Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. This podcast episode was made in collaboration with PUBLIKUM.

In a new collaborative series with PUBLIKUM titled "The Claim" the podcast brings together leading industry voices to debate findings from AI-driven audience research. Hosted by Niels Alberg and Rikke Flodin from PUBLIKUM, each session recorded live during the EFM challenges experts to reconcile data-driven insights with creative intuition.

In this episode, the hosts and guests explore the claim that "the audience wishes we would focus more on characters," sparking a deep dive into character development, backstories, and the balance between inner and outer journeys. The discussion examines whether audiences are more invested in characters than the industry currently assumes, offering unique insights into how two of Zentropa's leading producers are thinking about character-driven storytelling and what it means for audience experience, artistic vision, and marketing.

Sisse Graum Jørgensen is a producer at Zentropa. Mikael Rieks is a producer at Zentropa. Niels Alberg is the Co-founder and Partner at PUBLIKUM. Rikke Flodin is a Partner at PUBLIKUM and an expert in audience research.

The Berlinale’s European Film Market is the first international film market of the year, where the film industry starts its business. Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast puts a spotlight on highly topical and trendsetting industry issues, thereby creating a compass for the forthcoming film year. The year-round podcast is co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA.