Studying, Defining and Reaching the Audience in a Film Market: The Case of Estonia

Abstract In small European film markets reliant on public funding and artistic considerations, the audience question has been a constant source of ambiguity. This inherent challenge has significantly influenced the strategies employed by film industry professionals to understand, target, and engage their audiences. Through conducting in-depth interviews with film professionals, this article examines these practices within the Estonian film industry. By filling a significant research gap, this exploratory study will argue three key points. Firstly, despite limited institutional knowledge production on audiences, industry professionals, particularly in exhibition and distribution, actively engage in diverse research endeavours to tailor their approaches. Secondly, despite the constraints imposed by Estonia’s relatively small market size, industry professionals employ film-, production-, and audience-specific details to identify their target audiences. Lastly, this research demonstrates how these investigative and defining activities contribute to the formulation of audience-reaching strategies, thereby highlighting the complex role audiences play within the context of a small European film market.