).

As for the Markets where those Admissions take place, naturally USA comes First, closely followed by China, and, in a Distance, by Mexico, further away : Australia and South Korea, etc.

Among the Smaller Markets, just don't look for Countries as Turkey : Because there, Exceptionally, a large Absolute Majority of Films are simply ...Turkish ! Contrary to Most Other Countries in the World, where the Majority of Films released and seen come from Elsewhere.

On the Contrary, in the Pan-European area, the Russian Market for Films is seriously Growing Nowadays, according to CoE's Audio-Visual Observatory.

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In other words, as the Number 1, Top Selling Abroad, European Film Co-Production indicates, (Picturing a ..."Cat" with "Nine Lives" : See relevant PHOTO), Fairy Tales or not (Comp. Supra), at least one thing seems clear : At any case, the European AudioVisual works have ... Many Lives !...