The Film Market in an Era of Digital, Green, and Social Transformation: Models of Change

Supporting the Polish Film Market in Times of Digital, Green, and Social Transformation

Poland’s current support model for the film industry relies on regulations established in 2005. Over the past two decades, however, the landscape has shifted dramatically—driven by technological advances, the rise of streaming platforms, the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and evolving social dynamics. Consequently, existing film policies fail to address today’s challenges. "That is why we aim to propose recommendations and guidelines for an updated film industry support model in Poland. After all, what is the point of producing films that never reach cinemas and are not watched by Polish audiences?" asks Marta Materska-Samek, PhD, from the Department of Management, Media Economics, and Advertising at the Institute of Culture, Jagiellonian University. Dr. Materska-Samek is leading a project funded under the Proof of Concept action by the European Funds for a Modern Economy 2021–2027 (FENG) program, implemented by the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP).

Film industries worldwide are navigating a "triple transformation": digital, green, and social. "We are currently witnessing a new wave of digitization driven by the integration of artificial intelligence into film production. Furthermore, streaming platforms continue to expand their market dominance—a trend accelerated by pandemic-era cinema closures. These platforms heavily control the market, influencing movie visibility and shaping viewer choices through proprietary algorithms. Rather than receiving objective data, audiences are served content prioritized by algorithms to maximize platform revenue and viewer retention. Concurrently, there is a push to implement sustainable practices in filmmaking to combat the climate crisis and address social imbalances within the industry, such as gender inequality and systemic dysfunction. Our project addresses how to adapt Poland’s film support system to these modern realities," explains Dr. Materska-Samek.

This initiative addresses two key objectives. First, it seeks to sustain traditional cinemas, which face rising operational expenses (such as heating, electricity, and labor) alongside declining attendance due to streaming platforms. Beyond their economic function, cinemas provide essential social and cultural value. "Cinemas push us out of our comfort zones and media bubbles, fostering face-to-face interactions and community building. We are evaluating necessary regulatory steps to ensure a balanced market equilibrium between streaming platforms and brick-and-mortar theaters," notes the researcher.

Second, the project aims to bolster domestic film production. "As a Polish audience, we want opportunities to see local stories, locations, and cultural contexts on screen, which helps build national identity. Achieving this is challenging because Poland is classified as a 'small cinema market'—a term for markets incapable of self-financing film production solely through national distribution revenue. Polish cinema relies on public funding, but this support must be rational, efficient, and rooted in a social contract. We must clearly define why specific films receive public funds and what value they deliver to society. Crucially, publicly funded films must reach their intended audience; if they do not, it signals a structural flaw in the support system," Dr. Materska-Samek emphasizes.

The project builds upon earlier research conducted with domestic industry experts and international academic partners from countries including Germany, Finland, Greece, Malta, and Croatia. "We have accumulated substantial cross-border data to implement within the Polish framework. Under the Proof of Concept project, we conducted quantitative research on a representative sample of Poles regarding film culture participation. We are currently consolidating these findings to formulate actionable policy recommendations, which will be submitted for consultation with the film community," states Dr. Materska-Samek.

Positioned at the intersection of the humanities and social sciences, the project aligns with National Smart Specialization XII (KIS XII), which encompasses the creative industries. "Innovation must be actively developed and supported within the creative sectors as well," the researcher stresses.

Marta Materska-Samek, PhD, holds a Master's degree in Cultural Management and a postgraduate diploma in Quality Management from the Jagiellonian University. She also studied political science at the Robert Schuman University (IEP) in Strasbourg under the Socrates/Erasmus program. In 2016, she earned her PhD from the Faculty of Management and Social Communication at the Jagiellonian University, defending a dissertation on strategic management in cinema digitization. Her research interests focus on media and film organization strategies, cultural digitization, media accessibility, and humanistic management.