Abstract

Empirical research on film audiences is marginal in contemporary film studies. The research field has to incorporate contributions from media and television studies, since video, television and internet have fundamentally changed the context of film consumption. We argue that there is a need for audience research, because it can provide fresh insights into important issues such as the state of European cinema. Concepts of European and national cinema are put in an audience perspective. We present results of a survey on the role of film in the everyday life of young people in Flanders, Focusing on varying consumption contexts and the divide Hollywood-Europe-Flanders, we find that European film is more foreign to young audiences than Hollywood fare. Even local cinema has to deal with prejudice. Reconsidering European cinema from an audience perspective opens up new lines of thought that traditionally were obscured by macro-approaches and theoretical notions of spectatorship.

How to Cite:

Meers, P., (2002) “Filmpubliek en (Europese) cinema: theoretische verkenning en survey bij jongeren in Vlaanderen”, Tijdschrift voor Sociologie 23(3-4), 509–544. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.86564